Stepbrother: Instant Spark (Stepbrother Billionaire Romance) (Stepbrother Romantic Suspense) (6 page)

Georgina woke up and stretched out lazily, hazy memories of the night before filtering through her mind and making a satisfied smile creep onto her face. She turned to her left and saw that Charlie was still there, his body turned slightly away from her and one arm thrown out. She crept out of bed, pulling on her robe and heading into the kitchen to make some coffee. She tried to stifle a giggle as she went about setting up the coffee machine, thinking about how wild the night before had been and wondering how strange it would be to speak with him again that morning.

She didn’t have to wait long to find out. Charlie appeared at the bedroom doorway, still fully in the nude and he leaned up against the doorframe with that big grin still lingering on his face and as he lifted his arms in a morning stretch over his head, Georgie marveled again at how perfect a body he had.

“Good morning,” she giggled shyly. “Coffee?”

Charlie threw a glance to the clock at the wall and nodded. “Sure.”

The biker disappeared into the bedroom for a while and came back in his t-shirt and leather pants once more. Georgie thought he was perhaps the only man she’d ever met who was just as sexy fully dressed as naked. Somehow, the way the material of his clothes stretched across his muscles only emphasized how perfect his muscles were and Georgie would have been ready for round two right then and there if she hadn’t had to get to work. She gave Charlie his coffee and then opened up her laptop to begin tapping away. Charlie mooched around her apartment with lazy curiosity before finally coming to settle at her side on the sofa and look over her shoulder at what she was writing.

“
Mickey’s Den: A Welcome Addition
,” Charlie read out loud. “That’s about us, huh?”

Georgie let out a long sigh and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, looking at him from the corner of her eye and shaking her head slightly in despair.

“My boss is from the dark ages,” she confessed. “She wanted me to write a bad review, but I just can’t do it. She already turned down the first one I submitted, but I’m not going to trash
Mickey’s
just because she’s uncomfortable. It’s not fair.”

“She doesn’t like bikers?”

“Or hippies, or smokers, or young people or people who talk on their cell phones too much. She uses that paper as an excuse just to sound off about everything she doesn’t like. My job can be fun, but I hate being the mouthpiece for that tired old hag. This time she’ll just have to lump it or write the damn thing herself.”

“I hope you’re not taking a stand just because I made such an impression last night,” Charlie teased. “You know that I’ll be moving on soon. You won’t be offending me, whatever you write.”

“That’s not the point, Charlie. The point is that she’s going to single-handedly blacklist his bar just because she can and everyone in this little town will buy it and stay away and I think Mickey deserves better than that. He seems like a good guy.”

“Oh, he is,” Charlie agreed. “One of the best, in fact. I mean, he can have a hell of a temper if you get on the wrong side of him, but he’d do anything for anyone. He took to the road after his wife died. They’d always used to ride together and he always said that being on the road was the only thing to make him feel close to her again. Over time, he began to start riding with others and that’s when we started to ride as a ‘gang’, or whatever you call it. Anyone looking to find themselves had a place with Mickey.”

“Is that why you started to ride? You were looking for yourself?”

“I was looking for something,” Charlie shrugged. “Adventure, maybe. A good woman.” He gave her a cheeky wink and then lay back against her sofa with a more contemplative look in his eye. “My parents were the very conservative, strict type, but Mickey was something else. He taught me to live for today, because before you know it, life can turn everything on its head and you don’t know where you are.”

“That philosophy lends itself well to one night stands, I guess,” Georgie teased. Charlie noticed the slightly judgmental and wistful tone in her voice and he leaned forward to wrap his arm tightly around her waist and plant a warm kiss behind her ear.

“One night? I’m here until the end of the week.”

*****

Lucy was fuming, but so was Georgie. The ancient old editor just wanted a hate piece to drive away people she’d never met, but Georgie wasn’t willing to put anything hateful into print against
Mickey’s Den
and all the friendly and charming people she’d met there. She stood her ground with her hands on her own hips to match Lucy’s striking pose as the two battled it out in the office that day.

“You don’t call the shots around here, Georgina!” Lucy fumed. “This is a small, family community and we represent traditional, family values. Do you think the locals here would take kindly to our paper promoting that kind of behavior?”

“
What
kind of behavior, Lucy? What are these people meant to have done? I went down there and they were nothing but nice men having a quiet drink.”

“Wendy said she could hear their rock ‘n’ roll going on until the early hours! It’s outrageous!”

“It’s a
bar
, Lucy. Of course they’ll be playing music late. They’re out in the town. Not in some quiet residential street. It’s their right to play music.”

“I really expected more from you, Georgina. You know what? Forget the article. I’ll make Jack write the piece. You can do the crossword puzzles. There’s no need to put a spin on a crossword puzzle now is there? Nothing for you to complain about.”

