The Stepbrother (Red's Tavern 5)

He winked at me before walking out of the RV.

Heat ran through me, some mixture of being turned on and pissed off all at once.

Cocky bastard. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to punch him or beg him to come back and fuck me. Either way, I knew I was royally screwed.

10

Fox

For the rest of the night, Sam was focused on Gavin. He sometimes stole glances over to me after making suggestive jokes. I wanted to pull him away, to take him back to my RV and as away from the slimeball as he could get.

I wasn’t jealous. Not really. But I sure as hell knew that Gavin was just another guy who wasn’t good enough for him. Sam had said that he wasn’t interested, but I’d seen way too many people be blinded by promises of fame and followers. Part of me had expected the two of them to hit it off, despite Sam’s protests. I was secretly happy when Gavin and his sister drove off on their motorcycles instead of staying up until four in the morning drinking with Sam. We all went to bed, getting a much-needed night of rest.

The next day we headed off to the Grand Canyon, and as soon as we arrived, it was obvious that Sam was on a one-man mission to get attention, in any form. He wore his tightest stretchy shorts and a tank top that said Give It To Me.

The moment he hopped out of his mom’s RV, he found a small patch of grass right in front of where I’d parked. He dropped down and started doing push ups, then lunges and squats on the ground. I watched him from my driver’s seat, amused and annoyed. The last thing I needed before a Grand Canyon tour was a hard-on.

The hike was long, but about a hundred times more beautiful than I could have expected. Miles and miles of reddish, striated rock formations, opening up in front of us and seemingly going on forever. We ended in the early evening, exhausted and looking out over the incredible scenery.

Even Cocoa had been a trooper, hiking like a champ alongside us and getting plenty of water along the way. Right now she was panting at my side, happy as a clam.

Sam was catching his breath, reaching his arms out on either side of his body.

“We did it!” he shouted out into the canyon. He turned to me, smiling wide, the dusky sunset glowing on his face. “Please, please, please take a photo with me?”

It was one of the first times we’d talked one-on-one all day. Why did I instantly feel so much more alive just because Sam was giving me attention again?

“Fine,” I said, trying not to let on how giddy I was just to have him ask. “Only because this sunset is incredible.”

“It’s the best I’ve ever seen,” he said. “And it’s going to be beautiful on my profile. Well, the one of me, of course. I won’t include this one.”

He reached out and wrapped one arm around me.

“You’re all sweaty,” I protested.

“So are you, and you know it.”

Truthfully, I enjoyed his touch. I got in a little closer to him. He snapped a selfie of the two of us, with the vast view behind us. He showed me the photo, and for the first time in years, I actually liked what I saw.

It looked real. When I saw the photo I didn’t see some fake plea for admiration, and I didn’t even nitpick the usual dozens of things I focused on in my own face.

I looked happy.

I took a deep breath. “You can post it, if you want,” I said.

“Yeah, right,” Sam replied, looking down at his phone.

“I mean it,” I said.

The smile was still on Sam’s face as he posted the photo. “This trip has been good,” he said, looking back out over the canyon.

“I think so, too,” I said softly.

God, I wished I could kiss him right here. There was no chance in hell I’d ever do it—the family was just a few yards behind us, and I wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to do, anyway.

But he looked better than ever, tired and sweaty and satisfied after the long hike. I knew Sam had barely traveled, and it was so beautiful to see his reaction to seeing something so new and different.

I wanted to see Sam’s reaction to New York. To Paris. London. Tokyo, even. I could picture him lounging in his swim shorts on the perfect beaches in the Maldives, or climbing around the Swiss Alps.

He deserved to see the whole damn world. And I wanted to make it happen.

It was an overwhelming feeling, especially with the backdrop of the Grand Canyon behind us. My only goals in life so far had been about my own money, my own career, my own image. But this felt so different. It was totally disorienting and surreal. When Sam turned around again and his gaze fell on mine, so calm, all I could muster was a smile in return. I was afraid if I opened my mouth to speak, nothing but feelings would pour out, and I wouldn’t be able to stop.