Raging Hard: A Stepbrother SEAL Romance (With bonus novel Based!) (31 page)

I sighed. “Look, Lincoln—”

“Wait. Before you get started,” he said, interrupting me, “just listen. I know you don’t want to be in this thing, and frankly I don’t blame you. It’s not really my kind of deal.”

“So why are you doing it?”

“Not sure, I guess.” He pursed his lips, and I had the weird urge to reach out and touch his bicep. He stretched out his legs, wincing slightly. “Your dad says it’ll be good for my brand. And I’ve been away from the jumps for a while now, because of my fucking legs. I guess I want to start getting back into the game.”

“The game?”

He gave me a look. “The fame bullshit. The game.”

“Oh. Right, of course. I forgot you were ‘Based’ now.”

“Only when the cameras are on. Right now, I’m just Lincoln. And I want you to be in this documentary.”

I sighed. “I would really rather not.”

“I know. But the cameras are going to be all over the place all summer, and it’s going to be a pain in the ass for everyone if you’re constantly trying to dodge the shots.”

“So you want me to do it because it’ll be more convenient for you?”

He grinned. “Yeah. That, and if you agree to do it, I can make sure your role is limited.”

“But if I don’t agree, I won’t have any role at all.”

He sighed and looked out over the water. I watched his face shift from cocky and brash to pensive in less than a second. I thought I was seeing an entirely different side of him, and for a brief moment I liked it. But then he looked back at me, a mischievous smile playing on his lips, and the pensive side was gone.

“I know we haven’t been close for a while. Haven’t really seen each other. But it would mean a lot to me if you did this.”

“Lincoln, I really—”

“And,” he said, continuing, “I’ll owe you a favor. Whatever you want. Agree to do one interview with the crew, and I’ll owe you one favor.”

I paused, and his smile broke out into his arrogant grin. I wanted to say no, wanted badly to turn him down and forget about the whole thing, but his offer was tempting. What did I want from Lincoln, anyway? Then again, it was only one interview, and he was writing me a blank check.

“Anything I want?” I asked him cautiously.

He leaned closer. “Absolutely anything you want, I’ll do it for you.”

I couldn’t help but note the insinuation there, but I ignored it.

“And all I need to do is one interview.”

He nodded, saying nothing.

I sighed. I should say no. I really, really should say no, and I should stay far away from him. If I knew what was good for me, I’d stand up and walk away and catch the next flight to L.A., regardless of how angry and upset Jules would be.

“Okay. I’ll do it.”

He smiled huge. “Great. This is going to be fun.”

I blinked. “What do you mean?”

“We’re doing the interview together. And we’re getting started soon.”

Interview #1

I
leaned back in my chair as the crew fired up the lights. The backdrop was simple, the same backdrop Jess always set up for interview shots. I glanced over at Aubrie. She looked like she was about to pass out or throw up, or maybe both.

“You okay?” I asked her.

She looked at me. “Fine. Nervous.”

Fuck, she was so goddamn cute sometimes. Even on the verge of falling out of her seat, she was so fuckable it was insane. Her thick hair and her full lips were practically screaming at me.

I put my hand on her arm, and for a second I thought she was going to scream or throw my hand off. Instead, the surprised look on her face passed, and I smiled.

“It’ll be fine. Honestly. They’ll edit out any stupid shit you say.”

“Great, thanks. That’s really helpful.”

I squeezed her arm, and for a second I was tempted to say something worse. I loved riling her up, even though it was incredibly easy. She was impossibly hot when she got all flustered, but I shouldn’t push her too much. Not yet, at least.

I’d save that for when the cameras were running.

I moved my hand away and she frowned for a second. “They’ll really edit it?” she asked.

“Promise. I’ll make sure you end up sounding like a rocket scientist.”

She laughed nervously, and I grinned at her as one of the crew guys, I think his name was Brent, walked over with our clip-on mics. He handed me mine and then helped Aubrie work hers. For a second, I had this insane and stupid moment of jealousy as they shared a laugh at the awkward moment they were having trying to get the mic attached to her thin, sheer white blouse. But it passed pretty fast as Jess walked over.

“Okay, guys. We almost ready?”

