Vacation with my Stepbrother: A Forbidden Stepbrother Romance (2 page)

“Fine,” I said. “I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

My mom smiled and I watched her blue eyes light up.

“Thanks, honey,” she responded. “It’s going to be so much fun!”

Then she ducked out of the door and closed it behind her as she scurried back downstairs. My stomach began to turn at the thought of seeing Danny again. I
was
excited to see how he was doing, but I was
not
looking forward to everything that would come along with it. I didn’t want to have to deal with Danny’s obnoxious antics.

“Whatever,” I whispered. “I’m only here for three months before I go back to school. I guess I’ll survive.”

Danny, Danny, Danny.

His named played in my head like a record and each time the knot in my stomach got tighter. I drew in a deep breath and exhaled quickly, trying to relax a bit. I hated the fact that just the thought of my stepbrother was able to put me in such a weird mood. But it was just the way it was. Our relationship was never one of brotherly and sisterly love. It was always on edge.

I stepped over to my dresser and glanced into the mirror. Then I reached up and pulled the hair tie out of my ponytail, letting my blonde hair fall over my shoulders. I was just wearing a t-shirt with my college’s logo on it and a dark pair of skinny jeans. A part of me thought I should dress up a bit, but then I remembered who the dinner was for. There was
no way
that I was going to get dressed up for Danny. No way.

So in my current attire, I stepped out of the bedroom and made my way downstairs to the kitchen. Mom and Don were busy in front of the stove, frying up steaks and onions.

“I see you’re making Danny’s favorite meal,” I commented, as I approached them from behind.

My mom turned and wrapped an arm over my shoulder, giving me a squeeze.

“Well, I thought that you also loved steak, Nikki,” she said.

“Yeah, it’s okay,” I responded. “I’m pretty hungry, so anything sounds good right now.”

Don flipped the steaks and then turned to face me.

“I can’t tell you how happy it makes me that you and your brother are going to be under the same roof as us tonight,” he said, with a satisfied smile. “It’s been too long.”

Once again, I cringed as Danny was referred to as my
brother.
I wasn’t related to that creep bag. My bloodline was one hundred percent free of anything related to Danny. And thank God for that.

“Yeah,” I muttered. “It’s great. Really looking forward to it.”

It was an attempt to hide my sarcasm, but I doubted that it worked. Don and my mother both knew about the tension-filled relationship between Danny and myself. They had known it from the start. It was obvious. There was a clash between us that couldn’t be hidden.

“Well, have a seat, Nikki,” Don said. “The table is all set and ready to go. We’re just waiting for Danny now.”

I walked over to the dining room table and sat down. The water glasses were already filled so I grabbed one and took a sip. The uncomfortable feeling of being back at my parent’s house began to set in and I wished that I had just stayed in the dorms for the summer. It would have been a lot less awkward.

“Everything okay, honey?” my mom asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine, Mom,” I responded. “Just a little tired, that’s all. I guess I didn’t sleep that well. I’m not used to that old bed of mine any more.”

There was no point in telling her the actual truth. It wouldn’t have done any good.

“Well, okay,” she said. “Just try to put a smile on that pretty little face of yours. Your brother will be here any minute. He just texted Don and said he’d be here a little early.”

“Okay,” I said. “Here’s my smile.”

Then I curled the sides of my lips up and exposed my teeth. With thoughts of Danny on my mind, it took all of my energy to even do that. My mom chuckled as she shook her head and rolled her eyes. Then she went back to helping Don cook. I let the fake smile fade and then took another sip from my water.

The minutes ticked by slowly as we awaited Danny’s arrival. Each second that passed caused the tension inside of me to increase and I felt like I was about to explode. Suddenly, though, I heard the rumbling sound of a loud engine from outside of the kitchen window. My eyes widened and I sat up straight in my chair. The sound got louder as the machine turned onto our street, nearing our house. It was Danny and I knew it immediately. His motorcycle created a noise that I could have recognized anywhere. It sounded like a gun going off with every turn of the engine.

“Sounds like my boy is here,” Don said, smiling wide with delight.

