Free Wrecked: A Stepbrother Romance Novel by Arabella Abbing Page B

seriously the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in. Not gonna lie—It was really hard to get up.”
    I purposely ignored the way he tensed when I got close, doing everything in my power not to let my frustration show. I knew it was going to take time for him to get used to me again, just like it was going to take time for myself to become used to the new Brandon.
    The strangest part thus far was just how quickly I was getting comfortable with him again. The worst of it was when I got a direct look at his newly-scarred face.
    Well, new to me anyways.
    “So what’s on the agenda for today?”
    Brandon grunted as he dumped a spoonful of sugar into his cup, then one in mine. “The doctor who is performing the surgery will be stopping by around lunch time to answer any questions we may have. Beyond that, you’re free to do whatever you’d like.”
    I frowned at his back when he turned away and marched towards the table where his toast and newspaper were waiting. For a brief moment, I considered taking advantage of the gorgeous weather here and hitting the beach, but the idea left a bad taste in my mouth.
    “Are you free today?” I asked, forcing my voice to remain nonchalant.
    He froze, looking up from the paper at me with surprise. “I… I have some work to do this morning, but I’ll be free afterwards.”
    “Want to hang out? You can show me around or we can watch movies or something.”
    I could tell just by his furrowed brow that he wasn’t sure why I wanted to be around him and I braced myself for rejection. But whether he was simply too curious to pass up the opportunity or he couldn’t think of a valid excuse to say no, he lifted his shoulders in a shrug.
    “That sounds fine.”
    When I beamed at him, the corners of his mouth twitched in response and my stomach flipped at the sight. The warmth I felt deep inside was as much of a red flag as it was when we were teenagers, only this time, I realized that the warning meant nothing to me anymore.
    Uh-oh.
----
    A round ten minutes until noon , I heard a soft knock on my bedroom door.
    “Vanessa? The doctor just arrived.”
    “Coming!” I shouted from the bathroom, taking a final glance at my hair and outfit, smoothing out non-existent wrinkles as I wrestled with my nerves.
    After a rather stilted breakfast filled with lots of tense silence and awkward small talk, Brandon had taken off to his office to wrap up the work he had to do this morning. I had fled to the bedroom and taken a long bath in the luxurious tub, taking extra time to shave everywhere that needed it before I got out and blow-dried my hair.
    Before I even realized it, I had straightened my hair, perfected my makeup, and was in the process of putting on an outfit that was far cuter than what the day called for. It’d been a long damn time since I got ready for a date and I felt totally insane for thinking about an innocent afternoon of hanging out with Brandon in such a way.
    I got all dolled up to spend time with Brandon. I’m officially crazy.
    But regardless of my sanity, or lack thereof, I had a job to do. Granted today was going to be solely meeting with the doctor and finally getting an explanation of why I was here, I still needed to put on my game face and stop thinking about Brandon as something more than he was.
    “He’s a patient and my stepbrother. That’s all,” I firmly told my reflection.
    But the primped-up image presented back at me said an entirely different story. I could only hope that Brandon wouldn’t notice.
----
    M y hope that Brandon wouldn’t notice the effort I put into my appearance was in vain, but luckily, he seemed to be completely clueless as to why I had done it. His eyes constantly strayed to me as we moved through the house, making our way to his study. But every time I looked over, he’d turn away, a pink blush forming on his cheeks.
    He really has no idea that I did this for him.
    No, I didn’t do this for him!
    Irritated at myself, I shook my