No Regrets (A Stepbrother New Adult Novella)

S
he has a tough shell
, waiting to be broken. Is he up to the task?

Olivia isn’t easily impressed by guys - she has set her goals, and a handsome rich boy isn’t about to sway her. She doesn’t need a relationship, especially not with her soon-to-be stepbrother, Parker. She had a brief moment of weakness with him, and what happened later has turned her away from him for good. He’s a privileged ass who doesn’t deserve a minute of her time.

But Parker can’t get Olivia out of his mind. Why is she resisting him? He has to get through her ‘independent woman’ exterior, no matter what it takes. If only she wasn’t so adamant about avoiding him.

They’re about to graduate from college, and the twists and turns in their lives make them grow up faster than either of them expected. Will their budding feelings for each other survive the odds?

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ould
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O
livia Radcliff was
no stranger to hard work. Her entire life it had been one thing after another, but she knew if she just put in extra time and effort, good things would happen. However, her experience couldn’t have prepared her for the situation she was in now. She had to attend a black tie affair—a first such event in her life—and she did not feel the least bit comfortable. Not at all.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror, hating the outfit she was forced to wear tonight. Her usual comfortable attire of jeans and a t-shirt had to be forgone in favor of something altogether different. She had to admit she was surprised at how striking she looked. She was wearing a black dress and four-inch heels, and her long, brunette hair was swept up in an elaborate twist. Her makeup looked flawless.

If it wasn’t for her best friend Ashley, she wouldn’t be caught dead in this get-up. Even her ever-present glasses, which always tended to slide down her nose, were traded in for contacts.

She had very few friends, some closer than others, but Ashley was her closest. She had always been there for Liv, and now, she would be there for Ash. Most of her other friends were overly engrossed in their relationships and scandals—something she simply didn’t have time for.

Her personal life was not a big deal to her at the moment. Sure, she made time for her friends; but the truth was, romance and sex would simply get in the way of her goals, and she had no time for it. What was
really
important was finishing school and getting a good job, so that she could pay off her student loans and take care of her mother.

Of course, it wasn’t like she didn’t appreciate a good-looking guy. She had dated here and there. But right now, nothing was more important than focusing on school, and most guys simply couldn’t understand that.

With one last glance at her reflection, she slowly made her way downstairs. Ashley owed her, big time, for this one. The charity benefit was one of her friend’s newest passions, and Liv had vowed to help in any way she could. Now, she found herself in this fancy borrowed dress, which was unfortunately a little too tight for her curvy frame.

She rolled her eyes as she entered the dorm hall downstairs and saw a couple making out in the corner: Ash and her boyfriend, Roland. Olivia coughed lightly into her hand, forcing the two of them to notice her standing there.

“Liv, I’m sooo glad you’re coming with us.” Ashley disentangled herself from Roland’s embrace and hooked her arm into Olivia’s.

“I’m always happy to help, Ash.” Olivia gave her a weak smile as they walked out of the dorm.

The three of them quickly walked to the parking lot and found Roland’s car. The ride to the restaurant was a quick one, and Liv was content sitting alone in the back. Apparently, they had to pick up one of Roland’s friends along the way. She briefly wondered which one of his friends was coming with them.

She glanced out the window as the trees buzzed past them, and the sun sank lower and lower in the distance. The charity benefit dinner they were attending was a black tie affair. She tried to wiggle her toes inside the tight, uncomfortable shoes. She never really understood why people put their bodies through this much pain, just to impress others. She found the entire idea stupid. But for Ash, Liv would tolerate the torture—just for tonight, though.

The car pulled smoothly into a building on the far side of campus, and she watched as a tall figure moved closer and closer to the car. She felt her blood run cold—Drew Jenkins, of all people, was apparently her escort for the night. She swore under her breath. Rude and snarky, he always did his very best to get as many female students into his bed as possible. Why all those girls succumbed to his advances, she would never understand.

“Roland, man, thanks for the invite.” Drew leaned forward to give Roland a handshake and then settled into the back seat. It was only then that he glanced over at Olivia.

“Is that? Wait...it is!” He gave her a winning grin. “Olivia Radcliff, I had no idea.”

