Beast: An MMA Stepbrother Romance by Michaela Scott

deal.”
    “Mom!  You’re going to be gone all summer and you didn’t tell me?”
    “I’m sorry, honey.  I guess I didn’t want to think too much about the honeymoon before the wedding and it just slipped my mind.  You’ll be alright with the house to yourself, won’t you?”
    “Yeah…I’m just surprised.”
    Larry walks up to us, holding a kebab on a plate.  “The catering here is incredible.  I need to hire these guys for the Poodle kitchens.”
    Mom motions to my plate.  “Have you had the turtles?”
    “No, are they good?”
    I hold my plate out towards Larry.  “I think so.  Taste for yourself.”  Larry bites a turtle in half, and his eyes roll back in his head.
    “Incredible.  Where did you say the plate was?”
    I point behind me, and Larry puts his hand on the small of Mom’s back, leading her over towards the turtle plate.
    Now that I’m alone, I look around nervously, suddenly aware that I don’t know anyone else here except Mom, Larry, and Caleb.  I definitely don’t want to tag along with the bride and groom for the rest of the reception, so I look over towards Caleb.  He’s still on the other side of the tent, talking to the same CEO as before, only now, he’s brought over his daughter, who’s looking up at Caleb with an expression most people usually reserve for baby seals.
    She’s blonde, pale, and gorgeous, but I can’t help but feel a dark little twinge of satisfaction at the fact that the guy she’s batting her eyelashes at isn’t the real Caleb.  If she saw the real Caleb, drenched in sweat with his Beast tattoos showing, she wouldn’t be looking at him like that.  She’d either be horrified or she’d be throwing herself at him, depending on how much of a freak she is.  She definitely wouldn’t be looking at him like she is now.  Like he’s boyfriend material.
    I tear my eyes away from Caleb before he can catch me staring and look around the room again.  Maybe I should just head back to the hotel.  I can eat in my room, curl up in a king-size bed, and maybe even fall asleep before Caleb’s stupid party starts.
    It’s tempting, but Responsible Emma wants me to stay and network with all these industry people.  And as much as I’d prefer a good book and a soft bed, she’s right.  This many CEOs in one room with their guards down…I should have brought a business card.  As soon as I manage to calm my nerves, I walk over to the nearest important-looking person and introduce myself.
     

Chapter 7:  Emma
     
    The dashing knight just caught the princess alone in her secret orchard.  After months of failed attempts to get his attention, she’s finally alone with him, and I think he might be about to admit that he has feelings for her.  There’s only one problem:  it’s hard to concentrate on a secret orchard over the insanely loud music coming from next door.
    It’s not just the music, either:  there’s so much banging on the walls that I’m starting to get suspicious that Caleb and his friends are actually fighting in there.  I can’t believe the hotel hasn’t come up to make them shut it down, but I guess when you’re paying this kind of money, they tend to leave you alone.
    Whatever.  Parties end, and until this one ends, I have a romance novel to get through.
    Tristan plucks a peach off the nearest tree and brings it up to his soft lips, never taking his eyes off of Analucia. 
    “There’s something I need to tell you,” he says.
    “How did you know I was here?”  Analucia asks, her thighs starting to quiver as she watches him eat her peach.  When Tristan brings it up for another bite, she can almost feel his mouth between her legs.
    “A garden full of forbidden fruits,” he says, smirking, “Where else would you be?”
    Before I can turn the page, there’s a ridiculously loud bang coming from next door.  It sounds like a human body just got thrown hard into the wall at full speed.  They actually are fighting in there,