Expecting my Billionaire Stepbrother's Baby (a Stepbrother Romance Novel) (5 page)

S
witching
off every emotion I could, I tried to be practical. To keep busy I gathered up my things and moved them out of the hallway into one of the spare bedrooms in the large penthouse apartment. I chose the one that was the greatest distance from Drake’s bedroom.

Sleeping arrangements for Christine had not yet been discussed, and I really didn’t want to hear about it anyway, but I wouldn’t put myself through any further humiliation and torture by sleeping near his room, especially if she were now to share his bed. I felt nauseated just thinking about it.

I sat on the edge of the mattress in my new room. Thankfully the minimalistic decor had not continued into this part of the apartment. A shimmering rose wallpaper provided a warmth and cosiness that I would’ve appreciated had I not been feeling so miserable.

Staring at my haphazardly packed boxes and suitcases in front of me, I contemplated my next move. I had nowhere else to go apart from back to my dad and step-mother’s house, but slinking back once was one time too many. Losing this job would be seen as another failure to add to the ever increasing pile of disasters in my life. I had to stop running, had to get myself out of debt, and the only way to do that at the moment was to do what Drake was asking.

Was I actually thinking of staying? I shook my head. Why was I letting him get away with this? Using me for his own means?

Suddenly a tinny chirping sounded from inside my bag, and I pulled out my phone. The screen read Unknown Caller.

“Hello?” I answered cautiously.

“Viola! My dear, where are you?” said the male voice on the other end of the phone.

Dread filled my chest, and I swallowed thickly.

“You know why I’m calling, don’t you sweetheart? Where’s my money?” the sickly-syrupy voice continued, edged with a threatening undertone.

I’d almost been able to forget about the loan I’d taken out as a last resort when my life was going to hell, but every so often the reminder of yet another stupid mistake would spring up on me.

It had been a deal made behind closed doors; a friend of a friend had pointed me in the right, or should I say extremely wrong direction, and I’d got myself in the hole for over twenty thousand pounds. I couldn’t imagine what I owed now, weeks after the deadline to pay it back. The interest accumulated at a staggering rate.

“I-I don’t have it,” I managed to say.

“Oh, Viola. You know that’s not what I want to hear. How about you tell me where you are, and we can have a nice little chat about it. I’m sure we can come to some sort of arrangement,” Freddy said.

The words dripped from his mouth like grease, and it almost felt as if his tongue oozed down the phone line and into my ear. I shuddered. The sort of arrangement that he had in mind turned my stomach; I pulled the smooth rectangle away from my ear and ended the call.

My heart rate spiked, and my hands were trembling. My phone started to buzz again in my hands. Unknown Caller flashed up again upon the screen. I fumbled for the silencer, turned the switch and shoved the phone under a thick pillow, then placed another one on top of it, smothering any further vibrations. Burying the problem for now.

I had enough on my plate without having to deal with loan sharks. I knew if I only told Drake about my situation, he would happily resolve all my monetary worries, but I just couldn’t bring myself to ask him. I could look after myself. I wasn’t the damsel in distress type.

No, I got myself into this mess. I’d get myself out of it. Even if that meant staying here, with Drake and his newly cemented family, until I made enough to pay Freddy back and get me back on my feet. Maybe even have some left over so I could get my own little place. Start afresh, once more, preferably somewhere far away from Drake. This time, I told myself, I wouldn’t come back.

A soothing shower helped me get my head straight. If I was going to do this, I had to get out there soon, show my face and do my job, otherwise Christine was going to get suspicious, and that was another problem I did not want to have to deal with. What was a nanny doing avoiding looking after her charge? I’m sure it wouldn’t take too long to figure out if I continued to hide, away from her, avoiding Drake, in this lonely room.

I popped my head around the door and listened before braving the long walk towards the living room.

Sounds of laughter travelled down the hall, tearing at my heart strings.

You can do this, Vi. Put a brave face on it… thirteen more days to go, then you can re-evaluate.

Forcing a smile upon my lips I joined the happy family on the couch. Leah was beaming up at Christine, wrapping her pudgy fingers around her long gold necklaces, which glimmered under her bright teal scarf.

“No, that’s not for children,” Christine warned the small child and unwound the necklaces from her grasp.

Drake stiffened as I approached. He didn’t know where to look, and his jaw, teeth clenched, began to pulse. Awkwardness radiated off him.

“Oh, there you are,” Christine said in her sing-song voice, barely managing to look at me. “We were starting to wonder where you’d got to. You’re supposed to be looking after Leah, you know,” Christine said in a mock tease, but I knew she meant every word.

