Almost Stepbrothers

Chapter Three: Invading Their Space

Robyn

I pulled my legs up so that I was sitting cross-legged in the chair, not caring at all how expensive or fancy the restaurant was. I didn’t care about impressing anyone, not Professor Williams, and certainly not his sons.

Professor Williams seemed nice enough, albeit boring and a bit stiff. He seemed totally into my mom, holding her hand at every opportunity, staring into her eyes, fawning over her. My mother soaked up the attention like a dry and needy sponge. But for the moment, at least, she was happy.

Since mom preferred these slightly older men, most of them had grown children scattered around. Boyfriend number three had been a divorcee with children younger than me, but those kids had lived with their mother.

This would be the first time I would have to share the house with a boyfriend’s kids.

Not that Phoenix and Jack were kids. Oh no, they were full-grown men. I turned my head slightly so that I could get a look at Jack. He looked like he should be on the cover of a men’s fashion magazine. Perfect hair, perfect teeth, natural tan. He was wearing a sport coat over a pristine white collared shirt, with yet another tie. His mouth seemed to be perpetually set in a straight, disapproving line, and I was having a hard time telling the color of his eyes. If stormy was a color, that was it. Grey and blue and a little amber all swirled together. He was eating the tiramisu like a robot, one mechanical bite after another. Somehow, I doubted if he was even tasting the rich dessert, let alone enjoying it.

I had long since lost the desire for anything sugary, and besides that, I was stuffed full of seafood and steak. My meal had been divine. There are very few perks to being the tag-a-long daughter on my mother's attempts at love, but I took advantage of every one. Occasional fine dining was one of those perks. It wasn’t often I got to treat myself to crab legs. I knew once we settled into the professor’s house, my mother would start cooking, so I had better enjoy it while I could.

On the other side of me, Phoenix was scraping the last bit of caramel sauce out of his little glass dish of ice cream. He raised an eyebrow at me when he noticed me watching him. “Are you sure you don't want anything?”

“Absolutely sure,” I affirmed.

He seemed alright. Between the two brothers, he was more relaxed, easy-going, talkative. He seemed friendly and more accepting. I thought we would probably get along fine.

I stayed quiet for the rest of the meal, waiting patiently while everyone finished their dessert and the professor settled the bill. As soon as we escaped the restaurant and walked out into the cool night, I flipped my hoodie back up and covered my head, allowing the shadows to obscure my face.

It was a comfort thing.

After a twenty-minute drive, we arrived back at the Williams estate. The house was big and sprawling, but not quite pretentious enough to be called a mansion. The grounds were professionally manicured to death, and there was a sparkling turquoise pool in the backyard. It was probably the second-nicest place we had ever stayed in.

Ex-boyfriend number two had lived in a proper mansion.

But size wasn’t everything.

Once we stepped into the house, my mother put her hands on my shoulders and ducked down to try and see under my hood. “Are you okay, sweetie? Are you comfortable? Do you need anything?” She was saying the words, but she wasn't really that interested in my feelings. As long as I just went along quietly so that she could pursue her latest man.

“I’m fine, mom. I’m just going to get a shower and head to bed.”

“Okay,” she gave me a grateful smile, obviously relieved that she didn’t have to worry about any parental responsibilities. “Thanks for being so flexible, Robbi.”

I slipped out from under her arms. “Good night mom.”

I found my own way up the stairs and down the long hallway to the left to the bedroom I had been given. I had already unpacked my clothes, hung them in the closets and folded them into the dresser drawers. My laptop, my journal, and my sketchbooks I slipped into the drawer of the nightstand.

I grabbed my bag of toiletries and my pajamas and headed for the bathroom at the end of the hall. It was just an ordinary bathroom with a standard tub and shower. I was a little disappointed. A house this big should at least have an ensuite bathroom. I had also been hoping for a jacuzzi bathtub, maybe one of those rain-showers.

The bathroom at the end of the hall was definitely a man’s domain. There were razors on the sink counter, and two electric toothbrushes standing in a cup next to the faucet. The shower was cluttered with manly scented soaps and shampoo. I picked up a body wash and sniffed it, trying to guess which brother it belonged to. It was a pleasing combination of spice and a woodsy smell, and my brain immediately associated it with Jack.

Jack, who had glared at me and my mother, looking down his nose at us, judging us, when he really had no idea who we were or what we were about.

With a small smirk, I pushed their things to one side and made room for my herbal shampoo. and conditioner, and my tube of bodywash. I added my green toothbrush to their cup and plopped my small canvas bag of cosmetics on the counter beside the razors.

Satisfied that I had thoroughly invaded their space, I stripped out of my clothes and stepped into the shower. I adjusted the water to scalding hot, trying to melt away the constant tension that kept my shoulders and upper back too tight. I washed out my long hair and just leaned against the side of the shower stall letting the water pressure ease away my stress.

Reluctantly, I twisted off the shower and wrapped myself up in a fluffy towel from the cupboard. I wiped away the steam from the mirror so that I could see my blurred reflection. I took a deep breath and picked up my toothbrush.

I was here, I was settled, awkward introductions were over, I could now settle back into my routine and get on with life. It didn’t matter who else was in the house, even if it was two obnoxiously sexy brothers.

I removed the towel from my body and wrapped it around my hair. I pulled on my favorite silky pajamas, an emerald-colored camisole with lace trim, and a pair of matching short shorts. The fabric felt soft and cool against my shower-heated skin.

I brushed out my long hair, which, when wet, touched my butt. I liked to shower at night so that it could air-dry while I was sleeping. I gathered up my dirty clothes and pulled open the door and ran smack into a hard wall of muscle. I couldn't catch myself because I had my arms full of clothes.

“Whoa, easy there,” Jack’s hands landed on my bare shoulders as I stumbled back. I stared in consternation at his bare, sculpted chest. There was a tattoo on his right shoulder that looked like some kind of angel from a gothic cemetery.

Funny, I would never have pegged him as an ink guy. He seemed too stuffy for that.

A thin T-shaped trail of sandy hair spread across his pecs and then trailed down toward his belly button.

Well damn, look at the body he was hiding under that sports coat.

I dragged my gaze back up to his eyes and found that they were mildly amused by the fact that I had just given his naked torso a thorough inspection. “Like what you see?” He growled in a low tone.

“Meh,” I stepped away from his hands. “I’ve seen better. Good night, Jack.” I darted into my bedroom and shut the door firmly behind me.