Surge : A Stepbrother Romance Read Online Free PDF

watch and learn from the greats. I’m
sure Sam wouldn’t mind if I demonstrated my teaching skills in action.”
     
    Sam’s
look of growing admiration turns to confusion. “Mick, we’re only teaching the
surfers how to stand on the board today, remember?” Her brows are furrowed.
           
     
    I
look to her and wink. I hope more than anything at this point that I can impress
her—the stunt has to happen, regardless. Besides, she’ll receive a lot of
business for her surfing school from my exposure alone.
     
     
    I
couldn’t even look at her as I continued on the path of my viral video. Look
at me, a big surfing icon, afraid to look my stepsister in the eye.
     
     
    She
now knows something is going on. With only the goal of gaining more fame in mind,
I paddle out to the larger sets of waves and wait for my wave to come in. With
a towering wall of water reaching over me, I throw my hat and sunglasses into
the water and catch the next big wave—high-risk, high reward. I surf with
reckless abandon, all the while looking for Sam’s approving face. As I pass the
group, she looks less than happy with me. I don’t know why—this is one of the
best waves I’ve hit in a long time.
     
     
    Even
I can’t believe it. I may not be able to teach, but man, I can perform. But even that feat wouldn’t be enough to impress Sam. I know that now.
     
     
    Sam’s
jaw sags. I ride the wave all the way into shore, where the rest of the class meets
me with applause, high-fives, and smiles. Bill, the guy who thought he knew me,
now understands.
     
     
    “I
know who you are now! You are Mick Anderson, from the Pro Surf League!”
     
            The
publicity stunt has worked amazingly, but I speak without joy. “Guilty as
charged—that’s me.”
     
     
            I
look at Sam’s face as she comes to shore behind the rest of the class. She looks...
sad. The cameras emerge and the fanfare begins, just as I planned. Sam slowly walks
past me, past the excited class, beachgoers, and fans. She doesn’t care about
any of that.
     
     
            For
the first time in a long time, fear washes over me. “Sam! Sam! Stop! I
want to talk to you.”
     
            But she’s too far gone. She walks up the beach with her back against
the setting sun with no intention of turning around. As she fades farther away
from the beach, I feel further away from happiness than ever before. My only
chance with Sam has slipped away.
     

 
    Chapter
6 Samantha - San Onofre
            What
an asshole. What an absolute asshole. How could he waste my time like that, and
more than that—how could he lie? Why does his ego mean more to him than his own
sister? I can’t believe I was considering dating that asshole—for God’s sake, he’s
my stepbrother. I don’t know anything anymore.
     
            I
begin to angrily pack the gear into the van, still muttering to myself like a crazy
woman.

            “Sam,
please don’t run away. I’m sorry. This did not go as I was hoping it would.” Mick
is approaching me, the last person in the world I want to see.
     
    “Oh.
How would you have liked it to go? Would you have liked it if I admired you? Or
bowed down to you like those lemmings?”
     
    Mick
looks at the ground. “I don’t know, Sam. I just thought it would go better. I
guess I really didn’t think this one out.”
     
    I
fold my arms. “No, you didn’t. You didn’t care about teaching. You didn’t care
about anyone but yourself. You cared about being the celebrity of the hour.
Well, you got the cameras and the money and the fame. You got everything,
except for me.”
     
     
    I
am shocked that those words even came out of my mouth. I never intended to let
him know my true feelings for him, but in my fit of rage, the words fell out. Mick
looks stunned and stammers, as if searching for the right words to say. I hope
he doesn’t realize what I meant.
     
    “Look,
Sam, this is my life. Ya, I