I raised an eyebrow, almost losing my shit before coming to my senses. I put on a neutral face and smiled, keeping everything I wanted to say to her at bay. I shoved my fidgeting hands under my thighs and between the couch cushions to keep them still.

“She’s a quiet one, Drake,” she said, as if I weren’t even in the room.

He grunted a response.

“So, I was thinking we could leave Leah with the nanny, and you and I could go somewhere a little more private to talk? Sort out the kinks, you know, ease our way back into this,” she said.

“I can’t, not right now,” Drake said, glancing at his watch. “Tonight, when I get back.”

“You’re leaving?” I spluttered out, surprised he was thinking of going after everything that had happened.

“For a few hours, yes.”

“Drake, you can’t,” I said, not caring about the weird expression on Christine’s face.

“It’s Mr Millar to you,” Christine interrupted.

“It’s OK, Chris, we’re pretty informal around here. Right, anyway, I better be off. I won’t be gone too long, I’m sure you ladies will get along just fine,” he said, and I could’ve sworn the tone of his voice indicated that he didn’t believe his own words.

Coward!
I shouted in my head. How could he have the audacity to leave me with her?

“Go, go. Me and… what’s your name?”

My head shot up, that was my cue. “Viola.”

“Viola and I will have a ball with this little bug,” Christine said, an ugly smile pinned upon her lips.

I turned and watched Drake leave; he didn’t even glance back. I was on my own to deal with her, and all I wanted to do was curl up into a ball and hide.

“Viola?” Her normally smooth forehead wrinkled as if she were straining out a thought. “Unusual name, you didn’t happen to go to St. Stephens High School, did you?”

Swivelling back to face her, I nodded. “I was in your English class in the final year.”

“Oh that’s right. I remember you now. Weren’t you were the one that got locked in that cupboard with Drake that one time?” Her face darkened, yet she laughed as if it had all been a hilarious joke. But she and I both knew she’d been furious that night, had shouted the house down, screaming for Drake to come out.

Reluctantly I blushed. I didn’t want to think of that night, the first time Drake had kissed me, and have it marred with her lingering fake laughter. In my version of events, in the daydreams I’d played over in my mind, Christine was nowhere to be found.

“So, how on earth did you end up becoming Leah’s nanny?” she asked.

I was thankful to change the subject. “Barbara persuaded Drake to take me on,” I said, almost adding that I was his step-sister, but I refrained at the last minute. If Drake didn’t feel it was important enough to mention it, then I wasn’t going to, either.

“Oh, wonderful,” she said, waving her hand as if dismissing the topic as inconsequential and quickly added, “I’ve been away on business, you see, have unfortunately been out of the loop with what’s gone on, including little Leah’s care. You understand, I’m sure, a busy working mother trying to juggle all aspects of her life… it’s tough you know.”

This woman was something else. Lying through her back teeth. Was she truly trying to pull the wool over my eyes and lie to me about what had happened? I knew enough to know her version of events was a big pile of steaming bullcrap. She left them both – a new-born and Drake, without even saying goodbye – for a fashion designing job halfway across the world. I was debating on whether to call her out on her lies when her phone rang.

Christine’s arms darted out holding Leah. “Here, I have to take this,” she said, no please, no thank you.

I bounced Leah in my arms contemplating what we could do today, but as I overheard Christine’s voice as she wandered over into the kitchen, I knew it wouldn’t be up to me. Leah had a mother who would now want to make the decisions regarding Leah’s time, or at least so I thought. Perhaps Christine would want to spend the day with her, take her out for a stroll. And so I waited for instructions like a good, obedient nanny - I had to remain professional, I told myself.

“…Yes, better than I expected actually. Easy peasy. I don’t think it’ll take long. He’s like a puppy dog, give him a bone and he’ll roll over. Anyway, I better go. I’ll see you in a bit… Can’t wait!” Christine whispered. She ended the call with a kissy sound and came back into the room all smiles.

“I have to pop out. Seeing a few friends for lunch,” she said, gathering up her Chanel purse.

“Do you want me to get Leah ready? I think her stroller is around here somewhere.”

“Oh no, I’m not taking a baby to a restaurant,” she gasped in horror. “Can you imagine if she started crying?”

“Well, I guess—”

“No, you two stay here. I won’t be too long. But let’s keep this between us; Drake doesn’t need to know,” she said, grinning a little too hard. “I’ll make sure there’s a little bonus in it for you.”

