Hurricane Stepbrother Read Online Free Page A

from my room. I’ll be right back.”
    I didn’t wait for a response, I just picked up one of the candles and slowly made my way towards my bedroom. While I didn’t say it, the main reason I was coming to get my book was to get a moment away from his presence. Even after a few short hours, I could tell Erik was unlike any other man I had met. It made me both wildly curious about him, but at the same time, extremely intimidated.
    It didn’t help that he was gorgeous. Every time I looked at him I had to fight back the desire to touch his face, to just run my fingertips down the stubble on his jaw or brush them against his seemingly soft lips.
    I silently wished for the power to come back on sooner rather than later, not knowing how long I would be able to be in Erik’s presence without acting on my desire. It was extremely odd for me to have a crush on someone I just met, but I was also aware that it was specific to him.
    I’d never felt such a strong pull to anyone before, neither someone I knew for a long time or a stranger.
    Another loud crack of thunder outside startled me and I quickly grabbed my book before turning on my heel and marching out of the room, more than willing to spend time with Erik then to be by myself for the remainder of the storm. When I got back in the living room, I frowned when I realized that he wasn’t where I left him.
    I slowly entered the room and felt my heart sink when I saw that he had walked over to the mantle above the fireplace with his candle. My mouth dropped open to speak but no words came out.
    He must have sensed my presence in the room because he didn’t even turn away from the photographs when he asked, “So you guys were happy?”
    “Most of the time,” I said carefully. “Every family has its disagreements and Gerald and my mom fought every now and then… But for the most part, yeah. We were happy.”
    He looked back at me and even with only the soft light candle illuminating his face, I could see the pain in his expression as he asked, “What was he like to you? To your mom?”
    I frowned, not quite following his meaning.
    He quickly clarified, “How did he treat you?”
    Even though I only knew the barest details of just how strained Gerald and Erik’s relationship was, I still felt massively uncomfortable answering this question. But Erik had been nothing but honest with me thus far and I felt like I owed it to him to be honest in return. I sat down on the couch and folded my hands between my knees, preparing myself tell Erik about my relationship with his father.
    “He was... Gerald never tried to replace my father. But he did treat me like a daughter, like his daughter, in some ways. I can’t say we were ever really close, especially once I got a little older. He wasn’t up for talking about boys and he was never happy when I brought one home but overall he was just... Gerald. He was nice, at least to me. And from what I saw, he was nice to my mom as well. Even when they fought, it was clear how much they loved each other.”
    I dared a look up at his face, wincing when I saw his expression twisted with a combination of sadness and regret. The urge to comfort him was almost overwhelming, but I had no idea what to say.
    “How was Gerald to you?”
    It might not have been the smartest thing to ask, but I really wanted to know. Part of me thought that if Erik got whatever it was that was bothering him about Gerald off his chest, we could move past this conversation and back to lighter topics.
    But Erik just gave me a sad smile and shook his head. “He didn’t treat me or my mother with the same respect that he treated you and yours. But I won’t taint your memories of him by sharing mine. He’s gone. It’s… irrelevant.”
    I stood up with a frown, upset that he felt like he couldn’t tell me the truth. “Tell me.”
    “Remember how I said things get easier to figure out as you get older?”
    I nodded, even though I failed to see how it was relevant to