The crew guy gave Brie a smile, and she smiled back as he left the shot and went over to his camera.

“All set,” Josh, one of the lead cameramen, said.

“How about you two?”

“I’m fine. I think Brie might pass out, though,” I said.

She shook her head. “I’m fine. Thanks, though, ass.”

The crew laughed and I grinned at her. “Okay, let’s do this.”

Jess sat down on her stool. Josh walked into the shot with a clapperboard, that white and black thing with the snap top. It was meant to mark where the audio should sync up with the video.

“Lincoln and Aubrie, interview one, take one.” He snapped the clapper and got out of the shot. I looked over at Jess expectantly.

“Okay, guys, let’s start with an easy one. When did you two first meet?”

I looked at Brie.

“At the wedding,” she said.

“One week before the wedding,” I said.

There was an awkward pause.

“What?” She stared at me, surprised.

I laughed. “We met a week before the wedding. You were wearing these tight jeans that made your ass look fantastic. We weren’t related then, so I’m not ashamed to admit that I stared.”

Brie blushed, right on cue. “Uh, okay. But where was this?”

“My mom had a freak-out about something for the ceremony, I forget what. I drove her over to your place. You were in the kitchen while I waited for Mom over there.” I pointed toward the couch a few feet away.

Brie stared at me for a second, and then comprehension dawned. “Holy shit, I remember that now. But we didn’t really meet, did we?”

“I guess not. But it was the first time I saw you.”

“I can’t believe you remember.”

I shrugged. “You never forget an ass like that.”

The crew laughed and Jess smiled as I looked back over at her. I knew Aubrie was probably blushing like mad and pretending she didn’t care, but I didn’t glance at her even though I really wanted to.

“So much for your easy question,” I said.

“That’s okay. Next question. This one’s for you, Brie.” She paused and glanced down at her notes. “What did you think of Lincoln when you first met? First impressions, please.”

Aubrie screwed up her face, and I leaned back in my seat, throwing my arm over the back, and raised an eyebrow at her. She glanced at me and looked quickly away.

“Well, I didn’t really know him. I guess I thought he was a little bit arrogant and loud.”

The crew laughed and I grinned at her.

“Anything else?” Jess asked.

“Yeah, Brie, tell her about the actual wedding.”

She looked at me. “What about it?”

“Oh, you know. How you couldn’t stop following me around all night.”

She blushed. “That is not true at all.”

“What does he mean?” Jess prompted, a consummate professional.

Aubrie shook her head. “I have no clue. I mean, we hung out a lot at the reception and danced a bunch, but I definitely wasn’t following him around.”

“That’s not how I remember it.”

She snapped me a look. “Okay, and how do you remember it, then?”

I looked thoughtful. “Well, I recall a spoiled young girl looking for a rebellious, bad influence, and finding it in her new stepbrother.”

She gaped. “That’s crazy.”

“If I recall,” I continued, ignoring her and looking over at Jess, “she was quick to mooch off my stolen booze. I think it was the first time she ever got drunk.”

I noticed a few smiles on the crew’s face. Aubrie was blushing like mad and looked furious.

“It was a wedding!” she exclaimed. “Of course I was trying to get drunk. And it was definitely not the first time.”

“How many times before that?” Jess asked.

I could barely hold back my excitement. Hard-ass Jess was playing it up perfectly.

“I don’t know,” Aubrie said, frustrated. “A few times with friends. Not a lot or anything, but I was a typical kid.”

“Sounds like a load of crap to me,” I said, rolling my eyes gamely.

Someone snickered and I gave a look to Aubrie. I watched as she worked her jaw, fury rolling through her. I wondered for a second what kind of comeback she was cooking up; probably something incredibly hurtful but still witty, her typical modus operandi. I had to hand it to Brie, under normal circumstances she was a force to be reckoned with.

Fortunately, getting interviewed reality-TV style wasn’t a normal circumstance.

“Okay, let’s move on,” Jess broke in, diffusing the awkward silence. “Lincoln, same question. First impressions of Aubrie.”

I glanced at Brie and watched as she sat back, visibly composing herself and giving me an “I’m going to murder you later” stare.

“Honestly, she seemed really down to earth,” I started. Brie looked a little surprised at that. “I mean, she grew up with a pretty famous dad, but that didn’t seem to affect her.”

