Stepbrother Broken (The Hawthorne Brothers Book 2) Read online

  “Of course it’s you, Sophia,” Luke laughs roughly, grabbing hold of my hand and tugging me toward him, “It’s been you this whole time. I was too much of a fucking idiot to see it.”

  “At any other point these past few weeks, I would have agreed with you…” I laugh, resting my hands on the panes of his chest, “But I’m having trouble being even the slightest bit mad at you right now, to be honest.”

  “Oh no,” he grins down at me, circling his hands around my cinched waist, “Does that mean makeup sex is off the table?”

  “Why don’t you kiss me and we’ll find out together?” I say, lacing my fingers behind his neck.

  Luke lifts a hand to my chin and tilts my face toward his, beneath the twinkling string lights.

  “I feel like we’re in one of those shitty teen movies,” he laughs, shaking his head.

  “Well, that just won’t do,” I reply, pressing my body to his.

  “Hold on,” he says, glancing over my shoulder, “I’ve got it…”

  I gasp as Luke grabs hold of my hips and lifts me effortlessly off the ground. I circle my arms around his shoulders, my caramel hair falling across my face as Luke strides across the terrace. The coarse brush of brick against the bare skin of my back makes me shudder with delight as Luke presses me up against the warehouse wall. I hook one leg around his waist, letting my dress slip dangerously high as he lowers me down, pressing his perfect body to mine. My eyes flutter closed as he pins me to the wall with his hips, letting me feel the glorious length of him pressed up against my thigh.

  “That’s better,” he growls, running his hands down my smooth sides.

  “Much,” I breathe, catching his face in my hands.

  His mouth finds mine in the shadow of the warehouse, and I fall open to him as I have so many times before. I bury my fingers in his chestnut hair as his tongue sweeps against mine. The taste and smell of him bombard my senses, filling me with such longing and relief that I nearly lose it right there. Not until this moment have I let myself confront just how much I’ve missed him, missed this.

  “I fucking hated leaving you,” Luke growls, kissing down along my bare throat as he grinds his hips against mine, “But I have to say, I’m a big fan of coming back.”

  “Then we’d better make this reunion count,” I laugh, running a hand along that staggering desire testing the strength of his slacks, “Because the leaving part nearly killed me.”

  “I’ll make it up to you,” Luke vows, suddenly serious as his green eyes lock on mine, “Trust me when I say that I will.”

  “Well, I know a pretty good way you can start,” I grin back at him, feeling him growing harder in my hands.

  “Oh, that’s a given,” he smiles back, his eyes closing as he savors my touch, “But aren’t you on the clock, Miss Asphalt Denim?”

  “I’m sure I can take a fifteen,” I say, my voice dipping low as I bring my hands to Luke’s belt buckle, “Union rules and all.”

  “Christ, I’ve missed you…” Luke breathes, bringing his mouth swiftly back to mine.

  Let’s hope our sentries stayed by the doors… I think briefly, tugging down my black lacy panties and bracing myself against the brick wall. It’s the last coherent thought I have before I feel Luke’s throbbing cock pressed against my slick sex. I bury my head against his shoulder as he drives up into me, my ecstatic cries muffled by the fine Italian wool of his suit.

  How’s that for function and fashion?

  ***

  “Well,” I pant, pushing my hair out of my face as I tug my dress back into place, “That’s my new favorite way of saying ‘hello again’.”

  “In that case,” Luke replies, shrugging back into his suit jacket, “I vote we say ‘hello again’ three times a day, every day, for the foreseeable future…”

  “There’s a foreseeable future for us then?” I ask, straightening up on my sky-high heels. We got so distracted by our much-needed makeup, that the question of our future flew straight out of my mind. I almost don’t want to think of it, now. Out here, away from our friends and families, it’s easy to imagine that Luke and I are the only people in the world. If only it were that easy.

  “Is that still what you want?” Luke asks.

  “Well, to be honest, I don’t think any future between the two of us would be at all foreseeable,” I reply, “We can’t predict anything that’s going to happen, or plan for what might go wrong.”

