Authors: Elisa Elliot
ROMANCE: Mason (Bad Boy Alpha Male Stepbrother Romance Boxset) (New Adult Contemporary Stepbrother Romance Collection) (282 page)
“If I remember rightly you used to dance a lot,” Aaron said with a slight laugh that made my cheeks flush almost instantly. It was the first time we had really spoken about our past and it surprised me that he would remember such a strange detail.
My brow furrowed as I thought back to the time when I used to dance. “Until you so kindly invited your friends over to watch,” I said with a fake annoyance in my tone. It was close to the time when we had parted ways I believed, gaining an audience to my little personal dance routine was probably one of the reasons why I had stopped.
“I don’t remember that bit,” Aaron said with a frown, “let me make up for it,” he finished and his frown disappeared. Gently he moved away from me and picked up his jacket from where it had been draped over a chair.
I stared up at him confused as he held out a hand to me. “Come with me,” he said quietly and I could see a mischievous smile tugging at his lips.
I hesitated for a second but as he looked longingly at me I relented and took his hand; as his hand engulfed my own he pulled me towards him and wrapped his arm back around my waist. He held me carefully to him with just enough pressure against my side for me to know he was there and that he would not leave me. He walked towards the dance floor but as I expected him to stop he kept on walking, weaving our own dance through the crowd until we were clear of the crowd. I stared curiously at him but he brushed my look away with a shimmering look of his eyes that told me he was excited, for what I wasn’t sure, but the look was definitely contagious.
Aaron handed a smartly dressed man something subtly and he opened a door for us, a door that led to nothing but a set of stairs. “Not here,” he said to me as he sent one last look over to the dance floor, “there are much better places to dance,” he said.
Silently I followed Aaron through the door and up the stairs; all the while his hand guided me softly, making sure that he didn’t leave me behind. The door shut behind us and the music changed to merely background noise, just a soft tumble of the notes found us as we walked on. The stairs turned and the exit soon came into view; Aaron turned to me with a large and inviting smile on his face. His free hand found my chin and he cupped it softly, just enough to make our eyes connect.
He was so close to me now and as his finger softly traced my skin I felt my eyes shut to his touch. “Much better places,” he said in a whisper and his hand dropped away as he opened the door.
For a moment I had thought he was going to kiss me and as I felt his gentle touch disappear I couldn’t help but to be disappointed. Slowly I opened my eyes as wind whistled past me, I blinked quickly as light filtered into the stairwell but it wasn’t bright as most lights in the city were; instead it was moonlight that surrounded us. With his eyes on me Aaron guided me forwards onto the roof and I let out a small startled gasp. It was beautiful, still shadowed by the enormous city towers but high enough to look out on the landscape around us. The only light that broke the steady stream of moonlight was the twinkling lights that were strung up around the small rooftop, casting the place in the softest of glows.
Together we walked forwards and Aaron twisted to face me; through the air vents I could still just hear the soft ending of a song I didn’t know and as a new one started up Aaron took my hand. “This is beautiful,” I whispered as Aaron brought me close to him and our dance begun.
“I had hoped it would be,” he said softly as he guided me around the small rooftop.
“You didn’t know?” I asked a little surprised, surely this place, as beautiful as it was, would be a favored spot for him.
“I have never been here,” he said with a chuckle, “I have never found the right time I suppose,” he whispered as I placed my head against his shoulder.
Chapter Nine
“Thank you,” I said into the folds of Aaron’s ever warm suit jacket, the scent that was so unique to him slowly wrapped around me and I knew that I could so easily loose myself in it.
Aaron nodded against my head as he swept us around the space that glistened so perfectly with the white lights that surrounded us. It was, perhaps, one of the most secluded places in the city, yet right at the heart, hidden amongst the tallest of buildings. Our dance was extraordinary, it was not professional or experienced but it was a dance none the less and as Aaron guided me expertly I almost felt as if it would never end. But as surely as every piece of music did the notes died away and the soft trickle of sound that had found its way to the roof disappeared. Yet our dance continued, just a little longer until we finally slowed to a stop in the middle of the light.
