Fraud: A Stepbrother Romance Read Online Free PDF Page A

accident.
    One of them had almost died, and the other
five members of the team were rescued because the one who’d almost drowned had
held out as they were helicoptered to the rescue ship.
    I saw the photo in the article, and nearly
had a heart attack!
    Derek was the SEAL who’d nearly died!
    He’d rescued all the others, and was given
a Medal of Honor for his valor.
    That son of a bitch had never said a word
to me!
    Or anyone else, that I could tell…not even
Peg.
     
    *****
     
    After that, I fell into another depressed
state.
    I worked hard, and my new job gave me
plenty of reasons to not be able to think about Derek.
    And then, I had to find another place for
Alfred, because I simply no longer had time for him. I cried harder than any
time I could remember in my life, promising him that I’d be back, once I
finished getting myself to where I needed to be.
    He looked at me with those sad eyes, but
he licked my face.
    Luckily, I had a beautiful co-worker,
Leslie, who was good with animals, and had the space and time to take Alfred
in. I arranged for his upkeep, and she assured me that Alfred would get along
just fine with her cats, lizards and one creepy tarantula. That last pet made
me wonder about her sanity a bit, but she took it out and let it walk on my
arm. I just about crapped my pants, at first, but soon realized it felt like a
big, hairy mouse. A mouse with eight fucking, hairy legs, but a mouse
nonetheless.
    His name was “Peter Parker”, which just
wasn’t right, you know?
    Anyway, Leslie promised to look after
Alfred, and she did.
    So, I busted my ass, won case after case,
and ended up with a very respectable record in the courtroom. My rate of
conviction was almost 95%, which was good enough to catch the eyes of the
partners in the firm.
    I was made a junior partner, and the money
and perks piled up.
    My love life was non-existent, because I
was concentrating on my career.
    And, to be honest, none of the men I was
meeting could hold a candle to Derek.
    Oh, I tried to go out, for some social
interaction, a few times.
    I didn’t want any rumors going around that
I was a lesbian, or an old maid or anything.
    But, none of the dates I went out on
amounted to anything more than killing time.
    I didn’t drink heavily, and I was easily
bored with discussing work or office politics.
    I managed to get a few men almost into
bed, but at the last minute, Fate would intervene, and my cell phone might
ring, or theirs would.
    There were promises to hook up later, but
they always were just mere words.
     

Chapter 3
     
    MEGAN
     
    One day, I found myself having too much
time on my hands, and I did some soul-searching.
    The end result of that was for me to leave
the firm, and start my own practice.
    I went back to Leslie, and Alfred was only
a bit older, but still happy to see me.
    I loved him so much, and luckily had
managed to visit him often enough to keep him happy.
    Leslie said goodbye to him, but I could
tell he still was mine!
    We moved out of the small place I’d had,
and then started to travel around.
    I wanted to see where I would settle, and
lived all over the country.
    I liked Seattle, after Boston, but the
weather was too damp and dreary for me.
    The city was beautiful, and there was
plenty of work, but Alfred wasn’t happy there.
    So, we moved to Boulder, and I rented a
cabin for a while.
     
    *****
     
    Alfred loved Colorado, and we stayed and
played while I worked.
    We’d walk the trails and meadows, and he’d
roll in the grass and chase rabbits.
    And, it was there that he passed away, one
fine spring day.
    He was almost seven, but he’d had some
health problems. There wasn’t any pain.
    One morning, he just didn’t wake up.
     
    *****
     
    I was sadder than I’d been in years, with
the loss of my best friend.
    I buried him in the meadow where he’d love
to chase the rabbits.
    There was a stream, and flowers in the
field.
    I knew he was going to love it there,
forever, always running and having