Free Love All Out - Part 2 (A Stepbrother Romance) by Alice Ward Page A

minutes… God, I hope that’s not Bradley.
    I walked to the door and peaked out the peep hole. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw James in the hallway.
    “Willow… you look amazing,” he said as I swung open the door.
    “You clean up pretty nice yourself,” I replied. I took a few steps back and James entered the room. He wore a classic black tuxedo, with a starched white shirt and a black satin vest and tie. Shiny leather shoes adorned his feet, and his face was freshly shaved.
    “Seriously, Willow, I can’t take my eyes off of you,” James continued. He held my right hand above my head and I spun in a full circle, showing off my outfit.
    I wanted to look elegant, but I also wanted to be taken seriously as a horse woman. I’d chosen a black silk jumpsuit for the night, with a low cut, spaghetti strapped top and wide, flowing legs. I’d cinched a silver belt around my waist and completed the look with silver jewelry and strappy black heels. My long, blonde hair hung in curls around my shoulders.
    I completed my circle and came to a stop, facing James. He put his hands on my hips and pulled my body to his.
    “This is just cruel, seeing you like this and knowing I won’t be able to touch you all night,” he whispered into my ear. His soft breath tickled my neck. My pulse quickened and my breasts heaved against his chest. I leaned back in James’s arms and gave him my best seductive smile.
    “You could always come back here with me tonight,” I suggested. “Or I could pay a visit to your room.”
    “Are you sure you don’t have plans with your betrothed?” he teased.
    I frowned and gave him a playful slap on the shoulder. “Don’t even joke about that. I hate that Bradley is on this trip and I hate that our fathers keep encouraging his little crush on me. I never have and never will have any interest in Bradley Miller.”
    “I know that, Willow,” James assured me. “I was just teasing you. But I have to say, when he put his hand on you back in the hangar, it was all I could do not to rip his arm off.” He sat down on the foot of the bed and pulled me onto his lap.
    “Don’t worry about Bradley,” I told him. “He’s annoying, but harmless. I’d rather talk about our plan. Are you sure your mom’s old boyfriend will show up this weekend?”
    James nodded. “Clark should be here tonight, actually. He doesn’t have a horse in the race, but one of his partners does. It worked out pretty well. I had nothing to do with him being here, so no one can accuse us of meddling.”
    I shifted my weight nervously and James rested his head against my shoulder. “You’re still not sure we’re doing the right thing,” he observed, his voice barely a whisper.
    I sighed and shook my head. “Think about it, James. Even if they call off the engagement, the fact that they were ever involved to begin with will make it difficult for us to be together. I know it will be awkward… them getting married and us dating… but maybe it wouldn’t be as bad as we think. At least we’d all be happy.”
    James pushed me out of his lap and rose to his feet. “Think about what you’re saying, Willow,” he said as he paced the floors. “If they get married, you’ll be my sister. Not by blood, but by law… and in most people’s eyes, that’s close enough. Can you imagine what they’ll say about us? What they’ll say about our family? We’d never recover from the scandal.”
    I didn’t know if he was being paranoid or realistic. “But going behind their back, plotting to break up the engagement… it feels wrong, James.”
    He walked back to me and pulled me to my feet. He leaned down and kissed me urgently, his hands moving up and down my body as his mouth covered mine. And then as suddenly as he’d embraced me, he pulled away.
    “Did that feel wrong, Willow?” he asked, his arms still loosely wrapped around my waist.
    I looked into his frustrated eyes and shook my head. “No,” I whispered.
    He