Stepbrother Broken (The Hawthorne Brothers Book 2) Read online

“See? This is why I don’t trust technology,” Danny says sagely.

  “That is such an interesting stance…” his friend replies, laying a hand on Danny’s bicep.

  “Look. I’m calling a cab and getting the hell out of here,” I say, glancing over my shoulder to make sure Luke hasn’t spotted me. “You can stay, but—”

  “No no no,” Danny says, shaking his head, “You’re not going anywhere.”

  “What?!” I laugh incredulously, “Says who?”

  “Says your best friend,” Danny replies, “Your best friend who has been listening to you gush about this guy for months. So what if he knows you’re into him? Now all of your cards are on the table.”

  “But Danny—”

  “No ‘but Danny’s,” my friend cuts me off, “You think this guy is sexy as hell, right? So, go back there and see what happens with him already! Would he have come over to talk you up if he wasn’t interested too?”

  “I…I don’t—” I stammer.

  “I do,” Danny says resolutely, laying his hands on my shoulders, “You were the one who wanted something exciting out of tonight, right? Well, what could be more exciting than hooking up with a guy you’re actually into, instead of just going with whatever lame undergrad happens along?”

  He has a point. I’ve never been one to back down when I want something. And good god how I’ve wanted Luke Hawthorne since the second he arrived on the scene. A slow smile spreads across my face as I resolve to give this a try. What’s the worst that could happen? It’s not like we’re going to be seeing each other once the year is out.

  “There’s the game face I want to see,” Danny says, spinning me around and giving me a little shove, “Now march.”

  I take a deep breath and do just that, picking my way back through the crowd with renewed purpose. Thank god for the liquid courage coursing through my blood—I’m gonna need it. Through a sea of burly guys and busty girls, I see that Luke hasn’t budged from his spot at the bar… But my spot has been filled by an enterprising redhead who’s trying to catch his eye. She perches on my vacated stool, fluttering her eyelashes in Luke’s direction. Looks like I’ve swung back around just in the nick of time.

  “Luke,” I call over the music as I approach.

  He turns to see me marching in his direction, pleasantly surprised that I’ve come around. He swings that perfectly balanced body around on his barstool, eyes gleaming as I zero in on him.

  “I was afraid you’d run off,” he says, standing to meet me.

  “Well, never fear,” I grin, stepping up to his tall, broad-shouldered form.

  “Did you forget something?” he asks, taking a step toward me. Not an inch of space separates our bodies now. I need to remind myself to keep drawing breath as the hugeness of his presence threatens to overwhelm me.

  “Yeah,” I breathe, reaching up to take his face in my hands, “I did.”

  With that, I lift my mouth to his, laying a kiss on those full, firm lips. And wouldn’t you know it? He’s is kissing me back…and then some. He circles my slender waist with his arms, tugging my body to his in the middle of the crowded bar. No one but the put-out redhead seems to notice as we lock lips. But then again, I’d be hard pressed to notice if the bar was burning down around me with the taste of Luke Hawthorne dancing across my tongue.

  I rake my fingers through his short, dark hair, pulling myself flush against him. The panes of his chest are hard against my breasts, which threaten to burst out of my crop top with each heaving breath I take. We need to take cover before we start ripping each other’s clothes off. Somehow, I imagine that the other customers might just take notice of that…

  “You’re not just trying to snag some extra credit are you?” Luke growls, running his hands over the firm rise of my ass.

  “Would you object if I was?” I smile back.

  “Fuck no,” he laughs.

  “Well, I can do without the GPA boost,” I grin back, “But I’m not done with you just yet, Professor Hawthorne.”

  “Come on then,” he murmurs, taking my hand in his, “This feels more like a one-on-one meeting to me…”

  His fingers tighten around mine as he parts the crowd surrounding us, leading me away from the jam packed bar to somewhere a little more private.

  Look at that, I think to myself, my body buzzing with anticipation, Looks like I can let someone else lead after all.

