Baby for My Stepbrother

Chapter 3

I wasn’t sure how any of this made me lucky, but at least he wasn’t pissed at me for having woken him like I normally did. “Finally took my advice and waited for me to wake up before you went to bed?” I asked.

He chuckled and gripped my chin, angling my head up to look at him. “I was getting ready to come in here and wake you myself. It’s been three days, Luna. And look what’s happened since we stopped fucking…your nightmares have returned.”

I hated that he was right, but ever since finding out that I was carrying his child, I’d been avoiding him like the plague. I was afraid that if I spent too much time around him, I would cave and finally tell him the truth. It was too soon for me to say anything because I hadn’t yet figured out exactly what I planned to do.

Emotion hit me like a tidal wave in that moment, something so strong and so fast, it doubled me over with grief. I didn’t know if it was the return of the nightmare or my thoughts about a baby I didn’t know that I would keep. Most likely, it was the combination ofthe two, but regardless of its reason, the emotion forced painful tears down my face and sobs to tear through my

trembling body. “Hey? Luna?”

Dane grabbed me by my shoulders. The minute he caught sight of my face, he wrapped his strong arms around me, immediately pulling me into his lap and against his warm chest. Without thinking, I reached up to wrap my arms around his neck, holding on for dear life as the pain flowed through me.

What had I done?

How was I stupid enough to have allowed this to happen?

Rubbing his hand down my hair, he whispered, “Damn, baby, this is not the tough girl I know. What is going on with you?”

I wanted to tell him everything – wanted to just spill out the truth so he could bear the weight of it with me. But I couldn’t. No matter how badly I wanted to say I’m pregnant, the words refused to leave my lips.

His strong arms encircled me, his hand rubbing over my hair tenderly. The sudden way he comforted me was off-putting. I’d never seen this side of Dane, never expected that, buried within his tough exterior, there was a person who genuinely cared if I hurt. I felt more for him in that moment, a connection between us that in the five years we’d lived together had never before existed. That connection scared me and I wondered if it had to do with the life that was growing inside me.

Unable to handle the strangeness of the situation any longer, I pulled away from him, reaching up to wipe at the tears that slipped down my cheeks.

“I’m fine,” I lied. “I’m just upset about the dream.”

He stared at me silently for a few seconds before shaking his head. “I don’t believe you. You’ve been having that same nightmare for years now and it’s never broken you like just now. Something else has to be going on and I want you to tell me what it is.”

I shook my head, refusal settling deep in my belly. I had nothing to tell him – not now anyways.

“It’s nothing, Dane. Now, are you going to help me forget that stupid dream or what? Isn’t that why you’re in here?”

More silence fell between us and I looked up into his blue eyes desperate for him to let that weak moment go and help me forget all of the problems I was facing.

Cupping my cheek with his warm palm, he leaned down and kissed me with a tenderness I hadn’t expected from him. It felt like reality had shifted and the arrogant jerk of a stepbrother I’d had for the past five years had suddenly become someone else entirely.

I pulled away, unable to handle the sincerity of that kiss. It was too much for me, especially with all the lies and mistruths that were swirling around in my head.

With both hands, I pushed against his shoulders, forcing him to lie on his back. Climbing up to straddle his lap, I lifted up on my knees to remove my panties. I would end the tenderness by taking things back to what they truly were between us.

We had sex.

We didn’t talk. We didn’t care.

“Luna …” He started, but I put my handover his mouth to silence him.

“Don’t Luna me, Dane. You’re here for one thing and I intend to take that from you so I can go back to sleep.” I pulled my hand away, only to replace it with my lips.