Redeemed Complete: A Military Stepbrother Romance (7 page)

“You make it sound like you’ve been there for decades.” Steve was really cute when he talked about work, though it didn’t look like he wanted to.

“Well, I guess I have, in a way. I worked there part time in high school. Went to a community college nearby and kept working part time. Now I’m full time.”

“That’s really impressive.”

He smiled a little sheepishly. “Yeah, it’s nice to build something your family’s invested in for so long.”

“Do you see yourself sticking with it?”

Steve looked pensive. “I’m not sure. I like the work but I kinda want to do my own thing, you know? Make my own way.”

I smiled at him. “I know the feeling.” My father had made overtures before for me to follow in his career steps, but after seeing him be unhappy over the years, that was the last resort for me.

I heard someone’s throat clear, and I turned to see Maggie getting back into her seat. “You two still around?” She glanced at me, shooting daggers with her eyes.

My cheeks must have turned crimson. “Yes, we’re still here!” I gave her a mock-angry look.

Steve caught on and focused on me, his grin ear to ear. “That reminds me…I gotta get something from my car, for a friend. Want to come?”

“Sure!” I said, way too quickly for my own taste. Keep it down, Laurel, don’t be too eager all at once now. Steve had to know by now that I was interested in him, and it looked like he was interested in me. If not, why would he come over to me, come back to the table with me, and sit down with us?

I hadn’t scared him off. Yet. Jackpot!

Maggie brightened. “Good! Get out of here, both of you. And don’t come back for at least…,” she smiled like a villain, “15 minutes.” There she went again, always looking out for me.

Shameless.

Steve and I stood up, and we walked out of the bar, navigating through the crowds. I didn’t have my coat with me, but I had a hunch I wouldn’t need it.

As we got to the bar’s entrance hall, Steve grabbed my hand and led me outside. I could feel my heart picking up speed - this new Laurel had a knack for getting into exciting situations. I liked how my hand felt in his, small and dainty. I could get used to this.

The cold air outside hit me with a rush, and I tightened my grip on Steve’s hand. I felt him squeeze my hand back, and the smile that had made its way across my face grew wider. Steve led me down the steps of the bar and off to one side.
 

There were no cars here.

We stood in silence, smiling at each other. Steve looked so cute like that, shaggy hair whipping around in the cold wind of the winter evening. I bit my lip, almost as a reflex. I didn’t want to talk more, I wanted Steve to kiss me.

He did just that, moving toward me. I moved back a little, trying to be a little coy but really also being super nervous. Despite my new outlook and new clothes, I wasn’t really used to actually flirting with guys and having something happen, especially not this quickly. Steve was really hot, though; he had that All-American look. Totally different than the guys I usually stared at, or Harrison.

Ugh, Harrison showing up in my thoughts again. Get out my head, jerk.

When Steve kissed me, pushing me up against the side of the bar, I could taste the light sting of alcohol on his breath. His kiss was soft and tentative at first, like he wasn’t exactly sure what he was doing. It felt good, but not at all what I expected from him, after the boldness he’d showed inside the bar.

We kissed like that, starting to explore each other with our tongues, and I felt Steve get closer to me, the heat coming off his body warming me up. He’d closed the gap between us and now I could really only move closer into him or push myself against the side of the building. Nowhere to go, but that seemed just fine. Steve’s kisses were getting bolder now, stronger, like he’d found his confidence. I liked that a lot more.

His hands started roaming up and down my sides, which I liked, but I wanted to make sure we didn’t go too far. I was all for a little fun outside the bar, but we’d only just met.

After a few minutes I broke the kisses and pushed Steve back a little, watching his arms fall to his sides as he stepped back. Things were getting a little heated a little too fast. I could feel him pressing against me from down there. It felt nice, and I could feel myself getting wet, but I wasn’t that kind of girl, especially not so quickly.

“Didn’t you need to get something from your car? For a friend?” I smirked, chastising him a bit, teasing. I wanted to slow things down a bit, get him to ease off.

