Stepbrother, Mine #2
Read Stepbrother, Mine #2 Online
Authors: Opal Carew
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From Part 1
Dana put down her fork again. “Is there something wrong with me?”
“Wrong with you? Of course not. Why would you think that?”
She pursed her lips. “Well, you won’t actually … you know … make love to me.”
“Dana, just give it more time. I don’t want to rush this.”
He’d have to talk to her about this sooner or later, but not right this minute.
“I just … I always wondered if there was something about me.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
“Well, you left when I was eighteen. Without even a word of good-bye. Without ever contacting me again.”
She frowned and the sadness in her eyes filled him with pain.
“Why did you leave, Mason?” she asked.He stared at her, his heart clenching. How could he possibly answer that question?
Mason reached out and stroked her cheek, his chest tight. “Dana, believe me, there is nothing wrong with you. You are perfect.”
That caused her lips to turn up a little.
He wanted to tell her that his leaving had nothing to do with her, but that would be a lie. He couldn’t even say it wasn’t because of something she’d done.
He knew she suspected that he’d left because of her obvious attraction to him, but that wasn’t true. If he told her the real reason, though, she would blame herself, and he didn’t want that.
She pursed her lips. “You aren’t going to tell me, are you?”
“No.” He took her delicate hand in his. “I’m sorry I abandoned you. I wish it could have been otherwise, but it is the way it is, so can we put it behind us?”
“I thought you hated me,” she said, clearly fighting back tears. “I thought I’d done something wrong and you needed to get away from me.” Her voice caught. “Or you just didn’t care.”
He squeezed her hand, his heart breaking at the emotional scars he’d caused her. “Oh, Dana, no. I have always cared about you. You believe me, don’t you?”
She gazed at him, her eyes shimmering and his breath held.
Finally, she nodded. “I do now. The way you’ve been with me here. The fact that you cared enough to…” She sucked in a breath. “You looked out for me by buying my contract. And then agreed to … fulfill it.”
Despite himself, he laughed. “Fulfill it? Why, Dana, you’re so romantic.”
She dashed away an errant tear, then began to laugh. “Yes, well … I suppose there hasn’t really been much romance in my life.” She leaned her chin on her hand. “I mean, think about it. I didn’t even lose my virginity at my prom like most of my friends did.”
He tipped his head. “Yeah, what about that? You
were
out all night.”
She pursed her lips. “Let’s just say you have secrets about the past, and so do I.”
But he saw a flash of pain in her eyes and his hands balled into fists under the table. He didn’t know what that jerk had done to hurt her, but if Mason ever got his hands on him, he’d pummel the truth out of him.
He drew in a deep breath and brought his attention back to Dana. “You know, I can’t do anything about the past, but I could do something about that lack of romance.”
“Like what?”
“Like take you out on the town. We could get all dressed up and go out to dinner and dancing. What do you say?”
“Tonight?”
“Sure, why not? There’s a dinner-and-dance cruise along the river. You can put on a glamorous dress and I’ll wear my best suit.”
She smiled. “I like that idea. Maybe even a tux?” She ran her hand along the lapel of his robe. “You’d look very handsome in a tuxedo.”
He raised an eyebrow. “And I wouldn’t in a tailored, designer suit?”
She laughed. “You look devastatingly gorgeous in old blue jeans, so stop fishing for compliments.”
Once they finished breakfast, she helped him clear the dishes off the table.
“I need to get some reading done for classes,” she said. “I don’t want to fall too far behind.”
He had set their two weeks together over her reading week at school, but that was only one week, so she was losing one week of classes.
“That’s fine. I have some things I need to follow up on, including arrangements to make for tonight.”
Her face lit up as she smiled, and he smiled back. He wished he could keep her smiling like that forever.
* * *
Dana entered her suite and walked to the desk in the study area. She pulled out her French Literature textbook and started reading the chapters assigned for this week. But soon her mind wandered.
Mason was taking her out dancing tonight. What would she wear? He’d said she could put on a glamorous dress and he’d wear a suit, but she didn’t really have anything fancy enough. As a student, she didn’t need dressy outfits. She did have a little black dress. Her mom had always insisted she own a little black dress, and that she pack it whenever she went anywhere. The habit had stayed with her. She also had the pearls her father had given her. They’d been her grandmother’s, so she cherished them. But a black dress and pearls wasn’t really her style.
She was tempted to skip out on studying and go shopping instead. To buy a stunning gown that would dazzle Mason. She opened her computer and searched several stores online to get some ideas. She found some stunning gowns on the website of an upscale department store that was nearby, but the prices were far beyond her budget.
