Free Stepbrother Desires (Billionaire Contemporary Romance) by Bianca James Page B

emptiness lingered for the rest of the day.

Chapter 3
Anna
     
    Something was wrong.
Like, seriously wrong. Excruciating pain. Every muscle aching. Every limb blistering
with pain even before I moved a single muscle. I hoped someone got the license
number of the bus that ran me over. At least I could sue someone’s ass off.
    Advil.
Bathroom cabinet. Too far away. No, you can do it.
    Gritting my
teeth, I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and started to stand up. Bad
idea. Every joint, every muscle fiber screamed in protest. The bathroom might
as well have been on the next block. Walking the few steps to reach the Advil
seemed like a gargantuan effort.
    Come on, stop
being such a wimp. The sooner you pop some pills, the sooner you can start
feeling human again. I tried to convince myself,
but I’m suddenly reminded of my stepbrother. Again. I used to hate it when he
called me that. He was always making fun of me and picking on me. I should have
hated him for that. Instead, I …
    That’s when I noticed
the bruising and thankfully, it distracted me from my thoughts. There had been
a couple of small ones yesterday, but overnight those had grown larger and
darker. And they’d multiplied. My arms and legs were covered in them. Big,
ugly, discolored patches. Could this get any worse?   Struggling to
straighten up, I realized that, yes, it can get worse. I hobbled toward the
bathroom, each step a new adventure in pain.
    Maybe, just
maybe, I overdid it a little in class. Alright, dammit, a lot. I want to get
this nailed. It’s so damn hard and I have to make this work. If I don’t, I’ll
end up having to go back to … I couldn’t even
finish the thought. I tried to direct my attention to how I came to be in so
much pain in the first place.
     

     
    When I first
joined the Pole Dance class, it started off pretty easy. Then it got real challenging
mighty fast as the basic techniques and spins were put together to form complex
routines, requiring the transitions that I quickly learned to dread and a great
deal of coordination and strength. There were countless spills and a hell of a lot
of bruises along the way.
    I’d done well
learning the classic Fireman, Front Hook and Back Hook Spins, and I thought I
looked pretty hot when I finally got the hang of the Martini Spin, if I do say
so myself. After all, what could be hotter than a dance move named after a
cocktail!
    It was around
that time that I met Melissa. She approached me during a rest break.
    “Hi. I’m Melissa.
I couldn’t help noticing how good you are at this. Have you done it before?”
    No! Not a
talker. Go away. I’m not here to make friends or listen to your problems. At the time, there was no way I was in the mood to be meeting
people and making friends.
    “No, never done
it before. I’m Anna, by the way. You’re working the pole behind me, right?”
    “That’s me. I
nearly walked out when I got here for the first class. I was so nervous.
Seriously, I thought I was going to be sick. Then I saw you and you looked so
confident and at ease. It kind of made me feel more relaxed, so I stayed. Glad
I did, too. It’s hard work, but so much fun.” Melissa replied, looking
awkwardly at the bottled water stacked on the table behind me.
    “Sorry. I’m in
your way,” I said as I handed a bottle to my classmate. “I’ve been called many
things in my time, but calming influence has never come up before.”
    “I hope you
don’t mind, but I’ve been watching what you do. It really helps me follow
along. I’m struggling with some of the moves, so I just follow your lead.”
    “That’s fine,
just promise you won’t laugh when I try my Bunny Slide or Wide Squat and end up
looking totally not sexy. I’m OK with the athletic side of it, but I’ve never
thought of myself as the sexy, seductive type. I feel so awkward doing that stuff.” Wow, I can’t believe I actually opened up like that to a complete stranger .
    “Really? Are you
serious? You looked