Hard: A Step-Brother Romance by Sosie Frost Read Free Book Online Page B

thank you.”
    Zach
winked. “We can keep our clothes on for this.”
    Then
why wasn’t he wearing any yet? I couldn’t think of any insults to lob at him
while his pecs twitched as he inadvertently flexed.
    “I understand
this was a big shock,” he said. “It was for me too. But we’re both adults.”
    “What’s
your point?”
    He
leaned against the counter as if he belonged in the house. As if he already knew
the name of the spikey fruit loaded in the baskets by the window or if the
pizza oven was wood or charcoal.
    If Zach
could tell me where the nearest bathroom was, we’d be set.
    “My
point is, we can settle this in a minute flat,” he said.
    “Well,
this I gotta hear.”
    “I
propose we share the house.”
    “ And you’re done.”
    Zach
prevented me from storming out. “Shay, listen. Let’s temporarily share the
house. I’m only on leave for a few more weeks. Let me crash in the lap of
luxury before I get shipped back to some desert where there’s more explosives
and camels than…” He patted the granite countertop, though his eyes lingered on
me. “Simple delights.”
    “That
doesn’t solve our problem. It just moves it to a different continent.”
    Zach’s
smirk faded, and he turned serious. An odd sincerity, but one I completely believed.
    “I’m
not looking for the easy way out or a get rich quick scheme. Never was. I’m a SEAL.
That’s my job. That’s my life. I live to serve, and this…” He gestured around the
mansion. “Is nothing but a fairy-tale while I wait for my next deployment.
That’s all.”
    I
hesitated. “So…you want to live here for a few months. Then what?”
    “Then
you can buy out my share.”
    “ Buy ?”
    “That’s
how these inheritance things work. You buy me out for a price that won’t look
like we’re evading taxes, and we’ll be done. Then you can have this big
beautiful house all to yourself.”
    I
crossed my arms. “And you want to live here while we figure all the details
out.”
    “Yep.”
    “You
don’t see how crazy that is. I’m not sharing anything with you. I don’t even know
you! And this isn’t your house!”
    Zach’s
smile returned. He grabbed an apple from a basket and pointed over his
shoulder.
    “I’ll
be downstairs in the gym working out. Then I’ll test the theater system with a
movie. You’re welcome to join me. Take some time to mull it over. Let me know
what you think.”
    Easy.
“I’m not sharing this house with you!”
    He
sunk his teeth into the apple and waved as he headed downstairs.
    To
the gym.
    And
then to the theater.
    We had
a theater ?
    No. I had a theater. And he thought he could steal it away until I paid him
off to return what was rightfully mine?
    Hell
no.
    Zach
Harden wasn’t getting away with this.
    He wasn’t
getting a dime of my money, a single restful night’s sleep in my house, or
another side-long glance from me.
    From
that moment on, I declared war.
    Except
it wasn’t a good idea to fight dirty with a SEAL. And I didn’t trust myself to
confront Zach again, not when everything inside me clenched hard and tight when
I imagined him straining those muscles while lifting the weights.
    Nope.
    We
couldn’t live together.
    I
refused to bunk with the most desirable, infuriating, and despicable man I had
ever met. My apartment near campus would be fine until we sorted the
mess out. I’d go there, call William, and straighten the whole thing out.
    Immediately.
    Well,
maybe tomorrow.
    My
apartment didn’t have air-conditioning.
    …And
this mansion had a theater system.
    Maybe
it wouldn’t hurt to spend one night here even if Zach were around. Besides, how
else would I keep track of the devil if he loitered under my roof?
    I
headed outside to explore the grounds, though I took a detour through one of
the two wine cellars and grabbed something white, bubbly, and fruity. Dad had taste
at least, but I’d need something much stronger to combat Zach Harden.
    That
fiend was never taking advantage of