Stepbrother Backstage (The Hawthorne Brothers Book 3) (40 page)

“You really shouldn’t drink alone, you know,” a rich voice
says from over my shoulder.

I whip around to see Luke Hawthorne settling down onto the
barstool beside mine. Is that excitement I feel at seeing him, or trepidation?

“You’re full of advice, aren’t you?” I say to him, playing
it cool. Who says there aren’t practical applications for an acting degree? I
knock back the rest of my drink in one big gulp.

“Let me buy you another,” Luke says, signaling for the
bartender. He’s not asking, he’s telling.

“Isn’t there some kind of rule against fraternizing with
students?” I ask him.

“You’re not technically my student, according to Sheridan. I
was just filling in for an old mentor. And besides, as of this afternoon, my
class is over,” he reminds me.

“Lucky me,” I reply, averting my eyes from Luke’s intense
gaze.

“Lucky is right,” he grins, as the bartender sets two new drinks
down in front of us.

I take a healthy sip from my replenished glass, baffled by
this new version of Luke Hawthorne. This effortlessly cool bad boy thing of his
is totally working for me, and so is the way he’s looking at me right now. But
I can’t let him know that. Not just yet. We’ve still got a few things to sort
out before I let my guard down, here.

“So what’s with the getup?” I ask him, raising an eyebrow.

“The getup?” he asks, amused.

“Yeah. I thought your style was Grad school Ken,” I shoot back.

“Oh, you were a fan of the collared shirts?” he grins back
at me, taking a sip of his bourbon.

“Not exactly,” I reply, “This is just…not a side of you I’ve
seen before.”

“Well, when have you seen me outside of the classroom?” he
asks.

“Just on every Sheridan brochure I’ve ever flipped through,”
I tease him.

He groans at the jab, shaking his head.

“Touche,” he says, “I should have known that my reputation
would precede me.”

“And then some,” I reply, sipping my drink.

“Oh yeah?” he says, resting his forearms on the bar, just
inches from my own. I feel the air between us spark with tension. “What else
have you heard about me?”

“I’ve heard…that you’re some kind of iron man when it comes
to sports,” I reply, ticking off his attributes on my fingers, “I’ve heard that
you’re super smart at whatever number crunching it is you’re so fond of.
And…I’ve heard that you’ve got a new lady friend hanging on your arm every
other week.”

His green eyes gleam rakishly in the dim light of the bar.
“Well, I guess I can’t exactly refute any of that…” he grins. “But there’s a
bit more to me than you’ll see on the front of a brochure.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt it,” I reply, my voice dipping low in my
register as Luke shifts his body closer to mine.

“I have to say, I don’t mind seeing your after-school side
either,” he goes on, giving me a long, intent once-over. I can feel trails of
heat skirt across my skin as his eyes travel along my body.

“Oh yeah?” I breathe. It’s all I can think to say.

“Yeah,” he smiles, letting his arm brush against mine on the
bar. “But I’m curious…How is it you ended up at The Bear Trap tonight, Sophia?”

“You can call me Sophie,” I say, edging closer toward him.
“And I’m here because I couldn’t stomach one more college party this year, to
be honest.”

“Is that so?” Luke asks, his grin widening.

“It is,” I reply, swinging my body around so that our knees
touch beneath the bar. With every tiny graze, electricity sears through my
nerves, ricocheting around my body like a lightning strike.

“Funny that you’d pick a place like this,” Luke goes on,
glancing around the bar, “It doesn’t exactly seem like your scene.”

“Until tonight, I’d say the same to you,” I point out.
“What, does this place have a ‘no drama majors’ policy or something?”

“I’m just wondering if you didn’t have an ulterior motive,
showing up at my favorite bar,” Luke says, fixing me with his intense gaze.

I don’t know if it’s the gin, or the noise, or the closeness
of Luke’s face to mine that has my head spinning. But I
do
know that
he’s lost me, here.

“First off, I didn’t know this was your favorite bar,” I
tell him, “And secondly, what ulterior motive might I have in mind, Luke?”

“Oh, I don’t know if I should say…” he shrugs, taking a swig
of his drink, “Come to think of it, I probably need to leave Sheridan and
get
my ass handed to me in the real world before doling out any
more life advice…Am I right? Don’t want to sound like a prick, here.”