“That’s really nice of you, Lincoln,” Aubrie said softly, clearly surprised.

I grinned at her. “But I also thought you were a little boring. You know, a really good girl. Smart, obviously, but didn’t have much experience outside of the classroom.”

Her jaw dropped and she quickly gathered herself. “Just because I wasn’t covered in tattoos at eighteen doesn’t mean I was boring.”

“No, that’s true, but—”

“And plus,” she cut me off, “not everyone can be as exciting as ‘Based’ Carter. I’ve read some pretty wild things about you in the last year.”

I raised an eyebrow at her. “Been following my career?”

“Hard not to.”

“And I guess you disapprove.”

“I’m not judging. Just stating a fact.”

“Okay guys—” Jess tried to cut in, but Aubrie held up her hand. I was practically giddy with excitement at how well it was going.

I wasn’t sure why I was pushing her so hard. Frankly, I was probably being a huge asshole. But I had been cooped up in the house for so long, working my fucking ass off trying to get back in shape, and Brie was the perfect target. She got so flustered so easily.

The fact that she looked cock-stiffening cute when she chewed her lower lip in anger was just a bonus.

“No, hold on.” Brie turned herself toward me, looking incredibly frustrated and worked up, and way too fucking sexy. “You’re my stepbrother, so people ask me about you. I have to answer questions all the time about the crap people read about you. And you know what? I defend you, even though I barely know you. Even though you haven’t called or texted or emailed in three years.”

The room was dead silent as she finished her little speech, and I was stunned.

“You don’t have to defend me,” I said softly.

“I know I don’t,” she spat back.

There was another short pause. I never knew she wanted to hear from me, especially after the way she had turned me down that night. Although it wasn’t the only reason, getting far away from Brie was a big part of why I moved to Europe and drowned myself in adrenaline and fame. I couldn’t let myself dwell on her too much, or else I’d get stuck thinking about the stepsister I wanted more than anything.

And it was wrong, how badly I wanted to kiss her, even in front of all the cameras.

“I guess there’s some anger there,” Jess said. “Why haven’t you messaged her, Lincoln?”

I took a second to think. “I don’t have a good reason. I guess I was distracted with my own shit. And besides, it wasn’t like she was trying to hunt me down, either.”

“Anything you want to say to that?” Jess asked Aubrie.

“No, nothing. It’s just typical of him to pass the blame off on someone else.”

“Oh, that’s interesting,” I said. “First you barely know me, and now you know me well enough to call me selfish?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“It’s what you said.”

She paused and stared at me, and she suddenly looked calmer than she had this whole time. After a beat, she unclipped her mic and dropped it onto the floor.

“I’m done with this. Good luck with the documentary, Lincoln. I hope it really works out for you.”

I laughed. “Thanks for your time, Brie baby.”

She shook her head, stood up, and stormed out of the room. I watched her go, unable to hide the disappointment in my expression. I knew I needed to play it cool in front of the cameras, but that wasn’t at all how I had expected it to go.

My plan was to rile her up, frustrate her a little bit, tease her. Not to piss her off and make her walk away from the whole thing. Not make a real asshole out of myself.

I sighed and gathered my shit mentally, looking over at Jess.

“I guess we’re done.”

“That’s fine,” she said.

I unclipped my mic as the crew began to turn off the equipment and break down the set.

“Listen, Lincoln. You need to apologize and get her back in front of the cameras.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Are you kidding me? After how that just went?”

“It’s a great angle, the family thing. And she works on camera.”

“I don’t think that’s happening.”

Typical Jess. She only gave a shit about the production and nothing else. She would start a war within our family if it meant getting twenty minutes of great footage. I liked and hated that about her, frankly. It made her good at her job, but it made her really difficult to work with, let alone control.

I began to walk away.

“Make it happen, Based. We need her for this,” she called after me.

I turned back and stared at her. “Don’t call me that. And if you want her, get her yourself.”

I didn’t bother to wait for a reply, just walked out of the room as fast as my fucked-up legs would take me, cane tapping on the hardwood floor. It seemed to echo all through the house, reminding me again and again of my crippled body. As if I needed a cane for that.