Total pages in book: 33
Estimated words: 31052 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 155(@200wpm)___ 124(@250wpm)___ 104(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31052 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 155(@200wpm)___ 124(@250wpm)___ 104(@300wpm)
“Yes,” she murmurs, her shoulders slumping as those glossy blonde strands drift over her shoulders. “I had a baby, and he’s beautiful, Nick. Riley is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
I tilt her chin up to me with a gentle finger, staring into her limpid blue eyes as my heart begins to accelerate. Yet I keep my voice calm.
“Tell me,” I murmur. “Is the baby mine?”
Her eyes flutter shut for a moment, those long lashes perfect half-moons on her rounded cheeks. But then, they open once more, and her gaze is direct and powerful.
“Yes, Nick. I had your child last year. Riley is your son.”
The world comes crashing down around my ears because my stepsister had my baby on the sly ... and now, I’m here to claim them both.
10
Kristie
Iclutch my child closer, trying to shelter him against passing eyes. We’re outside the Duality compound, and about to step inside.
“Shhh, baby boy,” I coo. “We’re just going to be here for a little while. You’re going to meet your father, Riley. Aren’t you excited?”
My tot looks back at me with trusting blue eyes while sucking on his pacifier. Then he pops his pacifier out of his mouth with a small hand, and smiles winsomely at me.
“Mama,” he burbles. “Mama.”
I clutch my son even closer, my eyes filling with tears because how did this happen? I was desperate for money, so I sold my curves to the highest bidder. But then, said highest bidder turns out to be my long-lost stepbrother, who’s also the father of my child! Life can’t get much crazier.
Yet I knew it was bound to happen. I didn’t think I could keep Riley away from his father forever because Nick was going to find out. We’re family after all, and although I went no contact with the Bradleys, it was also only a matter of time before someone told them I’d had a baby. I just didn’t expect for him to find out like this.
Yet the events of yesterday shouldn’t surprise me because Nick has always known his way around the female sex. He’s always had his pick of the litter, and if some of his past paramours were mothers, then he’d know what a post-baby belly looks like. The fullness. The slight pooch. And most of all, the tell-tale stretch marks that don’t go away no matter what. I tried everything when I was pregnant, including avocado oil, coconut oil, and even some fancy formulation that the doctor gave me. But the weight gain was too much, too fast, and my skin was forced to stretch. As a result, I have silvery lightning stripes on my belly and butt, and anyone who knows the female body will recognize them for what they are – the badges of motherhood.
But I’m proud of my stripes because I did something really difficult on my own, and I earned those markings. Still, I didn’t expect for Nick to find out like this. I didn’t plan on ever seeing my stepbrother again, or at least not for a good ten years. But as soon as I acknowledged his paternity, the air in the bedroom shifted.
“You. Had. My. Child. In. Secret,” he practically growls, those blue eyes glowing with anger. I reach for my robe to cover my nudity, but he won’t let me move. “Answer me!” he barks. “Don’t hide!”
I take a deep breath before meeting his eye.
“Yes,” I state. “It happened at Milly’s wedding. Do you remember –”
“Of course I remember,” he snarls, cutting me off. “But why didn’t you tell me? What the fuck! You didn’t think I’d want to know?”
I shoot him an angry look.
“Because it was clear you hated me! You practically tripped over yourself in your rush to locate some Plan B, remember? That, and the fact that you thought I was sleeping with your dad, too! How do you think that made me feel?”
The last part comes out impassioned and angry, and I detest the tone of my own voice. I hate how he always brings out the furious woman-child inside, who can’t control her emotions. I want to come across as a calm, cool, and collected individual, and yet instead, the alpha male makes me into a wild bitch. As a result, I want to slap the handsome plane of his face with all my strength, while also throwing myself against my stepbrother’s broad chest for comfort and kisses. What the hell is wrong with me?
But Nick Bradley has always had an insane power over my form, and those blue eyes burn into mine as he grabs my wrist.
“Bring the child to me,” he hisses. “I want my son.”
I manage to twist my wrist loose, before opening my mouth to deny the alpha male. But one glance at those carved features tell me that it’s hopeless. Nick will look under every stone, and overcome any obstacle, to meet his child. Riley is his, and there’s no stopping this man, so I bend my head in defeat.