Read Online Bad For You: (An Older Brother's Best Friend Romance) by Charity Ferrell - Free Book Online

really feel.
    “I’m different for the fact that you have to
see me again. I bet you won’t even tell Simon. You’re too much of a coward to
tell him you screwed his sister.”
    “You’re damn straight I don’t want him to
know, so I’d appreciate it if you’d keep your mouth shut. You know I’m
attracted to you. You’re sexy, smart, and a giant pain in my ass, but I enjoy
hanging out with you. Sure, there might be something more with us, but we can’t
explore that. We know it won’t go anywhere, and you know I don’t date.”
    “Alright then,” she says, with a glare. “We
got each other out of our systems. Now we can move on to bigger and better
things.”
    I let out a growl. I’m not okay with other
motherfuckers putting their hands, mouth, or cock anywhere near here. There is
no bigger or better than me. I don’t want anyone else to have her, but I
can’t cross that line, either. I’m a selfish man.
    “You were right. It’s not a good idea to talk
about this shit,” I fire back.
    I turn up the volume on the radio and
concentrate on the road. She pulls out a book and the ride goes eerily quiet. It’s
another four hours until we make it home. Four long as hell hours.  
    The sound of her moaning my name is much more
gratifying than her silence.
     
    * * *
     
    “Do you want me to help with your bags?” I offer, pulling into
her driveway. I don’t want us to end on bad terms.
    “Nope,” she snaps, her first word in hours.
    I jump out of my truck, ignoring her answer,
and walk around to meet her. I open up the back door and capture her bag. She
throws her purse over her shoulder and snatches it from me.
    “Thanks for the ride,” she says, her skin
bunching up around her eyes.
    “Nautica.” I need to say something, to
apologize.
    Her hand flies up in my face to stop me, and
she gives me a cold glare. “Don’t. Just don’t.”
    She whips around and heads up the porch
steps. I lean back against my truck and wait until she goes in before leaving.
    I feel like an asshole the entire
three-minute drive to my house.
    It’s for the best, right?

chapter nine
     
    nautica
     
     
    I toss my bag onto the entryway floor and head into the kitchen
to find my mom unloading groceries.
    “Hi sweetie,” she greets, a bright smile on
her face. She scurries around the island in her black flats to wrap me in a
tight hug. “I’ve missed you so much. I’ve been counting down the days until I
had both you and Simon home.” She takes a step back to hold me at arm’s length.
“You look good. So much older.”
    I kiss her on the cheek and pull away. “Mom,”
I say, around a laugh. “I’ve only been gone a few months. Not that much has
changed.”
    She squeezes my arm gently. “From a mother’s
standpoint you have.” She looks over my shoulder. “Did Bracken not come in?”
    I’m unable to look her in the eyes. I feel
like she’ll know what we’ve done. “No, he needed to get home.”
    Her ruby-colored lips turn into a frown.
“That’s too bad. I baked some cookies to thank him for giving you a ride. I
haven’t seen him in so long.”
    “I’m sure he’ll be here sometime during the
break.” I give her a forced smile, hoping I’m wrong, but know I’m probably
right. He hangs out at our house more than he does his own.  
    I grab a cookie on the way to help her unpack
the groceries, but she waves me away and tells me to sit down.
    My mother is a beautiful woman. Her sandy
brown hair is flowing in loose spiral curls. I can see a hint of mascara along
her eyelashes. She takes care of herself well, but there’s no mistaking that
the loss of my father has taken a toll on her.
    They were high school sweethearts. She got
pregnant with Simon during their senior year. She dropped out to take care of
him while my dad graduated and joined the military. Being a military wife was
difficult, but she engrossed her life on being a good mother.
    But being a good mother doesn’t pay the
bills. When he