Vacation with my Stepbrother: A Forbidden Stepbrother Romance Read online

  Before we could even get all the way there, though, the front door flew open. And there he was. Danny, his green eyes glowing as he stood there in the entryway with his crooked smile. My blood began to boil the moment I laid eyes on him. It was a familiar feeling that I had grown accustomed to after many years of living with him.

  “Danny!” Don called out proudly. “There’s my Marine!”

  Danny had a backpack over his shoulder as he stepped inside. He was wearing his formal blue Marine uniform. He was a bit more muscular and his haircut had changed, but other than that, he appeared to be the same old Danny. I stood in the background, watching my Mom and Don exchange hugs with him. After a few seconds, Danny brought his gaze toward me and I saw his eyes gleam.

  “Oh hey, what’s up Goldie Lox?” he asked, sarcastically. “Are you too cool to come say hi to your older brother?”

  My eyes squinted as I looked at him. I hated when he called me “Goldie Lox”.

  “I was going to say hi as soon as you changed out of that uniform,” I responded. “I know you’re just wearing it to look cool. But it kind of makes you seem like a tool when you show off like that. Just thought you should know.”

  Danny shook his head and then set his backpack down on the floor. Then he walked toward me with a cocky gait.

  “You know, sis, if I didn’t know better...” he said quietly, as he approached me.

  Then in mid-sentence he reached up and grabbed a handful of my hair, gently pulling down on it.

  “I’d think you liked me,” he whispered into my ear.

  Then he released my hair and walked away, making his way into the kitchen.

  “Steaks!” he shouted with excitement. “God, I’ve been craving steak for weeks. In boot camp all we got was prison food.”

  So there was Danny in a nutshell. I hadn’t seen him in over a year and the first thing that he did was pull on my hair and say something sarcastic to me. It pretty much summed up our relationship. But I wasn’t going to put up with that stuff any more. I had grown a lot over the previous year in college and I was done taking his crap.

  “You’re such an asshole, Danny,” I said, as I stood in the entryway of the kitchen and crossed my arms.

  He completely ignored me, though. He just walked over and sat at the kitchen table, reaching his arms up and placing his hands behind his head. His cocky smile was on his face as he kicked his feet up onto the table.

  “Nikki, you haven’t changed a bit,” he said, after a moment of contemplation. “You’re still an annoying little shit. And what have you been doing for the past year anyway? College life? I’m sure that’s tough.”

  I opened my mouth to respond, but as soon as I did, my mom stepped into the kitchen.

  “Okay, kids,” she said. “Enough of this. Danny has been here for two minutes and you’re already starting to argue. I want to have a nice dinner tonight so you guys better figure out a way to get along. Plus, Don and I have surprises for both of you.”

  A surprise?

  “What is it, Mom?” I asked.

  My mom smiled and said, “I’ll tell you guys what it is during dinner. So be patient.”

  The knot in my stomach untied and the feeling was replaced with one of excitement. I had no clue what my mother was going to surprise us with and my mind began to turn with all of the possibilities.

  “Come over here and sit down next to me, Nikki,” Danny said, shaking me from my daydreaming.

  I didn’t budge, though. I stayed standing in the doorway as I glared at him. The shiny emblems on the front of his uniform reflected the sunlight as it came in through the window. Once again, I noticed that his shoulders were much broader than they were before he had left for boot camp. It seemed that the muscles in his neck and arms were bigger as well. If his personality hadn’t been exactly the same, I might have even said that he was becoming a man. But I’d never let those words escape my lips. Ever.

  “Seriously, come sit over here,” he commanded. “Don’t be such a little brat.”

  He knew exactly what to say to get my blood boiling. He loved getting a rise out of me more than anything. It had been his passion for his entire life and I guess I shouldn’t have been too surprised that just a few months in Marine boot camp hadn’t changed that.

  “Come on, sweet pea,” he said, sarcastically. “Sit next to me. Now.”

  Danny whistled at me like he was calling a dog. Then he started to pat his leg.

  “Come on, girl,” he continued. “Come here.”

