Forbidden: Ultimate Stepbrother Collection by Anna Hard Page B

doesn’t smooth any of this out. I need to figure out what I’m going to do next. I can’t sponge off your father, someone, who, as you just pointed out, has no real connection to me.” Tears burned my eyes, but I held it together. I was alone in this world now, and I was going to have to toughen up. “Let’s face it, you can’t even tell John what’s going on between us because, in your heart, you know this wasn’t supposed to happen.”
    “I don’t give a damn what he thinks. I’ll tell him.”
    “No. Don’t. I don’t want him to think badly of me.”
    He laughed, and the sound of it made a knot form in my stomach. “So, all of a sudden propriety and society’s expectations are important. Darlin’, you just stripped naked for me on the top of a tractor. We’ve been fucking morning, noon and night, and now you’re worried—”
    I stepped forward and my hand flew across his face. The slap stung my palm and left him with a red mark. He stopped talking and stared down at me. I should have seen rage in his expression, but instead, I saw despair. And resignation. He nodded and said nothing more as he walked out of the room. The door slammed shut behind him.
    I’d held it together so well, but his harsh words and the slap had pulled out the supporting brick. I crumpled onto the bed in sobs.

Chapter 18
    Luke
    The horse flew off all four feet, but hell if I was going to let him win. Our battle of wills was going to come to an end, but I wasn’t going to be on the losing side. My ass slammed the saddle hard, forcing me to grunt in pain. The ranch, the barn and the house passed by in a jumpy blur. My hands and legs were tired, but I held on. Eventually, the horse decided bucking and kicking was taking too much effort. He snorted in short, fast spurts as he dropped into an easy lope around the pen.
    Getting on an angry horse, when I was angry myself, had probably not been the best plan. But I needed to finish breaking the colt, and I needed to blow off some steam. I figured I could do both in the round pen. I’d been neglecting everything— working out, riding, practicing with the bulls and work I needed to do on the ranch because I’d been completely preoccupied with McKenna. It had been worth every damn minute. The time with her had been amazing. But, it seemed she was determined to give up on the whole thing as easily as someone might return a pair of ill-fitting boots.
    Lionel, one of the ranch hands, had come out to watch, just in case I took a header or got stomped. Maybe I needed a little stomping. After the scene with McKenna, it already felt as if someone had pounded on my chest.
    The horse kept up the lope without too much prodding. I sat back and pulled the reins. “Whoa.” The animal wasn’t stopping or turning on a dime yet, but he’d get there eventually. He was happy to slow down to a walk.
    “What have you decided to name him?” Lionel asked.
    “I think I’ll name him Stubborn.”
    Lionel laughed. “Good idea.”
    “Don’t know why it’s taken me so long to break this one. I guess I’ve had other things on my mind.”
    “I guess so.” It was impossible to miss the sarcasm in his tone.
    Along with Drake, Lionel had been the only other person on the ranch who knew that McKenna and I had been seeing each other. But I wasn’t in the mood to get into it with him. That was for damn sure.
    “When I went up to the house before I came out here, I noticed your dad had a visitor,” Lionel said.
    “Oh yeah? What visitor?”
    Lionel stared up at me as I passed, shocked that I didn’t seem to know what he was talking about. “You mean you didn’t invite her?”
    “You’re talking in circles, Lionel. Invite who?”
    “Your tie-me-up and strip-me-down girl was in the office having a conversation with your dad. Just figured you would have known.”
    “Chloe?”
    “Who else would I be talking about?”
    “Fuck.” I slid down off the horse. “Unsaddle him and give him a rinse. I’ve