Wrong: A Stepbrother Romance
“I’m great,” I said as if the answer was obvious. But in this moment, it was. Since the night of Thanksgiving, our romance had yet to reach that level of stress-free pure bliss, but I reminded myself that if it was a mountain, we’d passed the halfway mark.
“Well. A.J has news that’ll make you feel even better,” Liam grinned, eyeing A.J from across the couch.
“Oh yeah.” A.J straightened up as we all looked at him. “You and Liam are coming with me and Aria to Vail on Tuesday. You can try to figure out your staff situation between now and then, or my brothers will help while you’re gone. Tony’s been running my parents’ diner since he was like, twenty-two, and Danny picks up management duties here and there, so yeah. I told them if they help run your bar for three days, I’ll pay them five grand.”
I raised my eyebrows. “That’s generous, A.J.”
“I know. It’s also complete fuckin’ bullshit, and they know that, but I’m their baby brother and they have to cater to me.” He tilted his head. “Also, I hook them up with mad girls when we go out,” he said, barely flinching when Aria smacked his chest. “So what do you say, Sash? You want a last hurrah vacation before Liam starts training to crack open Walsh’s head again?”
“Oh, A.J.”
“Too soon.”
He grinned. “Sorry. But come on. We all need this. You and Liam more than anyone, and he’s in, so it’s all on you now, babe. Whattaya say?”
My eyes fluttered as I tried to process all the information. It honestly felt like the worst time to leave my bar unattended, and I couldn’t help the feeling in my gut that something bad would happen if I let my guard down and relaxed. But laying on a grinning Liam in the living room, in the company of both our best friends, I felt like I couldn’t say anything but yes.
“I’m in,” I blurted before I could change my mind.
“Hell yeah!” A.J and Aria cheered at the same time. I looked up at Liam and the both of us snorted before sitting up to toast with the last of the Prosecco.
“Cheers to good times, good company and true relaxation before shit gets real – in a good way,” A.J said as we brought our drinks up. I met Liam’s eyes as our glasses clinked together and for this toast, I made sure I drank till it was bottoms up.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
As it turned out, relaxing wasn’t horribly difficult in a small ski town, even during peak season. Surrounding us at every turn were snow-topped mountains and massive evergreens that made me feel so comfortably hidden, especially coming straight from the media madness in New York.
Our flight departed at 8AM but still, the boys squeezed in an early morning workout before we left – “like a bunch of sickos,” as Aria remarked. Within an hour, there were a few media members trying to get past Max and access the gym. Apparently, the papers had quoted Walsh accusing Liam of “lacking competitive spirit” for leaving the sport despite physical health. “He must have some other skeletons in his closet. Shouldn’t be hard at all to get in his head.” That was the exact quote, and because of it, there were media members milling outside the gym at 6AM, waiting for Liam to give them something of a rebuttal. But as usual, he said nothing, and by 7AM, we were aboard our flight to Colorado.
The morning had been spent snowboarding. Rather, Aria and I skied for a few hours before doing exactly what I’d predicted, waiting for our boys at the mountaintop lodge and throwing back Irish coffees and hot toddies. We laughed when Liam and A.J finally clomped in, carrying their helmets, wearing their goggles on their heads and trailing snow everywhere with their boots. Dressed head to toe in Burton gear, they looked much more like winter sport stars than fighters, and we pretended they were exactly that as we sat in front of the fireplace, occasionally talking to other couples as “Anton” and “Lola.” They were the random names A.J had assigned us “in case of reporters or spies,” which was silly, but even sillier was the fact that Liam and I were still playing that couple by nightfall.
“In my mind, she wears white fur vests and white Uggs year round,” I said as Liam tried to pull me from the edge of the Jacuzzi back to him. I pouted. “No, stay here. Look at the mountains with me,” I pleaded, gazing over the balcony we had to ourselves since A.J and Aria were long asleep.
“As long as she wears that and nothing else,” Liam grinned against the back of my neck. I giggled as I gazed out at the endless view with Liam’s strong arms wrapped around me from behind.
“That can be arranged. She’d probably even cook for you wearing just those furry Uggs. And maybe a matching apron.”
Liam groaned, pressing his swelling cock against me. “Christ. My imagination’s getting a little too vivid.”
I reached behind me and stroked his length. “Yeah? What else ya got?”
“You have me thinking of you in white. What do
you think I got?”
I peered over my shoulder at him. I wanted to say “shut up” but I was too embarrassed to even imply that he was talking about a wedding dress – in case he wasn’t. He grinned wickedly at my reluctance to speak.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
“That you’ll always love torturing me.”
“Hard not to when you give me those looks.” Pulling me back, Liam took a seat and turned me to face him, spreading my legs over his lap. There was mischief in his green eyes as he took his cock out and wrapped my hand around it. “Say what you were thinking.”
“You can’t make me.”
“Say it.”
I bit my lip as I stroked his cock under the water. I felt it twitch just as my lips parted to speak. “A wedding dress,” I finally murmured. The tip of my tongue ran over my teeth when I felt him swell rock solid in my grip. “Oh my God, Liam,” I laughed, shaking my head. He smirked.