Read Online Hard: A Step-Brother Romance by Sosie Frost - Free Book Online

He stepped closer, twirling the little pink
panties around his finger. “It’s a good idea, Shay. We could keep each other
company. Again.”
    I
braced as he approached. He was huge, powerful, and perfect. I had never felt
petite before, but in his shadow, I was overwhelmed.
    Zach
could haul me around a bed with one arm and then cuddle me against his strength
when we were done. And I remembered the wonderful things he’d whispered, things
that warmed me from inside once more.
    My chest
tightened, and everything else clenched too. How could a man who was so wrong,
so horrible, and so awful tempt me?
    My
head and heart tangled with each other. Neither could overpower the other.
    Con-artist.
    Sexiest
man I ever touched.
    Liar.
    He smiled,
baring his teeth, reminding me of his teasing bite.
    Step-brother .
    He was
too close to me. The rugged, dusty scent of him dizzied my head worse than the
drinks he bought me that night. I would have done anything if he were just
a stranger, just someone I met, just someone I could have once more.
    But
he wasn’t.
    He was
Zach. He was the worst thing that ever happened to me.
    And
he was still holding my panties.
    I
ripped them away from him, but my fingers brushed his. A dozen little shivers
cracked into a thousand tiny whispers with a million different regrets. His
hand warmed mine, so much bigger and stronger than my delicate palm. His skin,
light and fair, contrasted mine with perfect beauty. Like we were made opposite
just to be brought together. Two sides of a coin. Two polar extremes of a
magnet.
    My
mouth dried. He stilled.
    “Shay—”
    His
voice rumbled with a playboy’s confidence, the smooth jazz of a man who knew
what he liked and got it every time.
    But
not this time.
    I couldn’t
let him do this to me.
    Not
again.
    New
life rule. Zach was a sin, even worse than the cardinal ones, if they made it.
Blue-jay maybe. Or, since he was an American soldier, Bald Eagle Sin.
    In
any case, Zach Harden was completely off-limits to me. Forbidden. And I had one
way to make sure he left my life forever.
    It wasn’t
every day a girl could recover from her mistakes with grace. It was an even
rarer day she could buy redemption.  I had the money. I had the opportunity. I
would spend as much as I could if it meant banishing my greatest mistake. Enough
was enough.
    “I’m
moving to the mansion,” I said. “But once I get my trust, I’m buying your half
of the estate from you. After that’s done, you’ll have no reason to contact me
again.”
    “Fair
is fair.” Zach leaned close. “Though I think you’re missing a great
opportunity.”
    “For
what?”
    “To
fall for me.”
    I
met his gaze, just as hard and deliberate as the rest of him. “I would rather lose
every penny to my name than fall for you.”
    “Say
the word. You can get me for free.”
    I
laughed. “Cherish your memories. That’s all you’ll ever have.”
    “Those
are some priceless memories, baby.” He grabbed a packed box from the floor, but
nearly dropped it. His fingers trembled. He cracked his knuckles and tried
again, lifting it without a problem. “Are these going?”
    “Put
it down.”
    He
winked. “I’ll take it home for you. But don’t be late. I’m ordering dinner for
seven.”
    He
grabbed another box on the way out.
    Great.
I was barefoot, and every pair of shoes I owned was packed in the box he
carried outside. My panties scattered in his wake.
     I
groaned.
    Living
with Zach would be living with pure temptation. Either I’d throttle him or I’d…
    I
didn’t let myself finish the thought. There was no other alternative. We could
tolerate each other in a semi-peaceful truce and that was it . No ordered
dinners. No falling for him.
    And no reason for him to have stolen my favorite pair of black panties!
    I
rifled through my suitcase and checked under the bed. Gone. God, he was a pervert.
    I
fumed.
    He
had it right. He deserved every part of his nickname.
    Living
with Zach was going to be