Free Redeemed Complete: A Military Stepbrother Romance by Lucy Snow Page A

there, a few feet apart, under the low light of the parking lot. Snow started to fall, a light dusting to herald the oncoming holidays. Steve tried to look tough, puffing himself up, like some warped and twisted version of the All-American boy. Harrison stood across from him, outwardly calm except for the clear tension in his hands. I was shocked that Harrison was able to keep it together like this for so long. This was definitely not the same guy I lived with in high school.

    That guy would have come out swinging and probably ended up in the back of a police car. I couldn’t hear any sirens this time.

    “Laurel,” Harrison said, his voice measured. I could see the steam coming out of his mouth in the cold night, “Come over here and get behind me.” I started to move away, as much as I could, to the side so I could make my way toward Harrison, toward safety.

    “She’s not going anywhere. Harrison, was it?” He stepped back a step, almost pushing into me. “I heard about you.” His words held a twinge of respect. “You used to be a real hellion around these parts, yeah? I heard stories.” He stepped forward toward Harrison. “Well, this is now. Stories don’t count for much around here anymore. Not unless you can back them up.” I couldn’t see his grin, but I could tell he was smiling. “So what’ll it be, tough guy? You just a story or are you a little more than that?”

    Harrison smiled too and moved forward, so quickly I couldn’t even believe it. Closing the distance between him and Steve, Harrison took the first swing, right toward Steve’s stomach. The speed of his punch caught Steve off guard, and Steve doubled over in pain, giving me the perfect chance to get away and run around the circle the two gladiators had created.  

    I stopped just behind Harrison, wanting to get close to him, but staying away while he took care of Steve. Already I could feel some of the tension drain out of me, replaced by a new kind of fear - wanting to make sure Harrison was OK.

    I shouldn’t have worried, though. Harrison was a trained soldier and had been getting in fights as long as I’d known him. Steve looked like he’d been in a scrape or two before, but I also got the impression Steve wasn’t used to someone fighting back.

    Or making the first move, like Harrison enjoyed doing.

    Harrison stood over Steve’s groaning body, in a stance that suggested he thought a counterattack was coming. He’d read the situation right; Steve came back swinging from his leaned over position, trying to catch Harrison square in the jaw with a blow that would have knocked him over like a video game character.

    Harrison saw it coming and pushed it away easily, deflecting it away with some sort of martial arts move with his hands. He must have learned that in the military. I could see a smile on his face; he was almost laughing. That seemed much closer to the Harrison I knew from way back when. Maybe the calm and collected Harrison I’d heard about from our parents, and seen so far on this trip, was all a facade too, like Steve’s had been?

    Maybe underneath the cool exterior Harrison was still a monster inside?

    “You heard stories about me? Huh?” Harrison scoffed, kneeing Steve in the groin, causing him to keel over in renewed and obvious pain. Steve was in no shape to retaliate any further. As quickly as this fight had begun, it was over, and there was no disputing who’d won. I looked down at Steve - feeling nothing of the attraction and excitement I’d felt just a few minutes earlier.

    Harrison bent down with his powerful legs, crouching over Steve’s hapless body as he slowly moved back and forth, breathing deeply and moaning softly. Harrison watched him, his eyes gleaming in the low light. He had the look of victory on his face.

    Harrison whispered something, and I picked it up, just barely. “All the stories are true.”

    He crouched there over Steve for a few more seconds before standing back up tall