Dirty Little Secret: New Adult Rock Star Romance (Not Exactly A Stepbrother Romance Book 1) Read Online Free

in sweat. A dark triangle had formed from the collar of his T-shirt down to his stomach. The material clung to his chest, but not for long. He pulled the shirt over his head, glorious abs glistening, kicked off his shoes, and jumped in the pool. I held my breath right along with him, as he swam the length of the pool underwater. He flipped his hair back when he came up. The spray soaked me.
    “Hey.” I raised an eyebrow from behind my Kindle.
    “Oh, hey. I didn’t see you.” He walked over, water beading against the tattoos on his chest. Bullshit, he hadn’t. I hadn’t met his gaze yet. Mine was glued on the silver loops going through his nipples. I knew he had them. I’d stalked all his social media sites, and Bret had no problem showing the world his body, but now they were close enough to touch, and they’d never been more off-limits. Bret didn’t notice. His gaze fell to its usual latitude. “Nice bikini.”
    “Thanks.” I bought it a couple years and maybe about twenty pounds ago. I had no problem with my body, but I believe my ex called me a fat bitch when he told me to fuck off. That made me want the d-bag back. Whatever. I didn’t own a scale, but the bikini didn’t cover things exactly like it used to. Side boob was abundant, my tummy rolls were visible, and the bottom was a bit less than full coverage now. I should’ve given Bret shit for saying something, but there was an off-chance he meant it as a compliment. “Need any help?” I asked.
    “Yeah.” He stepped over me to get out of the pool. “Grab the flowers, and I’ll carry the rest of the sod. I should be done with this today. I talked Ellen into having the Fourth of July party. It was Dad’s favorite holiday. It would be nice to celebrate him in style. You got any plans?”
    “Not yet.” None of my friends came back to Newport this year. They’d all settled into internships or new jobs somewhere else. I hadn’t had a chance to get friendly with anyone at the zoo yet.
    “Keep me company at the party,” Bret said as I followed him out to Dad’s truck. “So far it’s a family and neighborhood thing.” He handed me a plastic pallet, full of petunias, and his hand brushed mine as I took it from him. He’d picked pink, white, and purple, and I laughed to myself at the thought of the heavy metal man whore picking out flowers. “But I’m sure you can find something better to do than hang out with me.” He smirked as I wiped dirt away from my chest.
    “Probably.” Even worse than watching those videos, I liked the way he was looking me. I took my time cleaning myself up, and Bret’s gaze followed my every move. “It’s not like you ever owned up to me before.” He was out every night, his old friends welcoming him back.
    “What are you talking about?” He scoffed.
    “It used to drive me nuts in school when I told people you were my stepbrother, and they called me a liar because you’d already told them we weren’t related.” I followed him back to the car.
    He handed me the last palette. “We’re not. Your mother married my father. That’s all.” He shrugged, and I gave him a dirty look. The cool green of his eyes looked even lighter now that he’d been working outside so much. I was the first to look away.
    “They thought I was nuts. Like I was some weird stalker chick.” Of course they believed Bret over me. He was older and always had a pull over people, which made him perfect for what he did.
    He wiped more sweat from his forehead. “You always were a little nuts. And you’re getting fried.”
    I’d been about to launch into him about calling me nuts, when I looked down at my chest. Bright red. “Shit,” I muttered and grabbed my sunscreen. I’d forgotten to put it on.
    Bret followed me over to the table. “Let me get your back for you.”
    “No,” I said too quickly, reaching around and trying to get my shoulder blades. “I’m good.”
    “Gem, you can’t reach. Give that to me.” He ripped the