Bastard Page 3

  “God, you’re going to be a handful,” I groan.

  “More than a handful,” he says. “More than you can handle.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I get it,” I say. “You’re not funny, Chris. Just get to the point.”

  “I’m not trying to be funny, sis. I’m bloody serious.”

  “Oh, so bloody,” I whisper, which makes him laugh. I don’t know why, but hearing him laugh makes me smile too, even though I still hate him.

  “So, you’re taking the job then?” he says.

  I take a deep breath. I don’t like admitting defeat. “Yes.”

  He cheers out loud, as if he’s genuinely happy. “Good, that’s great news!”

  “Mmhmm … for you, yeah.”

  “Aw, now, sis, don’t be mad. I need you.” He imitates this cutesy voice to tempt me, and I swear it’s not working. “I promise I’ll be good to you,” he says.

  I somehow know that statement couldn’t be further from the truth.

  “Right, so, since you’re my client now, I want to discuss a few media-related things. Do you have some time this week?”

  “Babe, I have time for you any day of the week. And if I don’t, I’ll make time,” he growls. The way he says it, as if he’s determined to get close to me again, makes me a little apprehensive.

  “I hope we can keep the business aspect separated from the private stuff.”

  “Oh, I’ll promise you I’ll be discreet. And private. Very private.” I swear I can hear him grin.

  “Okay …” I lick my lips, unsure of what to think of all this.

  I know what he’s doing, but I’m not going to fall into that trap again. He’s teasing me, making me flustered, even though I still despise him. He won’t get away with it that easily, and I won’t let him tempt me again.

  “How about tomorrow?”

  “How about today?” he retorts, clearing his throat as if he means business.

  “All right.” I grab my agenda and pen. “Name the time.”

  “Now.”

  His voice is so rough all of the sudden that it shuts me up for a second. I’ve never heard him demand something. At least, not from me … or me in general.

  Dammit. I can’t think of him that way. Not ever again.

  “Fine; I’ll stop by when I’m finished with the paperwork.”

  “I’ll see you in about an hour then. At the racing course. In my room,” he says.

  “Yes.”

  “Great, can’t wait to see you …” He muffles a laugh. “Sis.”

  Before I can respond, he hangs up the phone.

  “Oh, fuck you!” I growl at my phone, even though he’s no longer on the other end of the line. I smack it down on the table, and the whole office is looking at me as if I’ve lost my mind.

  They’re probably right, though. Chris makes me lose my mind.

  This is gonna be a long day.

  Chapter 4

  Emily

  The moment I step into his changing room at the racetrack, a thick fog with the smell of sweat and spicy shower gel drifts in my direction, causing me to cough and pinch my nose. His leather suit and helmet have been casually thrown onto the table in front of me, and his sloppy, muddy boots sit right below that. Dirt covers the entire floor. What a pig.

  “Chris?” I call out as I walk in and look around.

  Everywhere I look, tools and motorcycle parts are scattered around the room. I thought this was only a dressing room for the racers, but it almost seems like Chris has made this his home. I guess he just loves the sport so much; he can’t even leave this place.

  “Hey.” I hear his voice behind me, but the moment I turn around, I almost stumble and fall back. I barely manage to catch myself by holding onto the table while I slap a hand in front of my eyes.

  He’s completely naked.

  Like, muscular-butt-and-big-dick naked.

  I’m not kidding about the big dick part. Jesus. I can’t get the image out of my mind.

  Was it half-hard? Shit. I shouldn’t be thinking about that, but damn, it was one big cock. It almost makes me want to take another peek, which also makes me want to slap myself for thinking just that.

  I can’t think of him that way. He’s a bastard. And my stepbrother.

  And a giant piece of man-meat dangling in front of my eyes.

  Goddammit.

  “You can open your eyes now,” he says, laughing a bit.

  “Stop laughing,” I say, lowering my hand a bit.