She smiled back weakly. “Hello, Drew. I assumed you were sick today, since you weren’t in class.” She crossed her arms in front of her as they rode on.

“Nah, I had a situation I had to take care of.” He smiled at her again. “Wow. You look beautiful tonight.” He gave her a wink, and she looked away from him, out the window.

“Thank you,” she replied through gritted teeth. Thank goodness the drive wasn’t going to be long.

After they arrived, she felt his hand on the small of her back as he led her into the hall. She flinched, but he was technically within his rights—he
was
her escort for the night. She glanced up at him as inconspicuously as possible. He wasn’t bad looking, really. He had a flare for the eccentric and loved to wear black, but Olivia had to admit—he was rather striking in his tux. He noticed her appraising him, gave her another wink, and then a tiny pat on her butt. It was all the confirmation she needed to remember exactly why she avoided guys like him. Nope, never going to date him, Olivia thought.

Thankfully, the night passed quickly, and she found that despite her earlier misgivings, she actually enjoyed herself. She really needed to get out more and have fun. It wasn’t something she did often.

She cringed inwardly at the memory of why she avoided going out, meeting guys, or falling in love. Once she’d had her heart broken, she had thrown the idea of dating out the window.

H
er first boyfriend
had been perfect: tall, blond, with a smile that would make you melt. His name was Braden, and she had been in love with him since the second grade. He had been in love with her, too—that cute, puppy love that only kids experience. They had grown up next door to each other, walking hand-in-hand to school. Middle school came and went, and high school began, and she was still around Braden much of the time. And as her love continued to grow and flourish, his had burned out as he paraded every leggy blonde from school around town—a different girl every week.

She had been walking home one night and heard him fighting with Margie Thompson in his front yard. It sounded like they were breaking up. Olivia did her best to avoid being seen and snuck around to her back porch, where she and Braden used to sit for hours as children. Some time later, he joined her there, beer in hand.

“Hey, Liv. I guess you heard all of that?” He gave her a half smile.

“Yeah…you okay?” She picked at the lint on her dress and tried to avoid his gaze.

“Yeah…she just wanted something else, I guess. Who knows what girls want?” He stared at her through his inebriated haze, as if he saw her in a different light for the first time. “Why can’t they just be…I don’t know…normal, you know? More like you.”

Her head swelled with silly pride at his words, and she thought he finally saw her true value. She gave him a smile, as she watched him take in her body. She shivered slightly as his eyes met hers again.

“Why did we never get together, Liv? I mean, you’re hot.” He chugged the last of his beer.

His drunken state probably played a part in what unfolded next. He leaned into her, and his mouth crushed hers before she even had a chance to respond. She fell even more in love with him that night as she gave herself to him in every way possible, for the first time in her life, right there on the grass next to her porch. Her world had suddenly become a Dreamland—until the next day.

Her head held higher than ever, she walked into school a Woman. She relived the experience over and over in her mind that morning as she thought about seeing him again. They hadn’t spoken much after. He fell asleep on her porch beside her, and she’d nuzzled into him while she planned out their future in her head. After a while, he roused enough to get himself home next door, and she had gone to bed a changed person.

As she walked down the hallway the next morning, she froze when she saw them together again, holding hands as though the break up the night before had never happened.

Margie gave her a hard look as Liv finally found her footing and walked past them. Olivia vowed to never look at him, ever again. He used her to feel better, and then cast her aside.

She avoided Braden from that point forward, leaving his phone calls unanswered, and ignoring his attempts to talk to her. He tried to get in touch with her time and time again, but she didn’t want to hear him tell her he was sorry. It would only make the situation worse.

Their senior year flew by, and soon, she found herself headed to college, never to look back again.

H
er time
away at school was good for her, although she missed her Mom more than anything. In running away from home to college, she created a distance between herself and the one person who truly loved her. She knew it was time to go home for a visit.

As she scanned the hall where Ashley’s party was being held, she calculated the next break to be Thanksgiving; she would go home then. Pushing the memories of her past away, she made her way back to Ash, and the ever-winking Drew.