Page 6 of It Just Feels Right

His smile is instant as he looks over at me. “And the fact that I’m ten years older than you? Is that a problem?”

I bite my lip to stop from begging him to take me now. I don’t know what’s come over me, but sitting here with… Oh my God. “Uh, no it’s not a problem. I’m sorry. You seem to know everything about me, but I know nothing about you. What’s your name?”

For the first time since I’ve met him, he frowns. It’s then that I look out the window and realize we’re sitting in the driveway at my mom and stepdad’s house. “Uh, how did you know where I lived? How do you know so much about me?”

He turns in his seat, and I can’t figure out why he’s looking at me the way he is. He almost looks disappointed. He opens his mouth but doesn’t get a word out because there’s a knock on the car window. I lean forward and see my stepdad standing by the car. I’m sure he’s probably worried that there’s a cop car in his driveway.

“Fuck,” the man sitting next to me says before rolling down the window.

My stepdad leans down. “Hey, son. I’m glad you came by.”

“Son?” I practically shout. I point at the stranger, the man that I'm most definitely attracted to, and ask him in shock, “You’re Baker Johnson? You’re, uh, you’re my stepbrother?”

He winces. “I’m Baker Johnson.”

I open my mouth, close it, and then open it again. “Uh, okay, well, thank you for the ride.” I get out of the car and am walking around the front of it when my stepdad looks at me. “What happened? Who did that to you?”

I appreciate his concern, I really do. I’ve only been home a month, and I was surprised to discover how much I liked my stepfather. He’s a really good guy. But I definitely don’t want to get into everything that happened. Especially after the little bomb that just sort of exploded in my face. “No one did it to me. I did it to myself.”

Ryan puts his hands on my shoulders. “Honey, you got a knot on your head. Who do I need to kill? Baker, were you there when this happened?”

Baker is out of the car and comes to stand beside me. He pulls me gently until I’m out of his dad’s arms and turns me so we’re facing each other. I do everything I can to try and avoid looking at him, but he’s too hard to resist.

He ignores his dad and instead talks to me. “It’s already bruising, Cass. Make sure you take a pain reliever before you go to bed tonight.”

I nod, but a part of me wants to cry. I’ve never had anyone be concerned for me, not like this, and of course, the one man I’m attracted to ends up being my stepbrother. I pull back, and with my back straight, I start to walk away. “I will. And thanks again. Good night, Baker. Good night, Ryan.”

I turn on my heel and practically run up the walkway and inside the house. My mom is sitting on the couch watching television, and I don’t even bother stopping to talk to her. I know she’ll give me some kind of speech about how tonight was my fault, and I don’t want to hear it.

I jog upstairs and go to my bedroom, shutting the door behind me before I toss myself onto the bed. With a groan of frustration, I roll to my back and stare up at the ceiling.

It’s just my luck. I finally have a connection with a man, and he ends up being my stepbrother. He’s off limits… no matter how much I wish he wasn’t.

CHAPTER 4

BAKER

My dad hashis arms crossed over his chest, just watching me. I’ve never been able to hide things from him, and I’m not going to try to now. “What? Go ahead. Ask me.”

He gestures to the house. “She okay? Do you know who did that to her?”

“There was a fight at the Whistler. She was trying to break it up, and one guy pushed another and the guy took Cassie down with him when he fell. That’s how she got the bruise on the forehead.”

He chuckles, and I shake my head. “What’s funny about that, Dad?”

“Your sister. I swear she’s a spitfire. There’s not many women that would interfere with two grown men fighting.”

He’s right about that. She is a spitfire, and I’ve never met a woman like her. But I still hate that he’s referring to her as my sister. I don’t have any brotherly thoughts about her at all.

“You want to come in?”

I don’t… but I do.

I’ve only been back in town for a week, but I’ve avoided coming to see my dad and his new wife. The truth is, I don’t really care much for Brandi. I’ve tried to be nice to her, but it’s hard. I’d only been around her a few times before I went to Jasper for the undercover job, but those few times were enough to let me know that I want to limit my time with her. I was fortunate enough to miss the whole wedding performance since I was working undercover. But no matter how much I don’t want to see my stepmother, I don’t want to miss a chance to see Cassie.

“Sure. I’m still on my shift, but I can come in for a minute.”

My dad doesn’t try to hide his surprise. I follow behind him, and I’m holding my breath the wholeway. In mere seconds, I’ll see Cassie again, and hopefully I can explain things to her.

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