  He tucks the edge of his towel under what he has just wrapped around his waist. For a second, it crosses my mind that it’s just too bad, and then I shake my head and force myself to forget about what I just saw … what’s hidden underneath.

  I don’t remember it being that big.

  He steps closer, which makes me back away a bit because I don’t want him to see me blush.

  “What’s the matter, sis?” He smirks, and even though I try to avert my eyes, they can’t help but be drawn to him. His body is like a magnet, so slick, his abs rippling as he moves, and demanding attention.

  “Stop calling me that,” I say, clearing my throat. “Nothing. Nothing’s the matter. I’m here for work.”

  “Right.” He chuckles. “No wonder you were ogling my dick.”

  I almost choke on my own saliva. “I wasn’t looking at your dick.”

  “Uh-huh …”

  “Well, you should’ve warned me, then,” I say.

  “What? That I was taking a shower? Couldn’t you hear the water running?” There’s a slight hint of a smile on his face, as if he’s mocking me.

  I grind my teeth, sighing. “Whatever.”

  He squints and his brows draw together. “Are you blushing?”

  Oh, god. “No.” Of course, his comment makes me blush even more.

  The left side of his lip curls up into a smile. “Yeah, you are.”

  He comes to stand in front of me, still half-naked, droplets of water running down his tattooed pecs. For some reason, all I can think of is my desire to be one of those droplets. Or to lick them off. Jesus, what is wrong with me?

  “Like what you see? Or should I say saw?” he says with a grin.

  My eyes widen as they connect with his. He looks at me with such a playful, sexy gaze that I lost the words I was about to say. Why does he have this effect on me? I shouldn’t allow it. It’s not good.

  I turn on my heels and attempt to escape the situation, but he grabs my arm. “Hey, wait. Don’t go.”

  “I can’t do this,” I say, sighing.

  “But you’re supposed to help me. You promised, remember?”

  I frown when I look at him and his doe-eyed look. He’s doing it again … tempting me to do something I know I will regret. “I can’t be your PR lady when you’re acting like … like …”

  “Like what?” His eyebrow rises as if he doesn’t understand.

  “Like, argh,” I growl. “You know what you do.”

  “What do I do?” he says, chuckling.

  “Don’t pretend like you don’t know how big of a douche you are.”

  “Thanks,” he says. “I guess I deserve that for wanting you to work with me.”

  “You think it’s just that?” I say.

  “No … but …” He sighs. “Well, if you don’t want to do it, fine, go ahead. Leave if you want.”

  He grabs a bottle of water from the table, opens the cap, and chugs back the entire contents of the bottle.

  I take a deep breath and think about it for a second. The problem is that I’m not sure I want to be here. I’m really confused because I hate what he did, but he looks like he needs help. Plus, my boss will fire me if I don’t take on this job, so I guess I have no other choice.

  At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.

  I sigh and turn back around. “All right.”

  The genuine smile appearing on his face puts me a little more at ease. “Really?”

  I step in front of him and point my finger at his chest, ta
pping a few times. “Only if you promise to stop fooling around.”

  “With who? You? Because that’s gonna be real hard.” He winks, which makes me roll my eyes.

  “No, I mean those girls you bring here, Chris. You can’t do that. You know the press watches your every move.”

  “Oh …” He smirks and hides a laugh by coughing.

  “What?”

  He turns his head toward me sporting a cheeky smile. “I think you’re just jealous.”

  I frown. “What? Are you serious? No.” Even though I say no, my face is turning completely red.

  “Hmmm … if you say so,” he muses.

  “Chris, I mean it. No girls. Not in here.”

  “All right, fine.” He grabs another bottle of water. “God, I’m so fucking thirsty. It’s so hot in here, don’t you think?”

  His comment makes me check him out, just when his towel is about to drop down.

  “Be careful,” I say, pointing at the towel.

  “Why? I don’t give a fuck.” He shrugs, and then grins when he sees my widened eyes. “But apparently you do.”