Steve moved back a little. “Right, yeah, from my car. For a friend.” He smiled, backed off and took my hand again. I let him lead me through the parking lot, snaking between cars. All was well again. I was smitten and things seemed to be going the right way for once. The little speed bump I’d put on the road had slowed us down just enough so I could get comfortable again.

We got to a truck parked at the end of the parking lot, just beyond the reach of the last overhead lamp, keeping watch in the night. I’d have thought he’d drive an old pickup, but this was a new truck, top of the line model, in pristine shape. It looked like he definitely put the time in to keep it looking perfect and just off the dealer’s lot.

“Before I rummage around in there, how about another kiss?”

I blushed, liking that he asked in such a cute way, but I wasn’t gonna give up something so valuable as a kiss that easily. “What kind of mess do you have going on in there to need a kiss before you go in?” I teased.

“Yeah, you haven’t been inside my truck yet. It’s a jungle in there.” Didn’t look like it from the outside, but I was willing to take Steve’s word for it.

“Inside your truck? But we just met!” I was still teasing, but there was a hint of truth mixed in there too. I liked Steve, but I didn’t know him.

Steve didn’t respond with words, but smiled and pressed his lips into mine. He tasted good, and I liked it when he pushed me against the door of his truck. His hands were on either side of my head, touching the door.
 

We kissed like that for a while. I felt a rush of daring and excitement. I was shocked to find myself in a situation like this just hours after I’d come back to Summitville. All joking with Maggie about me sleeping with a ton of guys every hour, this was totally unlike me. I wondered if pouring myself into this too-small dress was the problem. Was that what got Steve interested? Was that made made him come over and talk to me? I tried to wrap my head around it as we kissed.

Was I giving off the wrong message by dressing like this?
I just did it because I didn’t have any other dresses to wear to stupid Harrison’s stupid welcome home party that everyone on Earth knew about except for me! This wasn’t my fault! Was wearing an outfit like this making me act differently than I was used to? I had no idea, but it could be.

Suddenly, things changed. I felt Steve move one of his hands away from near my head, and the next thing I knew, he was sliding his hand up my side, starting at my leg. I opened my eyes in surprise, and I shivered, not just because of the cold, but because it felt so good, even with his fingers moving upward over my dress like that.

Steve kept going, tracing his fingers up my waist and higher while we kissed. I could feel the sharp intake of his breath as he moved up, slowly.

After a few seconds he reached my chest, and I breathed in deeply as he cupped one of my breasts in his hand. Despite the layers of my bra and dress, which, to be fair, were both on the skimpy side, my nipple hardened against his gentle touch.

I closed my eyes again and sighed. It felt wonderful, having someone else touch me like that. I pressed my head against the cold glass of the door behind me, thrusting my breasts out toward Steve, giving him as much to touch as I could.

Steve kept playing with my breasts while he kissed me in the parking lot of the Crown. It felt like we continued on like that for hours, but of course, it was only a couple minutes.

I could have stayed like that for even longer, but Steve clearly had other ideas. Eventually he stopped playing with my breasts and moved his hand lower, slowly. I pushed myself away from the wall, thrusting my chest out at him even further, wanting to keep him there, wanting to keep him away from what I thought he would do next.

Steve didn’t disappoint - I felt his fingers brushing down my body over my dress. I tensed up, hoping he would slow down. This was moving a little too quickly for my taste. We barely knew each other.

“Mmmmh,” I moaned into his mouth as he kissed me. Steve pulled his lips away and started kissing down the side of my face and to my neck. I shuddered; it felt amazing, and for a second I was distracted from Steve’s wandering hands.

But not for long. “Steve,” I breathed, while he kissed me lightly up and down my neck. “We should slow down.” I could barely think straight with how he was making me feel. It had been so long since anyone had kissed me or touched me like this.

I craved more, even though I knew better. I wanted more, but this had to stop. Maybe if we spent some more time together, during the day or something, I could open up, but this was all happening too fast. It was like a blur, a fast moving train I wanted to get off of.

Steve paused to say, “Yeah?” He kept kissing me.
 

“Yeah. I mean, we just met. This is fun and all, but I don’t really know you.” I thought I was making my point well, that Steve would stop.

