Sweet Billionaire Stepbrother(15)

Seth had better watch out. I’d be watching his every move.

Yeah, Maybe I was being over protective, but that’s the way I was with people I cared for. Anyone hurt them, they got to deal with me.





11: Grayson


If only her lips weren’t so f*cking inviting.

My gaze traveled slowly from her feet to her chest, up along the smooth skin of her slender neckline and to her luscious mouth. Layla didn’t realize just how kissable she looked at that moment. I was having a hard time remembering that she was my sweet stepsister and that I had no place feeling heat rise up under my skin . . . or my f*cking dick harden. Jesus Christ. What the f*ck was wrong with me?

I watched her walk down the stairs, her beauty taking my breath away with each step. I closed my mouth and forced my brain to function. Why was making a coherent sentence so f*cking hard?

“Lala,” I breathed on an exhale. “You look . . . wow, you’re gorgeous.” I blurted out like an imbecile.

“Yeah? You think I look . . . okay?” she asked, her breath catching in her throat as she waited for my answer. Didn’t she know she was absolutely stunning?

“More than okay. You look exquisite.” Exquisite? Who the f*ck uses words like exquisite? Note to brain: Start talking like a normal man.

Yet I meant every word. I had never seen a woman look more radiant and still vulnerable because of her innocence. It was that indescribable mix of shyness and subtle self-confidence that made her captivating beyond words. I couldn’t tear my f*cking eyes away.

Her smile widened until it took over her whole face. “Thank you, Gray. It means a lot to me.” She only called me Gray when she was really excited. As if using my whole name was too cumbersome to say in her moment of enthusiasm.

I held my hand out to help her down the last two steps.

“Where is everybody?” She looked around the empty hallway with a puzzled look on her face before returning her gaze to me. Our eyes locked for a moment. I sucked in a breath as I drowned in the shimmering pools of bright green.

For an instant the whole world disappeared. Nothing or no-one existed except us.

On the last step, she tripped over her dress and was flung straight into my arms. Luckily my reflexes were sharp and I caught her around the waist, holding onto her tightly. I could feel her heart beat wildly against my chest.

“Oh God, I’m so sorry!” she gasped, trembling. I’m not.

Her perfume snaked its way to my nostrils and I inhaled a deep breath just to get more of it. Intoxicating.

Jesus, I’m losing my f*cking mind here.

Her hands pushed against my chest. “Thanks for catching me before I made a complete fool out of myself.” I watched as a deep pink glow spread over her cheeks, not realizing that I still hadn’t let her go. “You can let me go now. I’m fine.” She laughed out loud and her voice was shaky as she pushed against me again.

“Um, lucky I was standing here.” I mumbled, my voice hoarse. Her closeness affected me in ways I’d never experienced before. I’d hugged Layla and even kissed her many times over the years but it was always purely platonic. Although we weren’t related by blood, I had treated her like my little sister. Now my heart was thumping against my ribs and I didn’t want to ever let her go.

“Are you okay?” she whispered.

No. Not at all. I’ve turned into a blubbering idiot and I don’t even know why. Fucking pull yourself together man!

I swallowed hard and put on a half-smile. “Of course I am. I should be asking you that question.”

She cast her eyes down, avoiding my gaze. She smoothed her dress with her flattened palms as she replied, her voice pitched too high to be believable. “I’m perfectly fine, Dr. Forbes.”

“Layla, there you are, baby girl.” The clicking of heels on tile became louder as my stepmother approached. “Oh my God, Layla. You look stunning.”

The next moment Taylor came bounding down the stairs. “Doesn’t she look awesome, Grayson? See, all my nagging worked. Our stepsister is a natural beauty, don’t you think?”

She was asking me?

I grinned and nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, she is.”

Narrowing my eyes, I scrutinized her face. She was still my little Lala, but she had somehow changed too. She glowed with a confidence she’d never had before. It was alluring as hell. Every man in that ballroom was going to notice her tonight. Fuck.

“Layla, my darling girl, your date is here,” Dad called from the hallway. He paused at the entrance when he saw Layla. Same reaction as myself, stunned with wide eyes. “Layla? Wow, you look beautiful.”

Layla’s hand went to her chest and rubbed a circle over her heart. She always did that when she missed her own father. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she smiled back at Dad.

With a slight tremble in her voice, she said, “Thanks, Milton. That’s very sweet of you.”

And then the moment was ruined because following behind Dad, was young Matthews. I gritted my teeth as I noticed how tall he’d become, possibly a few inches taller than me. Since I’d been seated at the restaurant the day before, it had been hard to judge. And he was muscled. The little pimple-faced boy had grown into a man. A man with a dick. Fuck.

“Holy hell,” he said stepping closer with wide strides until he stood in front of Layla. “You look very pretty, Layla. I’m glad you’re mine tonight.”