The engine roared outside in the driveway and I could feel the vibration from it underneath my feet. A moment later the sound stopped, bringing peace back to the neighborhood. My mom and Don walked toward the front of the house and I got up, hesitantly following them.

Before we could even get all the way there, though, the front door flew open. And there he was. Danny, his green eyes glowing as he stood there in the entryway with his crooked smile. My blood began to boil the moment I laid eyes on him. It was a familiar feeling that I had grown accustomed to after many years of living with him.

“Danny!” Don called out proudly. “There’s my Marine!”

Danny had a backpack over his shoulder as he stepped inside. He was wearing his formal blue Marine uniform. He was a bit more muscular and his haircut had changed, but other than that, he appeared to be the same old Danny. I stood in the background, watching my Mom and Don exchange hugs with him. After a few seconds, Danny brought his gaze toward me and I saw his eyes gleam.

“Oh hey, what’s up Goldie Lox?” he asked, sarcastically. “Are you too cool to come say
hi
to your older brother?”

My eyes squinted as I looked at him. I hated when he called me “Goldie Lox”.

“I was going to say
hi
as soon as you changed out of that uniform,” I responded. “I know you’re just wearing it to look cool. But it kind of makes you seem like a tool when you show off like that. Just thought you should know.”

Danny shook his head and then set his backpack down on the floor. Then he walked toward me with a cocky gait.

“You know, sis, if I didn’t know better...” he said quietly, as he approached me.

Then in mid-sentence he reached up and grabbed a handful of my hair, gently pulling down on it.

“I’d think you liked me,” he whispered into my ear.

Then he released my hair and walked away, making his way into the kitchen.

“Steaks!” he shouted with excitement. “God, I’ve been craving steak for weeks. In boot camp all we got was prison food.”

So there was Danny in a nutshell. I hadn’t seen him in over a year and the first thing that he did was pull on my hair and say something sarcastic to me. It pretty much summed up our relationship. But I wasn’t going to put up with that stuff any more. I had grown a lot over the previous year in college and I was done taking his crap.

“You’re such an asshole, Danny,” I said, as I stood in the entryway of the kitchen and crossed my arms.

He completely ignored me, though. He just walked over and sat at the kitchen table, reaching his arms up and placing his hands behind his head. His cocky smile was on his face as he kicked his feet up onto the table.

“Nikki, you haven’t changed a bit,” he said, after a moment of contemplation. “You’re still an annoying little shit. And what have
you
been doing for the past year anyway? College life? I’m sure that’s tough.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but as soon as I did, my mom stepped into the kitchen.

“Okay, kids,” she said. “Enough of this. Danny has been here for
two minutes
and you’re already starting to argue. I want to have a nice dinner tonight so you guys better figure out a way to get along. Plus, Don and I have surprises for both of you.”

A surprise?

“What is it, Mom?” I asked.

My mom smiled and said, “I’ll tell you guys what it is during dinner. So be patient.”

The knot in my stomach untied and the feeling was replaced with one of excitement. I had no clue what my mother was going to surprise us with and my mind began to turn with all of the possibilities.

“Come over here and sit down next to me, Nikki,” Danny said, shaking me from my daydreaming.

I didn’t budge, though. I stayed standing in the doorway as I glared at him. The shiny emblems on the front of his uniform reflected the sunlight as it came in through the window. Once again, I noticed that his shoulders were much broader than they were before he had left for boot camp. It seemed that the muscles in his neck and arms were bigger as well. If his personality hadn’t been exactly the same, I might have even said that he was becoming a man. But I’d never let those words escape my lips.
Ever.

“Seriously, come sit over here,” he commanded. “Don’t be such a little brat.”

He knew exactly what to say to get my blood boiling. He loved getting a rise out of me more than anything. It had been his passion for his entire life and I guess I shouldn’t have been too surprised that just a few months in Marine boot camp hadn’t changed that.

“Come on, sweet pea,” he said, sarcastically. “Sit next to me.
Now
.”

Danny whistled at me like he was calling a dog. Then he started to pat his leg.

“Come on, girl,” he continued. “Come here.”

