Badass: A Stepbrother SEAL Romance by Linda Barlow, Alana Albertson Page A

did not say this in a comforting manner, but rather in a snarky one. He laid one finger over his lips. “This’ll be our little holiday secret. Merry Christmas, Sis.”
    He exited my room as stealthily as he had entered it.
    I rolled over, punched my pillow furiously, and tried to go to sleep.

Chapter 18—Shane
    The next morning, I woke and showered. I headed across the hall to the living room. Cassie was sitting on a white leather sofa. I remembered her legs spread on my sofa, my face buried in her pussy, her fingernails running through my hair, pulling me closer to her core as I edged her to pleasure.
    My mom and Henry emerged from the kitchen and placed a platter on the coffee table. I was starving so I helped myself to some bagels and orange juice.
    I handed Cassie a bagel. “So, do you live here?”
    “No. Just during winter break. Campus is closed so I thought I’d come spend the holidays with dad.”
    Well that was convenient. I could come fuck her on my lunch breaks. Or she could run over to base and blow me in the compound. The possibilities were endless.
    “So Shane, how did you sleep?” my mom asked.
    I smirked. “Great, best night I had in ten months.”
    Cassie fidgeted and avoided eye contact with me.
    “Well, you’re welcome to crash here whenever you like.” My mom placed her hand on my back. “I hate that you drive across the bridge after working all-night shifts.”
    “Maybe I should just move in? We can be one happy family.”
    Cassie choked on her orange juice.
    My mom leveled me with her eyes. “Shane, stop. I just worry about you. It would be nice to spend some time together.”
    Cassie quickly changed the subject. “Time to open gifts.”
    She played Santa, dispersing the gifts. My mom gave me a leather bound sketch pad and a new set of pencils. I noticed Cassie focusing on that present and I wondered if she remembered the framed sketches I’d had at my place. I offered my mom a simple thanks and looked away from Cassie.
    After opening all the others, she paused and glared at me before unwrapping mine.
    She smiled when she viewed the title. “Oh Shane, how thoughtful. The Proper Care and Feeding of Sea Lions .”
    “Glad you like it.” I ripped open the small box she handed me. A fucking barnacle scrapper. “Thanks Cassie.”
    She smirked. “You’re welcome, thought you could use it for your SEAL boats.”
    Smartass. I loved the way she teased me. I wanted to teach her a lesson, put her in her place—under me.
    Our parents seemed a tad baffled, looking back and forth between us.
    “Why did you buy him a barnacle scraper, sweetheart?” Henry’s tone was tense. “I’m sure these men have professionals cleaning their boats for them.”
    “Barnacles can cause damage to their zodiac boats. I thought this could help him.”
    Old man was catching on about the vibe between Cassie and me.
    My mom pursed her lips. “Shane, I know this is short notice, but we’ve set the date for the first weekend in January. I’m hoping you’ll be able to get the time off to come to our wedding.”
    “What’s the rush, Ma? Are you pregnant?”
    My mom blushed. “That’s enough, Shane. We just don’t see the need to wait. It’s January and we all have a little time off, so we thought we’d seize the opportunity. I’m not getting any younger.”
    Whatever. I didn’t care. I didn’t want to know the details. “Sorry. I can’t make it. We just started a new training phase.”
    My mom put her hands on my shoulders. “You haven’t taken any leave since your last deployment. It’s on the weekend. In Cabo. You can fly in Friday night and be back to work by Sunday. I’d really like you to be there.”
    Cassie couldn’t resist getting a word in. “Shane, it's our parents’ wedding. All you have to do is show up.”
    I could tell this was important to my mom, and I didn’t want to disappoint her, but I was damned if I’d be treated as a family obligation by Cassie. I’d never had a