No Regrets (A Stepbrother New Adult Novella) (3 page)

P
erhaps it was his tone
, or the eventual disappearance of his stupid playboy grin, but she knew he meant it. She visibly relaxed.

“Thank you,” she managed to mumble, as she made her way to the table where he held her chair. She felt his hand graze hers, and she retracted it quickly. It almost felt as if he had burned her.

Dinner started off shaky, but quickly became more relaxed. It was obvious their parents were in love and happy. Olivia felt a twinge of envy at the way they looked at each other. She knew it was rare, maybe even impossible, to find the one person you should be with for the rest of your life. Perhaps when she was older, she would be able to relax and let go. In the meantime, she needed to concentrate on her college and future career, so that she could save money. All she ever wanted to do was get a good job, so she could take care of her mother.

As they cleared the dishes, she felt Parker staring at her and she subconsciously tucked a lock of hair behind one ear. She glanced up at him, and he gave her a smile. All she could think of was the Cheshire cat from her childhood stories. If memory served her right, the stupid cat did a lot of smiling and not much else, which wouldn’t surprise her about Parker.

He was attractive—there was no denying it. Even earlier, as he tried to smooth over his failed parking job with a free coffee, she was aware of him. He exuded some kind of heat that made her squirm. She knew she was attracted to him. She wasn’t stupid about it. But the issue was deeper than that; he made her feel both terrified and alive at the same time.
I definitely need to avoid him
.

As she and Parker sized each other up, their parents found their seats once more and were holding hands. Both of them looked quite apprehensive. Something was definitely up.

“Dad, what’s wrong?” Parker spoke first, and she knew he could sense it as much as she did.

“Nothing’s wrong, son. In fact, everything is great.” He glanced at Linda.

“We wanted to tell you both, together.” Liv’s Mom smiled back at Parker’s father, as her voice wavered slightly.

“We’re getting married.” They said it in unison, and both seemed to wait for a reaction from their children.

Whether it was twenty seconds or twenty minutes, time seemed to freeze for Liv as she took in the new information. Married—as in, to each other. She exhaled heavily, and finally glanced at Parker, who apparently was still in shock. He was as unprepared as she was. Someone had to speak first, though.

“Wow, married. Isn’t this a bit sudden? I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s obvious that you two are in love…I’m just…well...” she trailed off.

“Concerned, and I completely understand,” Richard finished for her. “I know this is a bit of a shock for both of you.” He glanced at Parker.

“It is a shock, but I’m happy for you, Dad. I guess it will just take time to adjust.” Parker gave his Dad a grin, and then stood and pulled Linda into a hug.

Olivia watched him as he hugged her mother, who cried tears of joy. Despite his playboy exterior, she felt her heart warm up to Parker slightly. He accepted this calmly, so she had no choice but to follow suit. When she got her mother alone, she could question her about how this happened. She walked over to them and exchanged hugs with her mother and Richard.

Richard cleared his throat again. “There
is
more, actually.” He glanced at Linda. “We want the two of you to help. We want you to plan this wedding together, with us. Everything we do, we want to make sure you’re a part of it.”

Liv looked at Parker. Hours and hours together was all she could think of. They
would
help, of course. If she learned anything about Parker in the short time they’d known each other, it was that he loved his father as much as she loved her mother. He looked at her and smiled, which made her feel shy for some reason.

“I don’t know how much help I’ll be, but I can’t wait,” she said, and she realized that she meant it. Her mother was so happy, happier than she had been in a long time, and this was the least she could do for her.

After that, her mom came to life with ideas and plans, and the ladies were soon separated from the men, lost in conversation. Liv barely got a word in as her mother told her about what they wanted—and what they needed from the two of them.

“I can’t tell you how happy I am that you’re so accepting of Richard, Livie. He’s a good man.” Her mother clasped her hand in Liv’s.

“I am happy for you, Mom. I’m just—well, I’m concerned. How long have you two known each other? How does he treat you? Where will you live?”

Her mother chuckled. “I know you must have many questions, my dear, and I don’t mind answering every single one of them.”

