Shackled: A Stepbrother Romance Novel Read Online Free PDF Page A

shut the fuck up. You know exactly why that’s a scary idea and it starts and ends in Jonathan’s pants. Asshole or not—you still want him.
    I huffed at the thought, but deep down, I knew it was true. It didn’t help matters that Jonathan looked even better than he had the last time I’d laid eyes on him. His slightly pale skin was now covered with a tan that he’d undoubtedly gotten from working outside during the summer and the warm months of fall. Along with the tan, he’d also developed more muscle—including thick biceps that made the sleeves of his t-shirts bulge around them.
    There was some ink peeking out from under the cotton that I was more curious about than I wanted to admit. I had wanted to get a tattoo ever since I turned eighteen, but my fear of needles stopped me every time the thought crossed my mind.
    “Fiona?”
    “Hmm?” I hummed, snapping back to reality. I glanced to my right, a fleeting image of Jonathan’s raised eyebrow as he made his way toward the cabin immediately registering in my brain. “Oh, sorry. I was zoning out.”
    “I got your bag!” Gerald shouted before slamming the trunk shut.
    Jonathan was already by the door and waiting for my mom to unlock the cabin by the time I finally got out of the car, trailing behind Gerald all the way to the steps. My mom breezed past us all and slid the key into the lock, then opened the door with a grand gesture.
    “ Ta-daaa! ”
    “We’ve been here before, Mom.”
    She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “You’re in a sour mood.”
    Well, duh. Can’t possibly imagine why.
    “I’m fine,” I lied, forcing my lips into a tight smile even though my stomach flipped with nervousness. “I’m just tired. I think I’m going to take a nap.”
    Mom frowned and tipped her head to the side, looking at me curiously before she narrowed her eyes. “Don’t forget why we brought you out here. I don’t want you two avoiding each other all weekend.”
    “I won’t forget,” I promised, but I was certain that she could hear the fakeness of my cheery tone. “We’ll see you guys in a few days.”
    I gave Mom a quick hug, hiding my guilty expression against her shoulder until I managed to straighten it back to neutral, then pulled away to give Gerald an awkward wave. I didn’t even look towards Jonathan, even though I could see him in my peripheral vision, leaning up against the kitchen counter and watching the entire exchange in silence.
    Right when I got to the door of my bedroom, the asshole shouted, “I’ll wake you up in twenty minutes to start our bonding, princess!”
    The door slammed so hard behind me I could hear the hinges creak.
    When I told my mom that I was tired, I hadn’t been lying. My sleep the night before had been plagued by nightmares and I spent hours restlessly tossing and turning. The exhaustion I felt was bone deep and no amount of coffee was going to pull me out of this fog. I needed to rest.
    The idea of sleeping and allowing Jonathan the chance to wake me up didn’t appeal to me in the slightest, but even so, the moment I flopped onto the mattress, my eyes slid shut and I fell into a deep sleep.

Chapter Seven

Jonathan
    “ D o you have to antagonize the poor girl?” Dad asked after the slam of her door echoed through the cabin.
    Have to? Probably not. Want to? Well…
    I shrugged and turned around under the pretense of checking the refrigerator for food, pointedly ignoring the look of disappointment Leslie was giving me.
    “Why wouldn’t I? She just took off after graduation and refused to speak to me again. It’s pretty damn obvious she’s not interested in being friends anymore.”
    I wasn’t going to take all the blame here. Sure, I behaved like an asshole. No, I hadn’t done the right thing and the fault there was entirely mine.
    But she never even gave me a chance to explain. It was like the moment her feelings got hurt, the entire twelve years of our friendship suddenly meant nothing to her.
    “We may not