Page 16 of Step Daddy

Chapter Five

Gareth clutched the steering wheel with one hand, letting the other rest across his thigh, a vain attempt to appear relaxed and nonchalant. His white knuckles were giving him away, however. He couldn’t tell whether Kit had noticed. The kid was also doing a dismal job of pretending he wasn’t anxious.

They were a great pair.

The most disquieting, anxiety-inducing aspect of everything was that Gareth felt like they might actually be a great pair. In an alternate universe he’d be experiencing the excited flutters of possibility, he’d be celebrating the fact that he was clicking with someone he hoped would become his boy. Especially after the unexpected diner revelation from Kit.

Unfortunately, the whole stepbrother thing threw a wrench into the proceedings.

He squirmed on the seat, then grabbed the wheel with both hands. Some nineties grunge played on the radio, the perfect backdrop to the weird angst that had taken hold of him. The first thing he’d done when they’d climbed into the truck was turn on his favorite playlist. He needed the time to ponder everything until they arrived at their destination.

Stepbrothers. Not blood related.

Gareth winced. But he’d definitely lived with the kid—emphasis on kid—as a brother from the time Kit was ten until he hit twelve. While he’d never, ever felt anything other than an unfamiliar brotherly affection toward Kit during their childhood—and yes, perhaps the seeds of what would become Gareth’s protective nature—there hadn’t been anything sexual, not at all.

So why did he feel so guilty right now?

Gareth turned down the music. “There’s a turnout coming up that has a nice trail leading to a river. It’s early enough in the year that it’ll probably still be fairly full.”

“Sounds nice.”

Kit smiled, but even glancing at him quickly, Gareth could tell how nervous the poor kid was.

Once he reached the turnout, Gareth was pleased only a couple vehicles were parked. There were a few spots he knew of that didn’t tend to get too overcrowded, and for the conversation they were about to have, he wanted to make sure Kit had as much privacy as he could offer him. Sure, they could’ve gone back to the condo. But not only did Gareth think it would do Kit some good to go somewhere relaxing, he didn’t want to be alone with his brother right now.

“Here we go.” Gareth turned onto the dirt area, the truck rocking over the uneven surface, his tires crunching. “I always keep a small pack in the backseat. There are a couple water bottles and a few other things in there, so we’ll be good.”

Kit nodded then started to climb out. The urge to rush over and help Kit struck Gareth and he rolled his eyes at himself. He might be seriously fighting a losing battle.

After grabbing their provisions, Gareth swung the pack over his shoulder then looped his other arm through a strap and shrugged it on. Kit wore a pair of Converse, so Gareth spent most of his time watching Kit to make sure he didn’t stumble or slip. The path was an easy, ambling one, but Chucks weren’t exactly hiker-friendly footwear.

They were almost halfway to the river when they passed a man and woman heading back to the parking area. He and Kit stepped to the side to allow the couple to pass, the four of them exchanging a nod and a smile.

Excellent.

That meant there was only one party left on the same trail, and they could be beyond the river or heading back soon. It was after one, so more people would likely show up, but maybe they would be lucky and get a long stretch of uninterrupted time to talk.

When they reached the riverbank, Gareth sought out the large boulder he typically lounged on whenever he took this trail. It was about ten feet off the trail and set near enough to the edge of the water that he could climb up on it without getting his boots wet.

He glanced at Kit’s shoes again. They might have a rubber sole, but they’d be too slick for him to clamber up the side on his own. That could only mean one thing: Gareth would have to hoist him.

Gareth placed his hands on his hips and surveyed the area. The boulder was perfect to maintain privacy even if others showed up. Truthfully, other than a couple much smaller rocks right next to the path that looked uncomfortable as fuck, there really wasn’t anywhere else to relax for a while.

Calm down. You’ll have your hands on him five seconds tops.

“Follow me. I always chill on this boulder over here.”

Gareth carefully picked his way to the rock, trying not to be too obvious about monitoring Kit’s safety.

He glanced up the almost vertical side to the top of the boulder that was about five feet or so from the ground. “Let me go up first, then I’ll give you a hand.”

Gareth gripped the top of the rock then propelled himself upward, the grip of his boot soles aiding his progress. He removed the pack, set it aside, then leaned over and offered his hand. He’d considered giving Kit a boost from below, but quickly discarded that idea. The last thing he needed was to be in the position of having to give Kit a butt push.

“Wrap your hand around my forearm.”

Once Gareth had a solid grip on Kit, he gave him a strong tug. Kit aided his ascent by scrabbling his way along the rough surface with the slippery shoes and hoisting his own weight with his free hand. With a final pull from Gareth and big push from Kit, Kit launched over the top and crashed into Gareth. Before Kit could go tumbling headfirst into the river, Gareth grabbed him around the waist and hugged him to his body, Kit clutching him back and digging his fingers into Gareth’s shoulders.

They both froze, Gareth’s heart thundering—partly from fear, partly from the unbidden thrill of being so close to his brother.

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