  “Chris!”

  “I’m just stating the truth here,” he says. “You and I both know there’s something between us here, and if you’re gonna work for me, then we’d better clear it up.”

  “There is nothing between us,” I say.

  “I can almost feel the burn from you spitting fire at me, sis.”

  “If you don’t stop calling me sis, then I’m going to be spitting something else at you soon.”

  “Oh, so angry,” he says, making a face that gets my blood boiling.

  “And I’m not working for you, I’m working with you, but only if you stop ruining your own image.”

  “Hey, girls aren’t ruining me.”

  I cross my arms over my chest. “Do you remember this?” I hold up one of the papers that had his name in caps over a picture of a hooker getting into his car.

  “Ahh …” He scratches the back of his head. “That.”

  “There are plenty more.”

  He holds up his hands. “It’s not what you think. I don’t normally do that.” He points at the newspaper. “But I was in a bad mood back then.”

  “You bring back girls here all the time. Don’t think I didn’t notice because I read newspapers too, especially when it comes to clients.”

  For a second, I think I almost spot a flush of embarrassment on his face, but then it’s gone in a flash. “Hey, I need my release too, okay?”

  I make a face. “Please spare me the details.”

  He grins. “You don’t know the half of it yet. The best parts. The parts where I provide immense pleasure.”

  I can’t help but think he wants to tell me all the ways he has sex just to impress me. He knows exactly how to get under my skin.

  “I don’t think I want to know the rest,” I muse, tucking the newspaper back into my bag. “Look, the best thing we can do now is start with a clean slate. Have you do some charity work, you know, the basics.”

  “Right …” His eyes lower as if he’s too ashamed to look at me.

  “It’ll work out.” I touch his arm without realizing it as my natural desire to cheer people up takes over. “As long as you listen to me.”

  “Yes, mistress,” he jokes.

  I sigh. “I have a lot of work ahead of me.”

  “I’m easy to work with. You’ll see,” he says with a smile.

  “I doubt that.”

  “Why?”

  “I know you,” I say.

  “Oh, really?” he jests, stepping closer. “You think you know me? You think you know how to handle me?”

  “I do, yeah. I’m not just your sister, if you can remember.”

  “Oh, I remember all right.” The way he says it, as if he thinks about our past all the time, gives me the jitters. “I remember you getting all riled up just by being near me.”

  “No, I wasn’t.” My skin turns completely red again. Goddammit, why do I always let him get to me?

  “Yes, you were. You couldn’t believe I came close to you,” Chris says. He grabs my arm and pulls me closer. “I remember there was a time you didn’t hate me. I remember when you actually wanted to be near me. And I remember much, much more.” He’s wearing a devilish smile on his face as he moves closer, holding me tight as if he’s afraid I’ll run when he opens his mouth. Maybe I will because I don’t want to hear it.

  “I know you want to avoid it,” he says.

  “No, what I want to avoid is you pissing me off when I have a job to do. In case you didn’t notice, I wasn’t exactly jumping at the chance to take you on.”

  “But I’ll take you,” he growls, alerting all my senses.

  “As a client!” I yell. Dammit, he’s infuriating.

  “Right …” He winks again. He’s not taking me serious at all. “You don’t want to admit you just can’t handle this hotness.” His finger goes up and down his own body.

  “Oh, please, you’re not the only guy I’ve seen naked,” I say.

  “But you’ve never seen one with these abs.” He flexes them. “And I bet you’ve never been overwhelmed by seeing a dick, specifically mine.”

  My jaw drops. “I was not overwhelmed, asshole! I’m just shocked you care so little about what should remain private. Like that dick of yours flying around the room.”

  “Be careful, it might hit your face if you keep going.” He laughs. “It’s already very jumpy with you being here. Especially considering the way you started to drool.”

  “I do not drool!” I yell.