We stayed together, both just looking at the other. “I never dreamt I would see you again,” Aaron whispered as he brushed away a stray curl that had fallen across my face. His fingers lingered a little long on my skin and I felt myself leaning into his touch.
Then Aaron’s lips were on mine and I could think of nothing else but the sweetness of his taste and the softness of his touch. He pulled me closer, sheltering me from the chilling wind that slowly wrapped around our two bodies. His hand stayed on my face and he cupped it lightly, holding me against him as I slowly leant upwards to meet his mouth, showing him with everything that I had that it was what I wanted.
A new song drifted through the vents and all too soon Aaron pulled away from me. He placed his head against my own and leant into me but where I had expected to see a smile on his face there was a frown, where I had expected to see the same look in his eyes as before there was now something else, anger almost.
A sigh passed through his lips but he did not move away, not instantly at least. He gave us a moment, a moment to just be still before he left me in the cold and turned his back on me. “When were you going to tell me?” he whispered but it was not with softness now, he was barely able to hide the anger in his voice.
I shuddered, not because of the cold or the wind but because of his voice. “Things changed,” I said quietly, I made to walk towards him but as he turned quickly I stilled, the look he gave me told me that it would not be a good idea. Where his arms had once hugged me, kept me warm, now guilt took its place. I knew what he meant, that he knew why I had come to him.
“What changed Lucy?” he said exasperated, “I’ve waited for you to tell me why you are here, hoped that you would come out and say it,” his voice was rising now but there was a sadness to his words, a sadness I could understand.
I stared at the man that was now more than a stranger to me, so much more. “I didn’t want you to hate me,” I whispered and a tear welled in my eye, it was nothing but the truth but I feared it may just be too late.
“Hate you? How could I hate you?” Aaron shouted and while his voice did not lower his face softened a little.
“You hate me now,” I said weakly.
“I could never hate you,” he sighed and his body relaxed just a little. He walked towards me quickly and wrapped my shaking body in his arms.
“Yes I came to you for help, there was no other choice. But now, Aaron things are different now. I don’t want you to hate me,” I said into against his neck, hoping that he couldn’t hear me but knowing that he could.
Aaron pulled me away, holding me at arm’s length as his eyes studied my face, looking for something. “What changed Lucy?” he asked me seriously, his face was stern yet his eyes held something else, something that looked like hope.
I paused for a second. “I met you Aaron, I met a you I didn’t think existed, a you I…” my words stumbled under the intensity in his eyes, “a you I don’t want to lose,” I finished with a deep breath. I looked at the ground and I knew that as soon as the words left my lips I could never take them back.
I expected him to walk away; I couldn’t and wouldn’t blame him for walking away. His hands dropped from my own and I knew it was time to say goodbye, but I couldn’t. When I heard no steps, when the door did not slam shut, I looked up and there he was, he hadn’t moved, he hadn’t left.
“Aaron, I…” I started but I did not know how to finish.
Aaron held his hand out to stop me; both of us knew though that he didn’t have to. “There is a job for you and your friend at my publishing company. I set it up this morning, you start next week,” he explained simply and my mouth dropped open.
“How did you know?” I asked slowly, barely registering the shock.
“You underestimate me,” Aaron said with a shrug, “I would always have helped you Lucy. All you had to do was ask. But to keep it from me, to hide the fact, that is something else” he said and I knew then that he meant it, that he would have helped me; it did nothing though to stop the pain that his words caused.
“Thank you,” I said honestly but as much as I hated to admit it I hardly cared about a job anymore, all I cared about was the man in front of me.
“I suppose this is goodbye then?” I asked hesitantly, the words felt wrong on my lips.
Aaron stayed silent for a moment as the music picked up its pace from somewhere beneath us. “Not if you don’t want it to be,” he said quietly and his eyes found mine once more. He took a step forwards, closing the space that was keeping us apart.
“I never want to say goodbye,” I whispered and he reached towards me, cupping my cheek again.
“Good,” he said, “because neither do I,” the words were merely a whisper on the wind as his lips crushed down on mine again.