An hour later, Liv finally walked to the den and slumped into the chair. Her mother answered every question. That much was true. Liv’s head hurt with the amount of information she’d heard. She listened to the men chuckle in the kitchen, and then her mother joined them.

She leaned her head back and closed her eyes for a moment, but even without seeing him, she knew Parker was there the moment he came into the room.

H
e felt
something deep down inside as he watched her. She was nothing like the women he was usually attracted to, but the attraction was there, there was no question about it. She was petite and curvy in all the right places, and yet he had no doubt that she could defend herself when necessary. He followed the arch of her neck with his eyes, lower and lower, until they roamed over her entire body. The noticeable tension in the air indicated that she knew he was there. He took a sip of his drink and settled across from her.

“It appears that you and I will be spending a lot of time together in the near future.” He watched her eyes flutter open, her inky lashes long on her pale cheeks. He also saw the slight frown cross her face before she responded.

“It seems that way, yes. They’re so happy.” She pulled her hair around to one side of her graceful neck and leaned on her hand.

“Yes, they are, indeed.” He looked away from Liv. “I hope he knows what he’s doing.” He muttered it to himself, but he saw the heat begin to rise in her eyes.

“Just what is that supposed to mean, Parker? Is that some dig at my mother?” She stood up then, and he watched her. She put her hands on both hips. “I’ll have you know, my mother is a good woman. A damn good one, to tell the truth.”

He let her stand there as he waited for the fireworks to die down, watching her seethe.

“No Liv, that’s not what I meant at all. I’m a pretty good judge of character. I know she’s a good woman. That doesn’t make me any less concerned about what they’re doing.” He smiled at her as she fumed. “Are you always like this?”

She relaxed some and crossed her arms in front of her. “Like what, exactly?”

“Angry.”

“I’m not always angry, I simply react when people
make
me angry.” She calmed down some more and took a deep breath. “Maybe you're right, maybe I am angry. This is just something big, and on top of exams and, well, everything.” She bit her lip and looked somewhat gloomy, and he wanted to pull her close.

He frowned at this thought.
What was wrong with him?
He felt this compelling need to help her somehow, and that was entirely new to him. She just looked so…vulnerable. She had mentioned exams.

“What school do you go to? I go to St. John’s.”

She regained some composure. “I go to State U. How funny, we’re only an hour apart. Both schools are only an hour or two from here, so, I guess that’s good—you know, for this wedding planning.” She smiled slightly at him, and he couldn’t help but smile back. They were certainly in a situation. She picked up her sweater from the chair and walked toward the deck. “I’m going outside for a bit.”

He watched her go and waited before he did anything stupid. He wanted to follow her outside and ask her why she was so sad, and yet so angry. For whatever reason, he wanted to get to know her. He knew better than to push his luck though; her wrath was more than he wanted to deal with.

It
had
to be the chase. He rarely had a woman turn him down, and now, this one wasn’t interested in him in the slightest. It didn’t help matters that they would be related soon.

Parker frowned; she would be his step sister. It was almost too much to think about.

He stood, walked outside, and joined her on the deck, despite his better judgment. Her head was tilted back, and the moonlight lit up her black hair in its ponytail, giving it a glowing shine. She was lost in the moment, so much so that he almost felt as though he had intruded.

“I’m scared for her, I think,” she said, without looking at him. “Scared she’ll get hurt. I’m not saying anything about your father, I’m just worried for her.”

“He won’t hurt her, Liv. He’s a good man.” He moved closer to her. The heat between them was almost palpable, and he wondered if she felt it, too.

“But, how can you be sure of it? I don’t know if she can handle a disappointment like that. It’s awful, and it changes you.”

By the way she said it, he knew she didn’t speak from an outsider’s point of view. She spoke from experience.
I wonder who hurt her
. He watched her bite her lip, lost in thought, and he felt something stir inside. Suddenly, his pants were too tight. Damn it, this was completely inappropriate—such awful timing. He was losing his mind. He couldn’t possibly be attracted to this woman that was about to become his step sister.

“She’s a grown woman, Liv. You just have to trust her to know what she wants, and you can’t control what she does.” He tried to sound nonchalant about it.