  “You can’t even bear to look at me,” he muses. “I had to cover myself up for you. I don’t normally walk around like this,” he says. “I prefer letting it dry au naturel.”

  “Oh, don’t change your habits for me,” I say, holding up my hands. “Because I honestly don’t give a fuck if you walk around butt-naked.”

  “I don’t believe it. Your eyes back there told me a whole different story.” He leans in, ridiculing me with his gaze.

  Instead of turning a blind eye, I say, “You want to walk around with a free dick? Fine by me.”

  “Sure …” he jests. “Prove it.”

  “Fine,” I growl.

  And then I reach for his towel and rip it away.

  Chapter 5

  Emily

  “See?” I hold up the towel, staring straight into his eyes, so I can stop myself from accidentally letting my eyes wander off toward … I don’t know.

  He cocks his head and smiles. “Wow, I did not expect that from you, sis.”

  “I’m not your sis, Chris.” I dangle the towel in front of him. “Want this back? Say you won’t call me that again.”

  Instead of admitting defeat, he takes another step in my direction, catching me off guard. “Oh, no, you can keep it. I feel perfectly fine like this. With the exception of one thing.” He takes another step, making me lean back as far as I can without giving up my space and showing him that I am actually avoiding coming into contact with him. Who knows what will happen when he touches me. Actually, I do, and it isn’t good. It’s wrong. So wrong …

  “You,” he growls, and then he puts his arm around my back and pulls me in.

  I can feel his length against my pants, and I hope I didn’t dream it up that I feel it growing. Holy fuck.

  “Chris!” I shout.

  “What? Afraid?” he muses, leaning in with a smirk to taunt me.

  “Get off me.”

  “You used to beg me to do the opposite,” he says, biting his lip, which sends a bolt of heat through my veins. Why does he always have to be so vexing?

  “You’re just playing me,” I say, unwrapping myself from his arms.

  “No, I’m not, but you are.”

  “Stop with the semantics.” I throw the towel back at him. “And put this on. I’d rather not get another dick slap.”

  He laughs. “Guess that makes me the winner of this little bet.”

  “There’s
no bet here,” I say. “No game. Just me proving that I’m fine with being your PR rep.”

  “Of course, you are …”

  “Hey, do you want me to do this or not?” I ask, raising a brow.

  He wraps the towel around his waist again, which makes it easier for me to breathe. “Hell yeah, I want you.”

  Somehow, I feel like he’s not talking about this PR thing at all, even though that’s why I came here in the first place.

  “What do you want from me, Chris? I’m here to help you with your PR fuckups, not with your personal problems.”

  He leans in and licks his lips in a seductive way that still gets my heart racing. Damn. After all this time, he still affects me. “The only one with a problem here is you,” he says.

  “I wouldn’t have a problem if you didn’t act like such an asshole all the time.”

  “Me? An asshole? Really? I think you’re just mad about our situation, and now you’re taking it out on me.”

  “I’m mad at you,” I snap.

  He grabs my arm. “You used to like being around me. Remember that time in your room? After school?”

  I knew it. I knew he was going to take it there. “I don’t want to remember.”

  “Yeah, you keep saying that, but I don’t believe a word,” he says, shaking his head. He looks down at me with intense eyes. “I know you still think about me. About that boy you spent time with. That boy you secretly had an eye on.”

  “No, I didn’t!” I spit. “You came on to me.”

  A lopsided smile reveals his devious thoughts. “Oh … how I came on to you.”

  My eyes widen and again my cheeks color. “Stop it.”

  “Why? Because you’re too scared to remember?”

  “It was all a lie.”

  “What?” He frowns. “What’s a lie?”

  “You and your antics. I was supposed to be your study buddy, Chris. And I didn’t even want to be, but your parents kind of made it impossible for me to say no.”

  “That doesn’t mean it couldn’t be something more,” he says with a shrug. “And they are your parents too, now.”

  “You used me,” I say, unable to keep it inside anymore.