Crash: A Bad Boy Stepbrother Romance (4 page)

Katherine

The sound of the fountain was rather soothing. I sat on a bench and pulled my knees up, wrapping my arms around them and resting my chin atop. I’d managed to wrangle the tears back into my eyes and calm down a little, but I was horrified at my behavior. This was a big day for my mother, and I’d ruined it.

So Luke was an incorrigible bastard. That wasn’t Mom’s fault. I should have pulled an Elsa and just let it go, but no. I’ve never been able to do that kind of thing. I always make a bigger deal out of things than I should, no matter how many times that got me into trouble.

Berkeley was on the horizon. All I had to do was deal with everything until fall. Then I’d be off to college, and I’d only see Luke at the occasional holiday dinner. One summer, and it would all be over. I could handle that, right?

Sammy, the skinny, black stray cat that hung out on the patio looking for scraps, jumped onto the bench beside me and yowled. I reached over to scratch him on the head, and he hissed and swatted at my hand. Yep, that’s exactly how my day was going. I tried to be nice, and I paid for it. Maybe I really should be the stuck-up bitch everyone seemed to think I was. After all, if they were going to judge me without knowing me, why not act the part?

Then I sighed. I just couldn’t do it. No matter how upset I was, I just couldn’t play the diva. More like the wounded puppy.

The mouthwatering scents coming from the restaurant did little so soothe me. I hadn’t eaten breakfast, and the one taste of empanada I’d managed to get still lingered. My stomach rumbled ominously.

“Fuck,” I muttered.

“That’s not a very ladylike thing to say.”

I turned to see Luke standing by the fence, the corner of his mouth quirked into a silly grin. His hands were behind his back.

“Maybe I’m not a lady,” I shot back.

He bridged the distance between us and bowed politely, pulling a bouquet of mixed wildflowers from behind his back and pushing it toward me. Out of politeness, I took them.

“I’m sorry for upsetting you,” he said. “I had no idea your father bought you the dress.”

I softened slightly.

“It’s fine,” I said. “You didn’t know.”

“Will you come back to the table?” he asked.

“Sure.”

I followed Luke back into the restaurant. Mom and Steve said nothing. They were absorbed in one another, and in their meal, and I guess they were trying to be nice by ignoring my little tantrum.

My empanadas had started getting cold, so I set the flowers on the edge of the table and picked one up. At least it wouldn’t burn me this time.

“Those any good?” Luke asked.

“Now that they aren’t like molten lava?”

He laughed and said, “Yeah, now that they aren’t like molten lava.”

I picked up a fresh one and put it on his plate.

“Here, try one. I never eat a whole order by myself,” I told him.

“You sure?” he asked.

“Yeah, of course.”

He picked up the pastry and sniffed it suspiciously. Then he took a small bite. I could see his face light up.

“Wow,” he said.

“I know, right? It’s pretty much all I ever order here, but every once in a while I’ll change it up and get the carnitas.”

“What are these things called again?” he asked.

“Empanadas.”

He took another bite and I had to force myself to turn away. The way his jaw was clenching repeatedly as he chewed had captured my attention far more than I cared to admit. His jaw was angled and masculine, and I hated the fact that I was beginning to find him attractive. Maybe it was the flowers, maybe it was the food… but it was infuriating. How could I be so inexplicably attracted to such a jerk?

Then again, maybe I was judging him too harshly. He had brought me flowers, after all. He’d apologized to me for his comment about my dress, and I had overreacted to that, anyway. But he still hadn’t said he was sorry for calling me a stuck-up bitch.

After dinner, Mom suggested we all take a walk on the beach. I had a feeling she was still trying to make her point about having the wedding reception on the beach, but since Steve agreed, I figured it wouldn’t be so bad. It had been a few weeks since I’d been near the ocean, and I was actually pretty excited about it.

I was so glad I’d worn my sundress and sandals. Mom was wearing heels, and I had to bite my tongue to keep from commenting on the fact that she’d dressed so formally and we had ended up eating at a dive and walking on the beach.

Steve parked about a block from the beach, and we all left our shoes in the car to walk barefoot. The pavement was blazing hot, and Mom and I stopped at a gift shop to buy some flip-flops. When we exited the shop, I had to clutch at my mother’s arm to steady myself. Luke had taken off his shirt, and his broad, tan chest glistened in the sun. It was mottled by a range of dark, smoke-like tattoos that stretched across his chest and down his arms like sleeves, and another peeked from his pants and snaked upward toward his navel.

“You ladies ready?” Steve asked.

“Yeah, now that our tender feet are protected,” Mom chuckled.

