Stranded with My Stepbrother Chapter 114

Will

The next day, Hoot smirked at us as we walked out of our hotel room. Well, I walked. McKenzie sort of sauntered like a saddle-sore cowboy. She kept casting dirty looks my way, especially when she had to sit down gingerly in the Escalade.

And I hadn’t even been inside her yet.

Then again, I did have pretty big fingers and a wicked tongue. No doubt she would sleep in the SUV, on my shoulder again.

God help me, I could still taste her sweet honey on my lips.

“Problems, honeybee?” I asked innocently as I sat down next to her.

“You know what you did,” she hissed.

I grinned. “I remember everything we did.”

“You don’t have to be so satisfied with yourself,” she grumbled, folding her arms over her chest. She winced and unfolded them. Yes, like the perfect little nip on her neck, her nipples were now swollen and sensitive from my attention. I almost felt bad for her, but I’d had my own challenges putting a shirt on today.

“Seems you two worked things out,” Hoot said from the front seat, finally letting out a rolling chuckle.

“We worked things out a few times. You have to make sure to get it right, after all,” I replied, sending a teasing look her way.

“You got it right the first time,” she huffed. “The rest was just…”

“Mind-blowing?” I suggested.

Her cheeks heated up, and I remembered how all of her skin pinkened when she blushed. Especially that sweet, spankable ass. “We did too much,” she murmured, too low for Hoot to hear.

“Well then,” I whispered. “We must have hit on a good compromise because I don’t think we did nearly enough.”

The Escalade started, Hoot still chuckling to himself. I wondered if he could hear our conversation.

McKenzie stared at me. “You said we could do more later!”

“And trust me, we will,” I replied. I stroked my hand over her thigh and made her shiver. Her body was so wonderfully responsive.

She swatted my hand. “You’re not playing fair.”

“All’s fair in love and war,” I said. It took a moment for the phrase to sink in between us, turning into something we hadn’t even spoken about yet.

“Um…” She was blushing again.

I wanted to tell Hoot to turn around and leave us in that motel room until we’d worked out every single kink of our relationship, in bed and out. Instead, I squeezed her knee. “We’re going to get there. I’m sure you know where this is going.”

Her breath hitched. “Will, I don’t… it’s too soon… I’m not sure…”

I leaned in and gave her a toe-curling kiss. “I know. Me, too. But it’s something I’d like to leave on the table.”

“Table this for later?” she murmured, remembering my earlier words.

“Exactly.” I settled back and patted my shoulder. “Now, come on. I know you must be tired.”

She rolled her eyes. “And whose fault is that?”

“Mine,” I responded unrepentantly.

Hoot snickered, and she blushed again before squeezing her eyes shut and laying her head on my shoulder.

I kissed her hair and put an arm around her, cuddling her into my side.

“Y’all are very lucky you like each other. This’d be a long trip if y’all didn’t,” Hoot said.

“True.” I frowned at the back of Hoot’s scraggly head. “Say, Hoot? It occurs to me we know so little about you…”

“And we’re gonna keep it that way.” He seemed immovable.

Still, I had to push my luck. “Yes, but we’re—”

“And we’re gonna keep it that way,” he repeated icily.

I closed my mouth. “Yes, sir.”

Hoot snorted. “Ain’t nobody ‘sir’d’ me in a hunnert years.”

“They should. It’s a sign of respect,” I said.

Hoot burst out laughing. “Hoot’s just fine, son. Do they ‘sir’ you at work? Reckon they do.”

“True. But they don’t really mean it. I’m window dressing. Or I was. Now I’m a threat, I guess. My grandfather seems to be treating this very seriously, anyway,” I replied.

“Damn skippy, you’re a threat. And let me tell you somethin’. When you’re starin’ that bastard down in court, you remember ol’ Hoot told you to be brave. Cuz ain’t nothin’ more intimidatin’ than havin’ to rat out your family.” He shook his head. “’Course I wouldn’t exactly put it that way. When you get there, ya’ll will be doin’ the world a heap o’good.”

“I hope so. I just worry I’ll take down my grandfather only to have this Ibrahim or sheik or whoever step right in and take over where he left off,” I muttered.

“Could be. But y’all ain’t involved with Ibra-whose-it or the sheik. That’s somethin’ for McKenzie’s parents to work out,” he said.

I grimaced. “And then that weed gets pulled, and six spring up in its place. It must feel like Sisyphus working in law enforcement.”

“That ol’ bastard pushin’ the rock up the hill?” he inquired, and I nodded. He shrugged. “Gotta pull them weeds, or they get all overgrown like crabgrass. All anyone can do is try.”

“I suppose that’s true.” I looked down at the sleeping McKenzie and smoothed her hair back from her face, tucking it behind her ear. “Maybe I can free us, at least.”

“Tall order, but I’m rootin’ for you,” he said.

“Thanks,” I replied.

***

I didn’t realize I’d fallen asleep until Hoot hit some rumble strips.

“Tarnation,” he grunted, pulling the Escalade back into the lane. “It’s cuz this big boat here is takin’ up too much of the road!”