Aaron held onto me, pulling me as close as we could possibly be. The cold that had covered my body melted away and instead it was replaced with the warmth that only he could bring and a tint of musk that could only belong to him. My arms wrapped around his neck and I crushed my own body against his, needing to feel him, needing to be sure that he was truly here with me. His lips captured my own again and again until I felt my thoughts disappear and my guilt slowly drift away. I had never wanted a person, never quite this much and it being him just made it so much more special.
I kissed him back and he did not pull away but instead he leant into the hard pressure against his lips and returned it with a passion I had never felt before. His hand tightened around my waist as he deepened the kiss. I ran my hands through his hair, feeling the messy softness as he groaned against me. I knew I could stand like this forever, in his arms, my lips against his. My senses were under his control now, each bowing to the feelings that he brought up inside of me. Slowly his lips trailed away from my own, placing soft kisses against my skin.
As the music died away and a new song replaced it neither of us moved, both content to rest breathlessly against the other. I knew then that at this moment there was no turning back. Neither of us had expected this but equally we both knew it was only just the beginning. I had found something in Aaron that I had never believed existed; it was a peculiar sensation to say the least, to find love in the most unexpected of places.
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Chapter One
The fundraiser was already in full swing when we arrived, the large hall was almost completely packed with people. With my friend in tow we made our way through the groups of officers that had gathered by the doors and into the main berth of the extensive hall. I hadn’t expected quite so many people to be here and I was already regretting having agreed to attend the policeman’s fundraiser ball. It wasn’t exactly our normal Friday night scene but there was little coaxing Ruby out of an idea when it was firmly planted in her head, I had learnt that quickly after moving to the city with her.
I turned to my friend who was surveying the scene with a lot more enthusiasm than me. “Do you want to go to the bar?” I asked, hoping that the prospect of alcohol might keep her by my side a little longer than normal.
Without taking her eyes off the crowded room she nodded quickly. “Sounds great Ellie,” she said and I was almost completely concern she hadn’t heard a word I had said.
With a slight smile I led her off towards the corner of the room that thankfully looked a little less crowded than the rest of the hall. It would only be a matter of time before she got distracted and I would ultimately be left alone to traverse the room by myself. As much as I loved my friend from my lengthy experience of being by her side I knew only too well that once she found a handsome man, or more than one, any sense of friend loyalty would be long forgotten.
By the time we had navigated the crowds and reached the small bar area it was surprisingly empty, the few people that had been gathered around had wandered off leaving us very much by ourselves. With just a quick glance over at Ruby I could tell she didn’t like being alone and was already eager to head off and find some, in her own words, fresh meat. I ordered our favorites as I watched her eying up the room, no doubt figuring out where her best options for the evening may lie, her weakness was definitely men in uniform and it just so happened that the room was full of them.
I handed her a drink, a startling green cocktail that I knew she liked and for the first time she turned to me, a wide smile on her face. “Do you want to dance?” she asked excitedly, taking a large gulp of the toxic looking alcohol.
I sipped my own glass of wine, a little taken aback by her suggestion; we both knew I was not one for dancing. “I don’t know,” I said quietly, looking at the numerous dancing couples on the make-shift dance floor in the middle of the room.
“Come on Ellie, it’ll be fun,” she said, already draining the last few drops of her cocktail.
I sighed, I could never resist her pleading for long; it was how I had ended up here after all. “Fine,” I groaned, earning a wide smile, “but just one,” I warned, placing my half-finished drink back down on the bar.
In a flourish of blonde hair, red lips and a tight black dress Ruby leapt on me, bringing me into a tight hug. I shook my head in amusement, wrapping my own arm loosely around her and returning the embrace with a lot less enthusiasm. “You won’t regret it,” she exclaimed.
“Sure I won’t,” I lied sarcastically. She sent me a quick wink and dragged me into the middle of the room her eyes searching the dance floor for, no doubt, another dance partner already.
Loud music that was not befitting of the scene filled the floor, louder now that we were closer to the action. If I was being honest I had expected more of a quiet affair but of course this was as far as possible from that. The music had a heavily base and before long Ruby was dancing like only she could and of course drawing the attention of most of the crowd at the same time. I shouldn’t have been surprised when numerous people stopped their own mild dance and turned to watch my friend, putting us both firmly in the spotlight.