Once we made it to the beach, we realized it was absolutely packed. It was just a sea of people, and there was hardly room to even turn around.

“Wow, I never realized how crowded the public beaches are,” Mom said.

“Have you never been on a public beach?” Steve asked.

“No, I honestly haven’t,” she admitted. “We’ve always had access to private beaches.”

“Do you want to leave?” Steve asked.

She shook her head and said, “Let’s just make the most of it.”

Mom hooked her arm in Steve’s, and the two of them began to make their way through the throngs of people. Once we reached the water’s edge, they turned to walk arm-in-arm along the surf.

Luke followed along behind them, and I hung back, a few paces behind them all. My eyes couldn’t help but stay fixated on the deep ridges of muscles that lined his back along each side of his spine and led my eyes in a path toward a remarkably firm ass. His body was magnificent. His skin was tan and smooth, and it glistened lightly with a few droplets of perspiration.

“Look!” Luke suddenly gasped, pointing out to sea.

My eyes turned in the direction he was pointing, and we watched as two dolphins jumped and played in the surf not far from the beach. They kept leaping over one another and chattering, like two young lovers enjoying the thrill of being together.

“They’re beautiful,” I said softly.

I glanced at Luke, and his head whipped away. Had he been watching me? For some odd reason, the thought of that elated me, and my heart felt as thought it would sail away.

“Oh, let’s get a snow cone!” Mom pleaded, tugging at Steve’s arm. “Come on, Kat, it’s been forever!”

Mom skipped toward a little stand like a teenager, and Steve chuckled and let her pull him along. I began to soften slightly toward the idea of them getting married. I hadn’t seen my mother so happy or so alive in… well… forever.

“What can I get you?” asked a bubbly blonde as we approached the stand.

“I’ll have a pink lemonade snow cone,” Mom said.

“Same,” Steve said.

“Blue raspberry for me,” I added.

She turned her eyes toward Luke, batting them rapidly and flashing him a glittering smile. “And you, gorgeous?”

I cringed and resisted the urge to scratch her face off.

Luke shrugged and said, “Grape, I guess.”

Luke jammed his hands in his pockets and let his gaze travel down the beach. I smiled inwardly at the look of disappointment on Blondie’s face as she went to get our order. Maybe she was used to guys falling all over her, or maybe she’d thought Luke and I were siblings out with our parents.

I couldn’t believe my reaction. I’d just met this guy. Why in the world did I suddenly feel so viciously possessive of him?

We took our snow cones and headed back down the beach. As we walked, I became aware that nearly every female on that beach was looking at Luke. Not just looking, but staring. I knew he was a good-looking guy, but I guess his comment about me being a stuck-up bitch had temporarily blinded me to it. Now I was beginning to really notice just how gorgeous he really was.

Not only did he have a tremendously sexy body, he was also just beautiful. His eyes were pale, and seemed to change colors between a soft, crystal blue and a light golden hazel. His hair was brown and perfectly disheveled, a little longer than it should be on top, short in the back, and a deep, dark chestnut that probably appeared jet black when wet.

His nose was long and narrow, and it led my eyes down to full, pouting lips that seemed to beg me to kiss them. He had the faintest hint of scruff sprinkling along his upper lip and jaw. He could have been a model for Abercrombie.

“Katherine?”

Startled, I turned in the direction of my name. Luke was looking down at me as if waiting for a response.

“Huh?”

“Are you alright?”

I noticed he was looking downward, and a quick glance let me know exactly what he was staring at. A dribble of blue liquid was streaming down the side of my snow cone, over my hand, and onto my foot. I guess I’d been lost in thought, and I’d frozen in place. I must have looked like a complete idiot. I felt heat rise to my cheeks and flood my ears.

“Sorry,” I muttered, slurping the blue juice from the back of my hand.

Luke shook his head, but I could have sworn I saw the glimmer of a smile tug at the corner of his lips as he turned away.

I nibbled absently at my snow cone, but my mind was consumed with the women constantly casting him smiles and winks. I had never known women could be so shamelessly flirtatious, but after seeing everyone from tweens to grandmothers ogling him, I realized this man could have any girl he wanted. My growing attraction for him would lead nowhere, and I had to nip it in the bud before I ended up getting hurt, especially since he was about to be my stepbrother.

“Can we go home soon?” I asked.

My mother stopped and waited for me to catch up with her. She draped her arm across my shoulders and said, “What’s wrong Kitty Kat? I thought you loved the beach.”

“I’m just not feeling well,” I said, cringing inwardly at the nickname.

“You do look a bit flushed,” Mom agreed. “Steve, we should get her home.”

Steve shrugged and said, “Alright, let’s go.”