Dirty Little Secret: New Adult Rock Star Romance (Not Exactly A Stepbrother Romance Book 1) by Kristen Strassel, Allyson Starr Page A
Authors: Kristen Strassel, Allyson Starr
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inside me. His eyes fluttered shut, as he came, hot through the condom. Our bodies stilled, but he didn’t pull out. We locked gazes again and stayed like that, panting, waiting for the other to surrender.
Bret slid out of me, never breaking eye contact as he pressed what was left of my shirt against my crotch, cleaning me up before he handed me the soaked, ruined cloth. He pushed my hair away from my face and leaned against my ear. “Your move.”
Chapter Six
“I can’t believe Bret Starling is actually your brother.”
My track record with friends crushing on Bret was flawless. This exchange with my coworker, Nikki, didn’t surprise me at all. Bret had been infamous with my girlfriends long before he was famous.
“Stepbrother.” I was on autopilot, correcting her, as I lugged fresh bails of long grasses into the elephants’ area. I loved my job at Roger Williams Zoo. Having connections had its perks—thanks, Mom—and I’d been placed in the safari area, which was exactly where I wanted to be. I was learning so much already this summer. Nikki was my mentor, a veterinary assistant, and basically the person I wanted to be when I grew up at this job. Right now I was doing everything she did, but she got a paycheck while I simply had the satisfaction of a job well done. I’d held out as long as I could, telling her about my family. Not only did people here get weird when they realized my mom was their boss, they also got weirder when they realized Dr. Starling was married to the man who created Starling Reality, the luxury real estate brokerage. And that was before we added Bret to the mix.
“Whatever. I love Enemy Impact. I saw them when they played in Boston last year. And the videos… Oh, I probably shouldn’t tell you about those.” Nikki turned the hose on herself and laughed. “That’s what I think of them, just so you know. Never watch them. They’d probably burn your eyeballs out. Anyway, what’s he really like?”
Pretty much like you’d expect him to be.” I almost said, like you see in the videos , but I could never own up to anyone that I’d actually watched them. Anyone but Bret. I swallowed hard, trying to put my racing thoughts in order. “He parties all the time and is a complete pain in my ass.”
“Is he single?” Nikki raised her eyebrows. I knew this was coming. “Maybe you could introduce me to him? I’m not asking for a setup. Just get me in front of him, and I can take care of the rest.”
Oh, hell no. I didn’t see that part coming. In her blue polo and khakis, Nikki didn’t look like an Enemy Impact fan. But I knew what kind of effect Bret had on women, because he had it on me in spades.
“We don’t hang out.” I went back to work. One of my favorite elephants came over to investigate what we were doing. I loved the elephants, with their pretty eyes and long lashes. They each had their own personality, and I kept a journal of their behaviors because I was going to do my thesis on something elephant related. If only I could get into grad school. I had all the plans and no way to pay for them.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize how that sounded. I’ve never met anyone famous before, and you’re like, oh hey, that’s my stepbrother . No big deal .” She laughed. “Does he live around here? Probably not. I’d guess New York or Cali.” Nikki wiped sweat off her brow. It was time to bathe the elephants. This was hard, dirty work, and I wished she’d turned the hose on me when she’d doused herself. She was almost dry already.
“Yeah, he’s helping my mom out for the summer.” I didn’t need to tell her why. “He’s staying with us in Newport.”
“Oh, yeah. Damn, I can’t say anything right today. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” I knew she meant well. I was used to it. I was the underwhelming one in the family. The combination surprised people. I never held it against anyone, unless they were obviously using me. Nikki wasn’t. And if she
Bret slid out of me, never breaking eye contact as he pressed what was left of my shirt against my crotch, cleaning me up before he handed me the soaked, ruined cloth. He pushed my hair away from my face and leaned against my ear. “Your move.”
Chapter Six
“I can’t believe Bret Starling is actually your brother.”
My track record with friends crushing on Bret was flawless. This exchange with my coworker, Nikki, didn’t surprise me at all. Bret had been infamous with my girlfriends long before he was famous.
“Stepbrother.” I was on autopilot, correcting her, as I lugged fresh bails of long grasses into the elephants’ area. I loved my job at Roger Williams Zoo. Having connections had its perks—thanks, Mom—and I’d been placed in the safari area, which was exactly where I wanted to be. I was learning so much already this summer. Nikki was my mentor, a veterinary assistant, and basically the person I wanted to be when I grew up at this job. Right now I was doing everything she did, but she got a paycheck while I simply had the satisfaction of a job well done. I’d held out as long as I could, telling her about my family. Not only did people here get weird when they realized my mom was their boss, they also got weirder when they realized Dr. Starling was married to the man who created Starling Reality, the luxury real estate brokerage. And that was before we added Bret to the mix.
“Whatever. I love Enemy Impact. I saw them when they played in Boston last year. And the videos… Oh, I probably shouldn’t tell you about those.” Nikki turned the hose on herself and laughed. “That’s what I think of them, just so you know. Never watch them. They’d probably burn your eyeballs out. Anyway, what’s he really like?”
Pretty much like you’d expect him to be.” I almost said, like you see in the videos , but I could never own up to anyone that I’d actually watched them. Anyone but Bret. I swallowed hard, trying to put my racing thoughts in order. “He parties all the time and is a complete pain in my ass.”
“Is he single?” Nikki raised her eyebrows. I knew this was coming. “Maybe you could introduce me to him? I’m not asking for a setup. Just get me in front of him, and I can take care of the rest.”
Oh, hell no. I didn’t see that part coming. In her blue polo and khakis, Nikki didn’t look like an Enemy Impact fan. But I knew what kind of effect Bret had on women, because he had it on me in spades.
“We don’t hang out.” I went back to work. One of my favorite elephants came over to investigate what we were doing. I loved the elephants, with their pretty eyes and long lashes. They each had their own personality, and I kept a journal of their behaviors because I was going to do my thesis on something elephant related. If only I could get into grad school. I had all the plans and no way to pay for them.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize how that sounded. I’ve never met anyone famous before, and you’re like, oh hey, that’s my stepbrother . No big deal .” She laughed. “Does he live around here? Probably not. I’d guess New York or Cali.” Nikki wiped sweat off her brow. It was time to bathe the elephants. This was hard, dirty work, and I wished she’d turned the hose on me when she’d doused herself. She was almost dry already.
“Yeah, he’s helping my mom out for the summer.” I didn’t need to tell her why. “He’s staying with us in Newport.”
“Oh, yeah. Damn, I can’t say anything right today. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” I knew she meant well. I was used to it. I was the underwhelming one in the family. The combination surprised people. I never held it against anyone, unless they were obviously using me. Nikki wasn’t. And if she
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