Read For My Stepbrother Billionaire: A Steamy BBW Stepbrother Romance (Billionaire Stepbrother Book 2) for Free Online Page B

narrow street with four story, pale stone buildings on each side. The cobblestones that meandered down the lazily weaving street. The uneven surfaces jutted into the thin soles of my sandals. The streets never went straight in the older sections of Paris. They always drifted back and forth as they went along. More like a river than a road.
    That was life in Paris.  
    Le Marais was filled with a wide cross section of people. We saw the typical tourists in athletic shorts and white sneakers. The older Parisian women, strolling in long, flowing dresses and still looking sexy with grey hair hidden beneath luxurious scarves. The fashionable youth dressed in studiously unkempt attire. The kind that look like they are thrown together, but actually take loads of time to make just so. Nothing takes longer than looking perfectly imperfect.
    I also noticed quite a few men holding hands. Obviously partners. I wondered if Annika had chosen this area thinking Jake and I would never end up here. I hoped I was right.
    I looked at all the wonderful shops we passed.  
    Bakeries, women’s fashion stores, art galleries, an ancient looking book store, several restaurants and bars, and, of course, the cafes. The cafes were my favorite part of Paris. Well, second favorite.
    First favorite walked next to me.
    The pain au chocolat was up there too. Paris had a lot going for it.
    I loved how people lounged in the cafes. Drinking coffee or wine, nibbling bread and cheese. Like they had nothing better to do in the world. It was the river of life.
    Each small storefront had its own unique character. Some looked like they’d crawled out of a dragon’s belly hundreds of years ago while others looked like they came straight off the pages of a high design magazine. It was an eclectic and intoxicating mix.
    One place in particular had a big line out front. Of course, it was our destination. A vivid green facade with bright yellow and red pictures of different meal options splashed across the front. A deep fried, spicy scent wafted out the open door.
    “This is it,” I said. “Supposed to be the best falafel in town.”
    “I’ll be the judge of that,” he said.
    It smelled wonderful. My stomach grumbled in protest.   A woman in the window poked at a pile of golden, crispy french fries. My mouth watered. They looked so yummy. I could demolish a mountain of fries.
    Jake took my elbow and guided me past the line and through the door. The inside was small. Not cramped because that would make it sound unappealing. It was cozy. No more than ten tables, all filling in where there wasn’t a standing body. A few tables had their own little nooks created by the jagged footprint of the space and the people standing around.
    “Wait here a second,” Jake said.
    While he carved through the mass of people, I scanned the room for Annika and the mysterious Charles. Nobody I recognized by the front window. Of course, they wouldn’t sit there. Nobody at the tables in the middle. I scanned the back wall and didn’t see anything.
    Wait.
    There in the far back corner.
    I recognized that hand, wrapped delicately around a wine glass, with the pinkie just lifted off the surface. She laughed and then took a sip of wine. She reached across and wove her fingers into the hand of the man seated across from her.
    So that was Charles, huh?
    He was pretty hot. I had to give Annika that much. She was a hottie collector. A stupid, bitch too. But still.  
    Charles and Jake could have almost been brothers, as much as Callum and he actually were. Charles looked like a long, lost third. He was a little thinner. A more slender nose and face. But the same shiny black hair and piercing blue eyes. They same height and athletic tone. Annika certainly had a type.
    He leaned in and they kissed. Long and deep like they weren’t surrounded by a throng of people chowing on falafel and fries. He reached up and fondled her breast. She didn’t pull away. Nobody else seemed to notice or care.