Read Stepbrother Backstage (The Hawthorne Brothers Book 3) for Free Online Page A

relationship.
Certainly not serious enough to plan around. My smoldering fascination with him
has only been stoked by his mysterious life. As long as I can keep myself from
getting burned, I don’t see any reason to put out that fire just yet.
    I jump about a foot in the air as my bedroom door clatters
open. Robin bursts in, looking every bit the earth mother in her flowing
bohemian layers. I snap my laptop none-too-subtly closed, clutching it to my
chest as she enters uninvited.
    “What’re you up to in here?” she asks mischievously, eyeing
my computer. “A little afternoon porn session?”
    “Yeah. Absolutely,” I reply flatly, rolling my eyes, “I
always love to take in an orgy after a long day of traveling.”
    “You know I don’t judge people when it comes to their sexual
preferences,” she replies airily, “There’s no shame in embracing your erotic
power.”
    I wonder if she’d be singing the same tune if she knew what
was actually pulled up on my computer. My mom’s a free-loving hippie, but
something tells me that even she would prefer I stay far away from Finn
Hawthorne. Crushing on the son of my mom’s current flame is just a little too
taboo to justify. To anyone but myself, that is.
    “Now that my alone time has been compromised, is there
something you needed?” I ask my mother.
    “Yes, as a matter of fact,” she replies, flicking a golden
curl over her shoulder, “I need a hand in the garden. The cherry tomatoes are
ready to be harvested.”
    “There’s a garden here, too?” I ask, rising to my feet, “Is
there anything this house doesn’t have?”
    “Not since my girls arrived!” Mom beams, lacing her arm
through mine.
    “Ugh. You had to make it corny,” I mutter, letting
myself be led away.
    And just like that, we set to playing house here in the
Montana woods. Despite my mumbling, I’m actually pretty content to be under the
same roof as my mom and sister again. We haven’t been in the same place for
this long since Dad passed away. And I can’t deny the fact that I’m super
intrigued by the prospect of scoring some one-on-one time with the youngest
Hawthorne brother.
    Maybe there’s hope for this little vacation yet?

 
    Chapter Three
     
    My first full day at the lake house is surprisingly
pleasant. I make myself scarce, exploring the property and surrounding woods,
getting my bearings in this beautiful, remote place. I’ve always been the sort
of person who needs plenty of open space to think, unwind, and find my center.
And if there’s one thing this place has in spades, it’s wide open space. From
the cool, clear lake to the expansive sky above, everything feels just a bit
larger than life out here.
    After having lunch with Sophie out on the back porch, I grab
my camera and set off to scope out the perimeter of the property. The late
afternoon sunlight does incredible things to the shadowy landscape around here.
Just as I’m completing my circuit and coming back around to the front of the
lake house, I spy a new car parked in the long driveway. I’d recognize this
beat up old number anywhere. I remember being incredibly jealous when Maddie
saved up enough to buy that clunker. My oldest sister must have just arrived.
    “Hey, Annie Leibowitz!” I hear Sophie call from the
verandah, distracting me from a patch of Queen Anne’s lace that’s just crying
out to be photographed.
    I glance up at the house, blinking in the bright sunlight.
Sophie stands on the porch in her yoga clothes, waving my way. And sure enough,
there’s Madeleine at her side, looking a little worse for the long drive from
Seattle.
    Set side by side, you’d never guess that Maddie and Sophie
were related. Whereas Sophie’s body is all long, lean muscle and womanly
curves, Maddie’s is petite and compact, full of energy and ambition. Maddie’s
dark blonde “lob” is even at odds with Sophie’s long caramel waves. I don’t
make any more sense in the mix, being both the youngest and