My blonde haired friend dominated the dance floor and before I could make my excuses and back away I was pulled into the dance with her. My own moves were slightly stiffer and less free that hers but my brown curls still flew around in much the same way as her blonde locks. I dared not imagine what it looked like from the outside but despite my reservations I knew Ruby would never intentionally make a fool of herself and hopefully that meant I didn’t look quite as bad as I believed.
The heavy sound of the base died away and a calmer song took its place making Ruby slow down a little and thankfully drop her death-grip on my own hand. A few of the people who had stopped dancing returned to the floor and in the rush I found myself very much alone. With a sigh I looked down at my watch, only fifteen minutes had passed since we had entered, perhaps a new record.
Resigning myself to my new fate I wandered back over to the bar, keeping my eyes out for Ruby at the same time. It didn’t take me long to find her, surrounded of course by a number of officers, all seemingly completely engrossed in the woman who stood in their midst. I couldn’t deny she was good, it wouldn’t be long before they would be eating out of her hands. With a small smile I picked up my discarded drink and brought it to my lips.
“I wouldn’t drink that if I was you,” someone said and a hand reached out, taking the wine from my grip.
I followed my wine glass to the man who was now holding it and an instant sense of recognition hit me. However unlikely it may be, I knew the man. He was my step-brother.
Chapter Two
The blonde haired man was staring at me with the same recognition in his eyes that had hit me only seconds before. “Ellie?” he questioned a little unsurely.
I smiled widely at the man I hadn’t seen in more than five years and hadn’t, if I was being honest, expected to ever see again. “Jake,” I greeted with a slight laugh, still surprised that he was actually here; we were hundreds of miles away from my home town.
Discarding my glass he wrapped his arms around me in a tight embrace that I quickly found myself returning. He held me firmly as my own arms tightened around him, relishing the warmth that his closeness brought to me; I really had missed him in all this time. While we had never exactly been close we had spent six months or so living under the same roof and that counted for something.
“What are you doing here?” I questioned when he pulled away a few seconds later. A cheeky grin twisted at his lips and my eyes traveled down his body “ah,” I breathed as realization hit.
Clad in an officer’s uniform Jake was smiling at me, clearly amused that I hadn’t noticed his attire. My face flushed a little as I took in the smart navy uniform, so like the many others in the room. I couldn’t deny that he looked good but it did nothing to help my shock. “I didn’t know,” I said quietly, my eyes still running over his uniform; he looked really good.
“Clearly,” he laughed and my cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red.
“You’re a police officer?” I questioned, knowing I was stating the obvious but needing at the same time to clarify my shock.
“I hope so, if not then I’m breaking more laws that I care to think about,” he responded with a cheeky wink.
I laughed at his answer; if I remember the shaggy haired blonde from my youth correctly then I wouldn’t actually put it past him to impersonate a police officer. “You’ve changed,” I stated, a little more to myself than to him.
Jake took a moment to register my comment before a small smile settled on his lips. “You haven’t,” he said with a slight chuckle.
I thought back to the girl I had been five years ago, the girl he had last met, I had changed a lot. “If you say so,” I said with a frown, I had tried to change; I didn’t want to be the shy awkward person I had used to be, I had worked so hard to be someone else, be someone I wanted to be.
Jakes eyes traveled down my body, taking in my small black dress and heels before settling back on my eyes. “Perhaps you’ve changed in some ways but you’re still the same sweet woman I remember,” he said softly.
My frown was replaced by a small smile, it seemed we had definitely both changed. “It’s been a long time,” I said quietly.
As I looked at the tall muscled person in front of me, very much a man, I doubted that if it wasn’t for his startlingly bright blue eyes that I would have recognized him in the first place. “Too long,” Jake said equally as quietly.
His eyes met mine with an intensity that I had not expected, so much so that it was almost as if he could read my thoughts. My mouth went dry and words failed me so instead I nodded slightly, hoping that it buy me enough time to regain control over my own thoughts. “I’m sorry though but I have to go, duty calls,” Jake said softly.