  Chapter Three

  I suck in a huge breath as Luke snaps open the clasp of my bra with a flick of his wrist. He runs his hands along my eager body, cupping my breasts with a firm, expert touch. I let my fingertips brush along the muscular v of his waist, eyes fixed on that incredible length straining against his boxer briefs. Bracing myself against the wooden door, I run my hands along his massive cock, groaning as I feel how hard he is.

  “Fuck, that’s good…” he murmurs, grabbing hold of my hips.

  “Yeah?” I smile breathlessly, tracing the outline of his swollen head with my thumb.

  “Yeah,” he grins, “Here. Let me show you…”

  I swallow a cry as he slips a hand up under my red skirt, his knowledgeable fingers brushing against my inner thigh. He lets out a low groan as he traces along the length of my slit, barely covered by my favorite black panties.

  “You’re already wet for me…” he breathes, kissing down along my neck.

  “Can you blame me?” I laugh, working my hands up and down his cock.

  “Not even a little,” he smiles, kissing me hard on the mouth as he strokes my aching sex.

  Our lips move together as we work each other up. Two flimsy layers of cotton are all that separate us from taking the other into our eager hands. I can feel my knees begin to tremble as Luke touches me. I don’t know how much longer I can wait to have him, feel him the way I’ve wanted. The way I’ve dreamed of. I tug down his dark jeans, steadying myself against the door.

  “Well?” I gasp, chest heaving, “I know I said I wanted you to nail me to the wall…but I think a door will do the trick.”

  “Yeah, I think I can work with that,” he grins ravenously, pushing me hard against the flimsy bathroom door.

  My heart skips a beat as I feel this controlled hint of his true strength. With that body, those perfectly formed muscles, he could probably curl me with one hand behind his back. I’ve always wanted to be with a guy who was strong enough to take me on. Someone who’s not afraid to be a little physical. A little rough. That’s a side of my desire I’ve never been able to explore with anyone. Until…

  A sharp hammering knock on the door makes me jump. Someone’s been pounding away out there, refusing to be ignored. Sounds like somebody must really need to break the seal. I’ve been so wrapped up with Luke that I almost didn’t notice before. But now they’re yelling above the music…Yelling for me.

  “Sophie!” someone calls desperately, “Sophie, get out here!”

  “Expecting visitors?” Luke asks, brow furrowing slightly.

  “Sophie please,” the voice entreats me, “I think Danny’s in trouble.”

  It’s only then that I recognize the voice as the guy my friend was chatting up not a moment ago. He sounds absolutely terrified.

  “Shit,” I mutter, hurrying to clasp my bra and straighten my clothes.

  “What’s going on?” Luke asks as I break away from him.

  “My friend needs me,” I reply. “I’m sorry, I have to—”

  Luke nods silently, struggling to do up his jeans despite his enormous erection. We put aside our case of collective blue balls as I wrench open the bathroom door, coming face-to-face with Danny’s new friend. The poor guy has gone completely white, his eyes as wide as dinner plates.

  “Where is he?” I demand.

  The frightened man points toward the main room of the bar. I turn to see a group of guys forming, closing in around something. Or rather, someone.

  “Danny,” I whisper, taking off at a run.

  I tear through the crowd, shoving and shouldering peop
le out of the way as I rush to my friend’s side. I come up against a wall of solid muscle as I try to reach him—a perimeter of burly dudes holds me at bay. Through the forest of their beefy torsos, I see Danny standing at the center of it all, blond head held high as some asshole sneers at him, jabbing a finger into his chest.

  “We don’t take kindly to your type around here,” the man snarls, his shaved head glinting dangerously in the low light.

  “And what type is that?” Danny challenges him, his fists clenched.

  “You know full well,” his aggressor goes on, backing Danny across the circle, “I seen you talking up that other little guy. Battin’ your eyelashes. I know what you are.”

  The men around the circle shove Danny forward as he reaches the edge of the circle. I see his jaw pulse with fury as he straightens himself up, unwilling to back down.

  “Well, you know what they say,” Danny shoots back, leveling his clear-eyed gaze at the pathetic man before him, “It takes one to know one.”

  Time slows to a crawl as I watch the man’s eyes blaze with ire. His hands tighten into punishing fists, and I watch in horror as he cocks back a thick arm.

