Steven: A Billionaire Stepbrother Romance Novel (2 page)

I turned and headed back up to my room, taking a seat in the chair in front of my desk once again. Still in shock, I closed my eyes and tried to put everything together in my mind.

Wow...this is crazy. I can’t believe Mom is getting married again...
I thought to myself.

It was a lot to digest. In less than a year, my mom was getting remarried. And despite the fact that I was happy for her, I also felt bad for my dad. I mean he had to feel a little sad that my mom had moved on so quickly.

“Oh well,” I whispered, as I leaned back in my chair. “I guess this is just how it’s all meant to unfold.”

I had to have at least a little faith that everything was going to work out for the best, or else I’d end up slipping into some kind of depression. I needed to keep telling myself that it was all happening for the greater good and that, at some point in the future, I’d know that it was all meant to be.

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M
om’s wedding day, six months later...

Standing in front of my mirror, I turned to the side to see how my new dress looked on me. William had bought it for me so that I’d have something nice to wear to the wedding. It was dark blue, long and tight, going all the way down to the middle of my calves. The silky material clung to my body, making my curves distinguishable and accentuated. I brought my hands down to my sides, placing them on my hips.

“Wow,” I said, admiring how perfectly the dress fit me. “This is gorgeous.”

I stood up straight, pressing my chest outward slightly. It caused my breasts to press together between the low cut material, making my cleavage look amazing.

Jesus...this dress is incredible...I wonder how much William spent on this thing.

After admiring myself for a moment longer, I opened up the small jewelry box that sat on top of my dresser. I pulled out a pearl necklace, which had been my grandmother’s before she had passed away just a few years prior. I had been waiting for a long time to have an excuse to wear it and I figured that there would never be a better time than my mother’s wedding.

I carefully pulled the necklace out, admiring the way the light reflected off of the pearls. Then I brought it up and around my neck, clasping the small silver buckle together.

After that, I combed out my hair, making sure that it looked perfect. I must have stood there for over an hour, meticulously checking myself out. But after putting the finishing touches on my makeup and impulsively cutting off every split end of hair that I could find, I was finally ready to go. I felt like I looked better than I had in years and I was ready to see my mom get married!

“Kelsey!” Mom called up from downstairs. “It’s time to go, sweetheart!”

I took one last look in the mirror and then sprayed on some of my favorite perfume. Then I slipped on my black high heels, before making my way downstairs.

“You ready, honey?” my mom asked, as she stood next to the front door, holding it open for me.

I smiled and quickened my pace.

“Yes,” I said. “Sorry that took so long. I just wanted everything to be perfect.”

My mom chuckled and put her arm around me, squeezing me tight.

“You and me both, baby,” she said.

William was already in the driver’s seat of the running SUV, waiting for us. We hopped in the car and began driving toward the church for the ceremony.

“This is going to be a great day,” William said, excitedly.

He looked back at me and smiled, then brought his gaze to my mom. I watched as he placed his hand on my mom’s knees, stroking it affectionately.

“The best day ever!” my mom responded.

We drove in silence for a bit and then William looked up into the rear view mirror, bringing his gaze to me.

“Thank you for being here, Kelsey,” he said. “This is going to be fun. You’ll get to meet my son, too. Or, should I say...your stepbrother?”

He chuckled at the end and I felt the strangest sensation inside of me. It was like my stomach had balled up into a knot.

Stepbrother?

It was in that moment when I realized I was no longer going to be the only child of the family. It wasn’t a huge deal; because it’s not like I was a kid any more. But still...I was going to have a
brother
? I didn’t really want a brother...

“Is that exciting or
what
?” my mom asked, as she turned around from the passenger seat to face me.

A half-assed smile crossed my face and I nodded slowly.

“Yeah...” I said, hesitantly. “We’ll be just like a regular old family, won’t we?”

I did my best to cover up my sarcasm and I think it worked, because my mom smiled wide and then turned back around.

