Stepbrother Romance: My Alpha Cowboy Stepbrother (Stepbrother Romance, Taboo, Forbidden, Stepsister, New Adult, Western Romance, Cowboy Romance) Read Online Free PDF

the horses and stow away their tack. We worked in silence, each lost in thought.
                  “I know,” said Edward, as we walked together up the winding stairs towards the house. “Tomorrow night, just after midnight, meet me down by the jetty, we can row across to the cabin, or sail if there is a breeze.”
                  “Sounds romantic,” I replied. “It's a shame we have to sneak around, although it is quite exciting.”
                  Edward was about to reply and then stopped. Ahead, the aunt was now sitting outside the house, near the top of the stairs. We walked past her in silence, the tension in the air felt palpable. It was a relief to finally enter the house, though I now dreaded the evening meal, where we would have to face her accusatory gaze once again. I pushed the thoughts from my mind. Just ignore her, I told myself, there is far too much good stuff happening in my life right now to let some sour crone ruin it for me.
                  It was still a couple of hours until dinner when I got back to my room, so I decided to have a long bath to relax my aching muscle from the day's riding. And not just from the horse riding, I reminded myself, smiling. I thought back to the sex in the cabin, where the undiscovered dominant side of my nature had exposed itself. Perhaps it was Edward's easy going nature that had given me the confidence to be who I wanted to be. Either way, I was enjoying my newfound confidence as much as the sex. Tomorrow night seemed too far away...
     

VII
     
    D inner that night passed uneventfully. Thankfully the Aunt had kept to herself for most of the meal, participating only in some small talk about the weather and such. Edward and I too kept our conversation to a minimum, perhaps scared that our closeness would be revealed if we talked.
    Once we had eaten Edward had decided to go out to meet some of his friends from his Polo team, so I decided to watch the stars come out on the veranda with a glass of wine. A short while later I heard footsteps approach from the house.
    “Enjoying yourself?” It was the Aunt.
    “Err... Yes, thank you,” I answered, surprised. “It's a nice night.”
    “Don't think I can't see what you’re up to,” she sneered.
    “I'm sure I don't know wh...” I began.
    “Don't play innocent with me, you little trollop. Your mother may have gotten her claws into my Nephew, but I'll be damned if I'm going to let you worm your way into Edward's affections.” Mildred bent closer towards me, she smelled of lavender and disinfectant. “People like you need to know your place. You're the granddaughter of a second-rate actress. You don't belong in this family.”
    “Now, look here,” I retorted angrily, struggling to keep my voice level. “I don't know what you think you know, but it is none of your business either way...”
    “Things that happen in my family are my business, and I'm not letting Edward get involved with a strumpet like you. I won't warn you again...” said Mildred coldly. She stared at me for a moment, letting the threat sink in, then walked silently away – like a Nosferatu slinking into the shadows.
     
    The encounter had made me angry, but there was nothing I could do about it at that time. Edward was away, and I could not raise the subject with anyone else, for fear of prompting some awkward questions. I retreated to my room with the last half of a bottle of wine, and found a mindless movie to distract myself. The old woman had scared me, if I was honest with myself. What Edward's suspicions were true, and she was capable of far worse than harsh words... A chill ran down my spine, and I decided to double check whether I had locked the door, I had.
    With the aid of the wine, I soon fell asleep, although my dreams were restless and full of lurking terrors.
     
    *****
     
                  I was still tired the following day, so stayed in bed until almost noon. Finally