Read Online Hooked: A Stepbrother Romance by Iris Parker - Free Book Online Page B

whole world.
    It wasn’t fair.
    Simon turned, my hand falling like lead to my hip as it slipped from his shoulder. I could feel my frustration starting to spill over, the urge to lash out at him growing. Before I could open my mouth, though, I felt his arms wrapping around me and pulling me close. Feeling his body against mine, I finally broke down sobbing.
    I’d never been a delicate flower, but something about his embrace made me feel safe enough to let go. To release the tears I’d been fighting since the call had interrupted our profoundly confusing, profoundly disturbing, profoundly arousing flirtation.
    He still smelled a little bit like the alcohol that had fueled our indiscretion, though his touch right now was completely different. His skin was cold and clammy, and when he set his chin on top of my head, I felt an almost imperceptible tremor running through him that told me more about his past in a few seconds than I’d learned in months of living with him.
    Simon had a history, and I knew nothing about it. Hell, I hadn’t even known I’d been living in his hometown until a few hours ago.
    It was a strange thought, but it helped distract me. Returning his embrace, I slowly began to pull myself together.
    “Thank you,” I whispered into his chest. “Thank you.”
    “Any time, Em,” he said gently, and I shuddered beneath him.
    Em. He’d never called me that before.
    My friends called me Em.
    When had he gone from Simon-fucking-Ferguson to being my friend?
    When had I changed so much that the thought would make me happy, even on a night of misery?
    “I actually wanted to get you something to eat, but from what I gather, all the food in this vending machine is likely to kill you. You’d think a hospital of all places would know better,” he remarked, his voice infused with the disdain that only a British accent can convey.
    “I might have to settle for a little partially detoxified industrial waste anyway, I’m starving,” I teased, chuckling a little in spite of myself.
    “When’s the last time you ate?”
    “Lunch.”
    “Jeez, Em. That was fourteen hours ago. We need to get you some proper food, soon. You skip so many meals,” he said, suddenly sounding very concerned.
    “ We were going out drinking to celebrate, remember? Isn’t that the tradition you guys have after winning a game?”
    “Well yes, but we eat first. Lots and lots. Shepherd’s pie, roast beef with gravy, scotch eggs, steak and kidney pie…. You’ll recall I did suggest we go to Johnnie’s first.”
    “Yeah well, I’m an athlete. I need to watch my figure,” I said, blushing.
    “Is starving yourself necessary to be an athlete now? Have I been doing it wrong this whole time?” he asked.
    He had me there, but there was no way I was going to tell him the real reason. His suggestion of getting dinner together before going out and drinking had sounded an awful lot like a date, and I’d shot it down accordingly.
    Of course, if I was being honest with myself, the truth was that I had actually liked the idea a little too much. I’d vetoed it in a panic, afraid of opening that particular can of worms.
    Looking up at Simon, I could see that deep worry was once again written all over his expression. I scrambled to think of a way to change subjects, anything really.
    The nurse came back in, and I could feel Simon’s body tensing back up. He mumbled something into my hair before letting me go, rushing up behind the woman and saying hello. She spun around, her face already locked into a glower.
    The nurse wasn’t much taller than I was, and her eyes only went up to Simon’s chest. I watched as she craned her neck higher, her demeanor changing instantly as she sized him up and found him gorgeous.
    An irrational part of my mind wanted to run over there and shove the woman back through the door she’d just come from. Mostly, though, I was just worried about Theo. I held my breath as Simon gestured animatedly in conversation, the