Page 2 of Stepbrother For Christmas

“Hm. So you say.” Emma tilts her head suspiciously. “But just to play it safe, can you tell me something only you would know?”

“Well, um, let’s see…” My lips twitch, amused. “Your mom, Carol, eloped with my dad in Hawaii. They got married on Ka?ena Point, which is one of the most sacred places on the island of Oahu.”

“Needless to say, their kids were both shocked by the news,” she adds adorably.

I laugh. “But they said they eloped because they didn’t want to deal with the stress of planning a second marriage wedding.”

“Oh my God, Chase, we finally meet!” she squeaks before hugging me.

Fuck, I have a problem. I know I do. Because in this moment I realize two things: One, she feels really good in my arms. And two, my heart is racing so fast right now. “Welcome to Colorado!” I release her quickly and step back. Then I grab her suitcase and put it in the trunk of my car. “Let’s get you home, Sis.”

The drive back is filled with nothing but silence. Is Emma as nervous as me?

To be honest, it’s weird that I feel so anxious around her. It’s not like me at all. Hell, I’m twenty-three years old, and I’ve been around women before. Lots of them, actually. I even dated for a while, but I never really clicked with anyone. My last girlfriend explained that she felt like I was dating my job and not her. Oh well, what can I say? Tech people in my line of work are obsessed with coding.

A few seconds later, I make an attempt at small talk. “So, were you waiting long?”

She shakes her head. “Um…not long.”

“I’m sorry that you lost your glove. My dad told me that your trip was rough.”

Her brows shoot up. “Did he tell you about my bus hitting a bird while driving on the highway?”

“Yeah, that’s pretty awful.”

She wrinkles her nose. “It’s bad luck.”

“Hey, I know a great place to stop off and buy some new winter gloves. This mall has a ton of outlets for popular brands,” I say, trying to change the subject to something lighter.

“That sounds cool, but there’s no rush at this point—and besides, I still have one glove left. See?” She giggles before tossing it up in the air, playfully. Then she accidentally drops it on the console between our seats.

“Hopefully, you won’t lose this one too,” I say before we both reach for her glove. Then our hands touch, her fingers briefly trembling in mine.

Shit.

She gasps at our sudden closeness and my cock hardens painfully in my pants. But much to my relief, my coat is hiding my body’s reaction to her.

“I’ll try not to,” she says, tucking her hair behind her ear with a slight blush staining her cheeks.

“Hey, do you want to listen to some music?” I ask, trying to lighten the mood even more while we unwind.

“Sure,” she replies, her eyes flitting to my own, then away again.

“I always say that music makes the ride more fun,” I admit, enjoying the way that she held my gaze just a minute ago. She has the prettiest brown eyes that I’ve ever seen. They’re a chocolate shade with a hint of molten caramel in the iris.

“I agree,” she comments quietly. “Christmas music is my jam.”

I didn’t say anything about Christmas music, but okay.

“Christmas music coming right up here,” I announce before turning on the car radio.

A few seconds later, I manage to find a radio station that’s playing Christmas songs. Then I adjust the radio dial to make sure it sounds okay and turn up the volume.

There, that’s better.

I stay quiet for the rest of the drive, willing my erection to go down.

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