  “No,” I shout, bursting through the wall of men trying to box me out.

  I throw myself into the circle, my shoulder colliding hard with Danny’s attacker. I catch him in the ribs, knocking him off balance. He rights himself as I plant my feet firmly on the sawdust-covered ground, standing between Danny and this idiot that would do him harm.

  “Look at that!” the man crows, “He’s got himself a little guard-bitch!”

  A raucous laugh goes up around the circle at my expense, but I couldn’t care less.

  “You think ten on one is a fair fight?” I snap at him, “Needed all your buddies here to take on my friend? Why don’t you just deal with me instead, you prick?”

  “Step aside before you get hurt, little girl,” the bald man growls back at me, taking a menacing step forward.

  “Sophie, get back,” Danny urges, grabbing hold of my arm.

  “He won’t hurt me,” I say, my voice raised so the whole bar can hear, “Will you, buddy?”

  “My beef ain’t with you,” he snarls, coming to a stop before me, “It’s with your queer little friend, here.”

  “Is that why you needed all this backup?” Danny laughs, looking at the men looming around us, “You’re too afraid to deal with the Big Bad Queer yourself? You homophobic little chicken shit—”

  With a roar of outrage, the burly skinhead charges at Danny, ready to draw blood. Adrenaline highjacks my body, and before I know what’s happening, I’m letting out a shrill scream and driving the heel of my hand up against the man’s nose. A sickening crunch sounds out as my hand makes contact, and the furious man goes reeling away. Blood streams down his face as he clutches his broken nose, staring at me incredulously. I stare back, amazed at what I’ve done. Guess those self-defense classes at Sheridan really paid off.

  “Oh, shit…” Danny whispers, staring at his attacker.

  Without flinching, the man grabs hold of his busted nose and works it back into place with a gut-wrenching pop, his eyes blazing with malice. A wild, deranged smile spreads across his bloody face. Something tells me he wouldn’t object to hitting a woman now. He lowers his center of gravity, every muscle coiled with irate energy. I brace myself for impact as he bellows out a bloodthirsty wail, lunging toward us across the circle of men.

  The skinhead’s head snaps back as a thickly muscled arm clotheslines him across the throat. I swing my gaze around to see Lukas Hawthorne’s broad back, rippling beneath his charcoal tee shirt. Among all the people looking on, he’s the only one who’s stepped forward to help Danny and me. His shoulders are raised as he settles into a fighter’s stance, waiting for his opponent to pull himself up from the floor. The disgusting man manages to come to standing, eyes going wide as he takes in the sight of Luke standing before him.

  “You wanna fight someone?” Luke growls, towering over the bald man, “Well, here I am.”

  “This has nothing to do with you, Hawthorne,” the bloodied man snarls. “It’s these two I’ve got a problem with—Nancy boy and his lipstick-wearing pit bull.”

  The circle of men edges back as Luke grabs the bald man by the front of his shirt and hoists him off the ground. I gasp as Luke throws his opponent back to the floor, standing over him with pure contempt blazing in his dark green eyes.

  “You know I could beat the shit out of you, right Thompson?” Luke barks.

  “All right, all right,” the man at his feet moans, “You’ve made your point.”

  “It’s not all right, you fucker,” Luke spits, rolling the man onto his back with one steel-toed boot. “How’s it feel, getting the shit kicked out of you when you know you don’t stand a chance?”

  “Lay off already,” the man goes on, blathering pathetically.

  “Not ’til you apologize to my friends,” Luke tells him, laying his heavy boot on the man’s chest.

  “They’re the ones who should apologize!” the skinhead roars, shooting daggers at me and Danny, “Coming in here with their hipster-ass skinny jeans and their big ideas, shoving their pervert ways down our throats. They need to go.”

  “No, Thompson,” Luke growls, his voice low and deadly, “You’re the one who needs to go.”

  “Fuck you, Hawthorne,” the man spits, “What are you, one of them now?”

  “I’d rather be one of them than one of you any day,” Luke replies, shoving the man away with his foot. “Now, are you gonna walk out of here on your own?”

  “I don’t think I will,” the bald man says, puffing out his chest as he pulls himself to standing.

