Read Online Step Brother by Jayna King - Free Book Online Page B

of Orange Is the New Black ended, it was official. I had far too much on my mind to get to sleep.
    “Goddammit,” I said, throwing back the covers. If I wasn’t going to sleep, the least I could do was accomplish something productive. I grabbed my laptop from my desk and crawled back in bed. I went through my usual routine—email, Facebook, and CNN—before I got down to work. Skimming the biographies of the partners of the firm I’d be interviewing with, I made notes in another window. Though any job would be a good thing, this firm was one of my top three picks of all the firms in Vegas. They were big, but not too big; high-profile, but not too high-profile. The perfect spot for that rare attorney who wants a shot at spending an entire career at a single firm. That was my ideal goal. I knew I had what it took to make it to partner, and I was determined to see it happen.
    I was looking at one of the slick, professional photographs of the entire team of partners, when I thought about Reed. Okay, I’d been thinking about him all night, but I kept trying to push the images of him from my mind. The problem was that it wasn’t just my mind that was preoccupied with him. His physical presence was so powerful that it made me feel flush, jittery, and turned on, all at the same time, even when I wasn’t thinking about having sex with him.
    “Fuck it. I give up.”
    I typed “Inked Las Vegas” into Google, and the very first link was to his shop. I took a deep breath before I clicked on it, knowing that looking at pictures of him and his work wasn’t likely the healthiest thing for me to be doing, but I did it anyway.
    I was a little surprised. The website was very sophisticated, full of unique artwork and easy to navigate. He must have paid a lot for the site design, or he must know someone who was very talented. I clicked on the “Staff” link.
    “Wow.” Reed had a seriously good-looking and stylish staff. There were links to all sorts of awards won by the artists who worked there, and the photographs of some of the tattoos were just beautiful. Ink had never been my thing, but I could see the appeal from the pictures. I let my mouse hover over the “Contact Us” button, while I thought about what I might write to Reed—not that I would, of course. That would be foolish, and I was not a foolish girl. At least not most of the time.
    Before I could think any more about it, I closed the window, closed my laptop, and returned it to my desk. I needed sleep, and I needed to stop thinking about Reed. It couldn’t happen. It was a bad idea for lots of reasons, and I couldn’t think of a single reason for even considering seeing him again. Except, of course, the fact that I kind of liked him, and I found him attractive, and he seemed to like me as well. None of that could matter, though, I told myself as I turned off the light and hoped I’d dream of something other than my stepbrother.

6 -- Reed
    It hadn’t been easy, but I’d done it, and I was damn pleased with myself. I pulled up along the curb in front of Garrett’s house and waited for Tatum to emerge. Getting her number from my mom had been the easy part. Talking Tatum into riding to Thanksgiving dinner with me—much harder. Figuring that she was just running a few minutes late, I scrolled through my new emails, and when I looked up, I saw Tatum leaning out of the front door, waving frantically at me.
    “What’s wrong?” I called as I got out of the car.
    She didn’t look happy. “I have a bit of a problem.”
    I followed her through the door. “Smells amazing in here.”
    “Unfortunately, the pumpkin pie smells better than it looks.” She led me into the kitchen. “Garrett’s cat got into the pie, and it’s ruined,” she practically wailed.
    I could see nibble marks in the surface of the pie, and even a single orange paw print next to the glass pie plate. It took every bit of self restraint I had to keep from laughing, and I only managed because