Max: A Stepbrother Romance by Stephanie Brother Read Free Book Online

clearly is in others. He’s completely embarrassing Tyson, without once needing to resort to brute force. This is self defense extraordinaire.
    “Want to give up yet?”
    Max teases him, before expertly blocking a jab and chopping Tyson across the bridge of his nose with the back of his hand. I can watch him do this all day. Right before he fucks me.
    “I’m going to tear out your fucking eyes”, is Tyson’s levelheaded response.
    Before he gets a chance to do that, however, a booming voice from the crowd makes him stop in his tracks.
    “What on earth is going on here?”
    It’s Mom. She’s pushed her way through the gathered crowd and stands with her hands on her hips and her dress flowing beneath her like a plume of smoke. It’s a striking image.
    “Tyson? Max? Lola? Can someone explain to me what the fuck is going on?”
    “He called me an imbecile”, Tyson is quick to respond.
    “You are a fucking imbecile, look at you. The pair of you. This is my wedding day, and you are out here in the hotel lobby fighting each other like a pair of kids. You should be ashamed of yourselves.”
    “Tyson was just leaving, Mom.”
    “No I wasn’t.”
    “What the fuck is going on here?”
    It’s Alex, come to join the party.
    “Max? Jesus Christ. What have you done now?”
    I feel like I need to speak up for him. “He was protecting me.”
    “Oh, right. Is that what I saw him doing over by the bar before as well?”
    My eyes go wide, my mouth drops open and I can feel myself going red.
    “Aye. When this is over, we are going to be having serious words, I can tell you that. All of us. And you can wipe that grin off your face and all Max. When are you ever going to treat anything seriously?”
    “Tyson?” Mom says, in a voice dripping with fury. “Go home.”
    He waits for someone to speak up to defend him, and then pushes past as many people as he can on the way to the exit when nobody does.
    “Slut”, he says to me as he passes. I keep my eyes down, mostly because I can’t stop laughing.
    “Well, that was fun”, Max says, and downs the rest of his champagne.
    Alex shakes his head. “Right, let’s go and get something to eat. You can try not to fuck that up.”
    Max and I are the last to filter back into the reception room. I let him take my arm in his and lead me.
    “Your ex-boyfriend is a right asshole.”
    “Yes he is.”
    When everyone else is out of earshot I put my hand across his belly and stop him. I’m playing with fire, I know it.
    “I know I’m going to regret this, but-.”
    That cocky bastard cuts in before I’ve even had a chance to finish, taking the words right out of my mouth.
    “Would I like to fuck you in one of the restrooms?”
    “How the-.”
    I’m halfway through saying again.
    Max smiles at me. I am unable to do anything but smile back. He’s got me.
    “Fuck that”, he says. “Let’s go up to the penthouse suite and do it there. That’ll fuck my Dad off for sure.”

Epilogue
    O ne year later...
    Max
    This is horrible.
    Warm, expensive beer, a tacky, light up dance floor and a room full of ugly women trying to dance to shit, tinny music.
    Nothing changes I guess.
    Well one thing, I suppose. It’s not Dad’s wedding anymore, it’s his first year anniversary.
    I’m just as surprised as anyone that he’s made it this far to be honest, especially if his dancing is anything to go by. He looks like an epileptic having a series of controlled fits out there on the plastic dance floor. I never knew he was that bad.
    It’s not only Dad’s anniversary either, so I suppose it’s kind of fitting for us that’s he’s chosen this place to celebrate it in.
    Talk about a fucked up family. All we need is for Granny and Gramps to get it together and we might make it into the Ripley’s museum.
    What could I do? I knew I was playing with fire, and so did Lola. I never thought I’d ever be the kind of guy to settle for just one girl, but when you find an angel I guess it isn’t