I have to grab hold of the bar to keep from toppling over as
Luke’s words hit me in the gut. He’s quoting my own words back to me, repeating
the message I sent Danny earlier this evening, in response to his own email. My
breath lodges itself in my throat as I realize my mistake. And Luke lets out a
bark of laughter as he watches me realize…

“I think someone hit ‘reply’ when she meant to hit
‘forward’,” he laughs, reaching to lay a hand on mine. But I yank my hand away
before he can touch me, hiding my trembling fingers in my lap. Luke’s brow
furrows as I shut him down. “Hey, Sophie…Don’t be embarrassed. It’s not a big—”

“I have to go,” I say quickly, picking myself up from the
barstool, “Thanks for the drink, but—”

“Hey, come on…” he says, standing up beside me, “It’s not a
big deal. I’m actually—”

But I don’t stick around to hear what he has to say. I take
off across the crowded bar, ducking and weaving around countless boozed-up
locals. Humiliation colors my cheeks bright red as I dash away from Luke. How
could I have been so stupid? Now he knows exactly how much I’ve wanted him all
semester. He must think I’m a ridiculous little schoolgirl with a crush, for
god’s sake.

I catch a glimpse of Danny’s amber hair by the front door.
He’s standing very close to a strapping young bloke, already deep in
conversation. Knowing full well that I’m being the Queen of Cock Blocks, I rush
up to my friend, flustered and panting.

“Danny, we have to go,” I breathe, shoving my mess of blonde
hair out of my face.

“What happened to you?” Danny asks, cocking an eyebrow.

“Nothing. I. It’s just…Can we please get out of here?” I
plead, “I just made a huge ass of myself in front of Luke, and—”

“Ooh, this sounds good,” says Danny’s new friend, turning
his attention to me.

“How did you already mess things up with Luke?” Danny
demands, “I leave you alone for three minutes, and—”

“That email I meant to send you? About how I want Luke to
fuck me dirty? I sent it to
him
,” I say in a rush.

Danny and his friend both clap a hand to their mouths, their
eyes going wide in unison.

“See? This is why I don’t trust technology,” Danny says
sagely.

“That is
such
an interesting stance…” his friend
replies, laying a hand on Danny’s bicep.

“Look. I’m calling a cab and getting the hell out of here,”
I say, glancing over my shoulder to make sure Luke hasn’t spotted me. “You can
stay, but—”

“No no no,” Danny says, shaking his head, “You’re not going
anywhere.”

“What?!” I laugh incredulously, “Says who?”

“Says your best friend,” Danny replies, “Your best friend
who has been listening to you gush about this guy for months. So what if he
knows you’re into him? Now all of your cards are on the table.”

“But Danny—”

“No ‘but Danny’s,” my friend cuts me off, “You think this
guy is sexy as hell, right? So, go back there and see what happens with him
already! Would he have come over to talk you up if he wasn’t interested too?”

“I…I don’t—” I stammer.

“I do,” Danny says resolutely, laying his hands on my
shoulders, “You were the one who wanted something exciting out of tonight,
right? Well, what could be more exciting than hooking up with a guy you’re
actually into, instead of just going with whatever lame undergrad happens
along?”

He has a point. I’ve never been one to back down when I want
something. And good
god
how I’ve wanted Luke Hawthorne since the second
he arrived on the scene. A slow smile spreads across my face as I resolve to
give this a try. What’s the worst that could happen? It’s not like we’re going
to be seeing each other once the year is out.

“There’s the game face I want to see,” Danny says, spinning
me around and giving me a little shove, “Now
march
.”

I take a deep breath and do just that, picking my way back
through the crowd with renewed purpose. Thank god for the liquid courage
coursing through my blood—I’m gonna need it. Through a sea of burly guys and
busty girls, I see that Luke hasn’t budged from his spot at the bar… But
my
spot has been filled by an enterprising redhead who’s trying to catch his eye.
She perches on my vacated stool, fluttering her eyelashes in Luke’s direction.
Looks like I’ve swung back around just in the nick of time.

“Luke,” I call over the music as I approach.

He turns to see me marching in his direction, pleasantly
surprised that I’ve come around. He swings that perfectly balanced body around
on his barstool, eyes gleaming as I zero in on him.

“I was afraid you’d run off,” he says, standing to meet me.

“Well, never fear,” I grin, stepping up to his tall,
broad-shouldered form.

“Did you forget something?” he asks, taking a step toward me.
Not an inch of space separates our bodies now. I need to remind myself to keep
drawing breath as the hugeness of his presence threatens to overwhelm me.

“Yeah,” I breathe, reaching up to take his face in my hands,
“I did.”

With that, I lift my mouth to his, laying a kiss on those
full, firm lips. And wouldn’t you know it? He’s is kissing me back…and then
some. He circles my slender waist with his arms, tugging my body to his in the
middle of the crowded bar. No one but the put-out redhead seems to notice as we
lock lips. But then again, I’d be hard pressed to notice if the bar was burning
down around me with the taste of Luke Hawthorne dancing across my tongue.

