Dirk: A Stepbrother Romance(100)

“Don’t pretend to be sorry. That was why you wanted a second dance!” she said with a smirk.

He looked down sheepishly for a moment. “Okay, you caught me.” He looked back into her face, his eyes burning into hers.

She blushed. He was just as large as Jeffrey, but leaner. His muscles were less bulky, yet more defined, and she found herself wanting to dance once more just to feel him pressed against her.

“So you have me, now what?” Lois was surprised by the sound of her own words. She had not meant it to be a provocation, but as fire leapt into his eyes, she could see that it was. “Wow that came out wrong. Sorry.”

Conner frowned. “I like the idea of having you.”

Lois giggled and then took a sip of her rum and coke. She looked around them and suddenly realized that it was crowded. It had felt to her as if they were the only two people in the world for the past half hour. He had a way of holding her gaze that made her feel drawn to him, like he was the only thing that she needed.

“So what do you do? Do you work down at the firm?”

“No, I make boats down the coast. I come here for the weekends. You should come out with me Sunday, it’s supposed to be beautiful. I would love the company.”

She agreed and after two more slow dances in his arms, she said goodnight. He asked her to stay, but Lois had to be up early in the morning. She had promised to help Beth bake bread loaves for the local church charity auction.

“Sunday then?” Conner asked, searching her eyes for confirmation.

She nodded her head with a girlish smile and headed back to the boarding house.





Chapter 4



Sunday arrived before Conner knew it. He spent most of his day Saturday poking around for information about Lois. When he discovered that she had been coming to Barrow for years, he wondered why he had not seen her before. She stood out from the other girls in town with her sweet charm, flowing dark hair, and tan skin. She was radiant, and he was amazed that he could have missed someone so lovely in a small town this many summers in a row. It was the way of things though. He knew that fate couldn’t be rushed, and though he wished he had met her before, he was grateful now, and only hoped Jeffrey wouldn’t be interference.

He went up the broken walkway to the boarding house doors with energy in his step. It was going to be a good day. When Lois answered the door, his breath caught for a moment. She was wearing a long blue dress with a light grey sweater. Her figure was distracting; the top of the dress hugged her breasts and fit tightly at her small waist. As soon as she took a step out, the wind caught the bottom of her dress and hair, sending them flying around her. There was something wild and mysterious about her, as if her spirit was full of brilliant color that danced and soared about, just like the royal blue fabric flowing around her ankles now.

“Conner?” Lois was asking when he zoned back to reality.

“Sorry, what?”

“I asked if you were ready to go.”

“Yes.”

“I don’t see a car.”

“I thought we could walk, it’ll be nice. Give us a chance to talk.” He smiled, handing her a cup of fresh coffee he had brewed and poured into a thermos. He wanted to hear anything and everything about her.


She felt like she had relayed her life story in detail by the time they got through the town and to the docks.

“So where are we going?” she asked as they climbed in to the small boat.

“To one of my islands.” The way he said it was so casual it took a moment for it to register fully.

“One, as in, you have more than one?”

“Of course.” Conner put his sunglasses on and prepared the boat to set out.

She shook her head. He looked like celebrity in his boat shoes and glasses. She found herself staring at him when they were finally ready to set off from the dock.

He caught her eye before she could look away and smiled from ear to ear. “This is my favorite way to spend an afternoon,” he said as he nestled into the chair like it was the most comforting place on earth.

The day was as beautiful as he had said it would be. He was unlike anyone that she had ever met before and the more she got to know him, the more she liked him.

The engine slowed and she looked around to see why. Her own thoughts had kept her staring off in the distance, but she realized that they must be at the island. It was dense except for a small clearing with a rustic looking cabin. It was not at all what she had expected, but when he began pulling out buckets and sticks from underneath one of the seats, she thought he had lost his mind.

“Come on. Don’t tell me you haven’t been clamming before? Razorbacks are the best and this is my secret spot. I come up here a couple of times in the summer and just camp overnight, roasting clams.”

“Sounds nice. I can’t say that I have ever gone clamming. So this should be fun. I wish I would have known what we were doing, I wouldn’t have worn such a long skirt.” Lois pulled her dress to the side, knotting the skirt so it would not drag in the muddy bank of the small island.

He helped her off and her body slid down his front as he lowered her to the ground. Her senses were increasingly aware of any contact with him, and the intensity of arousal she felt caused her to lose composure for a few moments, laughing awkwardly and clearing her throat.

“You seemed like the kind of girl that would like this.”