Read Soldier Stepbrother Online
Authors: Stephanie Brother
Soldier Stepbrother (4 page)
His father's new husband ripped apart Declan's family and left his mother suicidal. Declan will destroy the billionaire's happy family in return, and the key to revenge is Ambrose's sweet daughter. Declan will seduce the innocent Lia, break her down, and use her to humiliate her father. Determined to succeed, he will allow nothing to distract him, not even an unwanted attraction to his new stepsister.
Declan
Why had I come to this farce? There were way too many smarmy rich people in their fancy suits for my tastes. Despite my upper middleclass upbringing, give me a nightclub or even a seedy bar over a sparkling Sonoma Valley wedding at the country club in the afternoon.
A quick glimpse of my dad and my new stepdad reminded me, and I grimaced at the sight. No, I wasn’t a homophobe. I couldn’t care less whose dick went where, but you’d better bet I fucking care when that dick-swapping leads to the breakup of my parents’ marriage and my mother weeping on the bathroom floor.
Remembering the sight of my mother with that razor in her hand, the first few hesitation marks causing blood to well and soak the white cuff of her blouse, soured the taste of the expensive champagne in my mouth. Still, I swallowed the rest of the glass, because it was there, and I liked thinking it was another debit on the debt Tom Ambrose owed my mom.
My dad was dancing close to his new husband, and they looked like fucking honeymooners, all dewy-eyed and fresh, instead of the forty-somethings they really were. I’d never seen him dance like that with my mom, but their marriage had been sound. She had relied on him until the unthinkable, when Tom dragged him out of the closet he’d sheltered in for decades.
I wanted to be happy for my dad, who was finally acknowledging an important side of himself. If it had been any of my friends who came out, I’d have supported them. I was all for embracing your sexuality, but not at the cost of your family. His confession and abandonment almost drove my mother to suicide. If I hadn’t walked in at just the right moment…
I shuddered slightly as I again recalled my mother bleeding on the bathroom floor. She had allowed me to bandage it up as she stared at me impassively. My suggestion of a doctor had been soundly rejected, along with the reminder of the gossip she had already endured, and extrication of a promise that I wouldn’t mention it to anyone.
That hadn’t been the only promise she’d tried to get from me that day.
“Declan, my sweet boy.” She had caressed my cheek like she used to when I was little and had trouble falling asleep. “He’s taken everything except you, but losing you would kill him. Promise me you’ll cut him out of your life.”
I couldn’t make that promise, because I still loved my dad. Mike Mulvaney had been there for me—tossing the ball around, helping with homework, coaching my Little League team, and coming to my band’s first performance when we still really sucked. We still kind of sucked now, but not to the same level of suckitude.
Instead, I promised her something more important: Revenge. Tom had destroyed Mom’s life, and he’d fucked with mine on a basic level too. Before then, I hadn’t lived at home for three years, but I’d been the one left to pick up the pieces for my emotionally fragile mother. My dad deserved his share of hurt, but I knew who was really to blame for seducing him away from his old life and into this new one.
The question was how to make it happen. With that goal in mind, I followed Tom with my gaze for the rest of the afternoon reception. It soon became obvious that next to my dad, there was one other person who seemed to mean the world to ol’ Stepdad. His daughter.
I watched with contempt as he danced with the pretty young thing—and I had to admit she was gorgeous in an innocent girl-next-door kind of way that wasn’t my usual taste at all—cupping her cheek and patting her long blonde curls as they laughed and spoke with evident affection. She was his Achilles’ heel.
Lia Ambrose, my new stepsister and the apple of her daddy’s eye, was the key to my revenge.
As I continued to drink the expensive champagne and made only a token effort to mingle, my brain whirred with tactics. Before the reception ended, I had a plan firmly in mind for ruining Lia and breaking Tom’s heart.
When they toasted the couple at the end of the evening, before my dad and hers were due to slip out, I lifted my glass and called out, “To success,” before downing the glass. She looked briefly puzzled, but sipped politely, as did the other guests. They probably thought I meant to a successful marriage. Idiots.
I put the first stage of my plan in motion before my dad could leave. I cornered him, along with Tom, as they were edging toward the double doors that led from the ballroom at the country club. “Hey, Dad, got a minute?”
“Sure, son.” He looked tentative, as though he didn’t know what kind of reaction to expect.
That was fair enough, since I hadn’t spoken to him at all for months after his revelation and had only agreed to come to the wedding when he’d practically begged me to—and when I’d realized it would help me find the most efficient method of revenge.
Tom glanced at his watch and gave me a friendly smile. “What good is it owning the jet if you can’t delay takeoff a few minutes for your son, right?”
When he clapped a hand on my shoulder, I had to restrain the urge to shrug it off and punch him. Somehow, I managed a sickly smile and nod of my head before turning back to Dad. “Would it be okay if I crash at your place for a while? Mom is…” I trailed off, letting him fill in the blanks with whatever shit his mind conjured to justify his actions. “I could use a break from her, and I gave up my apartment after…” Once again, I trailed off, cutting my gaze briefly to Tom.
Dad looked at Tom. “Do you mind, hon?”
Tom shook his head. “Of course not.” He lifted his hand, and the princess appeared a moment later, as though he had summoned her by some silent means. I’d think perhaps a dog whistle, but there was nothing homely about my new stepsister. “Lia, love, your brother is going to be staying with us for a while. Could you please get him settled in the guesthouse?”
She cast me an uncertain look, and it raised my hackles. Did she think I was going to make off with the silver? I’d have to start by prying out the spoon wedged firmly in her mouth. “If it’s not too much trouble, sis?” I couldn’t resist the hint of mocking, though it wouldn’t further my agenda.
“Of course not, but wouldn’t you prefer a suite in the house?”
“A young man surely wants his privacy, Lia.” Tom and Mike shared a knowing glance and a chuckle as they clearly shared the same thought about my sex life.
It took Princess another second to realize her dad’s subtle meaning, and I barely bit back a snicker at the way her cheeks bloomed with color. Exactly how innocent was Lia Ambrose?
I intended to find out and ruin every last vestige of that innocence. It would be my parting gift to Tom Ambrose.
Want more REVENGE? The completed serial is available to buy from Amazon or borrow with Kindle Unlimited:
Billionaire Stepbrother in Paris
Hooked on my Stepbrother
Waking up with my Stepbrother
The Step Contract
My Stepbrother, the Billionaire, and the Bargain
My Stepbrother, the Billionaire, and the Ball
Stephanie Brother writes scintillating stories with step-siblings as their main romantic focus. She's always been curious about the forbidden, and this is her way of exploring such complex relationships that threaten to keep her couples apart. As she writes her way to her dream job, Ms. Brother hopes that her readers will enjoy the full emotional and romantic experience as much as she's enjoyed writing them.
Want her mailing list? Click
here
!