I rake my fingers through his short, dark hair, pulling
myself flush against him. The panes of his chest are hard against my breasts,
which threaten to burst out of my crop top with each heaving breath I take. We
need to take cover before we start ripping each other’s clothes off. Somehow, I
imagine that the other customers might just take notice of that…

“You’re not just trying to snag some extra credit are you?”
Luke growls, running his hands over the firm rise of my ass.

“Would you object if I was?” I smile back.

“Fuck no,” he laughs.

“Well, I can do without the GPA boost,” I grin back, “But I’m
not done with you just yet, Professor Hawthorne.”

“Come on then,” he murmurs, taking my hand in his, “This
feels more like a one-on-one meeting to me…”

His fingers tighten around mine as he parts the crowd
surrounding us, leading me away from the jam packed bar to somewhere a little
more private.

Look at that, I think to myself,
my body buzzing with
anticipation,
Looks like I can let someone else lead after all.

Chapter Three

I suck in a huge breath as Luke snaps open the clasp of my
bra with a flick of his wrist. He runs his hands along my eager body, cupping
my breasts with a firm, expert touch. I let my fingertips brush along the
muscular v of his waist, eyes fixed on that incredible length straining against
his boxer briefs. Bracing myself against the wooden door, I run my hands along
his massive cock, groaning as I feel how hard he is.

“Fuck, that’s good…” he murmurs, grabbing hold of my hips.

“Yeah?” I smile breathlessly, tracing the outline of his
swollen head with my thumb.

“Yeah,” he grins, “Here. Let me show you…”

I swallow a cry as he slips a hand up under my red skirt,
his knowledgeable fingers brushing against my inner thigh. He lets out a low
groan as he traces along the length of my slit, barely covered by my favorite
black panties.

“You’re already wet for me…” he breathes, kissing down along
my neck.

“Can you blame me?” I laugh, working my hands up and down
his cock.

“Not even a little,” he smiles, kissing me hard on the mouth
as he strokes my aching sex.

Our lips move together as we work each other up. Two flimsy
layers of cotton are all that separate us from taking the other into our eager
hands. I can feel my knees begin to tremble as Luke touches me. I don’t know
how much longer I can wait to have him, feel him the way I’ve wanted. The way
I’ve dreamed of. I tug down his dark jeans, steadying myself against the door.

“Well?” I gasp, chest heaving, “I know I said I wanted you
to nail me to the wall…but I think a door will do the trick.”

“Yeah, I think I can work with that,” he grins ravenously,
pushing me hard against the flimsy bathroom door.

My heart skips a beat as I feel this controlled hint of his
true strength. With that body, those perfectly formed muscles, he could
probably curl me with one hand behind his back. I’ve always wanted to be with a
guy who was strong enough to take me on. Someone who’s not afraid to be a
little physical. A little rough. That’s a side of my desire I’ve never been
able to explore with anyone. Until…

A sharp hammering knock on the door makes me jump. Someone’s
been pounding away out there, refusing to be ignored. Sounds like somebody must
really need to break the seal. I’ve been so wrapped up with Luke that I almost
didn’t notice before. But now they’re yelling above the music…Yelling for
me
.

“Sophie!” someone calls desperately, “Sophie, get out here!”

“Expecting visitors?” Luke asks, brow furrowing slightly.

“Sophie please,” the voice entreats me, “I think Danny’s in
trouble.”

It’s only then that I recognize the voice as the guy my
friend was chatting up not a moment ago. He sounds absolutely terrified.

“Shit,” I mutter, hurrying to clasp my bra and straighten my
clothes.

“What’s going on?” Luke asks as I break away from him.

“My friend needs me,” I reply. “I’m sorry, I have to—”

Luke nods silently, struggling to do up his jeans despite
his enormous erection. We put aside our case of collective blue balls as I
wrench open the bathroom door, coming face-to-face with Danny’s new friend. The
poor guy has gone completely white, his eyes as wide as dinner plates.

“Where is he?” I demand.

The frightened man points toward the main room of the bar. I
turn to see a group of guys forming, closing in around something. Or rather,
some
one
.

“Danny,” I whisper, taking off at a run. 

I tear through the crowd, shoving and shouldering people out
of the way as I rush to my friend’s side. I come up against a wall of solid
muscle as I try to reach him—a perimeter of burly dudes holds me at bay.
Through the forest of their beefy torsos, I see Danny standing at the center of
it all, blond head held high as some asshole sneers at him, jabbing a finger
into his chest.