My forehead knitted together for a moment. Something about her whole edgy demeanour wasn’t sitting right with me.

“Are you sure? It’ll only take a moment—”

“I said no!” Her eyes flashed in anger, her face tight with impatience. I swallowed hard.

Christine shoved her phone into her bag and without even a goodbye to Leah left the apartment. As soon as she was gone I let out a breath that I hadn’t realised I’d been holding.

No, something was definitely not right with this whole situation. Christine comes back, expressing her desire for a second chance with her daughter and her ex, and yet on the first day she doesn’t even want to spend time with Leah and is bribing the nanny to keep quiet?

Alarm bells were going off.

Feelings of hot rage were building to a roaring fire inside me. I should’ve said something, I thought. Stood up to her. Well, it wasn’t too late to have it out with her, to find out what she was up to. It was what Drake was partly employing me for. He’d want me to find out what she was doing, I reasoned.

Carrying Leah, I proceeded to open and close closet doors, hunting for her stroller. I finally found what I was looking for and got her settled into what looked like the Rolls Royce of baby transportation – an old fashioned pram but with all the modern gadgets, radiating style and sophistication. Her arms waved in the air, and a smile spread across her chubby face.

“Yes, we’re going on an adventure to see what your devilish mummy is up to,” I said in a sing-song voice. I grabbed my jacket, and we hightailed it out of the apartment; I hoped that once on the street I’d be able locate Christine and follow her.

I
t didn’t take long
to spot Christine in her flamboyant blue outfit, gliding down the street in her dangerously high heels. Pushing Leah, I weaved effortlessly in between oncoming pedestrian traffic and kept my eyes locked onto the back of Christine’s head. She was nearing the end of the street and took a right onto Balmoral Drive.

I picked up speed, easy to do when I was wearing flats, then slowed as I peeked around the corner. For a split-second I thought I’d lost her, but then a flash of her bright turquoise scarf in the distance caught my eye. I tailed her for almost ten minutes; I fully expected to lose her if she jumped into a taxi but was surprised when she didn’t and continued on, not even stopping to have a nose in the posh storefronts she passed.

Abruptly Christine turned, disappearing into a restaurant with an open terrace facing the affluent street. I slowed my approach and stopped a couple of stores down from the restaurant, which was called Riviera. Maybe she’d been telling the truth after all and was only meeting some friends for lunch?

I stayed to make sure. Hoping she’d emerge, perhaps to sit on the open terrace, I pretended to be waiting for someone and hid behind a bulbous fake ornamental plant outside a quaint boutique.

Leah’s eyes fluttered shut as I rocked her back and forth in her pram. Time slowed to a crawl, and I could feel the security guard from within the little well-to-do shop giving me the stink eye. I smiled sweetly at him and continued to glance from side to side, keeping up my pretence.

This had been silly, I thought. What had I expected to see? Christine was obviously having lunch in the restaurant like she’d said. But I needed to get closer to be positive, even though doing so would risk her seeing me.

With my mind made up, I took an encouraging breath, whirled the stroller around the potted plant and began closing the distance towards the restaurant.

All of a sudden, Christine emerged from Riviera, the door held open by a handsome man. Arm in arm they made their way out of the little terrace and onto the street.

I stopped in my tracks, and a couple of people behind me grunted their displeasure, swerving around me like water flowing around a boulder. There was enough ambient noise on the street, though, to drown out any of their annoyance that might have travelled down towards Christine and her
friend
.

I didn’t really think anything of their friendly embrace. The man with the full beard and expensive-looking attire could’ve been anyone, until he took Christine’s face in his hands. I scooted the pram into the alcove of the nearest shop and watched, my mouth agape.

That was definitely not a friend. They kissed long and hard near the edge of the curb, for all to see, as if they didn’t have a care in the world.

The bearded man, once they’d come up for air, flagged down a passing taxi and laughing, giggling at each other, they got in and were soon out of sight.

I blinked and shook my head. That, I had not been expecting. What on earth was I going to tell Drake? And should I tell him? Christine was obviously deceiving him, for what purpose I did not know, but could I tell him? I knew the right thing to do would be to let him know, but the hurt it would cause him pained me.

Yet spite filled my belly. He’d chosen to give her another chance after all. Perhaps I should wait for him to find out for himself.

Feeling a little dazed and at a loss at what to do, I strolled back to the apartment, taking the scenic route in an attempt to clear my head. A doorman opened the heavy glass doors for me, and I pushed the carriage into the cool interior of the lobby and towards the bank of elevators. Before I could figure out how to call for one – there were no buttons down here, unlike up in the apartment, only key card slots – a voice behind me called for my attention.