  “I know that,” Luke cuts in, running his hands down my bare arms, “And I’ve hated the thought of that, Sophie. I hate the idea of not having control over what happens to us next. That’s what I’ve been wrestling with these past few weeks.”

  “How about this,” I say softly, “For tonight, let’s leave off with trying to predict the future. Let’s just say that what happens next is us having an amazing time, drinking all the free booze we like, and partying our faces off.”

  “I guess there’ll be plenty of time for adult conversation in the morning,” Luke laughs, laying his hands on my hips, “We can spend tonight indulging in all the other adult activity we want.”

  “Deal,” I grin, giving Luke a swift, hard kiss.

  We hear the door crack open behind us, letting a roar of music escape out into the otherwise quiet night. Unlocking our lips, we turn to see Maddie and Cash sticking their heads through the cracked door. They look every bit the smug big siblings they are—I half expect Cash to break into a round of “Luke and Sophie sitting in a tree…” But luckily, they manage to contain themselves. Mostly.

  “Come on lovebirds,” Maddie says, “ReImaged wants some group pictures of the Asphalt brand ambassadors. I promise you can keep making out the second we’ve got a few shots.”

  “I guess we can manage that,” I grin, lacing my fingers through Luke’s.

  “Speak for yourself,” he shoots back, squeezing my hand.

  We set off after Cash and Maddie, heading back into the fray of the party. Pure elation courses through me as I savor the feel of Luke’s hand in mine. It feels so good to be out in the open with him, before the eyes of our siblings, the party-goers, our friends.

  “Oh my god…” I laugh, as we make our way across the dance floor.

  “What is it?” Luke asks, cocking his head at me.

  “I just realized…We were supposed to go out together for the first time that last night at the lake,” I gush, “So that means, technically…”

  “This is our first date,” Luke completes my thought with a gruff laugh.

  “Worth the wait?” I ask, looking around the wild party.

  “Always,” Luke murmurs, his eyes fixed on me.

  Something tells me it isn’t just this date he’s talking about, either.

  Chapter Fifteen

  I spend the night lifted up by a rushing swell of euphoria. The music, the booze, and the feeling of Luke’s arms around me entwine in a dizzying cocktail. I can feel the stress and anxiety of the past few weeks melting away with each new song, each touch of Luke’s lips against mine. I set down my burdens, kick off my heels, and have more uninhibited, raunchy fun than I ever have before. This night was bound to be incredible or devastating, but I didn’t know it was going to be one of the best of my life.

  It’s early morning before the party even begins to break up. Luke and I are still on the dance floor, trying to keep the day from breaking by sheer force of will. But I can’t hold my exhaustion at bay much longer, and Luke knows it full well.

  “Come on,” he yells above the music, “Let’s get you into bed.”

  “Five more minutes!” I shout back, though my every muscle aches for rest.

  “I’ll make it worth your while, I promise,” Luke grins, running his hands over the rise of my ass.

  “Well, I can’t very well argue with that,” I say, throwing an arm over his shoulders, as he leads me off the dance floor at long last.

  The second we clear the dance floor, I feel my weary feet leave the ground. I cry out with startled delight as Luk
e scoops me up into his arms, easily bearing my weight as we take our leave. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Maddie across the room, shaking her head with a smile as she watches us go.

  “How very gentlemanly of you,” I laugh, as Luke carries me across the hotel lobby and into a waiting elevator.

  “I want to get you upstairs and out of that dress as quickly as possible,” Luke murmurs back as the elevator doors slide together, “But if that’s what you call gentlemanly…”

  “That’s what I call fucking perfect,” I breathe, kissing along Luke’s throat as he holds me close.

  The second the elevator doors slide open, my exhaustion is seared away with raw, lusty energy. I take off like a shot down the hall, racing Luke toward the door of my suite. He sprints along behind me, both of our raucous voice echoing off the pristine walls. I open the door and bolt inside with Luke on my heels. The momentum of our chase carries us across the suite, straight into the bedroom. Luke’s arms circle my waist, picking me up off the floor once more before throwing me down on the sprawling bed.