“I’m not trying to control anything! I’m just worried.” She was angry again, and her eyes glistened as she spun around to face him.

“I’m worried, too. You know, Olivia, this isn’t just about your Mom. My father never acted like this before, either. He’s been all business, and now he’s wearing an apron, and baking pie in the
suburbs
.” He hadn’t meant that the way it sounded, but he knew the moment the words left his mouth that he had said the wrong thing.

She barely clipped out the words, “I see. You know, suburbs do not necessarily mean lower class than whatever posh neighborhood you grew up in, if that’s what you’re concerned about.” She quickly spun around to go, but he grabbed her arm before she could leave the deck.

“Wait, Olivia, don’t leave like this.” His hand tingled all the way up to his shoulder from the contact with her skin.

She didn’t say a word, which worried him. She was usually so full of things to say, but now she wasn’t speaking at all. He had hurt her feelings—he knew it.

She gave him another stern look, and it was his undoing. He pulled her curvy frame to his, and his mouth found hers in a crushing kiss.

S
he couldn’t breathe
.

It was too much, too many senses reeling at once. The kiss broke, but only for a moment so that she could catch her breath. This was wrong, on more than one level.

He pulled her closer to him. His hands seemed to be everywhere at once. He was slow at first—he just ran his fingers across her neck. Then he traced his hand over the tops of her breasts. He kissed her there, lightly, before he undid her hair and let it cascade around her like a dark blanket. He wove his fingers through it, pulling her hard against him, and covered her lips with his mouth again.

Liv was lost. She tried to put up a defense against him and failed. The chemistry between them was hotter than anything she had ever felt with another man. She didn’t have the experience for someone like Parker, and suddenly she was afraid.

“Parker…wait. I can’t.” She finally pulled free of him. “We can’t…this is
not
right.” She trembled; he was too close. She backed away a little more.

He let go of her, and gripped both of his hands on the rail of the deck. “I know…I’m sorry, Olivia. I just…you were so quiet, and I panicked.”

“I see.”
So, he only kissed her because he panicked?
“This should’ve never happened, and we both know it.” She turned to go. “We have to get along, Parker, for their sake, but let’s not complicate things further.”
Leave, Olivia. Leave now
.

She left in a flurry and quickly made her way to her old room. Once there, she was again reminded that her room was gone and in its place was storage. She didn’t want to cry, in fact, she rarely did, but this day had been too much. The tears rolled down her face as she sobbed into her pillow; how had this happened?

T
he morning came
, and with it came reality. Her mother was getting married to his father. How these two people could be so different, and yet love each other so much, seemed incomprehensible. The plan was to go to breakfast together, and then the men would go to their house to get ready for the party that night. Now that she and Parker had been told, the engagement party was just a formality, a way to make the news public.

Liv was up early. She threw on some sweats and slipped down the front stairs. She needed some fresh air. She had lived here her entire life, and she loved it. Taking a walk seemed to clear her head a little, and she headed back home.

As she entered, she almost stopped on the stairs when she saw him sleeping in the den. She didn’t want to look; she wanted to hate him for what happened the night before.
A panic kiss, thanks a lot
. But curiosity got the better of her, and she walked into the den.

Still asleep, he’d kicked off the blankets and his long, muscular body was draped across the fold-out couch. One arm was over his head and he was bare chested. She would be a liar if she said he wasn’t perfect to look at. He was sculpted and molded, every inch that she could see. Her stomach clenched at the sight of him.

Suddenly, he rolled over, and it set her into action—she didn’t want to get caught. She took the stairs two at a time to get back to her room.

She refused to think about Parker that way, ever again. She would do her best to approach the rest of the day with a smile on her face, intending to ignore her soon-to-be step brother.

She took extra care with her hair and makeup that morning. For her mother’s sake, she wanted to look her best. She refused to admit that she wanted to make a statement to Parker, too. She smoothed down her dress, and made her way downstairs.

She tried not to look at him, but it was almost impossible as they all ate and talked together. He tried to get her attention on more than one occasion, of course. Eventually, it was unavoidable.