“Miss?” It was a man in a crisp suit and tie. “Is someone expecting you?”

I shook my head. “I live here, in the penthouse,” I replied and foolishly pointed up with my index finger, but his squinting eyes told me he didn’t believe me. “I’m Drake’s, I mean Mr Millar’s new nanny. You saw me leave before?” I added quickly.

“I see. I don’t have any mention of a new nanny. Well, I’m afraid I can’t let you up until I speak to Mr Millar,” he said, moving back around the desk.

“You don’t need to call him, you can see I have his daughter right here,” I said, frustrated, only now thinking two steps ahead. I didn’t want Drake to start asking questions about why I couldn’t get back into the apartment. The front desk staff obviously knew Christine well enough to let her up this morning, so if we’d gone out, I would’ve gone out with her, but now she wasn’t returning with me… I should’ve thought my little escapade through before running off in attempt to play detective.

“Sorry. I need to follow protocol. Just wait right there.”

I sighed and moved over to the small waiting lounge and checked on Leah. She was still fast asleep, bless her little heart. My foot jiggled with impatience.

“Miss? Mr Millar would like a word,” he said, bringing the phone over to me.

Bracing myself for the worst, I brought the handset up to my ear.

“Drake?” I asked.

“Vi, it should all be taken care of now. They’re going to give you a new key card, OK?”

“OK, thanks,” I said, expecting a barrage of questions from him.

“You sound nervous, what’s up?”

“No, I’m good. Better go, Leah’s waking up. See you later,” I lied, ended the call and quickly passed the phone back to the desk clerk before Drake could interrogate me any further.

Finally, the clerk handed over a plastic rectangle and showed me how to use it; it wasn’t rocket science, and after a couple of minutes Leah and I were gratefully back in the sanctuary of the apartment.

G
etting
Leah settled had been the easy part, now all I had to do was figure out what I was going to tell Drake. I paced the lounge, back and forth, wearing down the threads of the rug under my bare feet, debating if I should spill the beans about Christine and her tonsil-tennis buddy.

In one fell swoop I could get rid of Christine and have him all to myself again. He wouldn’t put up with her nonsense if he knew she was deceiving him.

He had a right to know didn’t he? But would he be mad at me for telling him? All these thoughts spun tangling webs in my mind; I really didn’t know what to do for the best. I was not a vindictive person; perhaps I hadn’t seen what I thought I saw. It might not even have been Christine… Now I knew I was lying to myself.

“Vi, are you OK?”

I spun around, breath caught in my throat. I hadn’t heard the elevator arrive or his silent footsteps.

Drake frowned at me and waited for my answer.

Furious at being scared like that and the giving in to the frustration that’d been piling up ever since he’d guilted me into staying, I did the only thing I could think of doing. I yelled at him.

“Are you serious? Of course I’m not OK! You left me here, with your ex bloody wife, expecting me to play house and after what we did last night!”

Right then, it was clear what I had to do. It was like a veil had been lifted. I’d been foolish to think this could ever work – sod waiting two weeks. I owed people money, but I couldn’t torture myself by staying there to get it. I had to leave; I’d find another way to sort my life out. Staying in bizarro land, with a step-brother I was falling for, was not the right place for me to be. It was doing neither me nor my mental state any good.

“What’s happened? Where’s Christine?”

“See! Even now that’s all you care about. Christine, Christine, fucking Christine!” I gritted my teeth and breathed in a wave of air through my nose, preparing for what I wanted to say next. “This was a mistake. I can’t stay here, watching you two get back together, giving her chance after chance… I know I said I’d stay, but I just can’t do it.”

Drake seemed taken aback by my outburst and moved a cautious step towards me. His hands took hold of my upper arms, and he sighed.

“You’re right. You probably should go.”

My heart cracked, shattering like the porcelain of a vintage vase tumbling off a wobbly table. The fight in me that had been burning hot only moments before had withered away to a pile of grey ash. I’d wanted him to change his is mind, to choose me, desperate for him to realise his mistake. I could so easily tell him about Christine, but he needed to realise she was no good for him on his own. He needed to make that choice.

Drake nodded. “You being here will only make it harder on all of us, I see that now. I shouldn’t have asked you to stay. I’m sorry it’s come to this.”

I turned my head away. Away from his delicious cologne that drifted between us, making me feel weak at the knees. Avoiding looking at him, I pulled back out of his grasp. I didn’t want to see the face I was longing to touch or his soulful blue eyes that were breaking my heart. Increasing the gap between us, I moved away from him.

