Forbidden: Ultimate Stepbrother Collection Read Online Free PDF Page B

eternal resting spot at the bottom of the deep hole. I’d held it together throughout most of the ceremony. John had given a truly poignant eulogy. He seemed to have understood her much better than me, or my dad, for that matter. It was as if John had been her true soul mate and it had just taken them both years to find each other.
    As the pink casket disappeared, a thickness swelled in my throat. My eyes ached with tears. She was gone for good. She’d been the source of so much irritation and grief throughout my life, but in the end, she’d been my mom. There was only one person on the planet who you shared a true physical connection with, even if it was only for nine months, and that was your mother. After my birth, my mom had had to stay in the hospital recuperating from her heart attack. My dad had taken care of me that first month. He’d been the one to get up every few hours and feed and change me. It seemed that with my unorthodox first month, my mom had lost that connection with me. The umbilical cord was cut and then they took me away. Shit, we’d never really had a chance.
    The tears streamed faster now. I crossed my arms around myself to keep from shaking. She’d left me for good. They both had left me for good. I was completely on my own. My shoulders jerked with sobs. After holding it together like a damn stone statue throughout the entire funeral, the plug had been pulled and I fell apart.
    I held tightly onto myself and closed my eyes waiting for the tears to stop flowing and the ache in my chest to subside. A large arm circled my shoulder and cradled me. I assumed it was John and continued for a few seconds longer, figuring I deserved this little moment of despair. I’d been holding back pretty well, especially after the ugly crap I’d gone through back home with Joshua. He’d been my only other family for the last year, but in the past few months, I’d discovered that I’d given my heart, body and soul over to a cruel asshole. I’d blocked his texts and calls, and I hoped never to see him again. So, it seemed, a little self-pity was long overdue.
    The arm tightened. That was when I realized that what I really needed at that moment was some human contact, some compassion. I was so utterly alone, and that prospect left me terrified.
    I turned into John’s chest. Something didn’t feel quite right. The usual tobacco and cologne combination was absent. The large, round beer belly was missing as well. The chest my face was pressed against was hard, rock hard. The arms that held me were like protective steel. An unexplained sensation fluttered through me— I wanted to stay locked in those safe arms forever. Drake, perhaps? He seemed like the type who would readily offer a hug.
    I drew in a long, shuddering breath and took a couple of futile swipes at the tears pooled in my eyes. I peered up into the face of the man who held me. Pale green eyes stared back.
    I sucked in a sharp breath and pulled away. “I thought you were John.”
    “Nope. Sorry to disappoint.” It seemed my abrupt departure from his arms had bothered him. Or that might have been my imagination with some wishful thinking sprinkled in.
    “Guess you miss her more than you thought,” he said. A sleek black suit. He’d donned a black suit for the grim occasion. He looked so handsome, it made my already aching heart hurt more.
    I swallowed hard, trying to soothe the dryness in my throat left behind by the cry session. “She was my mom, after all. And, well, you know, we only get the one real mom. I wish we’d patched things up before she decided to leave me here alone.”
    “You’re not alone, Slick. You’ve got us Mavericks, and not many people get that lucky.” He smiled. He was being charming and nice and  . . . likable. I decided my safest bet was to stay completely on my guard. His mood could change at any time.
    He held out his arm for me to take. “Your chariot, or, in this case, a stretch limo, awaits.”
    Cautiously,