Read Online Long Shot: An MMA Stepbrother Romance by Lexi Whitlow - Free Book Online

 

    “Go on Nat,” he says. “You gotta go to bed. Stop fussing with me.” He takes his hand in mine again and raises it to his lips for a moment. “Not that I don’t like beautiful women fussing with me.” I jerk my hand away. Beatrice jumps up on the arm of the sofa and walks gently over Josh’s legs.  

    “I’m sure you’ll survive the night without my attention,” I say. My cat has always been a traitor when it comes to Josh. She liked him more than she ever liked me—right now, she’s staring at him like he’s her lord and savior come to rescue her from the boring doctor woman.

    “Bee’s gonna take care of me.” He pets Bee, running his fingers between her ears and down her back. The cat curls up next to his ass and starts purring mightily, pawing gently at his shorts like she’s about to die and get lifted away to heaven.  

    “There’s no accounting for taste, Bee,” I say to the cat. “But he’ll run off with another pussy by the end of the week.” Josh snorts, and I check his IV bag one last time. The morphine I’ve given him should be enough to knock him into bliss for the rest of the night.

    And a good thing too. He won’t come knocking on my door.

    “Don’t be nasty to me, Natty. I’m in pain.” He lets out a dramatic groan and pets the cat with his good hand. “Another pussy. Ha, that’s a good one.” There’s a goofy smile on Josh’s face, and I can see his chest start to rise and fall slower. I pause for a moment, my eyes roaming over the carved muscles of his chest and abdomen. But this isn’t a road I want to go down, and I need some damn sleep.

    “Goodnight, asshole. Remember, you’re out of here as soon as possible.” I march off to my bedroom and turn off the lights without giving him another look. How could it be that a man could give me so many conflicting emotions? I’d always known I was a helper, that I took in whoever needed me without thinking. Daddy said it was because I needed to feel worthwhile, that helping people made me feel better since I’d come from such shitty stock. And since Josh had always been right there, well, I helped him first of all, even before myself. I’ll be damned if I fall into that same damn thing all over again, but I felt myself slipping into it tonight. Those old roles follow us wherever we go.  

    I step out of my maxi dress and fall into bed again, this time for keeps. The sun is coming up over the sound now, and the light is filtering into the room. I try closing my eyes against it, but all I can think of is Josh lying out there on my goddamn couch, using an IV that I lifted for him from the Outer Banks Urgent Care clinic. Each time I find myself sinking off into sleep, I jolt awake. There have been so many nights I’ve spent worrying about Josh, so many unwanted dreams—both good and bad. I’ve lost sleep over him, and he’s out there, never once considering what he put me through.

    ***

    “You’re better than everyone here, Nat. I’ve always known that,” Josh had said. “You’re prettier, smarter—”

    “Since when did you care about someone having any kind of a brain, Josh McRae?” I picked up the plates that people had left scattered over the dining room table and dumped them in the trashcan. The wake had been a joke. No one had ever liked my daddy, and I was willing to bet they’d just came for the food and the booze.  

    “Since I met you. I just didn’t understand that’s what I wanted till I got to know you.” A flush ran over my body, rising over my chest, making me feel hot and uncomfortable in the black chiffon dress I’d gotten from Penny’s for the funeral. Avoiding his gaze—which I knew was on me—I kept wiping the same spot on the table over and over.

    “You never acted like that’s what you wanted.” I paused. If I said another word, I knew I’d be getting myself in too deep. Josh wasn’t like me. He didn’t take life the same way I did, serious and true. All he did was