“Liv, why don’t you and Parker go check out some of the locations for the reception today? We have access to many places, and it might be fun for you two before the dinner party tonight.” Richard smiled encouragingly at Parker.

“Oh, that’s so nice. Liv loves checking out new restaurants. Don’t you, dear?” Her mother unknowingly put her in an impossible position.

“Yes, Mom, I do, but I’m sure Parker has plans since he’s home from school. I wouldn’t want to keep him from that.”

“Actually, no, I don’t. I told Dad I would be here this weekend and I have no plans to do anything else. I do need to stop by our house, but otherwise it would be fun to go into town.” He gave her a smile, and she had no choice but to accept.
Great, time alone with Sexy Parker in a small car. Fabulous.

After breakfast, she and Parker went into the city driving his car. Despite its small size, it was almost too comfortable inside his little red Porsche 911. She did her best to try and relax, but it was quite difficult. Neither of them said a word until he pulled up to the gate in front of an estate.

His house was forty-five minutes away, and she rarely had a chance to venture into this part of town. She couldn’t help but gape.
This was his house?

“Come in with me. I need to get a few things, and it may take a minute.” He came around and held his hand out for her.

She extended her arm to him, and when her fingers touched his she felt an electrical current run through her.
What the hell was happening to her?
She had to gain some control of her feelings. The chemistry between her and Parker was undeniable, but this couldn’t go anywhere. Liv wished desperately that she could stop herself from feeling anything at all for her future step brother.
Unfortunately, that train has left the station.

They made their way inside, and she was greeted by the butler and a maid as Parker went upstairs.

“You must be Olivia. It’s so nice to meet you.” The elderly woman smiled.

“How did you know my name?” she asked, mildly confused.

“Your mother speaks of you often. Can we get you anything, dear?”

Her mother… So, she had spent time here, as well. Obviously—she was dating the owner of this house.
Get ahold of yourself, Livie.

“No, no I’m fine, but thank you very much.”

She wanted to run out of the house and back down the highway to where she had come from, to where she belonged. Parker finally came back down and they went back out to the car.

“So, are we going to talk about it, Olivia?” Her heart started to pound.
What could he mean?

“About what, Parker? There’s nothing to discuss.”

“Dammit, Olivia. You’ve been avoiding me all day like the plague, so that’s obviously not true.”

“I know, Parker.” She gave him a weak smile. “But, I’d rather we forgot about what happened. I just…can’t talk about it,” she said softly, looking at her hands in her lap. Parker was silent as he stared at her, and she had no idea what he was thinking.

“Happily.” he suddenly said, and he gave her a cocky grin.
Thank God he accepted that I don’t want to talk about the kiss.

They set off for the city and the day sped by—she truly enjoyed herself. They visited several small restaurants that were on their list, and Parker seemed to know many of the proprietors. He was extremely nice to everyone, which surprised Liv since she expected him to be an arrogant, spoiled kid of a successful local billionaire. But he wasn’t, and she found herself liking him more as the day wore on.

Parker bought her street food from some vendors and they talked about the wedding as they walked downtown. She watched him come to life while he spoke about his dad’s business, and how he was excited to sit in on meetings soon. This was a side of him she hadn’t expected. Their actions from the night before still weighed heavily on her mind, but it seemed he stopped wanting to bring the topic up again so she was able to relax a little.

As he drove her home to drop her off, he found music they both liked. They ended up in a heated discussion about who was more talented: Bruno Mars or Sam Smith. It went on until they declared a truce and agreed not to bring it up again, but the discussion was lively and fun and they were both laughing at the end. Finally, they were at her house, and she jumped out of the car before he could come help her.

“I guess I’ll see you tonight, Parker,” she said as she leaned down to the window. “Let’s just get through the night, and things can go back to normal.” She pushed her glasses up, and he smiled at her.

“I’ll see you tonight,” he agreed. He pulled away, and she felt a little better about their situation.

She could be friendly with him, and together, they could be there for their parents. She just had to avoid his touch. There was something about them alone together, some undercurrent that she knew she just had to stay away from. She knew if she didn’t, all of her carefully crafted plans for the future might be destroyed.