“Yes,” she said. “A regular old family...”

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T
his dress is amazing, but holy shit it’s too hot out here to be wearing such a dark color...

I shifted in my seat, trying to turn in such a way that the afternoon sun was out of my eyes. The wedding was about to begin and I had front row seats. I was excited, yet nervous. I had never been to a wedding before and I never thought that my first one would be my mother’s.

I glanced around behind me, watching as everybody filed in and found a seat. I didn’t really know anybody there. Most of the attendees were relatives of William, except for a handful of my mother’s friends. We had a small family, which became even smaller after the divorce.

This is crazy...my mother is getting married today. I hope I don’t cry.

I turned back around in my seat, facing the flowery gazebo in which my mother and William were about to become married. I had always imagined weddings happening inside of a church, but I really liked the setting they had picked out. It was a beautiful park on the outskirts of town. You could hear the small creek nearby and birds chirping playfully in the trees. It was pretty serene, almost like something from a dream. It was beautiful and I felt like I could have sat there for hours just taking it all in.

“Is this seat taken?” I heard a man’s voice ask.

It shook me from my daydreaming and I jumped a little out of surprise. I turned to look, but the sun hit me right in the eyes.

“Uh, no,” I said. “I don’t think anybody is sitting there yet.”

The man stepped in front of me, temporarily blocking the sun. I brought my gaze up his body, which was adorned in a tailored black suit.

“Sorry if I surprised you there,” he said, looking down at me.

I looked up to his face and immediately felt my lips part slightly from shock.

“Oh, no problem,” I said. “But yeah, I think that seat is open.”

Holy shit. He’s gorgeous.

I had no idea who this man was. I had only laid eyes on him for a brief moment, but the image of his handsome face was burned into my mind. He had black hair that was combed to the side, complimented by a thick but perfectly trimmed beard. His smile was wide and contagious and the tone of his voice deep and sexy. But none of these things mesmerized me the way that his baby blue eyes did. They were gorgeous and so bright that they were almost fluorescent.

He’s perfect.
I thought to myself.

The man sat down in the chair to my right and I glanced over at him. He looked back in an instant and smiled.

“I’m Steven,” he said, holding out his hand.

Out of habit, I glanced down, checking to see if he had a ring on his ring finger. I didn’t have any intentions at that point, but I figured it would be good to know if he was married or not. Luckily, though, there was no ring.

“I’m Kelsey,” I responded, shaking his hand.

Steven nodded slowly and looked me over. I immediately got lost in his eyes, hypnotized by the exotic color.

“You’re very pretty. I really like that dress,” Steven replied.

I cocked my head to the side and smiled coyly.

“Thank you. The groom bought it for me,” I explained. “Speaking of which, who are you here with? Do you know the bride, also known as my mom, or do you know William?”

Steven smiled and chuckled quietly, shaking his head.

“Of course,” he said. “Of course. This is the way things always work out, isn’t it? I meet the most beautiful girl and I’m lucky enough to get to sit next to her. Then I find out that she’s the daughter of the woman that’s marrying my dad.”

Steven then turned to face the front.

“Just figures,” he said, under his breath.

My jaw hit the floor and I placed my hand on Steven’s forearm.

“Wait,” I said. “You’re...William’s son?”

Steven looked back at me and nodded slowly.

“The one and only,” he responded. “And you’re the new bride’s daughter. Which technically means that in about five minutes you’ll be my sister.”

I stared at Steven for a moment, trying to take it all in.

This gorgeous man who I felt an immediate attraction to is about to become my brother? Could this get any weirder?

“Wow,” I said. “Well, I don’t really know what to say. Welcome to the family?”

Steven laughed and then nonchalantly placed his hand on my knee.

“You’re funny, Kelsey,” he said. “I think we’re going to get along just fine.”

He kept his hand on me knee for a few seconds longer than I had expected he would. When he pulled it away, I instantly missed his touch. It was so strange. I had just met this person but the attraction between us was so apparent. Even so, though, I had to stop myself. I couldn’t let my emotions get in the way of my logic. This man was about to be my stepbrother. Obviously there was no way that anything could ever work out between us.