“We don’t take kindly to your type around here,” the man
snarls, his shaved head glinting dangerously in the low light.

“And what type is that?” Danny challenges him, his fists
clenched.

“You know full well,” his aggressor goes on, backing Danny
across the circle, “I seen you talking up that other little guy. Battin’ your
eyelashes. I know what you are.”

The men around the circle shove Danny forward as he reaches
the edge of the circle. I see his jaw pulse with fury as he straightens himself
up, unwilling to back down.

“Well, you know what they say,” Danny shoots back, leveling
his clear-eyed gaze at the pathetic man before him, “It takes one to know one.”

Time slows to a crawl as I watch the man’s eyes blaze with
ire. His hands tighten into punishing fists, and I watch in horror as he cocks
back a thick arm.

“
No
,” I shout, bursting through the wall of men
trying to box me out.

I throw myself into the circle, my shoulder colliding hard
with Danny’s attacker. I catch him in the ribs, knocking him off balance. He
rights himself as I plant my feet firmly on the sawdust-covered ground,
standing between Danny and this idiot that would do him harm.

“Look at that!” the man crows, “He’s got himself a little
guard-bitch!”

A raucous laugh goes up around the circle at my expense, but
I couldn’t care less.

“You think ten on one is a fair fight?” I snap at him,
“Needed all your buddies here to take on my friend? Why don’t you just deal
with me instead, you prick?”

“Step aside before you get hurt, little girl,” the bald man
growls back at me, taking a menacing step forward.

“Sophie, get back,” Danny urges, grabbing hold of my arm.

“He won’t hurt me,” I say, my voice raised so the whole bar
can hear, “Will you, buddy?”

“My beef ain’t with you,” he snarls, coming to a stop before
me, “It’s with your queer little friend, here.”

“Is that why you needed all this backup?” Danny laughs, looking
at the men looming around us, “You’re too afraid to deal with the Big Bad Queer
yourself? You homophobic little chicken shit—”

With a roar of outrage, the burly skinhead charges at Danny,
ready to draw blood. Adrenaline highjacks my body, and before I know what’s
happening, I’m letting out a shrill scream and driving the heel of my hand up
against the man’s nose. A sickening crunch sounds out as my hand makes contact,
and the furious man goes reeling away. Blood streams down his face as he
clutches his broken nose, staring at me incredulously. I stare back, amazed at
what I’ve done. Guess those self-defense classes at Sheridan really paid off.

“Oh, shit…” Danny whispers, staring at his attacker.

Without flinching, the man grabs hold of his busted nose and
works it back into place with a gut-wrenching pop, his eyes blazing with
malice. A wild, deranged smile spreads across his bloody face. Something tells
me he wouldn’t object to hitting a woman now. He lowers his center of gravity,
every muscle coiled with irate energy. I brace myself for impact as he bellows
out a bloodthirsty wail, lunging toward us across the circle of men.

The skinhead’s head snaps back as a thickly muscled arm
clotheslines him across the throat. I swing my gaze around to see Lukas
Hawthorne’s broad back, rippling beneath his charcoal tee shirt. Among all the
people looking on, he’s the only one who’s stepped forward to help Danny and
me. His shoulders are raised as he settles into a fighter’s stance, waiting for
his opponent to pull himself up from the floor. The disgusting man manages to
come to standing, eyes going wide as he takes in the sight of Luke standing
before him.

“You wanna fight someone?” Luke growls, towering over the
bald man, “Well, here I am.”

“This has nothing to do with you, Hawthorne,” the bloodied
man snarls. “It’s these two I’ve got a problem with—Nancy boy and his
lipstick-wearing pit bull.”

The circle of men edges back as Luke grabs the bald man by
the front of his shirt and hoists him off the ground. I gasp as Luke throws his
opponent back to the floor, standing over him with pure contempt blazing in his
dark green eyes.

“You know I could beat the shit out of you, right Thompson?”
Luke barks.

“All right, all right,” the man at his feet moans, “You’ve
made your point.”

“It’s not all right, you fucker,” Luke spits, rolling the
man onto his back with one steel-toed boot. “How’s it feel, getting the shit
kicked out of you when you know you don’t stand a chance?”

“Lay off already,” the man goes on, blathering pathetically.

“Not ’til you apologize to my friends,” Luke tells him,
laying his heavy boot on the man’s chest.

“They’re the ones who should apologize!” the skinhead roars,
shooting daggers at me and Danny, “Coming in here with their hipster-ass skinny
jeans and their big ideas, shoving their pervert ways down our throats. They
need to
go
.”