Before I could say anything he wrapped his arms around me again, pulling me against his chest. It was shorter than the last time and before long I was thrust back into the cold again. “It’s been good seeing you,” I said as casually as possible, despite feeling more alone now than I had been before he had arrived.
“You’ll see me again,” he shouted as he jogged away. With one last cheeky wink he was gone.
I looked back down at the forgotten remains of my drink, realizing now just how stupid I had been to try and drink the wine I had left alone for so long. Shaking my head I signaled the bartender to bring me another as I tried to spot Ruby in the crowd. As the dance floor thinned out the blonde haired beauty finally came into view and I was shocked to see the crowd around her had been reduced to one man, a smartly dressed officer. I smiled at my friend, she had at least chosen well this time. At the thought Jake in his officer’s uniform my smile widened, yes there was definitely something about a man in a uniform.
Chapter Three
After the auction and speeches had taken place I had actually found that I had enjoyed much of the evening, despite my previous expectations. It was now that the building was slowly beginning to clear and most of the events had finished that I was getting worried though. I hadn’t seen Ruby for at least an hour and as much as I tried I couldn’t seem to find her even in the thinning crowd. With my purse empty of the little amount of money I had brought and the knowledge that she held the money for the taxi home I was starting to get more and more concerned, not just for her but for us both.
Before she had rarely failed to find me at the end of an evening, it was normal for us to take a taxi home, or to walk home if we were even remotely close to our apartment, in this case we definitely weren’t. We were easily a good twenty miles away from our small apartment and she was nowhere to be seen. I stood by the bar, now closed for the night surveying the room and the few people that remained, almost all of which were clad in the infamous navy uniform.
With a groan I pulled out my phone and dialed her number, hoping that even on the tenth ring that she still might pick up. The phone continued to ring until it eventually landed on her answer phone. Leaving her a quick message and sending her a text I slipped the phone back into my bag knowing that she was likely to be long gone from the fundraiser hall. I had only one option and that was to make the very long trek home alone and in the dark. I shivered at the prospect, it was a very long walk and one I wasn’t even sure if I knew the way for.
“You’re still here?” the voice beside me startled me slightly.
I turned to meet the eyes of the blonde, the blonde I hadn’t been looking for but was extremely happy to see, the short blonde hair belonged to Jake. “Sadly,” I muttered, now giving up any hope of finding Ruby.
“Why sadly?” Jake asked softly. Slowly he pressed his hand against my chin, drawing my face up to meet his.
I smiled at the gentle touch as my eyes connected with his bright blue ones, I could see the concern there and as his face creased in confusion I knew he was worried. “I’m just trying to work out the best route home,” I explained, not really wanting to admit despite his kindness that my friend had deserted me.
Jake’s face screwed up a little as he took in my words. “You don’t live close?” he questioned, concern marking his words.
“About twenty miles or so,” I said with a shrug, trying to sound casual.
Jake looked slightly taken about by my admittance before his face settled on something that looked like anger. “And you’re walking?” he questioned louder than before.
I shied away a little from his hand that still rested on my face; his touch was rougher than before. His hand slipped to his side and his fists clenched a little. “It’s a nice night,” I said off-handily. It was the best explanation I could come up with as to why I would brave the pitch black city streets so late at night.
“You can’t walk,” he stated loudly, it was more of a command than a comment and the roughness of his voice sent a small shiver pulsing down my spine.
“I can if I want to,” I said stubbornly, not that I exactly wanted to but I didn’t want to be told what I could and couldn’t do either.
I turned my back on Jake ready to leave but his hand stopped me. Cupping my shoulder tightly he pulled me back to face him, now I could definitely see the anger in his blue iris’s. “You are not walking home at midnight, in the dark and alone,” he said his voice was quiet and controlled but definitely not calm.
“Who are you to say I can’t Jake, I haven’t even laid eyes on you in five years,” I exclaimed, shoving my shoulder out of his hold in the process but making no move to actually walk away.
“I’m someone who doesn’t want to see you hurt,” he said, his voice softening now as his eyes drained of at least some of the anger that had filled them.
“And why not?” I said, my own anger having just only begun to build.