“I’ll go get a few of my things and leave now. I don’t want to be here when she gets back. The rest of my stuff I’ll ask my dad to pick up, if that’s all right?”

“That’s fine. Where will you go?” he asked.

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ll figure something out.”

I disappeared into the room that I’d only been able to call my own for a few hours and shut the door, leaving Drake out in the hallway. It took all the willpower in the world not to fling open the barrier between us and run to him, to kiss him, to make him see goddamn sense. I clenched my fists. The need to hurt something as much as I was hurting inside was overwhelming, and I slammed them into the mattress, pummelling the covering ‘til my arms turned to jelly.

Why couldn’t anything go the way it was supposed to in my life? I’d fallen for the one person I shouldn’t have, but for a fleeting moment I found he wanted me, too, only for my happiness to be thrown into chaos once again. I could never catch a break.

After throwing a few things into a large duffel bag, I eased out of the room and peeked into the nursery for a last glimpse at Leah. Everything in my heart urged me to stay, to look after her. Christine’s track record wasn’t promising, and if today was anything to go by, she hadn’t changed. She wouldn’t be there for her daughter; Christine, whatever her motives, was not interested in raising this child, and it broke my heart. I knew how it felt to be abandoned by the one person who should be by your side from the day you were born.

Sadly, it wasn’t going to my job any longer, even though I wanted it so badly. Last night had been a silly dream, and I pushed it from my mind, kissed my fingertips and pressed them gently upon Leah’s cheek.

“Look after your Daddy, I think he’ll need it,” I whispered and then left the room, a tear slipping down my face.

The apartment was silent; I couldn’t tell where Drake was, but I knew not to go looking for him. I would leave and not look back. I’d done it once before, and I could do it again, but this time I’d be leaving pieces of my heart behind.

I passed through the living room without notice and slipped down the hallway, keeping the squeak of my trainers to a minimum.

“You weren’t going to say goodbye were you?” Drake called from the end of the corridor.

I stared at the elevator door, my back facing him, and pushed the button. If I spoke now, my voice would crack.

“Viola, at least tell me where you’re going to go. I can get my driver to take you. Or better yet, let me find you an apartment—”

I whirled on him. “What? So you can keep me as a hidden mistress, out of sight of your perfect happy family, only coming to me when you pleased?”

He shook his head. “No, that’s not what I meant; you’re twisting what I’m saying.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t need your help, Drake,” I said, tears in full flow now and my heart racing a mile a minute. Why was it that every time I was in his presence he made me so angry? So desperately lonely? Was it because he was the constant reminder of what I could never have?

Drake closed the distance and stood tall before me in his perfectly fitted suit. His hands reached out, his thumbs grazing below my eyes, and he wiped away my tears. I flinched at his touch, the sparks making me long for him even more.

“Why won’t you let me help you? I want to make sure you’re going to be OK, it’s the least I can do.”

“You don’t understand, do you? I want you, never your help or money. But you chose her. You can’t have it both ways, Drake.”

He cocked his head to the side and studied the words coming out of my mouth.

“Oh, I can,” he said, his eyes flashing as he advanced, forcing me to step back. My back hit the elevator doors and his mouth claimed mine. And for a second I let him and gave into the rush that sent shivers down my spine.

Tasting his mouth, indulging in his scent as he kissed a trail down my neck, made me lose all semblance of control. My body yearned for him all over again.

It felt like his hands were everywhere, touching every part of me as if he never wanted to let go, and I struggled to find a reason to make him stop. What harm was there in allowing one last special goodbye?

His fingers found their way up my thighs as he pressed his rigid body against me. I gasped as air was forced from my lungs and he bore down on me, pinning me harder against the doors of the elevator.

Instinctively I curled my leg around the top of his thigh, needing him close, wanting grind myself up against him through the layers of clothing.

I opened up to him, with my leg held high; the palm of his hand smoothed up my inner thigh, closer to the edges of my knickers. I could feel his finger graze over the fabric, skimming my engorged, throbbing clit and waiting for that perfect moment when the tip of his finger would make contact.

My lips were dripping wet in anticipation, aroused beyond belief, and I glanced up at him, breathing hard. Drake maintained eye contact, his glare keeping me still as he quickly pulled aside the fabric and plunged his finger between my folds.

Just as a moan escaped my lips, Drake slid his tongue into my mouth, keeping my lips parted as his finger down below teased around my opening.