Dearest Stepbrother: Twin Fighters Read online

  Copyright © Dearest Stepbrother: Twin Fighters

  by Olivia Hawthorne

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  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Dearest Stepbrother Series

  Twin Fighters

  (Book 1)

  Chapter One

  I remember the first time I met Connor and Liam. The light bruises on their faces made me wonder why my mother had brought them into my life.

  Twins with vibrant brown, wavy hair and grey eyes that appeared silver, my soon to be stepbrothers had walked into the room with anger in their eyes and a chip on their shoulders.

  I couldn't blame them for their anger. I wasn't thrilled about our parents' pending marriage either. I wasn't looking forward to a life and house shared with strangers, especially not with two boys that looked dangerous - that were obvious loose cannons hiding in shadows I never dreamed could exist.

  Both were tall and well-built - powerhouses with bulging biceps and shoulders that were three times the width of mine.

  But it was the bruises that I noticed first; marks that they wore with pride, darkening the shrewd looks in their eyes. I spent the last two years of high school living with them, watching them…avoiding them.

  They slept all day and disappeared at night, going where, nobody knew. They were always dressed well and drove flashy cars. I'd always assumed it was their father who was paying for all of the things that they had. But when I went to college, I found out something about my stepbrothers that would turn my world upside down. They dragged me into the fray, loving me, wanting me - taunting me - until they were something I could no longer resist.

  * * *

  "Are you ready for this, Emma?"

  Lifting up my mom's long white lace and pearl beaded train from the church floor, I took my position behind her, ready to walk her in the procession down the aisle. The double doors were open and the flower girls were stealing the show with their cute faces and matching dresses.

  "It's not too late, mom. We can make a run for it." I smiled, wishing like hell she would take me up on the offer because I wasn't looking forward to this marriage.

  "Not funny, Emma." She glared at me, but then a smile broke out on her face when her entrance song started to play. I plastered on a fake smile to match her real one and walked her down...two steps, stop...two steps, stop...just like we'd practiced.

  Reaching the front, my mom joined hands were her soon-to-be new husband, Eric, and I took my place as Maid of Honor by her side. Mom and Eric went through their vows and I kept my head low trying not to stare at Eric's hot as hell best men - his twin sons, Connor and Liam.

  Each boy would look up at me, the sharp cut of their cheekbones and strong jaws making them appear much older than eighteen. Shadows marked their skin, a blotchy redness that made me wonder if they'd gotten into a fight at school - or with each other, which was the most likely reason for their constant battered appearance.

  Shifting my feet from side to side, I felt uncomfortable because they watched me. Mom and Eric had been together for a year, but in that time, I hadn't spent many days around the twins, and the times that we were around each other were usually at events that kept us from being able to talk. Dinner conversations were always dominated by my mother or Eric.

  "You may kiss the bride..."

  The end of the ceremony and the applause from the audience broke me from my thoughts and I was relieved that I wouldn't have to keep standing here avoiding eye contact with the twins. In a quick procession, I followed after my mom and Eric as they walked towards the church doors, but I felt something tug me from behind.

  Glancing back, I saw Connor smile, his mischievous grin growing brighter when he watched me look down to notice him standing on the train of my dress. He took two steps forward, leaning into me so that his lips were next to my ear.

  "You look beautiful, Emma."

  My eyes widened and I opened my mouth to respond, but then noticed how we were holding up the wedding party from exiting the room. Glancing between his smiling face and my mom, I yanked my dress out from under his foot and hurried towards the doors.

  * * *

  "You are a lucky bitch. I don't know if you realize it or not, but seriously, your twin stepbrothers...holy shit, Emma. They make me orgasm just by looking at them."

  A year had passed since the wedding, three hundred and sixty five days since Connor had told me I looked beautiful and had barely spoken a word to me since the wedding.

  Mostly, the twins were gone; sleeping during the day when I was at school and taking off at night to do who knows what. They were two years older than me and no longer had curfews. But because I was only seventeen, I still had to follow the rules and curfews demanded by my mother.

  Glancing at my best friend, Mary, from over the top of my large sunglasses, I laughed and said, "Well, you're welcome to them. They're never around and constantly come home with weird bruises and every once in a while, a busted lip. I don't get it. I think they're in a gang or something...maybe organized crime. I don't know. But when they are around, they're quiet. I've barely said two words to either of them."

  Speaking softly, Mary shrugged and said, "Who needs to talk? All I care about is if they're naked and what they want to do to me."

  My jaw dropped in surprise. "Two guys at once? You would do that?"

  Giving me a funny look, she raised a questioning eyebrow and said, "I know you're not experienced in the sex department, Emma, but I am. I see nothing wrong with being with two guys at once. People wouldn't blink an eye if it was a man with two women. Why does it have to be different for us?"

  I couldn't believe what she was saying. Turning my head back so I was staring out over the pool, I grabbed my sunscreen to slather on another layer. School was starting soon and it was my senior year, I wanted a nice tan, but couldn't afford to burn. Nobody wants to look like a lobster on their first day.

