Read Bend (A Stepbrother Romance) for Free Online Page A

like royalty. “Did you forget that you invited me?”
    “Did you forget that I un invited you?” he asked, angling himself in front of me.
    “Is that her? My replacement?” I hid my face behind his shoulder but I could hear the smirk in her voice.
    “Get the hell out of here,” he said, but she ignored him and shouted at me over his shoulder.
    “I know who you work for, bitch!”
    Keir’s shoulders sagged. “Yeah, and I know, too. So take whatever big, obnoxious scene you’ve got planned and shove it up your ass.”
    He knew? I felt sick. I knew I couldn’t get away with this! He’d find out how I’d managed to score myself a photographer’s pass, and… oh, God … he’d think that I was trying to gather dirt on him, wouldn’t he?
    “It was the only job I could get,” I whispered. I didn’t even like working for Snap Sparkle Pop . I’d graduated with no idea how to get a photography career started, so I’d sent my résumé to every vaguely related job posting and hoped for the best.
    Would this even be good gossip, anyway? Keir was well-known, though he wasn’t a huge household name outside of rock fans. And Kelly… well, everyone liked gossip about a model—that much I knew.
    But this was just a breakup; it wasn’t a scandal. I didn’t have anything worth selling on them, even if I’d wanted to try.
    “Well, bitch?” she snarled around Keir’s arm, trying to get in my face. “What do you have to say? That’s what you’re doing, right? Spying on us for your stupid fucking blog?”
    My vision flashed red. Having a pretty face didn’t give her the right to shout at me like that. “You’re not that important,” I snarled, my anger getting the best of me just long enough for me to mouth off.
    Keir’s shoulders shifted and I thought I heard him snort. Her face just turned bright red.
    “Good fucking luck,” she spat at Keir, then turned on her heel and stalked away. Just like last night . Heels clacking, hips swaying, almost like she’d practiced her exit numerous times. She probably has .
    I nearly jumped when Keir started laughing. “ ‘You’re not that important’?” he said, turning to face me.
    “Are you mad?” I asked, clenching my jaw.
    The lights flickered before he could answer, and his face fell into something unreadable. “We should sit. Speeches are starting.”
    “Oh. Okay.” I had no idea how these things worked. Whether he was angry or not, he pulled out my chair for me. Gentlemanly. Another surprise. God, I hope I didn’t blow this thing . I’d been so looking forward to the night. It never even occurred to me that my job would come up, though I should have expected it. No one was more dangerous than a jealous ex.
    I shot him worried glances all through the welcome speech from the charity’s president. I should have been paying attention. I should have been checking out all the other celebrities in the room—hell, the ones sharing our table.
    But Keir was frowning at his phone and ignoring everything around him. Kelly was at the next table, shooting daggers with her eyes. The night was ruined. And it’s my fault.
    I quietly snapped some pictures so that the time wouldn’t be a total waste. Disappointment made my camera heavy in my hands. I sighed and lowered it to the table as the speech ended and the crowd applauded. Waiters swarmed the room as the lights came back up.
    And Keir planted a hand on my shoulder. His touch reignited all the butterflies that had gone cold in my stomach. But I steeled myself for his anger.
    “I can’t get her removed. Want to get out of here, instead?”
    I turned and I gaped at him. “What?”
    He exaggerated each word as his eyes twinkled with amusement. “Do you want to leave?”
    “Do you want me to go?” I gathered up my purse.
    He laughed, and hope bloomed warm in my chest once more. “No. I’m asking if you want to leave with me. ”
    Oh. Yes. Hell, yes . I bit my lip and looked around. Kelly’s sour face