No Regrets (A Stepbrother New Adult Novella) Read Online Free Page B

stupid. He wanted to follow her outside and ask her why she was so sad, and yet so angry. For whatever reason, he wanted to get to know her. He knew better than to push his luck though; her wrath was more than he wanted to deal with.
    It had to be the chase. He rarely had a woman turn him down, and now, this one wasn’t interested in him in the slightest. It didn’t help matters that they would be related soon.
    Parker frowned; she would be his step sister. It was almost too much to think about.
    He stood, walked outside, and joined her on the deck, despite his better judgment. Her head was tilted back, and the moonlight lit up her black hair in its ponytail, giving it a glowing shine. She was lost in the moment, so much so that he almost felt as though he had intruded.
    “I’m scared for her, I think,” she said, without looking at him. “Scared she’ll get hurt. I’m not saying anything about your father, I’m just worried for her.”
    “He won’t hurt her, Liv. He’s a good man.” He moved closer to her. The heat between them was almost palpable, and he wondered if she felt it, too.
    “But, how can you be sure of it? I don’t know if she can handle a disappointment like that. It’s awful, and it changes you.”
    By the way she said it, he knew she didn’t speak from an outsider’s point of view. She spoke from experience. I wonder who hurt her . He watched her bite her lip, lost in thought, and he felt something stir inside. Suddenly, his pants were too tight. Damn it, this was completely inappropriate—such awful timing. He was losing his mind. He couldn’t possibly be attracted to this woman that was about to become his step sister.
    “She’s a grown woman, Liv. You just have to trust her to know what she wants, and you can’t control what she does.” He tried to sound nonchalant about it.
    “I’m not trying to control anything! I’m just worried.” She was angry again, and her eyes glistened as she spun around to face him.
    “I’m worried, too. You know, Olivia, this isn’t just about your Mom. My father never acted like this before, either. He’s been all business, and now he’s wearing an apron, and baking pie in the suburbs .” He hadn’t meant that the way it sounded, but he knew the moment the words left his mouth that he had said the wrong thing.
    She barely clipped out the words, “I see. You know, suburbs do not necessarily mean lower class than whatever posh neighborhood you grew up in, if that’s what you’re concerned about.” She quickly spun around to go, but he grabbed her arm before she could leave the deck.
    “Wait, Olivia, don’t leave like this.” His hand tingled all the way up to his shoulder from the contact with her skin.
    She didn’t say a word, which worried him. She was usually so full of things to say, but now she wasn’t speaking at all. He had hurt her feelings—he knew it.
    She gave him another stern look, and it was his undoing. He pulled her curvy frame to his, and his mouth found hers in a crushing kiss.

Chapter Seven

Olivia
    S he couldn’t breathe .
    It was too much, too many senses reeling at once. The kiss broke, but only for a moment so that she could catch her breath. This was wrong, on more than one level.
    He pulled her closer to him. His hands seemed to be everywhere at once. He was slow at first—he just ran his fingers across her neck. Then he traced his hand over the tops of her breasts. He kissed her there, lightly, before he undid her hair and let it cascade around her like a dark blanket. He wove his fingers through it, pulling her hard against him, and covered her lips with his mouth again.
    Liv was lost. She tried to put up a defense against him and failed. The chemistry between them was hotter than anything she had ever felt with another man. She didn’t have the experience for someone like Parker, and suddenly she was afraid.
    “Parker…wait. I can’t.” She finally pulled free of him. “We can’t…this is not