Free Forbidden Steps: A Stepbrother Romance by Bianca Sommerland Page A

Colin reached out and lifted her straight out of her seat.
    Ashley looked up, eyes wide, lips parted as he set her in his lap. Colin didn’t look at her. Relaxing back into his seat he left his arms around her, holding her to his chest. Then he waited. When the stiff set of her spine and shoulders finally eased he started stroking her hair, smoothing it down over the blanket still wrapped around her.
    “I’m not going to try and justify what I’m doing with Steph.” Colin kept petting Ashley’s hair, his words a calm monotone, well paced so they had time to sink in. “But in no way, shape or form does that change things with me and you. I love you. I never hung out with Steph before the accident. Me and you were a lot closer. Mostly because you followed me around like a puppy.”
    Bristling, Ashley frowned up at him, clearly offended. Colin looked down and met her eyes, the edge of his lip lifting, making it very clear that he didn’t mind. Anymore that is.
    “The point is nothing has to change between us.”
    Ashley tried to push away from him. “So things just continue as if nothing’s happened. You and Steph have your thing and so long as I stay out of the way everything’s fine.”
    Holding Ashley right where she was, Colin waited until she’d stopped fighting him before forcing her to look at him. “How in the world did you get that out of what I just said?”
    “Nothing changes between us. Steph’s your girlfriend and I’m just the annoying kid you both gotta deal with.”
    “Since when are you annoying?”
    Hands braced against his chest, Ashley tried to push herself back. She didn’t get far, so she tried sliding down out of his grasp even as she spoke. “I guess I wasn’t while I was out of the way. Must have been convenient.”
    Holding her was like trying to hold as dozen squirming puppies. Not ready to give up, Colin turned and dropped his seat back midway, pushed Ashley down on the seat, and put himself in front of her.
    It was an awkward position, one knee on the floor, one bent against the seat between her thighs, hands against her shoulders. Still, the space in the jeep made it possible and put him in control of the situation. The last thing he needed was her trying to take off.
    “That’s quite enough.” Colin’s tone was firm, the same one he’d used on her when she was a child. The tone that had once been used only when she was doing something dangerous or obnoxious, but it served him well enough now. Ashley couldn’t help but respond to the command.
    Even if it was followed by typical teenage defiance. “You really shouldn’t be holding me like this. People might make something of it.”
    Her mockery of him made Colin want to forget getting through to her, bend her over his lap, and spank her. The image made him hard, much harder than he’d been with her writhing around in his lap. Remembering that wasn’t helping him stay on point.
    “Do you really think I care what people think?”
    “Enough that you’re keeping your relationship with Steph a secret.”
    Colin leaned down, closer to her, wanting to make sure she didn’t miss a word. “Sexual preferences between consenting adults are none of anyone else’s business. I don’t need to announce it to the world to know how I feel. Hell, if what was going on with you and Danny and his friend hadn’t been forced, I wouldn’t have had a thing to say about it.”
    “Really?” Ashley seemed surprised.
    Which made it impossible for Colin to lie to her. “No. Not really.” Colin pushed back until the steering wheel was digging into his spine.
    Ashley leaned forward. There was hope in her eyes. “Why not?”
    Colin dropped his hands to her knees. The blanket wasn’t covering them, or much of her anymore, so he was able to enjoy the silky texture of her skin under the rough pads of his fingers. Ashley shivered and Colin studied her face, wanting to make sure he wasn’t scaring her.
    “I’m a selfish bastard. I don’t