“What’s there to know?” He kept going. I felt his hand start sliding up my too-short dress.

“Steve…please…don’t…”

His voice was hard and lusty. “Laurel,” he almost sneered as his hand kept moving, “we’re just having fun.” I opened my eyes and looked at him. Steve’s face was a mask of lust and power, like a conquering warrior.

“I know, I know, but it’s a little more…fun than I expected tonight.” I didn’t want to sound like a prude, though I really was one. I didn’t want to sound like a tease, like the girl who would do ‘anything but that,’ but I wasn’t enjoying this anymore.

Right then I felt his fingers slide up my inner thigh, higher, just brushing over my panties. I fluttered my eyes and let out what must have been a combination of a moan and a squeal. I bit my lip again. It felt nice, but in a disconnected sort of way. Like I wanted it to feel nicer, but it just wouldn’t. Not right now.

“Steve, come on, that’s too much. Slow down, please.”
 

“Come on, Laurel, let’s have a good time. You’ll love it, I promise. I’m gonna make you feel so good.” His words had the beginnings of a slur to them.

“We’ve done that, and we’re having a good time, but please let’s not go any further. We should at least get to know each other a little more before we…”

“We know each other well enough. I know you well enough,” he almost sneered, looking at me, his eyes looking smaller, almost beady, “to be able to tell how much you want it.”

“Want what?” I knew what he was going to say next.

“To be with me. Right here, right now.”

“What, right here? You mean have sex with you? No, Steve, I don’t want that.” I tried to make my voice sound as strong as possible. Maybe after a few more dates, a lot more time, getting to know each other.

Steve laughed in my face. The laugh that I’d liked in the bar, that I’d felt drawn to when we kissed against the side of the building, that laugh was gone. Now his laugh sounded shrill and angry, like a child not getting what he wanted from the toy store. A child used to getting what he wanted in everything.

Here was the perfect blond haired, blue eyed American boy, the boy you rushed home to tell your mother about, revealing himself as something completely different, something completely unexpected.

I struggled, trying to push Steve away, but he was way too strong for me. He kept laughing all the while as I tried to get away from him, almost flailing about. I could feel myself starting to cry. I needed to get away from him as soon as possible.
 

“You think,” Steve said, his voice getting higher, “that I’m going to let you get away from me that easily, Laurel? We’re just getting started, babe.” He started moving closer to me again.

I struggled as hard as I could, my eyes closed and starting to tear up, trying to push him away with all my being, mental and physical. As much as I tried, as much as I wanted him to go away, or for me to be anywhere other than where I was in that moment, it didn’t work.

A new voice appeared. “No, you’re just finishing up.” I squinted through the coming tears, trying to make out who it was, but they were just beyond the low light of the parking lot’s overhead lamps.

Without turning around, Steve said, “Move along, man, this doesn’t concern you.” He looked back at me and held a finger up to his mouth. He didn’t want me making a sound. I was so scared, I listened, but not because I wanted to, but because I couldn’t find the words or the sounds to make.

“It does now,” the voice countered, slow and gruff. “Get away from her.”

Steve’s shoulders rose as he set them back, dipping toward me before leaning back and whipping his head around. “I said, beat it, man, this is between me and the lady!” He looked around, and I could tell he was squinting, trying to find whoever was talking to him.

“And this is how you treat ‘ladies’?” The voice was getting closer.

Steve kept looking back, trying to make out who had interrupted him. I saw the opportunity and tried to push him away, get out from under him, and get to safety, both from him and whoever it was that was getting in his way. Not that I wasn’t immediately grateful for the help, but I didn’t know this new guy either and after what was happening now I wasn’t taking any chances. “I said, this doesn’t concern you. The lady and I were just having a disagreement. It’s been resolved. Now move along.”

Steve didn’t let me get away, though, so our disagreement was definitely not resolved. As I resisted and pushed against him, he tightened his grip and I fell back against the smooth and cold exterior of his pickup truck. I managed to find the words right then. “Let me go, Steve!” I rasped in pain. “I want to go home.”