“Lucy, I’m a journalist, not a -”

“A journalist?” Lucy scoffed. “No, my dear. You’re a long way off from a journalist. You’re an employee of
The Darton Herald
and you’re no grander than the rest of us just because you’ve got a degree or did a writing course, or whatever you’ve done to make yourself feel so high-and-mighty. Take a week writing the puzzles and then come back to me when you’ve decided whether or not you are willing to represent the values of the
paper
and not your own.”

“You mean
yours
?”

“You’re treading a fine line, Georgina. Careful.”

Georgie scowled, but pursed her lips and headed back to her desk. She was fuming. She didn’t understand how it was all right for Lucy to use the paper to spout her own conservative, archaic nonsensical rants, but a reasoned review from a levelheaded person was out of the question. Now she was stuck making crosswords, which was
not
journalism. But, then again, none of this was. Of course Georgie knew this and if she’d been a bit braver or more determined, perhaps she’d have ventured off to one of those great big media capitals of the world like New York and tried to make a living as a real reporter, but she felt like she was past all that now. Journalism was a dog-eat-dog profession and she felt too old at twenty-seven to be fighting in the dog pen. It seemed like she was doomed to a career of putting forward mumsy, middle-aged views for the rest of her life.

She let her mind wander to Charlie as she thought up clues for the crossword and it was the first thing all day to bring a smile to her face. There’d been nothing mumsy about her last night! No, she’d felt awakened,
sexual
, alive. It made her a little breathless, even now, to think about. Sure, she was surrounded by the scornful middle-aged, but only last night she’d had her legs wrapped around the body of a virile and passionate biker...

4/DOWN:
The feeling of complete physical bliss at the climax of sexual activity. (6 letters)

Georgie began to giggle at the naughty clue and wondered if Lucy would have anything to say about
that
the next day. Her little act of rebellion cheered her up a little, as well as the knowledge that Charlie would be waiting for her at the bar that night.

She wore a skin-tight black dress, which showed off every one of her full curves and her large breasts. It was the sort of outfit her mother would have said a girl of her size shouldn’t have worn, but Georgie felt fantastic, and as soon as she saw Charlie’s eyes light up when she walked in the bar that night, she knew that he thought she looked pretty amazing too. He bought her a drink and they sat down at the bar. Today the biker was wearing denim jeans and his usual leather jacket. When they were seated, he looked at her with eager, waiting eyes.

“You look stressed. Your little act of rebellion didn’t go down well at the office?”

Georgie rolled her eyes. “I’m meant to represent the values of the
paper
and not my own. Lucy’s paper, Lucy’s views.”

“You should quit.”

The crossword writer let out a loud derisive laugh. “Unlike you, I’ve got rent to pay.”

“I’m serious, Georgie. Life’s too short to play other people’s games. I’ve not known you long, but I can tell that you’re a big fish in these small waters. Your mind’s too open to be stuck in a close-minded town like this.”

Georgie let out a long, wistful sigh and gave a little shrug. “Maybe you’re right, but journalism is a young woman’s game. To be honest, I’d just be happy to be writing for myself instead of someone else. If it’s going to be my name at the end of the article, I at least want it to be
my
opinion.”

“How about a blog?”

“A blog?”

“Yeah. You know, an online diary or whatever it is. Get the real you out there.”

“Yeah? And who would read my blog?”

“Let me give you something to write about and we’ll see.”

“That sounds like an invitation.”

“Come with me.”

The two left the bar and Charlie led her around back to where his bike was parked up in a row with all the other visiting bikers. It was a sleek, red beast with black handlebars and a gleaming silver frame. It was meticulously cleaned and there was a helmet hanging from each handlebar. He handed one to her.

“Ever been for a ride on a bike like this before?”

Georgie laughed again and looked at the helmet critically. “You want me to go for a ride with you? I’m wearing heels, Charlie!”

“So you’ll look damn hot as my passenger. Look, you’ve had a hard day and there’s an open road out there waiting for us. Just get on and I’ll show you what you’re missing.”

He set his deep blue eyes on her and that ready grin began to issue her with a challenge that she couldn’t ignore. Georgie accepted his outstretched hand and he helped her climb onto the machine. She’d never ridden on a motorbike before, but she instantly felt at home on the leather seat and as soon as her arms closed around the firm waist of the rider, she felt a thrill, which began deep in her stomach, start to spread through her body.

Then, they were off. Georgie loved every second of the ride. She loved the sound and feel of the wind whipping past her and the vibrations of the road travelling up her thighs. She loved moving in time with Charlie to tackle a tight bend and the way that a rough spot in the road would send her flying half-a-foot in the air so that she had to grip onto him more tightly and squeeze her legs against his hips.

She could understand why Charlie loved this so much. She could understand why he could scorn her safe little life. This was pure freedom.

They rode for about an hour and by the time that they returned to the bar, Georgie’s face was flushed from the wind and her heart was racing from the adrenaline. She felt so sexy when Charlie took off his helmet and then held out his hand to her to lead her back inside. Yet, inside the bar, an atmosphere was building and Mickey was furious. He stormed towards Georgie when he saw her and thrust a local paper into her chest.

