Rock Hard: A Stepbrother Romance Page 0,10
“You flung a work boot at thirty miles an hour!”
I nearly doubled over with laughter, imagining my dad frantically trying to stop an out-of-control shoe rack.
“She’s exaggerating,” he mumbled.
We talked like that for another half hour until dinner was ready. Dad disappeared to get changed while I set the table. Reid was supposed to be back, but he was nowhere in sight and hadn’t bothered to take his cell phone with him.
“That kid,” Cora said, shaking her head. “One day he’ll get lost out there.”
As soon as Dad got back and we sat down to eat without Reid, the door opened.
“Sorry I’m late,” he called out.
“Your mother cooked all this. You can at least be on time,” Dad said to him sternly as he walked into the room.
Reid grinned at him. “Sorry, Jack. I didn’t realize you were gracing us with your presence.”
“Don’t be a smartass.”
He sat down at the table next to me. “Smells great, Mom.”
“Thanks. Dig in everyone.”
We tucked into the food in silence for a minute, savoring Cora’s cooking. It felt weird having a family dinner. Back when she was sick, during the few times I could visit, we never sat down to eat together, mainly because her appetite was so bad.
“Find your way back okay earlier?” Reid asked me.
“Yeah, no thanks to you. Where’d you go?”
“Just some stuff to take care of.”
“I hope that stuff wasn’t risking your life on a wet cliff face,” Cora said.
He grinned. “Climbing isn’t risking my life. It’s like walking up a hill for me.”
“Do people still call you ‘Climber’?” I asked him.
“Some do around here, yeah.”
“He’s being modest,” Cora cut in. “Everyone still calls him that.”
“I’d rather they called him something else. Maybe like ‘gainfully employed,’” Dad grumbled.
Reid ignored him. “Some habits die hard, I guess.”
“Habits? Don’t you hold like ten regional records?” I asked.
He nodded. “Twelve actually.”
“Oh, sorry. I forgot you were a big shot.”
“Feeling intimidated?”
“Only a little bit.”
“Don’t worry, college girl. You’re not so bad yourself.”
We finished up the meal quickly after that comment. My dad announced that he was tired, although he took the time to finish an entire chicken on his own. After the dishes, I found myself sitting out on the back porch, listening to the rain fall on the roof.
After a minute, Reid walked out. “Nice out here,” he said.
“Yeah. I missed this porch.”
He sat down on a chair across from me and sipped a beer.
“You look good,” he said.
“Uh, thanks.”
“College agrees with you.”
I ignored that. “Where did you go earlier, for real?”
“For real. I didn’t go anywhere special.”
“Really, not going to tell me?”
“Really. But I’d love to talk about anything else. Like maybe how you keep staring at me.”
I quickly looked away, realizing he was right. I couldn’t tear my eyes from him. The way his shirt clung to his body was undeniably sexy, and I kept imagining how it felt when he had kissed me.
It was always like that when I was around him. No matter how hard I tried, I always ended up wanting to tear his clothes off. Or maybe I wanted him to pin me up against the couch and have his way with me.
Either would have been fine, actually.
“I’m not staring, asshole.”
“It’s fine. I don’t mind being eye candy for you.”
“You really haven’t changed.”
“You have. There’s something new about you.”
“What?” I couldn’t help but ask.
He narrowed his eyes. “Becca . . . did you finally kiss a boy?”
I rolled my eyes. “Nope. Still a prude.”
“I think that’s a lie. Did you go a little wild your last semester?”
I laughed. If only he knew how incredibly wrong that was. In fact, I had done almost nothing but study. Sure, I had been with a few guys at school, but not like he was thinking.
“You caught me. I was the school slut.”
He nodded. “I thought so. You carry it well.”
I rolled my eyes. “Is this how it’s going to be all summer?”
He stood up, taking a swill of his beer, and walked over toward me.
“You know how it is, Becca.”
“How’s that?” I asked softly.
His gaze was intense. “If you want to know, you can find me any time.”
He walked off without another word. His voice lingered in the space between us, heat rushing up my spine, sending shivers down my legs. I realized I was dripping wet already.
I shook my head. It was going to be a rough summer.
Chapter Four: Reid
Earlier that day
I slipped over the fence and watched as Becca kept walking back toward the house, mentally kicking myself