Someone knocked on her door.
“Come in,” she called.
The door opened and Mason stepped inside.
“Hi. I know you’re busy, but can I interrupt for a minute?” he asked.
“Sure.”
He walked to her desk and settled in the guest chair.
“I wanted to let you know that all the arrangements have been made for tonight. We leave at six o’clock.”
“Okay, great.”
“And right now, I’m going into town. Is there anything you’d like me to pick up? Or are you up for a break? We could grab lunch together.”
She bit her lip and glanced at the beautiful gowns on the screen, reconsidering whether she should go and buy one. But she knew she couldn’t afford it.
“No, I really can’t take the time.”
He nodded, but seemed reluctant to leave just yet.
“So what are you working on? An essay?”
She shook her head, and started to close the browser.
He peered around at her screen and chuckled. “Looking at dresses. I should have known.” Suddenly his face grew serious. “Dana, do you have a nice dress here that you can wear tonight?”
“Well, I … uh … I’m sure I have something.”
He furrowed his brow. “You don’t, do you?”
He took her hand and drew her to her feet. “That settles it. You’re coming into town with me and I’m buying you a new dress. Shoes and jewelry, too.”
She drew her hand away. “No.”
His gaze locked with hers. “Why not?”
“I…” She shook her head. “I just don’t want you spending money on me, that’s all.”
“Why not? I’ve got lots of money. It doesn’t bother me. Why should it bother you?”
She crossed her arms.
“Uh oh. Your stubborn look.” His eyes glittered with amusement.
He rested his hands on her shoulders, which sent tremors through her, throwing her totally off-balance. His effect on her was palpable, but he remained calm and collected, as though he didn’t feel it at all.
“Dana, I wish you’d let me do this for you. I want to take you on a magical night.” He smiled. “Romance, remember?”
“Mason, it doesn’t matter what I wear. Just being with you will make it magical.”
He laughed. “That’s very charming, and I love that you think that way, but we still have to meet the dress code. The cruise is formal.”
“Don’t worry. I will meet you downstairs at six sharp, dressed appropriately. Okay?”
“Good.” He glanced at her laptop, the screen dark. “So are you going to get some good work done while I’m gone, or are you just going to goof off?”
She laughed. “I didn’t get through three years of college by goofing off.”
He smiled warmly. “I know you didn’t.” He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “I’ll see you at six.”
He turned and walked across the room, then disappeared out the door.
As soon as he was gone, she bit her lip, the desire to be dazzling for him tempting her beyond reason. She walked to the window and watched the limousine pull up out front and Mason get inside.
Should she run down and tell him she’d changed her mind?
She wanted him to stare up at her in adoration when she walked down the stairs this evening.
Suddenly, images of the one time in real life when exactly that had happened flashed through her mind. He had watched her descend the stairs with rapt attention, as if she were the most beautiful woman in the world. What had happened after that … her chest constricted. She wouldn’t think about that now.
She wrung her hands. But maybe … just maybe … She raced across the room and pulled open her closet door, then peered at the top shelf.
“Oh, my God. It’s still here.”
* * *
Mason stood in the entryway and glanced at his watch. He’d knocked on Dana’s door ten minutes ago and she’d called out that she’d meet him downstairs on time.
But her idea of “on time” and his had often differed.
Then he heard footsteps on the hardwood floor of the upstairs hallway. He glanced up and sucked in a breath. There she stood, with a glowing smile on her face, just as beautiful in that frothy pink gown as the first time he’d seen her in it.
His chest constricted as the painful memories surrounding that night seared through him. What had happened then had set in motion a catastrophic series of events.
Radiant in a gown that seemed made just for her, Dana was oblivious to his pain. And the sight of her in that dress still made his body harden with need.
* * *
Eight Years Earlier on Prom Night
Mason watched eighteen-year-old Dana walk down the grand staircase, glowing like a new bride in her sweet, almost-virginal pastel-pink prom gown. Her hair was swept up in a sophisticated French twist, with delicate, wispy curls fluttering around her face and shoulders.
She looked like a beautiful fairy princess, but despite the sweetness of the image, the way the fitted bodice accentuated her tiny waist and full, round breasts, and the way those breasts swelled from the strapless gown, made him long to peel away it and caress the silken flesh underneath. As she walked down the stairs, beaming, his groin tightened. He wanted to sweep her into his arms and seduce her with passionate kisses. Then carry her to his bed and ravage every inch of her sweet, innocent body.