  “Suit yourself,” Luke shrugs.

  I jump back as he lunges across the circle and grabs our aggressor by the scruff of his neck. Instead of rushing to the skinhead’s defense, the men around us clear a path the door, cheering Luke on. I guess they don’t really care who’s getting beat up, as long as there’s a fight to watch. Someone wrenches open the front door, letting in a burst of warm night air. Without a word, Luke drop kicks Thompson over the threshold. A round of applause and raucous hollering goes up around Luke as he slams the door behind that asshole, brushing off his firm, capable hands.

  “Well shit,” Danny murmurs behind me, and Luke makes his way toward us, “Looks like you caught yourself a keeper, Sophie Porter.”

  “Luke…” I breathe, as he stops before us, “I…I don’t know what to say.”

  “I do,” Danny cuts in, “Thank you, man.”

  “Of course,” Luke shrugs, “Just keeping the trash out as best I can. I like this place too much to see it overrun with idiots.”

  “I’m so sorry this happened Danny,” I tell my friend, lacing my fingers through his.

  “It’s OK. I’m all right,” he assures me, “I’d just…I’d like to get out of here now.”

  “Of course,” I reply, squeezing his hand, “Let’s call a cab.”

  “I could drive you,” Luke offers, nodding toward the door, “My car’s out front.”

  “No, it’s OK,” I tell him, not wanting to impose. “I think you’ve done enough for us tonight.”

  His brow furrows as he looks at me, the expression on his sculpted face totally unreadable.

  “Whatever you say,” he says evenly, tucking his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

  Between our mind-scrambling make out session and the jarring conflict with that asshole, I’m feeling totally disoriented. Part of me wants desperately to stay here and see what happens with Luke, but the rest of me is way too unsettled by what just happened to see this night through. I’m sure that if Luke wants to see me again after tonight, he’ll let me know. But for right now, I just need to get out of here and get Danny to safety. I owe him that.

  “Cab’s on its way,” Danny murmurs, after pressing a few keys on his smart phone. “I should find Greg and say goodbye.”

  He holds out his hand to Luke, who gives i
t a firm shake. Without another word, Danny moves off into the crowd in search of his friend. I cross my arms tightly across my chest, my eyes glued to the floor as I stand awkwardly beside Luke. Just a couple of hours ago, he was just my handsome, arrogant teacher, all ironed shirts and unwarranted advice. I knew how to handle myself around him. But the Luke I met tonight—the man who knew how to turn me on with a single touch, who was ready to jump to a total stranger’s defense because it was the right thing to do—he’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met. And suddenly, I feel like I’ve forgotten all my lines in the middle of a scene.

  “You’re quiet all of a sudden,” Luke observes, laying a hand on my arm.

  “Just a little rattled I guess,” I manage, keeping my eyes averted.

  He withdraws his hand, staring at me with that same indiscernible look.

  “That’s fair,” he nods, looking away from me.

  I bite my lip, feeling as though I’ve said something wrong. He doesn’t think I’m upset about what happened between us, does he?

  “Luke, I—” I begin, but a waving arm catches my eye across the room. Danny’s flagging me down to let me know the cab is here.

  “You’d better get a move on,” Luke says to me, running a hand through his short dark hair. “Get home safe, OK?”

  “Um. Yeah,” I stammer helplessly. “But…Luke?”

  “Hmm?”

  “We’re cool, right? I mean—”

  “Of course we are,” he says with a placid half smile, “Have a good summer, Sophie.”

  And just like that, turns and walks away. I stare after him, totally at a loss. What the hell just happened here?

  “Sophie, come on!” Danny calls from across the crowded bar.

  I turn on my heel and hurry for the door, eyes prickling with sudden, surprising tears. Am I angry at having my time with Luke interrupted by some ignorant asshole? Or am I disappointed that he didn’t ask to see me again? Or am I still just hopelessly turned on and in need of a major self-love session once I get home?

  Whatever has me upset, I know I’ll be able to deal with it much better once we’ve made it out of The Bear Trap. Clasping hands, Danny and I hurry out the front door and into the waiting cab. We ride along toward the relative safety of campus in silence.