My heart beat faster in my chest and I began to see red. I wanted so badly to just walk up to him and slap him across the face, something that I hadn’t ever had the guts to do before. But I didn’t. I just stood there glaring at him in silence, letting him get it out of his system. Finally, Don made him stop.

“Goddammit, Danny,” he said. “Shut the hell up. Play nice.”

Danny just leaned his head back and laughed. Then he reached up and ran his fingers through his thick brown hair.

“Sorry, pops,” he said. “I’ve just missed my little
sissy wissy
so much.”

“Nikki, go sit down at the table,” my mom interrupted. “Dinner is almost ready.”

I drew in a long, deep breath and then walked over to the table. I sat across from Danny and sighed. “Danny, I thought the Marines would have changed you for the better.”

He just smiled and leaned forward, bringing his elbows to the table. He kept his eyes locked with mine. I noticed there was a bit of stubble on his cheeks, which I hadn’t seen before. His jawline looked more defined than it used to and the muscles in his neck seemed to flex as he gazed at me.

Well he has definitely changed physically.

He looked more masculine and grown up than I remembered. Any baby fat that had been on his face was gone and there was sternness in his look that I hadn’t seen before. And as I sat across from him, with anger pumping through my veins, I began to feel something that I hadn’t ever felt toward him in my life. It took me a minute to pinpoint what it was, because it was so foreign. But as Danny looked me in the eyes and I looked back, I felt the tiniest tingle of attraction fill my body. It wasn’t anything overwhelming. Just a similar sensation that I’d experienced before when meeting a cute guy for the first time.

What the hell?

The sensation caused the logical side of my mind to kick in and as soon as it did, I felt my stomach wretch. If it hadn’t been for my entire family there, I probably could have thrown up.

Gross. Did I really just feel a bit of attraction toward this rotten bastard sitting across from me?

A shiver shot up my spine and I shook my head, trying to get the feeling to go away. Luckily, my mom and Don approached the table right then, forcing my thoughts into another direction.

“Hope you guys are hungry!” my mom sang out, as she set a perfectly cooked steak onto the plate in front of me.

She finished passing the food out to everyone and then she and Don took their seats at opposite ends of the table. Don reached forward and grabbed his glass of wine, holding it in the air.

“I’d like to make a toast,” he said. “To my son, who is now officially a Marine and to my daughter, who finished her first year of college.”

Everyone held their glasses in the air and clinked them together. Then we all took a sip. I was about to dig into the steak, when my mom spoke up.

“Before we eat, Don and I would like to share something with you kids,” she said, excitedly. “We decided that you both deserve a reward for everything you’ve accomplished this year.”

Danny shook his head, chuckling under his breath.

“Nikki finished her first year of college,” he said, sarcastically. “Do you really consider beer drinking to be a major accomplishment?”

My mom playfully slapped Danny on the shoulder. “Danny, stop it.”

I couldn’t believe it. It was like my mom didn’t take anything that he said seriously. Was I the only one who saw him for who he truly was?

“Anyway, Don and I both agreed that it was time that we do something for you kids,” she continued. “And so, after much debate on exactly what that thing should be, we finally decided on...”

Then she paused. I could practically hear the drum roll in my head.

“A vacation,” she finally said.

My head slowly cocked to the side as I looked toward her.

“A vacation?” I asked.

She nodded excitedly in response.

“Yes, Don and I thought that we’d surprise you two with a little vacation. We didn’t know where we should send you and it took us a while to figure it out. It was a toss up between Hawaii, San Diego and Costa Rica. You’ll be happy to know that we decided on Costa Rica. The plane tickets are purchased and your house on the beach is rented. There’s nothing you need to do, except pack your bags.”

All of it sounded absolutely amazing, except for one little thing.

“Hold on,” I said. “Did you say you’re sending
us
somewhere? Like just Danny and I? You and Don aren’t going?”

My mom laughed as she reached over and placed her hand on my forearm.

“No, Don and I aren’t going,” she said. “This is a vacation for you and your brother. Besides, even if Don and I
had
wanted to go, there was no way that we’d be able to get the time off of work. Since Danny has at least a month off and you have the entire summer, we thought it would be the perfect time to treat you guys to this.”