  My heart beat faster in my chest and I began to see red. I wanted so badly to just walk up to him and slap him across the face, something that I hadn’t ever had the guts to do before. But I didn’t. I just stood there glaring at him in silence, letting him get it out of his system. Finally, Don made him stop.

  “Goddammit, Danny,” he said. “Shut the hell up. Play nice.”

  Danny just leaned his head back and laughed. Then he reached up and ran his fingers through his thick brown hair.

  “Sorry, pops,” he said. “I’ve just missed my little sissy wissy so much.”

  “Nikki, go sit down at the table,” my mom interrupted. “Dinner is almost ready.”

  I drew in a long, deep breath and then walked over to the table. I sat across from Danny and sighed. “Danny, I thought the Marines would have changed you for the better.”

  He just smiled and leaned forward, bringing his elbows to the table. He kept his eyes locked with mine. I noticed there was a bit of stubble on his cheeks, which I hadn’t seen before. His jawline looked more defined than it used to and the muscles in his neck seemed to flex as he gazed at me.

  Well he has definitely changed physically.

  He looked more masculine and grown up than I remembered. Any baby fat that had been on his face was gone and there was sternness in his look that I hadn’t seen before. And as I sat across from him, with anger pumping through my veins, I began to feel something that I hadn’t ever felt toward him in my life. It took me a minute to pinpoint what it was, because it was so foreign. But as Danny looked me in the eyes and I looked back, I felt the tiniest tingle of attraction fill my body. It wasn’t anything overwhelming. Just a similar sensation that I’d experienced before when meeting a cute guy for the first time.

  What the hell?

  The sensation caused the logical side of my mind to kick in and as soon as it did, I felt my stomach wretch. If it hadn’t been for my entire family there, I probably could have thrown up.

  Gross. Did I really just feel a bit of attraction toward this rotten bastard sitting across from me?

  A shiver shot up my spine and I shook my head, trying to get the feeling to go away. Luckily, my mom and Don approached the table right then, forcing my thoughts into another direction.

  “Hope you guys are hungry!” my mom sang out, as she set a perfectly cooked steak onto the plate in front of me.

  She finished passing the food out to everyone and then she and Don took their seats at opposite ends of the table. Don reached forward and grabbed his glass of wine, holding it in the air.

  “I’d like to make a toast,” he said. “To my son, who is now officially a Marine and to my daughter, who finished her first year of college.”

  Everyone held their glasses in the air and clinked them together. Then we all took a sip. I was about to dig into the steak, when my mom spoke up.

  “Before we eat, Don and I would like to share something with you kids,” she said, excitedly. “We decided that you both deserve a reward for everything you’ve accomplished this year.”

  Danny shook his head, chuckling under his breath.

  “Nikki finished her first year of college,” he said, sarcastically. “Do you really consider beer drinking to be a major accomplishment?”

  My mom playfully slapped Danny on the shoulder. “Danny, stop it.”

  I couldn’t believe it. It was like my mom didn’t take anything that he said seriously. Was I the only one who saw him for who he truly was?

  “Anyway, Don and I both agreed that it was time that we do something for you kids,” she continued. “And so, after much debate on exactly what that thing should be, we finally decided on...”

  Then she paused. I could practically hear the drum roll in my head.

  “A vacation,” she finally said.

  My head slowly cocked to the side as I looked toward her.

  “A vacation?” I asked.

  She nodded excitedly in response.

  “Yes, Don and I thought that we’d surprise you two with a little vacation. We didn’t know where we should send you and it took us a while to figure it out. It was a toss up between Hawaii, San Diego and Costa Rica. You’ll be happy to know that we decided on Costa Rica. The plane tickets are purchased and your house on the beach is rented. There’s nothing you need to do, except pack your bags.”

  All of it sounded absolutely amazing, except for one little thing.

  “Hold on,” I said. “Did you say you’re sending us somewhere? Like just Danny and I? You and Don aren’t going?”

  My mom laughed as she reached over and placed her hand on my forearm.

