He's So Fine (A BBW Stepbrother Romance) Read Online Free PDF Page A

looked away and fiddled with my glasses. I did that when I got nervous. I have several nervous habits that acted as defense mechanisms when someone got too close.
    When someone got this close to me, studying me this intently, all my insecurities rose to the surface. I didn’t have as many as I use to. My mom had insisted on getting me a professional hairstyle before we came to the Hamptons so I knew my hair looked better than it ever had. It was pulled back in a ponytail right now since I’d been going to play tennis, but it still looked good.
    My teeth were straight thanks to the braces and retainers I’d worn for over four years. I was grateful for my mother’s sacrifice to do that for me. When I’d thanked her, she’d simply said it was something she wanted to do. Her teeth weren’t the straightest, and she knew I’d always be self-conscious about mine if we didn’t get them fixed. After my braces were paid for, I’d finally convinced her to try those plastic ones they advertised on television. Surprisingly, they worked pretty well.
    My hair was good. My teeth were straight. I had even inherited my grandmother’s complexion. Yes, I was white as a ghost in the dead of winter, but I could tan to a nice pale brown if I took it slow. My appearance below the neck was what had me wanting to get away from this man as fast as possible.
    Big girl, remember?
    As if he sensed my agitation was going to go nuclear, he stepped back, putting some much needed space between us.
    “How about some more?”
    I didn’t trust my trembling hand to pass him the heavy crystal pitcher. I didn’t like using the thing. It was heavy for one thing, and I was sure it cost more than my biology book last semester, which had put a big dent in my savings. A full ride to college didn’t necessarily mean everything was paid for. Under normal circumstances—where my mother wasn’t married to a fucking millionaire, still couldn’t believe that was real—I’d be working as a waitress or a sales clerk from May until September, fatting up my bank account. “Oh, help yourself.”
    When he reached for the lemonade, I scooted out beneath his arms to stand several feet away. “Our parents won’t be home until later. Are you hungry?”
    He smiled at me and leaned back against the counter, his lemonade in his hand. He looked as if he knew exactly how much he had rattled me and why I’d made the reference to our parents. Emphasis on our .
    “I could eat.”
    I immediately went to the refrigerator and started grabbing things. I hadn’t lied when I said my mother liked to cook. I was a good cook, too. I’d had to learn how to make the most of what we had. Not that I’d grown up poor, but we were certainly lower middle class. My real father had died in the service when I was a baby. My mother had managed to stretch the benefits she’d received as a widow a long way. When combined with her teacher’s salary, our life had been decent.
    Glancing at Cage, I pulled out another bowl from the fridge. The guy was huge. No doubt the food budget would double now that he was here. In minutes, I had some warmed up lasagna, salad, and freshly toasted garlic bread set out before him. The breakfast bar in the kitchen could easily sit six so there was plenty of room.
    I’d told him the truth, our parents—my mom and his dad—wouldn’t be home until later. “I’m sure they would have been here if they’d known you were coming tonight.” I knew his father had heard back from the law firm that had contacted Cage several weeks ago. They’d told him the plane ticket and money he’d sent had been returned. I knew Horace had given up hope at the point.
    I’m not sure what I would have done in Cage’s position. To suddenly be confronted with a father who you’d never known. It had to be tough. Especially, for a man.
    I watched as he took a healthy serving of everything. He was about to start eating when he looked up at me.
    “Where’s your