Free Hard Rock Stepbrothers The Complete Series by Anita Lawless Page B

my life. You can trust me.”
    She looked him up and down. “Sorry. It’s confidential.”
    Next he tried charm to get the information, smoothing his hands up and down her bare arms, slipping his fingers beneath her sleeve and beneath her bra strap. “Not even a hint?”
    She moved away as he tried to ease the bra strap off her shoulder. Oh no, she thought, he wouldn’t get away with his seduction tactics just to loosen her tongue. She wasn’t that stupid, thank you very much.
    “Nope,” she said, dumping soap in the little dispenser on the side of the washer, ramming it shut, and yanking the knob to the heavy load setting. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have socks to fold.”
    She’d heard him growl out curses as she walked away from him.
    And so it went for the next four days. Mickie avoided Hunter, Hunter avoided Shane and Sally. Mickie wasn’t sure why, at first, until she and Sally got to talking on the deck the day after their suspension. Their guest seemed to need someone to talk to, and Mickie had offered up an ear.
    “Let’s just say I fucked up royally.” Sally sighed, staring into her tea cup as she sat crossed legged in a lawn chair. “I let my vagina do the thinking. Not good at all.”
    Unlike her pushy stepbrother, Hunter, Mickie didn’t press the woman for too much information. She just let her give what she wanted to give. It was nice to talk to someone besides her brooding and oversexed stepbrothers.
    “So, yeah…” Sally gave her a sheepish look and downed the last of her tea before she continued. “I kind of slept with Shane, and, for reasons I can’t go into, Hunter’s not too happy about it.”
    Mickie almost choked on her own mouthful of tea. But, then, knowing Shane and his lethal sex appeal, she wasn’t surprised Sally succumbed when locked in a room with him. Few women would be able to resist.
    “So, ummm…” Sally looked down in her cup, glanced toward the heated pool they sat beside. “Are you mad about me and Shane, too?” She finally focused on Mickie once more, eyes shining and tentative.
    Mickie thought about that for a moment. Truth was, she couldn’t say she bore the woman a grudge. Sure, there had been an initial surge of jealousy, but it flickered out relatively quickly. She was attracted to Shane, there was no doubt. He was irresistible, but her heart didn’t belong to her rock star brother. It belonged to the cranky, brooding cop, and she wondered if it always would.
    But she couldn’t tell Hunter that she loved him, could she? They’d never work. They fought too much and drove each other crazy. It was best to forget and end their brief fling, move on. Instead, she’d be happy for Sally and Shane and their budding romance, or whatever it was.
    She answered Sally, not wanting to make the poor woman sweat too long. Mickie reached out and patted the blonde’s petite, pixie-like hand. “Don’t worry about it. If you like Shane, have at it, hon.” The little blonde smiled in relief, and Mickie added, “Just remember, he’s a heartbreaker. But what’s the harm in you having some fun while you’re staying with us?”
    Sally chuckled. “Thanks for understanding, Mickie.”
    Mickie smiled, even though she felt wistful and a bit worried. “No problem.”
    Sally leaned forward and placed her elbows on the table. “What about you and Hunter?”
    Mickie couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “Actually, I was going to ask you the same thing a few days back.”
    They shared a laugh. Then Sally spoke, “Hunter and I are close, he’s like my big brother, but there’s never really been anything between us. Don’t get me wrong.” She shrugged. “At one time, I really wanted that with Hunter, but he never seemed very interested, other than friendship. I just never pushed it and neither did he.”
    Mickie nodded, feeling relief. But then she thought of Hunter’s reserved nature when it came to emotions, or pursuing the woman he wanted. He kept so much inside,