Score - A Stepbrother Romance by Caitlin Daire, Alyssa Alpha
Authors: Caitlin Daire, Alyssa Alpha
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letting it happen.
Chapter 11
Lina
“ I ’m just saying , there’s never a good time to wear sequin Uggs,” Landon sighed, shaking his head. “Seriously, Michaela, I don’t think I can forgive you for buying them.”
“They were totally a good buy!” my other best friend argued, her eyes blazing fire. She stuck a leg out, her silver Uggs catching the light and nearly blinding us all. Landon pretended to barf in his salad and dramatically rolled his eyes.
“Landon, you wear glasses even though you don’t have a prescription,” I gently reminded him, which resulted in a triumphant look by Michaela and an evil glare thrown in my direction by Landon.
“Michaela hates those. Let’s agree you each have one horrific style choice per month, okay?” I was trying to make them see reason, because when it came to their fashion choices, my friends were fiercely opinionated.
“She’ll need one per day, more like,” Landon snorted and I shook my hands in the air to get them to stop. As soon as Michaela laughed it off, I knew we were out of the woods.
We were sitting at our favorite brunch place, Brunch O’Clock. It was a regular hangout for them, but I’d only recently started coming along, since I could now afford luxuries like eating out. Even though I still felt like I was accepting Peter’s charity by occasionally using the credit card he’d given me, I loved hanging out with my friends…and I loved the café’s eggs Benedict, so that was good as well.
My friends started chatting to me about my classes, and we quickly fell back into our rhythm…until Landon had to burst the freaking bubble again.
“So, how is stepbrother dearest?” he asked me, waggling his eyebrows. I sighed, knowing this moment had been coming sooner or later.
I’d filled them in about Chase before, but they still didn’t know about his secret… or mine, for that matter. As far as they were concerned, he was just my stupidly hot stepbrother, who was totally off-limits, totally preppy and totally boring.
But I knew the time had come to tell them the whole truth. I hated keeping secrets, and it had been weighing on me for a while. I wasn’t going to screw things up for Chase by telling everyone, but I figured if I told my friends, it’d make me feel a little better, just having told someone at least. I knew they’d never tell anyone else.
“Do you remember that night we went to that…” I looked around us, making sure no one was eavesdropping. “Fight in the abandoned warehouse?”
Michaela and Landon nodded gravely, both of them leaning in, already expecting this to be good.
“And you chickened out with the hot fighter dude,” Landon nodded vigorously.
“Yes,” I growled. “Thanks for the reminder, Landon. Anyway, as you know, my Mom told me about the engagement two days after that and we went to dinner with Peter and Chase. And, erm, turns out that Chase… he’s the fighter I almost slept with.”
I had to admit, I was expecting more than the blank stares they were facing me with in response to what I’d just said.
“ Well ?” I asked impatiently. “Can I have some kind of dramatic, over-the-top reaction here, please?”
“Well…” Michaela and Landon exchanged guilty looks, and I instantly knew something was up with them. “We kinda already knew, Lina. We figured it out when we saw that article about you guys in the paper after that media lunch thing you had. But don’t worry, we haven’t told anyone.”
So I guess the shocked reaction would be coming from me now…
I stared at them with my eyes wide open, then hissed a response in their direction. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“We were going to,” Landon said. “But you hadn’t given us the chance yet. So, anyway…how’s living with an underground fighting champion slash handsome preppy boy treating you?”
My grim expression spoke volumes and he shook his head.
“That bad, huh?” Michaela said sympathetically, patting my
Chapter 11
Lina
“ I ’m just saying , there’s never a good time to wear sequin Uggs,” Landon sighed, shaking his head. “Seriously, Michaela, I don’t think I can forgive you for buying them.”
“They were totally a good buy!” my other best friend argued, her eyes blazing fire. She stuck a leg out, her silver Uggs catching the light and nearly blinding us all. Landon pretended to barf in his salad and dramatically rolled his eyes.
“Landon, you wear glasses even though you don’t have a prescription,” I gently reminded him, which resulted in a triumphant look by Michaela and an evil glare thrown in my direction by Landon.
“Michaela hates those. Let’s agree you each have one horrific style choice per month, okay?” I was trying to make them see reason, because when it came to their fashion choices, my friends were fiercely opinionated.
“She’ll need one per day, more like,” Landon snorted and I shook my hands in the air to get them to stop. As soon as Michaela laughed it off, I knew we were out of the woods.
We were sitting at our favorite brunch place, Brunch O’Clock. It was a regular hangout for them, but I’d only recently started coming along, since I could now afford luxuries like eating out. Even though I still felt like I was accepting Peter’s charity by occasionally using the credit card he’d given me, I loved hanging out with my friends…and I loved the café’s eggs Benedict, so that was good as well.
My friends started chatting to me about my classes, and we quickly fell back into our rhythm…until Landon had to burst the freaking bubble again.
“So, how is stepbrother dearest?” he asked me, waggling his eyebrows. I sighed, knowing this moment had been coming sooner or later.
I’d filled them in about Chase before, but they still didn’t know about his secret… or mine, for that matter. As far as they were concerned, he was just my stupidly hot stepbrother, who was totally off-limits, totally preppy and totally boring.
But I knew the time had come to tell them the whole truth. I hated keeping secrets, and it had been weighing on me for a while. I wasn’t going to screw things up for Chase by telling everyone, but I figured if I told my friends, it’d make me feel a little better, just having told someone at least. I knew they’d never tell anyone else.
“Do you remember that night we went to that…” I looked around us, making sure no one was eavesdropping. “Fight in the abandoned warehouse?”
Michaela and Landon nodded gravely, both of them leaning in, already expecting this to be good.
“And you chickened out with the hot fighter dude,” Landon nodded vigorously.
“Yes,” I growled. “Thanks for the reminder, Landon. Anyway, as you know, my Mom told me about the engagement two days after that and we went to dinner with Peter and Chase. And, erm, turns out that Chase… he’s the fighter I almost slept with.”
I had to admit, I was expecting more than the blank stares they were facing me with in response to what I’d just said.
“ Well ?” I asked impatiently. “Can I have some kind of dramatic, over-the-top reaction here, please?”
“Well…” Michaela and Landon exchanged guilty looks, and I instantly knew something was up with them. “We kinda already knew, Lina. We figured it out when we saw that article about you guys in the paper after that media lunch thing you had. But don’t worry, we haven’t told anyone.”
So I guess the shocked reaction would be coming from me now…
I stared at them with my eyes wide open, then hissed a response in their direction. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“We were going to,” Landon said. “But you hadn’t given us the chance yet. So, anyway…how’s living with an underground fighting champion slash handsome preppy boy treating you?”
My grim expression spoke volumes and he shook his head.
“That bad, huh?” Michaela said sympathetically, patting my
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