So I took a deep breath and tried to accept that fact. Then without saying another word, I faced forward once again. It was almost time to watch my mother get married.

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T
he wedding ceremony was beautiful. I had never seen my mother so happy. A month after the wedding, William moved into our home. I still remember the day.

I was up in my room, getting ready for my first day at a new job. I listened as the moving truck pulled up.

“Kelsey,” my mom called out. “Can you come help unload the truck?”

I shook my head and laughed to myself.

I’ve got to get my own place...

Living at home, I still felt like a little kid. As soon as I saved up some money, though, I had plans to get out of there.

I finished slipping on my skirt suit for work and then walked downstairs.

“Mom,” I said, as I stepped into the kitchen. “I can’t help William move in. I’ve got work today. It’s my first day at the accounting firm, remember?”

My mom’s eyes widened and she nodded slowly.

“Oh yeah, I completely forgot,” she said. “I’m sorry, honey. Well, Steven should be here soon, so he can help.”

Oh...Steven...

I hadn’t seen him since the wedding, but that didn’t mean that I hadn’t thought about him. I could still hear his deep, sexual voice as the image of him flashed into my mind. It sent a pleasurable tingle through my body. I felt like I had a crush for the first time in years, despite constantly telling myself that I should put him out of my mind.

“Well, tell Steven “hi” for me,” I said, as I turned to head out the door.

My mom placed her hand on my shoulder and gently stopped me in my tracks.

“You can tell him yourself, honey,” she said. “Steven is moving in too.”

My jaw dropped immediately.

“What?” I asked.

My mom nodded with her usual excited expression on her face.

“Isn’t that great?” she asked. “He’s only going to be here for a couple of months, though. His lease was up on his apartment and he’s looking to buy a house soon. He asked if he could live here in the mean time.”

Oh no...talk about temptation...

How was I supposed to control myself around a man with whom I knew I had a carnal attraction towards? I wasn’t sure that I would be able to.

But I cracked a smile anyway and responded, “That’s awesome, Mom. Which room is he taking?”

My mom smiled wide and then said, “We’re going to give him the guestroom, the one right next to yours.”

Butterflies immediately began to fly in my stomach. Was it fate that was bringing Steven and I together? If so, why was it happening in such a twisted manner? Why did he have to be the son of my stepdad?

“That sounds good, Mom,” I said, still in shock and trying to take it all in. “I’ll make sure I come straight home after work to help everyone get unpacked.”

“Yes, please do,” my mom responded. “I’ll be making dinner too and I want you to be here.”

I turned and walked out the front door. Then I hopped in my car and began making my way toward my new job, still in shock as to how much can change in such a short amount of time.

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T
he first day at my job went well. I found myself counting down the hours, though, excited to get home. As soon as my shift was over, I said goodbye to all of my new co-workers and then went to the bathroom to make sure my make up and hair looked good. I found myself wanting to impress Steven.

“You’re going to have to get over this crush, Kelsey,” I whispered to myself, as I stood alone in front of the mirror in the bathroom of my office building. “It’s only going to lead to trouble...”

I brushed my blonde hair back over my shoulders and then touched up my mascara. Then I took a deep sigh, cocking my head to the side.

Life is very, very weird...
I thought.
It’s funny how things work out. It’s like whatever you really want, you aren’t allowed to have.

I stood there for a moment then turned to leave, making my way home. The entire drive, I had butterflies in my stomach. I felt nervous, like I was going on my first date or something. It was ridiculous. I was just going home to see my family. But all I could think about was when I had first met Steven on my mother’s wedding day. His beautiful blue eyes, the masculine stubble on his face, the way his deep voice sent a pleasurable tingle down my body and into my nether regions. I felt so wrong thinking about him like that but I couldn’t help it, despite how hard I tried.