  “No, Don and I aren’t going,” she said. “This is a vacation for you and your brother. Besides, even if Don and I had wanted to go, there was no way that we’d be able to get the time off of work. Since Danny has at least a month off and you have the entire summer, we thought it would be the perfect time to treat you guys to this.”

  Mixed emotions filled me. On the one hand, I hadn’t left the country before. So one big item was about to be checked off of my bucket list. That part I was excited about. But on the other hand, I was getting sent to another country with the most arrogant, self-centered and sarcastic person to ever grace the Earth. And I knew that onc
e we got there, he’d be finding every pretty girl in a swimsuit to hook up with and I’d have to sit in the beach house and listen to her squeals of pleasure as he pounded her. I knew this, because it had happened several times while living under our parent’s roof. He’d bring home a cute girl, pound her till the cows came home and then a few minutes later she’d leave, never to return. My stomach wretched at the thought of a trip filled with that.

  “Well?” my mom asked. “What do you guys think?”

  I brought my gaze toward Danny, whose smile had grown significantly.

  “It’s going to be the best trip ever, Victoria,” he said to my mom. “A beach, a house, the nice weather...what’s not to love? Oh, and getting to enjoy some special bonding time with my baby sister? That’ll be priceless!”

  Danny’s green eyes gleamed as he spoke and my stomach wretched hard once again. He knew that I hated it when he called me his “baby sister”. He said it just to piss me off. A long trip with him had the potential of turning into a horrific nightmare.

  “Well, what do you think, Nikki?” my mom asked.

  I looked away from Danny, bringing my attention to my mom. She seemed so excited about the trip that she had arranged for us. I didn’t have the heart to disappoint her. So I smiled wide, nodded in agreement and did my best show my excitement.

  “I think it’ll be great, Mom!” I said. “It’ll be so nice to have a real vacation.”

  A satisfied smile crossed her face as she responded, “Great. Well, you guys leave tomorrow morning, so after dinner you should start getting packed.”

  Tomorrow morning???

  Chapter 3

  After dinner, I went directly to my bedroom to begin packing. I couldn’t believe that we’d be leaving for Costa Rica the next morning. With such short notice, I didn’t have time to plan for anything. I needed to pick out what to wear, decide on which make-up I should bring and still find time to let my friends know that I’d be out of the country and unable to stay in touch for a while.

  It was a long list of things to do and I didn’t have much time to do it in. But once I got to Costa Rica, I could sit back and relax for ten whole days. Yes, I was going to have to put up with Danny and his infinite sarcasm, but whatever. I could get through it. Danny was just a minor inconvenience in exchange for ten days of relaxation in the sun. It was more than a fair trade.

  With my mind whirling about what to wear, I started to pack my suitcase. I filled it up more quickly than I thought I would, stuffing it with every swimsuit and bikini I had, extra shirts and jeans, and of course an array of different colored panties and bras.

  In the room next to mind, I could hear Danny moving around. He had been away from his old bedroom for a while, so I assumed he was getting it back in order. I sat on my bed and listened as he hummed to himself. Then I began to wonder what the situation in Costa Rica was going to be like. My mom had said they had rented a house on the beach for us, but she didn’t know the exact set up of the home. However, I had hoped that there were two completely separate bedrooms on completely opposite sides of the house. That way, Danny and I could enjoy our little vacation without getting in each other’s way. He could do his thing, which I knew would involve heavy drinking and fornicating with strange women. And I could do mine, which would likely involve relaxing in a hammock, while drinking cocktails and reading a good book. A smile crossed my face as I imagined what the warm sun would feel like on my skin. I was just getting lost in the daydream, when my bedroom door flew open.

  “Hey, little sissy,” Danny’s voice shattering my peace. “Are you all ready for our trip?”

  “Oh, hey, Danny,” I said, as I opened my eyes and looked over at him. “Thank you so much for knocking.”

  He just ignored me and stepped into my room, taking a seat next to me on the bed. He was wearing a long-sleeved shirt with the Marine’s logo on it. His legs were covered in grey sweat pants.