  “You realize this is another first, right?” Luke growls, kneeling over me with his gleaming green eyes hard on my body.

  “What?” I ask, letting my knees fall apart under his gaze.

  “Fucking in an actual bed,” he grins, shrugging out of his suit jacket and lifting his shirt up over his broad shoulders. “You know, rather than the bed of a pickup truck.”

  “I’m sure we’ll get used to it,” I laugh breathlessly, drinking in the sight of his perfect chest, his cut abs, and the insistent bulge in his fine slacks.

  I reach up to release his throbbing member, but he pushes me back hard against the bed, pinning me beneath him.

  “You just lay back,” he growls, kissing along my throat.

  “Whatever you say,” I breathe, my back arching as that sweet, warm pressure starts to mount inside of me.

  Luke reaches around my back, tugging down the zipper of my tight red dress. He all but peels the garment away from my body, groaning as he sees my black lace panties and strapless bra.

  “You wore my favorites?” he grins, running a finger under the band of my panties.

  “I was dressing…optimistically,” I breathe, closing my eyes as he snaps open my bra and takes both breasts in his firm, capable hands.

  He runs his tongue over my hard nipples, taking one then the other into his warm, hungry mouth. Working down my body, he caresses every bit of me he can reach—with everything at his disposal. I buck my hips, grinding against the rock hard length of his cock…But he’s not done with me just yet.

  I gasp as his teeth close around my panties, tugging them clear down my legs before tossing them aside. He straightens up, towering above me as he runs his eyes all along my stark naked body. Only now, with his eyes fast on mine, does he whip open the buckle of his belt, letting loose that gorgeous, throbbing member I’ve come to love and crave.

  “Luke,” I whisper, pulling myself onto my forearms, “Please…Let me take you in my mouth.”

  His eyes flash brilliantly as he runs a hand up along my torso, his fingers lingering just below my throat. Slowly, he presses me back against the bed one last time. He brings his hands to my knees, spreading me wide open as he lowers that eager, grinning mouth.

  “You first,” he growls.

  The feeling of his warm breath against my wet, aching sex sends goosebumps trailing all across my trembling body. A low, rasping moan rises up in my throat as Luke runs his tongue along the length of my slit, parting my pink lips as he presses back against my thighs. I grab onto handfuls of white bedding, bracing myself as his tongue traces slow, firm circles around my clit. Hot, bracing pangs of pleasure shoot up through my body with each swivel and flick of his perfect tongue. I cry out as he closes his lips around that aching button, sucking gently. I can feel myself filling up with bliss—it’s only a matter of time before I spill over.

  “You still want to taste my cock?” he growls, his lips vibrating against my clit as he flicks those green eyes my way.

  “God yes,” I gasp.

  With athletic agility, he swings his towering figure around on the massive bed, pulling me to kneeling above him. He grabs hold of my hips, drawing my throbbing pussy back to his mouth as he lies beneath me. And standing tall right before my eyes is that delicious, piercing length I’ve been craving. Bracing myself on quivering forearms, I bring my lips to Luke’s cock, closing my mouth around his bulging tip. He groans beneath me, grabbing firm hold of my ass as he flicks his tongue against my clit. We buck against each other as I take more and more of his staggering manhood into my mouth, running my tongue along the smooth expanse. I can feel him everywhere—and it’s bringing me to the very edge.

  “Luke,” I groan, working my hands up and down his raging cock, “You’re gonna do me in…”

  “That’s the plan,” he laughs raggedly, giving me a push forward onto my hands and knees.

  I have to close my teeth around the nearest pillow to keep from screaming as he eats me out from behind, lavishing my sex with his perfect mouth. My delirious, disoriented body can’t hold back for a second longer. With one last decisive, leveling pass from Luke, I come hard and fast. Pleasure surges along my every nerve, lighting up my body from the inside out. Luke savors every last drop of my desire, licking the taste of me from his full lips. The mere sight of that is nearly enough to make me come all over again.