McKenzie let out a little snort but kept sleeping. I really had tired her out. “I don’t suppose you’ll tell us where we’re headed, Hoot?”

“Sure won’t. But I’ll tell you who we’re headed to,” he responded.

That was more than he’d ever offered up before. “Who?” I asked.

“While y’all were playing hide-the-cucumber last night, I found McKenzie’s grandparents,” he said proudly.

My stomach roiled. “Did we really want to find them?” I hazarded.

“I know what your opinion of them is,” he replied. “But they’re McKenzie’s family, and they’re in danger, too. And, I’m sure you know, last time they were in danger, Hank lost his legs.”

“He got them back,” I pointed out. “He didn’t lose his legs, just his ability to walk on them.”

“If we’re splittin’ hairs here…” he muttered.

“They’re not good people,” I reiterated from our earlier conversation.

Hoot shrugged. “People change. And family’s family.”

I sighed and stared at the ceiling. “I’m not going to change your mind, am I?”

“Nope,” he said.

“Fine.” I gave in. “But I want to make sure we have an exit strategy that includes dropping them somewhere safe and getting the hell out of Dodge because I don’t want them trash-talking McKenzie’s parents and upsetting her.”

He raised an eyebrow at me in the rearview mirror. “Son, you gotta be dumber’n dog shit if you’re thinkin’ they ain’t already got somethin’ to complain about without bringin’ Caleb and Jacey into it.”

“What would that be?” I asked, confused.

“Y’all came outta the same hoo-ha, now didn’t y’all?” he said. “They’ll know that.”

I felt my cheeks heat up. “We already worked that out.”

“Y’all did. They didn’t,” he replied.

He had a point. I groaned and squeezed my eyes shut. “Why are we going to rescue them again?”

“Family’s family,” he said again. “Don’t nothin’ change that.”

McKenzie shifted, and I knew she was waking up. She made the same cute little snuffling sound she did when we were in bed together. “We there yet?” she yawned, blinking awake.

“Got us another ten hours at least,” Hoot responded. “Dependin’ on traffic.”

“Will we need to stop for the night again?” she asked, looking outside at the setting sun.

Hoot looked out the windshield and hemmed and hawed a bit before saying, “I reckon so. I ain’t givin’ Will here our destination, and I ain’t as young as I used to be. I don’t fancy drivin’ through the night.”

“I could drive,” she muttered.

“Ain’t givin’ you the location, either,” he replied firmly.

I decided to bite the bullet right then, though I loathed bringing up the issue we’d just resolved. “So… we’re going to go rescue your grandparents and your uncle.”

“Sam,” Hoot provided. “Boy’s name is Sam. ’Bout thirty-one, so your age, then.”

That was just going to make things more awkward. I was sure of it. “So, your Uncle Sam… okay, that just sounded wrong. It makes him sound like the IRS or something.”

He chuckled. “Sure does.”

“I thought you said they’re bad people?” she asked hesitantly.

“They are. But Hoot says—”

“Family’s family,” he repeated.

“Oh.” Her brow creased in the cutest way right between her eyebrows, and it made me want to kiss the spot, but I didn’t want to interrupt her thought process. “So… we’re going to go save them.”

Hoot nodded. “That’s right.”

“Even though they’re probably going to hate us?” she went on.

“Even though,” he agreed.

She’d come to the same conclusion Hoot had brought me to without any outside help. Smart as a whip was my honeybee. “Look, we’re not related. We were born eleven years apart. Your mother was my surrogate. That’s all. She is your mom. We didn’t do anything creepy like grow up together…”

“My parents aren’t creepy!” she snapped.

Shit. “I didn’t mean it that way. Besides, they met when they were teenagers. It wasn’t as though they were ever really brother and sister,” I backpedaled quickly.

McKenzie’s jaw jutted out mutinously, but then she sighed. “Fine, okay. I know you didn’t mean it that way.”

“Thank you,” I sighed with relief. “I’m just saying…”

“You’re trying to make sure I don’t have second thoughts again,” she said.

I rubbed the back of my neck. “Okay, yes. A bit. But I’m also formulating the argument I’m going to be using on your grandfather. Whether it will penetrate his thick skull or not, I don’t know.”

“We’ll just pretend not to be together in front of them,” she decided. “Easy.”

I gaped at her. “Easy? How is that ‘easy’?!”

“I’m with Will on that one. Couples got their ways about ’em. Y’all lean into each other, laugh at each other’s jokes in a special way. Y’all got a look in your eye,” Hoot said.

“Oh.” She looked puzzled. “I suppose there is that. We can try?”

“It didn’t work out so well for your parents,” I reminded her. “That motherfucker.”

McKenzie squared her shoulders. “Then we’ll just have to be completely upfront with them. Get it right out there in the open. That means they won’t be surprised later.”

“If he hits you, honeybee, I’m going to kill him,” I said flatly.

“Get in line, son,” Hoot chimed in. “Nah, I’ll make sure they know my help’s conditional. Ain’t gonna be no fightin’ in my truck.”

I thought for a beat then responded, “Good plan.”

“Besides, could be they want to meet their granddaughter,” he said.

I doubted that. I doubted that very much.