  Mary had very few rules she had to follow. Her parents were these new age froo-froo types that practiced the theory of letting the child make their own decisions. As a result, Mary had been sexually active since she was fifteen. I, on the other hand, was still very much sheltered, and with all the curfews and rules, my mom had systematically ruined my dating life.

  Snapping the top closed on the sunscreen, I asked, "Are you thirsty? I'm going to run inside and grab a bottle of water."

  Mary nodded. "Yep. Grab me a soda."

  Pushing up off the chair, I walked inside, shivering when the cool air conditioning met my skin. Quickly running into the kitchen, I pulled open the fridge and grabbed water and a soda. After closing the door, I turned around and fell back against the fridge when I found Liam standing behind me, so close that if I'd moved an inch forward we would have been pressed together.

  "Hey Emma."

  I stared at him wide-eyed, unable to talk because he'd scared the shit out of me by sneaking up as quietly as he did. His brown hair was messier than usual, his broad shoulders and muscular chest bare because he
only wore a pair of black jogging pants.

  His eyes slowly looked down my body, a crooked smile pulling at the side of his sculpted mouth. A shiver ran over me and I felt naked despite the string bikini that I wore.

  With a voice as smooth as satin and as dark as midnight, he said, "Damn girl. Age is agreeing with you. You've really filled out over the past year." His silver-grey eyes locked to mine. "How's it feel knowing you'll be legal in a year?"

  After three failed to attempts to respond, I finally squeaked out, "What?"

  He chuckled, the sound arrogant and lazy. As I looked at him, I noticed that, for once, his face was free of marks...no bruises, no cuts, just pure masculine and rugged beauty.

  "Just something Connor and I were talking about." Taking the water bottle from my hand, he held it up and said, "Thanks."

  Spinning on his heel, he walked out of the room, my eyes glued to the way the cut muscles of his body flexed as he moved.

  Finally breaking free of my shock, I walked out of the kitchen forgetting to grab another water before bolting through the house and back outside.

  Chapter Two

  "Get more excited, Emma! This is our first night out as college students! We have a place of our own, no curfew..."

  I glanced at Mary before looking back towards the mirror. "You never had a curfew. What are you so excited about?"

  "That you have no curfew for once! Seriously, our senior year in high school sucked because you could never get out of the house." Mary finished brushing on her third coat of mascara before applying lip-gloss.

  Popping her lips together to even the gloss, she looked at me. "Bitch, you're gorgeous. You don't need any more makeup than what you already have on."

  Looking in the mirror, I smoothed the waves my long brown hair where it tumbled over my shoulders. Blue eyes stared back at me with more eye shadow and eyeliner than my mother ever let me wear.

  I wore a simple green V-neck top with a black skirt that I borrowed from Mary. It was a bit too tight on my curvy hips and I knew I would be tugging it down all night because it was so short.

  "Maybe I should change into jeans..."

  "Nope! Don't even think about it. You look amazing," Mary interrupted. “Plus, where we’re going tonight, you’ll want to look your best.”

  Setting down my lipstick, I puckered my lips and blew out a breath. This look would have to do because there was no way I’d be able to convince Mary to let me change. She was taking pride in finally being able to bring out the slut-tastic side of my personality, even though I had no experience with men.

  My mom had done a good job of keeping me innocent and naïve throughout my high school years, and Mary was determined to show me everything I’d been missing.

  “Where are we going, anyway?”

  Mary practically bounced on her toes. “Tyler says he’s taking us to a secret underground club. He said all the college kids go there at night to bet on some fight that goes on. Kind of like a cage fighter thing, but I guess it’s the most happening place to be in this town. Not many people know about it, and they change the location every so often so that they don’t get caught by the police. Only certain people get the texts that let them know where to be and when, and lucky for us, Tyler is one of them.”

  We’d only been college students for two weeks and Mary had already snagged one of the hottest guys on campus. I didn’t know how she did it. I was far too shy to even make eye contact with most people, much less waltz up to the first guy I saw and ask him for his number. But with long blonde hair and big blue eyes – not to mention a chest that was always shown off with tight, low cut shirts – Mary could have any man she wanted.

  “That sounds illegal,” I argued. Even though we were only an hour away from where we grew up, I liked the freedom that came with having our own apartment. It felt like we were in a different state altogether from my mom and I didn’t want to ruin that freedom by getting arrested for attending an underground fight.

  In all honesty, I wasn’t even sure how I’d react to seeing a fight. Blood made me queasy and I didn’t like crowds. Not to mention, I’d never done anything illegal in my life, and I wasn’t ready to start now.

  “I’m not sure about this, Mary. Maybe we should do something else.”

  She looked at me like I was insane. “Oh please. We’ll be fine. The system has been up and running for two years now from what Tyler told me, and tonight the owners of the ring are fighting. Supposedly, they are hot as hell and they do a special fight where they tag team. Two fighters against two. When one gets knocked the fuck out, the other one jumps in. It’ll make for an awesome show.”

