Free SNAKE (a Stepbrother Romance) by Emilia Beaumont Page A

which felt strange, robotic. I’d been all but ready for a standoff or a fight, a screaming match… but not a hug.
    My heart thudded rapidly in my chest, and I hoped she wouldn’t notice my apprehension as she chattered about the doctor I’d seen the previous day.
    My lips were on your husband last night, the unwelcome thought flashed in my mind.
    The guilt was tying my stomach into knots, and I suddenly felt like I was going to be sick. “I have to use the bathroom,” I murmured and moving away from her embrace and padded quickly down the corridor.
    After I did my business, I splashed cold water on my face and took a deep breath. I couldn’t let myself behave this way - Monique must never know what had happened. And in that moment I was furious at Devan, at what he’d turned me into. What we’d done was no full-blown affair, but I would still be considered the home-wrecker, the mistress who’d come between them, fracturing their sacred vow.
    God, I was just the same as the skank, the bar ho, that I’d caught Mark with when I’d decided to surprise him at his apartment one night. The woman knew we were a couple, had seen us together at the bar she worked at, but she still went after him anyway, and here I was, doing practically the same thing.
    This was all my fault. I must’ve led him on somehow. What had I been thinking, wearing my low-cut tops and dresses around him?
    Catching my reflection in the mirror, I sighed. I could make this right, but I needed to keep a clear head if I wanted to do what Dev and Monique were asking of me, and that involved getting my shit together so I could give them a baby.
    I took my time in the bathroom and jumped in the shower, skipping the hair washing but relishing the frigid water against my skin. I still felt Dev’s touch on it, and I was doing my best to get rid of that addictive feeling that surged through my body every time I replayed our forbidden kiss.
    Hoping I’d dilly-dallied enough for Dev to be safely on the way to work, I dried off and put on my robe.
    As I walked out of the bathroom, I nodded to myself; I was determined to get back on track and give them both what they wanted. I could do this. The previous night had been a mistake, and I needed to forget it ever happened.
    I headed back into the kitchen with a clear mind - or at least so I thought.
    “There you are,” Monique exclaimed as she saw me. “I’ve made some breakfast for you. Come sit down, you need something to eat.”
    “I was going to grab a bagel on the way to work.” Breakfast with Monique was not my idea of fun even at the best of times, and that morning, with a mountain of worry still piling up, I knew I’d be tense the whole time we ate.
    “Nonsense,” Monique shot me down. “Come sit down with us and eat something healthy. We agreed on no junk.”
    Monique wouldn’t take no for an answer. She walked through into the dining room and gave me an impatient glance over her shoulder. And shit, she said to join them , which meant only one thing…
    My fate was sealed; I didn’t have the energy to fight, plus it was probably best just to get the awkwardness over and done with. I followed Monique into the dining room where the table was set with an assortment of dishes, each one less appetizing than the last. And of course, Dev was sitting at the head of the table, his eyes skimming me as I walked in and pulled out a chair opposite him.
    Holy-fuckballs!
    My stepbrother was shirtless, tattoos on full display.
    Why did he have to be shirtless?
    My mouth went dry.
    He had on a pair of comfy trousers and nothing else. His glorious torso was glistening, probably still wet from the shower in their upstairs bathroom, and his muscles rippled, making the snake tattoo dance in front of my eyes.
    I told myself to look away, but then he nodded in my direction and my insides constricted. What, I didn’t even deserve a hello? Prick .
    My mouth set in a line, I concentrated on the place setting in front