Free Badass: A Stepbrother SEAL Romance by Linda Barlow, Alana Albertson

attempt to take on a fatherly role.
    In the living room, one of the frosted white Christmas trees was tucked in the corner, behind the grand piano. I placed the gifts under the tree. It was decorated with blue and white ornaments, very beachy. I missed our holidays in Montana, just my mom and me, a pine cut from the woods, homemade decorations with strung popcorn and cranberries, hot chocolate in our mugs.
    My mom handed me a beer, and Henry made small talk with me about a recent SEAL autobiography he’d read. I just rolled my eyes—another one of the fame-hungry former SEALs violating our honor code—we were supposed to be silent warriors. These days, I wondered if our trident came with a book deal.
    Dinner was finally ready. Molly and Henry dominated the conversation, alternating between thrilling topics like the economic impact of the recent legalization of marijuana and the looming prediction that California would run out of water due to the drought. Cassie and I mostly stayed quiet. At least my mom had prepared my favorites—stuffed mushrooms, grilled salmon, pumpkin ravioli, apple bread pudding with moonshine crème sauce. I gobbled down every bite, though I noticed that Cassie didn’t touch her salmon. She was weird, and I was sure I made her nervous.
    “So Shane,” she said after swirling her glass of wine, “why did you want to be a SEAL?”
    Nope, not gonna happen. I was not going to open up to her. “To shoot guns, blow up stuff, and jump out of planes.”
    My mom shot a glare at me. “Shane always wanted to help people. He’s a corpsman actually. It’s like a medic for the Teams. He had to go through extensive advanced field medical training. Maybe one day he’ll get out and be a doctor.”
    Cassie’s mouth softened and she tilted her head and smiled at me. “Wow, that’s fascinating. What kind of training?”
    I didn’t want to answer her questions, but I figured enlightening her that I really wasn’t a dumbass would help me get into her pants later tonight. “It’s pretty intense, almost a year long after you become a SEAL. Rotations for surgery, dermatology, pediatrics, orthopedics, radiology. Even large animal veterinary care—so we can treat sea lions.”
    Cassie ignored my last comment and pressed her palms against her cheeks. “I had no idea you guys did all that. I’m impressed.”
    “It’s not a big deal. It was a pain in the ass but anything to save my men’s lives.” I fidgeted in my chair. I was done talking about myself. “I’m beat.”
    I excused myself from the table and my mom showed me to my room on the main floor. It looked like a hotel suite, huge king bed, view of the ocean, and a marble bathtub. I noticed Cassie slipping by us and heading upstairs.
    Tonight, she would be sleeping in the same house as me.
    Well, after I fucked her.

Chapter 16—Cassie
    I heard a sound at my door—a very slight sound, but it was enough. I sat up with a jerk as the door swung inward and Shane slipped into the room, with a wicked grin on his face and a knowing look in his eyes. Damn him! Somehow he sensed that I wasn’t as immune to him as I was pretending to be.
    “What are you doing in here? Get out,” I whispered, afraid to scream it at him. Terrified that anything we did together, our parents would hear. Not that we were going to do anything together. Did he really think I was going to let him touch me again?
    He waltzed right over to my bed, all six feet two of his gorgeous rock-hard body, and sat down beside me. “I’ve seen how you look at me,” the arrogant prick said, grinning that soul-softening grin. “I know you want me.”
    “I do not want you.” I was trying to forget how good that quick mistletoe kiss had felt. “Are you crazy? Our parents will hear you. My dad is already suspicious.”
    With one arm, he flipped me under him, and pressed me down flat on the bed. God help me, but the feel of his body, his muscles, and flesh and his bone brought back sharp