“No, Thompson,” Luke growls, his voice low and deadly,
“You’re the one who needs to go.”

“Fuck you, Hawthorne,” the man spits, “What are you, one of
them now?”

“I’d rather be one of them than one of you any day,” Luke
replies, shoving the man away with his foot. “Now, are you gonna walk out of
here on your own?”

“I don’t think I will,” the bald man says, puffing out his
chest as he pulls himself to standing.

“Suit yourself,” Luke shrugs.

I jump back as he lunges across the circle and grabs our
aggressor by the scruff of his neck. Instead of rushing to the skinhead’s
defense, the men around us clear a path the door, cheering Luke on. I guess
they don’t really care who’s getting beat up, as long as there’s a fight to
watch. Someone wrenches open the front door, letting in a burst of warm night
air. Without a word, Luke drop kicks Thompson over the threshold. A round of
applause and raucous hollering goes up around Luke as he slams the door behind
that asshole, brushing off his firm, capable hands.

“Well shit,” Danny murmurs behind me, and Luke makes his way
toward us, “Looks like you caught yourself a keeper, Sophie Porter.”

“Luke…” I breathe, as he stops before us, “I…I don’t know
what to say.”

“I do,” Danny cuts in, “Thank you, man.”

“Of course,” Luke shrugs, “Just keeping the trash out as
best I can. I like this place too much to see it overrun with idiots.”

“I’m so sorry this happened Danny,” I tell my friend, lacing
my fingers through his.

“It’s OK. I’m all right,” he assures me, “I’d just…I’d like
to get out of here now.”

“Of course,” I reply, squeezing his hand, “Let’s call a
cab.”

“I could drive you,” Luke offers, nodding toward the door,
“My car’s out front.”

“No, it’s OK,” I tell him, not wanting to impose. “I think
you’ve done enough for us tonight.”

His brow furrows as he looks at me, the expression on his
sculpted face totally unreadable.

“Whatever you say,” he says evenly, tucking his hands into
the pockets of his jeans.

Between our mind-scrambling make out session and the jarring
conflict with that asshole, I’m feeling totally disoriented. Part of me wants
desperately to stay here and see what happens with Luke, but the rest of me is
way too unsettled by what just happened to see this night through. I’m sure
that if Luke wants to see me again after tonight, he’ll let me know. But for
right now, I just need to get out of here and get Danny to safety. I owe him
that.

“Cab’s on its way,” Danny murmurs, after pressing a few keys
on his smart phone. “I should find Greg and say goodbye.”

He holds out his hand to Luke, who gives it a firm shake.
Without another word, Danny moves off into the crowd in search of his friend. I
cross my arms tightly across my chest, my eyes glued to the floor as I stand
awkwardly beside Luke. Just a couple of hours ago, he was just my handsome,
arrogant teacher, all ironed shirts and unwarranted advice. I knew how to
handle myself around him. But the Luke I met tonight—the man who knew how to
turn me on with a single touch, who was ready to jump to a total stranger’s
defense because it was the right thing to do—he’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met.
And suddenly, I feel like I’ve forgotten all my lines in the middle of a scene.

“You’re quiet all of a sudden,” Luke observes, laying a hand
on my arm.

“Just a little rattled I guess,” I manage, keeping my eyes
averted.

He withdraws his hand, staring at me with that same
indiscernible look.

“That’s fair,” he nods, looking away from me.

I bite my lip, feeling as though I’ve said something wrong.
He doesn’t think I’m upset about what happened between
us
, does he?

“Luke, I—” I begin, but a waving arm catches my eye across
the room. Danny’s flagging me down to let me know the cab is here.

“You’d better get a move on,” Luke says to me, running a
hand through his short dark hair. “Get home safe, OK?”

“Um. Yeah,” I stammer helplessly. “But…Luke?”

“Hmm?”

“We’re cool, right? I mean—”

“Of course we are,” he says with a placid half smile, “Have
a good summer, Sophie.”

And just like that, turns and walks away. I stare after him,
totally at a loss. What the hell just happened here?

“Sophie, come on!” Danny calls from across the crowded bar.

I turn on my heel and hurry for the door, eyes prickling
with sudden, surprising tears. Am I angry at having my time with Luke
interrupted by some ignorant asshole? Or am I disappointed that he didn’t ask
to see me again? Or am I still just hopelessly turned on and in need of a major
self-love session once I get home?

Whatever has me upset, I know I’ll be able to deal with it
much better once we’ve made it out of The Bear Trap. Clasping hands, Danny and
I hurry out the front door and into the waiting cab. We ride along toward the
relative safety of campus in silence.