Raging Hard: A Stepbrother SEAL Romance (With bonus novel Based!) (52 page)
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Authors: B. B. Hamel
I hadn’t really spoken to my dad after everything that went down. We weren’t on bad terms, exactly, but things were weird. It was hard to see him as the same guy I knew after everything that had happened. I didn’t hate him though. He was human and humans messed up all the time.
Some messed up worse than others though.
I stood up and looked at myself in the mirror one last time. I had been reading Lincoln’s old emails to help calm my nerves, but I was ready to get going. The pale blue of my dress made my eyes look great, and Jules said it really flattered my figure. She had picked it out.
Lincoln was already gone when I got back from school. It was a little weird, being in that house, since technically it wasn’t mine anymore. But Jules said it would always be my home, and plus, it had all my stuff in it still.
Except Lincoln. He had insisted that the first time we saw each other in person had to be at the premier. He said it was poetic or something like that. Really, he just loved to make an entrance. I tried to argue, but he was stubborn.
I sighed, running my hands down the fabric nervously. I hadn’t seen him in person in so long. What if he didn’t like what he saw anymore? What if things were weird?
I shook my head. I shouldn’t let myself worry so much.
“Aubrie? Are you ready?” I heard Jules yell.
“Coming!” I called out.
I grabbed my purse and steeled myself for what was about to happen.
––––––––
T
he theater was huge and gorgeous. It was old, really old, but had been renovated in the past few years. Apparently, they kept as much of the original structure and layout as they possibly could while still updating it.
All in all, it looked amazing.
There weren’t a lot of people milling around outside. Lincoln had insisted on keeping the premier small. After my dad backed out of the documentary, Lincoln had bankrolled what was left of it, and Jess used the footage she had already shot. I heard that it was pretty good, but I hadn’t seen it yet. We only had Jess’s word.
Jules and I pushed open the front door, moving out of the chilly December air and into the heated lobby. Inside, people dressed in gowns and tuxedos moved around. There was a live string quartet playing soft music, and waiters walked around with champagne.
“Fancy,” I said.
Jules laughed. “Lincoln always did love a good show.”
“I can tell.”
She smiled at me. “I see some people I need to go hit up for donations. Will you be okay?”
“Have fun.”
She laughed and walked off to talk to a group of older men. For some inexplicable reason, old men loved Jules. It probably had to do with her classy attitude and the perfect cleavage she was always showing.
I glanced around, heart beating nervously. I didn’t see him anywhere. A waiter walked by and I grabbed a glass, downing half the drink in one gulp.
I moved through the crowd, not recognizing anyone. Where was Lincoln? He promise he would see me there, promised that he wouldn’t stand me up. What if he had changed his mind, and the whole thing about meeting at the premier was just an excuse to get away?
Before I could let myself spiral into a stupid worry fest, someone moved into my line of sight.
I stared at him. Lincoln Carter, perfect, better than perfect, incredible. He was in even better shape than the last time I saw him in person, if that was even possible. Pictures and videos didn’t do him justice. I couldn’t help but stare.
And then my heart nearly stopped. As he walked toward me, he was leaning heavily on his cane, much more than I remembered. It looked like he had hurt himself again.
I was terrified. Had something happened? Why wouldn’t he tell me about it?
His face was serious and strained as he approached me, and I was terrified. Something bad was happening. He looked like he was hurting.
And then, just as suddenly as he appeared, he dropped his cane and spread his arms.
“Hey, Brie baby,” he said, his face breaking out into his usual cocky grin.
I threw myself into his arms. I didn’t think about it, didn’t care who saw. It was Lincoln, finally, in person. I needed to touch him more than anything else. He wrapped his strong arms around me and pulled me tight against him.
“You asshole. What’s going on?” I asked.
He laughed. “This is the surprise.”
I looked up at him, confused. “What is?”
“The cane. Look.” He stepped back, away from me, and walked over to a waiter. He grabbed a drink from the tray and walked back.
It took me half a second to realize that he was walking just fine without a cane. He was barely even limping.
“Holy shit, Lincoln!” I said.
He laughed. “Surprise! I’m not crippled anymore.”
I threw myself at him again and hugged him, breathing in his smell.
“This is so amazing,” I said.
“Now do you get why I wanted to wait?”
“God no. I would have seen you anytime, anywhere.”
“What can I say. I like a little theatrics every once in a while.”
I laughed. “So are you done with physical therapy?”
I felt him shake his head. “Not yet. But close.”
I pulled back. “Can you jump?”
“Soon. I will be able to soon.”
“That’s amazing.” I couldn’t tell if I wanted to laugh or cry.
“Don’t get teary on me, Brie baby.”
“I’m not, asshole.” I slapped his chest.
He grabbed my wrist. “God I fucking missed you.” He paused and moved close to me. “You’re so much fucking sexier in person.”
I blushed. “I missed you too.”
And then he kissed me. It took me completely by surprise. Even though our parents were divorced, it still seemed wrong to kiss in public, like we still had to hide our relationship from the world. But if he didn’t care, then neither did I.
It was like the first time, like every time. It melted my defenses, made my knees weak. His mouth and touch and tongue simply felt right. I wrapped my arms around him and he pulled me tight against his chest.
He pulled away. “I’ve been wanting to do that for too long.”
“I can’t believe—”
“In front of everyone? Fuck them.”
I laughed. “Okay. Fuck them.”
We kissed again, long and deep. It felt right.
It felt like coming home.
––––––––
A
s the lights in the theater came up, I felt completely stunned.
I looked at Lincoln. “What did you think?”
“Wasn’t what I expected,” he said.
