Read Online Love All Out - Part 3 (A Stepbrother Romance) by Alice Ward - Free Book Online
Authors: Alice Ward
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there for the rest of the night. I agreed to do that. I didn’t agree to play nice while we’re alone and I don’t know how you could expect me too,” I hissed back at him. Bradley kept his eyes on the road and his body relaxed.
“Fine,” he said with an amused laugh. “Act like a bitch if that’s what you want. But when we get to Lawson’s, I don’t want to hear a trace of that condescension in your voice. I expect you to act completely enamored by me, like you’re hanging on to every word I say. They’ll ask you about the horses. Give brief, modest answers and turn the conversation back to me.”
“I thought you wanted me to impress them,” I argued. “How the hell am I supposed to do that if I’m acting like some dumb puppet? Wouldn’t they take you more seriously if they thought a smart woman was actually choosing to spend time with you?”
Bradley frowned. “These are old fashioned men we’re meeting with, Willow. They were raised in homes like mine, where men are men and women understand they should be seen and not heard. The Derby win makes you a bit of a novelty, so they might pretend to be interested in your opinion. But they’re not, so save them the trouble and do what I told you.”
“Fine, I’ll smile, drool over you, and keep my mouth shut. But you’re over exaggerating, no one thinks like that anymore.”
“Plenty of family’s still have good, traditional values,” he insisted. “You wouldn’t know that since you grew up without a mom and your fool ass father let you run around like a little boy. Don’t get me wrong, I love Cole. But he didn’t do you any favors.”
He’s hitting below the belt on purpose. He wants me to snap so he has an excuse to post the pictures. I have to keep my cool. I’ve got to get on his good side or this entire evening is going to be a nightmare.
“What happened to you, Bradley?” I asked softly. “You were always such a nice guy… too nice. I know it wasn’t all a front. Why have you been so angry these last few months?”
“Because I got sick and fucking tired of waiting around for you to see what was right in front of your face,” he exclaimed. He made a fist and pounded the steering wheel. “Damn it, do you know how frustrating that was for me? When you moved home from college, I figured it would only be a matter of time before you got tired of shoveling horse shit and realized it was time to settle down. We could have been great together, Willow. I could have taken over for both of our fathers when they retire…”
“That’s why you wanted to be with me? So you could combine our family’s assets into some sort of agricultural superpower?” I asked, my voice full of disbelief.
“Well, I was attracted to you too, for what it’s worth,” he sneered. “But you took care of that. Mark my words Willow. Ten years from now, you’ll regret losing your chance with me. You’re going to end up bitter and alone when you could have had a respectable family.”
“Something tells me I’ll be okay,” I snorted. We passed a road sign and I was relieved to read that Durango was only five miles away.
Seven minutes tops and we’ll be at the restaurant. This charade works both ways. He’ll have to be nice to me in front of the other guys.
“You asked what happened to me. I could ask you the same,” Bradley said. “You used to be so level headed, so practical. Suddenly, you’re carrying on a sleazy affair with the very last person you should even think about being with. Seriously Willow, James is rodeo trash. Even without the weird brother sister thing thrown in, he’s bad news. What the hell happened to you that you can’t see that?”
“For the record, there’s nothing sleazy going on. James and I are two consenting adults and we’re in no way related. If the timeline was reversed and Daddy and Renee had gotten together after James and me, no one would have had a second thought about it. You’re blowing this whole thing
“Fine,” he said with an amused laugh. “Act like a bitch if that’s what you want. But when we get to Lawson’s, I don’t want to hear a trace of that condescension in your voice. I expect you to act completely enamored by me, like you’re hanging on to every word I say. They’ll ask you about the horses. Give brief, modest answers and turn the conversation back to me.”
“I thought you wanted me to impress them,” I argued. “How the hell am I supposed to do that if I’m acting like some dumb puppet? Wouldn’t they take you more seriously if they thought a smart woman was actually choosing to spend time with you?”
Bradley frowned. “These are old fashioned men we’re meeting with, Willow. They were raised in homes like mine, where men are men and women understand they should be seen and not heard. The Derby win makes you a bit of a novelty, so they might pretend to be interested in your opinion. But they’re not, so save them the trouble and do what I told you.”
“Fine, I’ll smile, drool over you, and keep my mouth shut. But you’re over exaggerating, no one thinks like that anymore.”
“Plenty of family’s still have good, traditional values,” he insisted. “You wouldn’t know that since you grew up without a mom and your fool ass father let you run around like a little boy. Don’t get me wrong, I love Cole. But he didn’t do you any favors.”
He’s hitting below the belt on purpose. He wants me to snap so he has an excuse to post the pictures. I have to keep my cool. I’ve got to get on his good side or this entire evening is going to be a nightmare.
“What happened to you, Bradley?” I asked softly. “You were always such a nice guy… too nice. I know it wasn’t all a front. Why have you been so angry these last few months?”
“Because I got sick and fucking tired of waiting around for you to see what was right in front of your face,” he exclaimed. He made a fist and pounded the steering wheel. “Damn it, do you know how frustrating that was for me? When you moved home from college, I figured it would only be a matter of time before you got tired of shoveling horse shit and realized it was time to settle down. We could have been great together, Willow. I could have taken over for both of our fathers when they retire…”
“That’s why you wanted to be with me? So you could combine our family’s assets into some sort of agricultural superpower?” I asked, my voice full of disbelief.
“Well, I was attracted to you too, for what it’s worth,” he sneered. “But you took care of that. Mark my words Willow. Ten years from now, you’ll regret losing your chance with me. You’re going to end up bitter and alone when you could have had a respectable family.”
“Something tells me I’ll be okay,” I snorted. We passed a road sign and I was relieved to read that Durango was only five miles away.
Seven minutes tops and we’ll be at the restaurant. This charade works both ways. He’ll have to be nice to me in front of the other guys.
“You asked what happened to me. I could ask you the same,” Bradley said. “You used to be so level headed, so practical. Suddenly, you’re carrying on a sleazy affair with the very last person you should even think about being with. Seriously Willow, James is rodeo trash. Even without the weird brother sister thing thrown in, he’s bad news. What the hell happened to you that you can’t see that?”
“For the record, there’s nothing sleazy going on. James and I are two consenting adults and we’re in no way related. If the timeline was reversed and Daddy and Renee had gotten together after James and me, no one would have had a second thought about it. You’re blowing this whole thing
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