  Grabbing my hand, she dragged me out of the bathroom towards the front door of our apartment. “Hurry up, we’re going to be late. Tyler is waiting for us downstairs.”

  Once we left the apartment, the butterflies in my stomach became violent. I wasn’t feeling good about this at all, but with Mary’s hand locked over mine, I realized my best friend wasn’t going to give me the option of staying home.

  * * *

  Immediately upon entering the abandoned building, I was nervous. From the street, you wouldn’t believe that in the basement of the imposing five story white building, there was a fight going on where people were betting on who could smash who’s face in better. Sneaking around a side door, Tyler let us into the building and told us that we’d be taking the stairs down to the basement level.

  There was no electricity and the path was lit with glow lights, flashlight, flares and other devices. I found the environment to be frightening, but Mary’s enthusiasm was drowning out my concerns. Tyler had laughed a few times on the way over attempting to assure me that the owners of the ring had been doing this for years and there was no way we’d get caught.

  Even with his assurances, I didn’t feel better. Entering the cold, seemingly deserted building only made my anxiety worse. From the first floor, you couldn’t hear anything, so I was surprised when Tyler opened the basement doors and a large, loud crowd came into view. There were two levels in the basement and the upper level was already filled with screaming people who were hugging the rails in an attempt to get a better view of the center ring.

  The room was lit very much like the path we’d taken to get here and the flickering lights created a gloomy environment. Somehow, the ring was well-lit and I realized that whoever had put this together had years of experience to ensure the best possible show for all who attended.

  “I’m going to go place our bet. The owners are fighting tonight and those fuckers never lose. We could make some great cash.” Tyler kissed Mary on the cheek and disappeared into the crowd to place his bet on the fight.

  “Holy shit, it’s crowded in here. What do you think, Emma?”

  “I think we should go home,” I answered honestly, raising my voice so that Mary could hear it over the insane crowd.

  She laughed and wrapped her arm around my shoulder, “Whatever! You are such a priss. Come on. Let’s see if we can push our way through to get a better view up front. I’m sure some of those guys in front won’t mind making a little bit of room for two beautiful ladies.”

  “I don’t want…”

  Before I could finish my sentence, Mary was shoving me forward through the crowd. She was right. Men had no problem stepping aside and letting us through, especially after Mary flashed them her mega watt smile and added an extra wiggle to her hips as she moved.

  As for me, I kept my head low and could barely manage a fake grin because I was so nervous about being there. All I could think about was that this was completely illegal and we would end up in jail if caught. The crowded conditions and loud noise didn’t make my apprehension any better.

  “Ladies and gentleman!”

  As soon as the announcers voice boomed out, the crowd broke out into applause, clapping their hands and chanting Bring out the twins.

  I had no idea what they meant, but I looked around to see what everybody was talking about. I was too short to see o
ver everybody’s heads.

  “We have a special fight for you all tonight. The owners of this ring have decided to come out of their three-month retirement and honor us with their undefeated presence. Everybody give a warm welcome to Liam and Connor Jarvis!”

  Mary’s jaw hung down just about as far as mine, her eyes widening as she looked at me and asked, “Your brothers own this place? Why in the hell didn’t you tell me?”

  Chapter Three

  “I didn’t know…” My voice was so quiet that I doubted Mary could hear me over the screaming crowd. Even after hearing their names, I didn’t believe it would be my stepbrothers climbing up into that ring. But, the moment I saw their brown wavy hair pulled back into cues at the nape of their necks, and as soon as I saw their silver eyes lit by the enthusiasm of the screaming crowd, I realized it was truly them. Dressed in nothing but black shorts, they stood in the center of the ring, spinning slowly to take in the crowd that filled the room.

  Their knuckles were taped and ready…no gloves in sight. I realized this fight wasn’t just a boxing match and the potential for injury was greater.

  Women shouted about how beautiful the twins were and men shouted that the twins were going to kill their opponents. I was struck dumb by the entire scene, stepping forward without thinking, as if getting closer would somehow make this all untrue.

  “Holy shit, Emma! It’s your brothers!” Mary screamed from behind me, but I barely registered her voice. A pair of women’s panties were tossed into the ring and the crowd burst into laughter. I looked around to see who had thrown them, but realized quickly it would be impossible to tell. From the looks of it, every woman in the room wanted Liam and Connor.

  I was still in a state of shock, not understanding just how little I’d known about the twin boys I’d lived with for the past two years.

  The announcer’s voice boomed over the crowd to announce Liam and Connor’s opponents, but my eyes and thoughts were glued to my brothers. Almost immediately, their demeanors changed as soon as the two men they would be fighting stepped into the ring. I glanced at the men and froze. They were bigger than the twins, so big that the veins in their bodies formed lines under their skin, their eyes narrowed in rage.