“Yeah. Same.”
He looked at me and grinned. “People are going to eat that shit up.”
The room was full of murmurs as people stood and filtered out of the theater, chatting with their neighbors.
“They really are.” We laughed together.
Jules poked her head around Lincoln. “So, you two liked it?”
“I thought it was interesting,” I said.
“It was moving,” Jules replied, nodding.
“Didn’t expect ‘moving’ to describe my months of pain, but yeah, it was,” Lincoln said dryly.
“And I was barely in it!” I said, shaking my head.
He laughed. “For all that torture in those interviews, you got maybe two minutes.”
“I know. I’m almost upset about it.”
Jules laughed. “I got more time than you did, and I was barely around.”
I smiled at her. She hadn’t mentioned the kiss yet, though I was positive she knew. There was something in her look, knowing and playful, and for a second I thought she winked at me.
“Anyway, I’m heading out,” she said.
“Oh. We’ll come with you.”
“Actually,” Lincoln cut in. “We won’t. I’ll drive us back.”
We stood up and began walking back out of the theater, laughing about the film as we went. Lincoln said he remembered pretty much everything that happened opposite of how Jess portrayed it.
Instead of inspirational and heartbreaking work, he remembered annoying, tedious hours of torture. Instead of an enlightened journey of a man used to breaking the law in the name of his sport, he remembered a guy who couldn’t wait to jump off the biggest, most illegal tower possible for the fun of it.
I glanced around the room, wondering where she was. I figured she was probably too busy filming her latest to show up.
All in all, Jess came through. She made Lincoln’s struggle, from the time he jumped off the building, through the trial, and up until the moment we stopped filming, seem like a heroic journey. Lincoln said he could hardly believe anyone was buying into it, but according to the conversations we heard around us, people seemed genuinely moved. People kept coming up and shaking his hand and congratulating him.
“I’m amazed you could get any emotional response out of these people,” I said between admirers, elbowing his ribs.
“Yeah. Since most of them are so old they’re practically dead.”
I laughed. “You’re not exactly the most subtle person in the world.”
He stopped walking and grinned at me. I couldn’t believe he was moving around so freely, with only a slight limp. But he didn’t seem to need the cane at all, and that was an enormous improvement.
We stood out front of the theater underneath a large tree, out of the way of the crowd.
“So what are you doing all summer?” he asked.
“Not much. Probably just sitting around. Nothing special.” I gave him a playful smile. “How about you?”
He got close to me. “I have this girl. I haven’t been fucking her enough lately.”
“Oh yeah? I’m sure you’ll fix that.”
He reached around me and grabbed my ass. I giggled as he pressed me against him.
“Yeah. As soon as possible.”
We kissed for a second and then pulled away. “Are you trying to start something right here?” I asked.
He looked around. “Why? Are you into it?”
I laughed. “I think kissing in public is pretty much my limit.”
He gave me a sly smile. “We’ll see about that.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Are you sure it’s okay with Jules if I stay at your place over Christmas break?”
“Absolutely. She’d love to have you.”
“Now that she knows we’re a thing, think she minds?”
“Probably a little bit more, but not enough to stop us.”
I laughed. “Perfect.”
He smiled at me and hugged me close. “Listen, I have something for you. One more surprise.”
I blinked. “What is it?”
He took a step back and held my hands. “I want to say something first.”
“Okay. Sure.”
“I fucking hated our time apart.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Me too.”
“Really fucking hated it. Long distance is bullshit, and I don’t want to be apart from you ever again.”
I nodded sadly. “I have to go back to school in a few weeks you know.”
“I know.”
“And you really don’t want to live in South Bend, Indiana. Trust me. There’s nothing in the town around Notre Dame.”
“It’s not that bad, but you’re right. I don’t want to live there.”
“I don’t know what we can do, Lincoln.”
“I do.” He reached into his coat and pulled out a small box. My heart started hammering in my chest, my breath coming fast. “Go ahead. Take it.”
I reached out and took it from him. He smiled and I slowly unwrapped the ribbon and pulled open the lid. Inside was a piece of paper folded neatly into a tight square. I took it out and unfolded it, and realized that it was actually two pieces of paper.
I stared at what it said and couldn’t help but break out into happy laughter.
“You like it?” he asked.
“It’s everything a girl could ask for.”
They were one-way tickets for me and Lincoln to Chicago for the day I was leaving to go back to school. Chicago was only two hours away from Notre Dame.
“I’m going to move there, at least for as long as you’re in school. After that, who knows?”
I pulled him close. “You’re doing the driving,” I said.
He laughed. “Yeah, I figured. Two hours is fucking nothing.”
We held each other like that for a few minutes. I loved the feel of his strong chest, his deep breath, and his smell. Two hours really was nothing. I could spend weekends in the city, or he could come spend a day or two during the week with me. We were going to make it work. No more bullshit long distance. He could finally meet my friends, even though they were going to have to wrap their heads around the ex-stepbrother thing. He could see the campus and see where I lived and worked.
He could be an everyday part of my life. A flesh and blood part of it, not just pixels on a screen.
“I thought that was a ring for a second,” I said softly.
He pulled back and looked at me. “It will be one day. I fucking love you, you know that, right?”
“I love you too.”
I had loved him for a long, long time. He didn’t need to say it, but finally hearing the words in person did something to me. Something shifted, and suddenly my world permanently included one more person.
We kissed.
It wasn’t the last kiss or the first kiss, and I knew there were many more to come. But in that moment, it was the perfect kiss, because it meant that there would be a future.
A future with Lincoln Carter.
Nothing could be more exciting.