  “Luke,” I gasp, rolling onto my back as my chest heaves, “That…That was…”

  “I know,” he growls, lowering his body to mine. My mouth falls open as I feel his pulsating cock pressing against that wet, aching place between my legs. “I hope you have late check out for this room. We’re gonna be needing it for a few more hours.”

  It isn’t until dawn that Luke and I finally collapse into bed, completely spent with the fervor of our fucking. He was right about one thing—makeup sex would be a terrible thing to waste. I fall into a deep, dreamless sleep with my back pressed up against Luke’s firm chest. His strong arms wrapped around me are dream enough, in my book.

  The smell of rich, dark coffee draws me up out of my deep slumber hours later. Prying my eyes open, I glance at the bedside clock—it’s already 10 a.m. Rolling over, I find that Luke has beaten me to the waking world. I glance through the open bedroom door and spot him in the kitchenette, pouring out two massive mugs of coffee.

  Swinging my legs over the side of the bed, I stretch languorously. I grab Luke’s white shirt from last night, sliding into it before padding across the suite toward him. He looks up as I sidle into the living room, grinning when he catches sight of my makeshift nightgown.

  “It’s not exactly as rugged as our last coffee date,” he says, nodding toward the balcony, “But the view is still pretty decent, right?”

  “I’d say,” I reply, following my man out onto the patio overlooking the Seattle waterfront.

  We settle down at a small table, sinking into our chairs and lifting our mugs in contemplative silence. Our bodies and minds are still numb with last night’s lovemaking. The uninhibited peace makes me feel like I can speak freely, even about the hardest subjects. Which is convenient, since that’s what we still haven’t addressed during our blissful reunion.

  “So,” I sigh, swallowing a sip of coffee, “Once we leave this place today…Where are you headed next, Luke? I hear you’ve been drifting these past few weeks.”

  “It’s true,” he says, looking out over the horizon, “I’ve been on the move since we left the lake house. I just drove, mostly. Tried to clear my head. But I did make one last stop, back in my hometown. Just a couple days ago…I went back to speak with my father.”

  “You did?” I ask, whipping around to face Luke, “About…what?”

  “About the things we were raised never to mention,” Luke says, his jaw pulsing, “I told him, in no uncertain terms, that I’m not interested in being the heir to a man who doesn’t respect me.”

  “Wow…” I breathe
, “Luke, that must have been so hard.”

  “I would have thought so too,” he replies, shaking his head, “Growing up, I was so in awe of my Dad. But as I’ve become a man, I can see him for what he really is. Scared. Alone. Human. That stunt he pulled at the lake house was the last straw. He doesn’t have any power over me anymore, Sophie. And he certainly doesn’t have any say in my future.”

  “Then…What’s your next stop?” I ask softly.

  “I guess that depends on you,” he replies, swinging his gaze toward me. “And whether or not you’d mind if we stopped next in the same place.”

  “I wouldn’t mind that at all,” I tell him, a smile breaking across my face, “In fact, nothing would make me happier.”

  “I’m still not interested in being back at Sheridan,” he says, “No more dwelling in the past. But I could be close by.”

  “Actually…” I tell him, “There’s a chance that I may not be at Sheridan for too much longer either. There’s a guest artist named Karen Krause who’s got her eye on me for an acting apprenticeship. In New York.”

  “New York?” Luke echoes, tasting the words ponderously.

  “Yeah,” I tell him, “That could very well be my next stop.”

  “Well…I’d never think of it myself, but now that you mention it, New York seems like as good a next stop as any,” Luke says, reaching for my hand.

  “Really?” I ask softly, turning to face him, “You’d come across the country…Just to be with me?”

  “If that’s what you want,” he replies, lacing his fingers through mine.

  “It is,” I tell him firmly. And the second I say it, I know that it’s absolutely true.

  “Guess I’d better start memorizing the subway map, huh?” Luke smiles, “And forming bizarrely intense opinions about bagels. But first, I think a shower is in order. Want to join?”

  “In a second,” I tell him, sinking back in my chair, “I have to remember how to walk, first.”

  Luke laughs, kissing me lightly on the forehead.