Forbidden: Ultimate Stepbrother Collection Read Online Free PDF

was stupid, but she sounded so lost and genuinely upset.
    She smiled weakly. “I’ve always thought it would be nice, you know, to have someone I could be close to that wasn’t just a friend or an acquaintance. Like a sister or brother.”
    I froze and an icy knot formed in my stomach. She sensed my sudden mood change.
    “Are you all right, Luke?”
    “You don’t fucking get it, do you, McKenna?” I swam to the side and climbed out. She peered up at me from the step looking even sadder than a few seconds ago. “The last thing I want to be is your goddamn brother.” I grabbed my clothes and boots and walked out of the pool area.

Chapter 6
    McKenna
    The slope we stood on was dotted with elegantly carved headstones, patterned in a perfect array amongst the bright green blades of grass. A massive brown hawk with a limp garter snake clutched in its beak had flown a slow, majestic circle over the gravesite during the ceremony. I tried to decide if it was somehow symbolic or just a creepy coincidence.
    The interminable humidity, the warm stickiness that I’d come to expect but had not yet learned to ignore, permeated the air. Even the breeze wafting up the lush green hillside from the highway below, did nothing to dry the moisture on my skin.
    I stood next to John and Drake, John’s eldest son, stood on the opposite side. Luke was across the circle. I was surrounded by a sea of unfamiliar faces hidden by designer sunglasses and custom hats, fashionably big ones like those worn on derby day for the women and crisp cowboy hats for the men. There was no shortage of alligator boots, giant bellies or cumbersome silver belt buckles either. And I knew no one. I was at my mom’s funeral, the only child and living blood relative of the woman in the pearly pink casket, and with the exception of the Maverick men, I didn’t know one damn person. I was a stranger at my mom’s funeral, an outsider.
    Mom must have loved living here with this circle of rich friends to keep her social life roaring. Posh parties and snooty lunches were what my mom lived for. Aside from a new pair of heels, of course.
    Long before this day had come, John and Mom had discussed final wishes. Mom had insisted that she didn’t want anyone staring down at her dead body in an open coffin. For that, I was grateful. I wasn’t completely sure I would have been able to look.
    Following the funeral, John had invited everyone back to the ranch for a wake, an expensive, gourmet affair complete with rare wine and hundred year old whiskey. I desperately wanted to spend time alone, maybe down in the stables rubbing soft muzzles and listening to the musical chorus of snorts. But I was the daughter, and I was expected to endure an afternoon of chatting with people who I didn’t know and who I had absolutely nothing in common with.
    And, then there was Luke. We’d hardly spoken two words since his harsh comments and rude departure from the pool. The man despised me, and since I had no idea why, there was nothing I could do to repair the relationship. He’d been right about the size of the property being so big we’d hardly ever cross paths. I was thankful for that.
    I’d met his older brother Drake the day before. He was a bit smaller and not quite as spectacularly handsome, but he had qualities Luke lacked. Like kindness. And charm. And manners. Like his father, Drake had made me feel like a member of the family rather than a nuisance.
    The last flowers were tossed into the grave, and the mourners began the slow and almost precarious descent down to the cars. John turned to take my arm.
    “If you don’t mind, John, I’d like to stay here alone for just a few minutes. I will meet you at the limo.”
    Even with dark sunglasses covering his face, I could see the raw emotion in his expression and it brought tears to my eyes. “Of course, McKenna. Take as long as you need.” He turned and walked away.
    The gravediggers moved right in to lower the casket to its