  “I love you, too,” he responded, sarcastically.

  Then he put his arm over my shoulder and pulled me close to him. At the same time, he used his other hand to rub the top of my head, messing my hair up.

  “Goddammit, Danny!” I shouted, as I pushed him away. “I hate when you do that!”

  I quickly stood up from the bed and walked over to the mirror that was hung above my dresser. He had frizzed my hair up, making me look ridiculous. I pointed at the door and shook my head.

  “Out,” I commanded.

  Danny just smiled and kicked his feet up, relaxing onto my bed. He put his hands behind his head and gazed at me. It was clear that he wasn’t going anywhere.

  “Danny, get out,” I repeated.

  He just pouted out his lower lip and said, “But sissy. Don’t you like it when there’s a stud in your bed? Oh, wait, you never have men in your bed. I forgot about that.”

  The rage began to build inside of me. What he said may have been true, but it was also extremely insulting. Sure, I hadn’t had a real boyfriend in a year or so. But so what? I didn’t need to be getting laid non-stop like Danny did. I was perfectly content spending the nights by myself. It kept me out of trouble and also made for a completely drama-free life.

  “Danny, just shut the hell up,” I snapped back. “You don’t even know what you’re talking about. I’ve been away at college for a year, so how would you know what I’ve been up to? On top of that, who are you to talk about getting laid over the past year? You’ve spent months in a barracks with a bunch of men. Unless maybe that’s what you’re into. Is there something you haven’t told me, Danny? Do you like men?”

  He smirked sarcastically as he propped his head up with my pillow.

  “You’re so cute when you try to be insulting,” he shot back. “You should do it more often. It looks good on you.”

  I felt like screaming at the top of my lungs and slapping him across the face. But I didn’t. Because once again, for some unknown reason, that familiar tingling sensation coursed through me. It was the same sensation of attraction that I had experienced at the dinner table. Danny, with his tight shirt and sweat pants on—combined with the muscular figure that he had earned at boot camp. He looked hot and I hated it. I didn’t want him to look hot. I didn’t want to feel attracted to him.

  What in the hell is wrong with me? Why am I having these feelings toward him?

  I shook my head, trying to get those nasty thoughts out of my mind. Then I pointed to the door once again.

  “Seriously, Danny,” I stated. “I’m trying to get ready for the trip. So please leave. You’ll have plenty of time to annoy me in Costa Rica. No need to use all of your energy up now.”

  Danny laughed and then swung his feet over the side of the bed. He stood up and stretched, letting out a soft yawn.

  “Yeah, you’re right,” he responded. “I should get my beauty rest. I want to make sure that I look good for our romantic getaway.”

  He laughed as he spoke and I knew that he was joking, but I felt the dinner that I had just eaten start to come up into my throat.

  “You’re disgusting,” I said. “Now go.”

  After flashing his boyish smile one more time, he turned and finally headed out of my bedroom. I immediately walked over and closed the door, turning the lock this time so that he wouldn’t be able to make another intrusion.

  “What a jerk,” I muttered, as I stepped back over to my bed.

  The indent from Danny’s muscular body was imprinted on my covers, so I quickly used my hand to smooth it out. Then I crawled on the bed and rested my head on the pillow. As soon as my eyes closed, I slipped into a deep sleep, filled with dreams of Costa Rica, the sunshine and the sand between my toes. I had high hopes that it was going to be an interesting trip. However I had no clue just how interesting it was going to be.

  Chapter 4

  “This is your captain speaking. We will be landing in Costa Rica in less than thirty minutes. The seatbelt light will be on shortly, so now would be your chance to use the bathroom or get up and stretch. The weather in Costa Rica is a gorgeous eighty-six and sunny, with no wind. This should make for a smooth landing.”

  The captain’s voice pulled me out of my sleep and I opened my eyes. I reached my hands above my head, attempting to stretch. Movement was nearly impossible, though, since I was squished in the center seat. On the window side was a rather robust man and in the aisle seat was my stepbrother, who was asleep and had been for most of the flight.