“What is this?” he growled. “I let you in here and give up my time to talk to you and make you feel at home and you print this shit about me? You’ve picked the wrong crowd to cause trouble with, little girl.”

“Woah, woah! Mickey!” Charlie intervened, stepping between a shocked Georgie and the bar owner. “What’s this all about?”

“That little slut has badmouthed us in the paper.”

“Let me see.”

Charlie took the paper from Georgie, who was trembling in shock from being berated by the kindly old bartender and began to read. He threw the paper down on the bar and pointed forcefully at the name of the writer.

“Jack Tenson. Get your facts straight, Mickey. I think you owe this young lady an apology.”

“I don’t know who this Jack fella is, but
she’s
the one who was poking her nose around here with a recorder. Have you read this?” Mickey picked up the paper and began to read. “
The atmosphere at
Mickey’s Den
is, quite frankly, threatening. The gathering of strangers in leather, gathering together to drink and disturb the peace with loud music and motorbike engines is detrimental to the peace of our quiet town and
The Darton Herald
can do nothing but frown upon the intrusion of gang-life into our family community
. Gang life? What is this shit, Georgie? I ran a bar with my wife back in Colorado for twelve years before she died. My kids helped out. We were a family establishment. I go on the road for a few years and now I get this? You don’t know me. You and your team of petty little gossip mongerers are scum and you’re not welcome here.”

“Calm down, Mickey,” Charlie warned. The bar owner was getting more and more enraged and his skin was starting to flush and his grey moustache bristle with temper. Several of the punters had risen to their feet in preparation for the fight that was brewing.

“Calm down?” Mickey spat. “That’s some loyalty there, isn’t it? You’d turn you back on someone who’s looked out for you just because some little whore took you home?”

Charlie’s punch came from nowhere and sent Mickey reeling into the bar, holding his jaw. The bar owner recovered and threw himself at Charlie to get his revenge. Before Georgie knew what was happening, the bar had erupted into a full-scale brawl and she could hear sirens in the distance. She bet that it was Wendy who had called the police. Tears began to spring to her eyes as she saw fists fly and voices raised all because she’d stepped into the bar. Suddenly Charlie grabbed her hand and led her away from the brawl. He was bleeding from a cut above his eye and his face was fixed in a firm and threatening scowl.

They were just about out of the bar when they were stopped by a biker named Jimmy, who was a man in his early forties with prematurely graying brown hair and narrow eyes. He held Charlie back by the arm and gave him a slightly threatening warning.

“You’d do better to stick with your own, boy. She’s trouble for us.”

Charlie said nothing, but met the other biker’s eyes with a firm glare of his own and shrugged him off. Georgie raced to keep up with him as he headed towards his bike and threw the helmet her way. She put it on and climbed on and they sped away from the chaos.

She didn’t enjoy the ride so much now that her heart was thumping with the panic of what had just occurred and she wrapped her arms tightly around Charlie’s middle for comfort as much as safety. He came to a stop at a lookout point on the outskirts to the East of the town and pulled up his bike next to a bench that overlooked the valley where the small town lay. When he took off his helmet, Georgie could see how stressed he was and she reached out to give his gloved hand a comforting squeeze.

“I’m so sorry, Charlie.”

“It wasn’t your fault, doll. Mickey’s a good guy, but he’s got a temper.”

“I thought you said he was the nicest guy around.”

“Oh, he is, but he won’t be walked all over by anyone. He’d give the shirt off his back for a friend or his last cent, but he won’t lie down when someone steps up to challenge him. He won’t let this go.”

“I should have done more,” Georgie said guiltily. “I should have stopped any article being published. I’m really sorry.”

“Hey, you don’t owe us anything, baby girl. You risked your job to stand your ground over this. It’s that Jack who’s the coward. I swear, if I ever get my hands on him...”

“Don’t do anything crazy, Charlie.”

He was starting to scare her a little now. The Charlie that Georgie had known so far was cool, levelheaded and just the right amount of cocky. Now he was fuming and she imagined that it was more because he’d had a fight with a friend than because of anything published in the paper.

“Have you thrown a punch at Mickey before?”

Charlie let out a little laugh. “No. But he’s thrown one or two at me. Sometimes it’s the easiest way to clear the air. He’ll get over it. We’re family.”

“You were sticking up for me, weren’t you? That was really sweet.”

Charlie had been standing with his hands in his pocket and overlooking the dim and twinkling lights of the town nestled in the valley below them, but he turned around when she said that, gave her a warm smile and came to plant a heavy kiss on her lips.

“Nobody calls my girl a whore.”

“Your girl?” Georgie half-laughed. “You’ll be gone in a day.”

“You should come with me.”

“And what would I do on the back of a bike? I’ve got no savings. I’ve got a home full of things. I can’t just take off. I’ve got commitments. Besides, we hardly know each other.”

“You worry too much, Georgie. Sometimes the best way to solve an argument is to throw a punch and sometimes the best way to change your life is to take it in a completely different direction. All that other stuff is just fine print. What matters is what
you
want.”