Naughty but Nice: A Best Friend's Dad Christmas Romance Read online

  Seven blissful months of having Penny in my daily life. Nothing about our life together now was dull and boring; unlike the way I had felt before Penny, whenever I tried to get close to another woman.

  It hadn’t been easy to weather. Once my ex-wife caught wind of my relationship with Penny Marshall, there had been hell to slog through. My ex had been determined to use the relationship to stir a public outcry, after word reached me that my company would be used to help the government predict consumer spending. None of it had worked in the long run like she had hoped it would. The general public didn’t seem to care about my love life, and that was fine by me. It wasn’t any of their damn business in the first place.

  I stepped into the living room to find the Penny, Alyssa, and Nikki seated on the couch as they talked over coffee. My eyes landed on Penny, where she sat next to her mother. Today, she had put on bright maroon leggings with a baggy Christmas sweater that reached the middle of her thighs. Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a loose braid that rested over her shoulder.

  The smile that spread across her ruby red lips sent a stab of fire through me. I reached up to touch the inside of my blazer pocket, where a small box was wrapped with a diamond ring in it. That was how much my feelings had developed for Penny Marshall over the past year.

  “How was work?” Alyssa asked when she realized I was standing in the living room. “I didn’t even hear you come in.”

  “Busy as usual,” I said, and poured myself a cup before walking over to press a kiss against Penny’s head. “We just finished up a contract, just in time for the holiday break.”

  “Thank goodness for that,” Nikki said, cradling her cup with a smile. “Penny was just telling us how hard you’ve been trying to get this new contract out.”

  “I wanted to spend some time with everyone over Christmas without it hovering over my head,” I replied, and sat down in the chair next to Penny who smiled sweetly at me. “Where is Scott? I figured he would be here tonight.”

  Alyssa sipped at her coffee with a smile. “He’ll be by later. He had to drop his parents off at the airport. They are flying out to Hawaii for their Christmas present this year.”

  “That must be nice at this time of the year,” Nikki said, sighing. “I would love to sit on a warm sandy beach right now without a care in the world.”

  “You were just in France,” Penny exclaimed, shaking her head. “The most romantic place to be on earth, Mom.”

  Nikki sniffed indelicately at that. “I was inside a majority of the time, watching models prance around in my new fashion line. I didn’t get to sight see like I wanted to.”

  The conversation slid over to Alyssa’s winter semester. Next year, she and Scott both planned to travel abroad with one another. A year ago, I would’ve never been comfortable letting my daughter travel in a foreign country with some guy that I barely even knew, but Scott had merged himself seamlessly into Alyssa’s life. The two of them were closer than ever, from what Penny confided in me. They were head over heels in love, too, but they were both determined to finish out their schooling before progressing to the next step, something I greatly approved of with Scott. He didn’t want to rush things while they were still experiencing life together.

  I let my gaze settle on Penny who was chatting amicably with her mother, who had also made some changes in her life over the past year. A French man named Lawrence had become a constant fixture in Nikki and Penny’s life. He was a few years older than Nikki, and he owned a couple of international banks throughout the world. Tonight was the last night that Nikki would be with us before flying out to New York City to meet with Lawrence for a private Christmas vacation. She had made it a priority to come out to spend an early Christmas with Penny and me before leaving, but it worked out for my plans in the long run. I wanted Nikki and Alyssa both here for what I wanted to ask Penny tonight.

  It was an early Christmas gift that I knew everyone in the room would be ecstatic over. Neil had graciously kept the ring I picked out a month ago hidden at his house so Penny wouldn’t stumble upon it.

  I waited for the catching up conversation to taper off before I decided it was time. I had dinner reservations for all of us to celebrate afterward. Placing my mug of coffee down on the table, I reached out to grab ahold of Penny’s soft, warm hand. She turned to smile at me, but a question lingered in her eyes when I swallowed the nerves in my throat. I couldn’t remember feeling scared shitless when I had proposed to my ex-wife several years ago. It hadn’t been right back then.

  It was much different this time. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Penny because I couldn’t imagine my life without her in it.

  “I’ve been walking around for the past month, waiting for the right time,” I said, finding the strength to speak. The entire living room went quiet at that. “I think this is it.”

  Penny’s chest rose rapidly when I reached into the front pocket of my suit jacket. She clapped a hand over her mouth in surprise when I sank down to one knee in front of her.

  “Oh my god!” Alyssa cried, shaking her head. “I can’t believe it, Dad. You’ve kept this secret from me?”

  I smiled over in her direction. “Because I knew you would spoil the surprise. You can’t keep a secret worth anything.” I redirected my attention to Penny, who had tears in her eyes as she smiled around her fingers. “Penny Marshall, will you do me the honor of being my wife?”

  I opened the small box to reveal the diamond ring that I had spent hours inspecting before settling on it with satisfaction.

  “Yes,” Penny whispered, her hands trembling in mine. “Yes! Absolutely, yes!”

  My heart swelled with love and relief as I slid the ring onto her finger. She wrapped her arms around me tightly to hug me fiercely. I pulled back to place a kiss on her lips while happy tears glittered in her eyes.

  “I can’t wait spend forever with you,” she whispered, her arms tight about my shoulders. “I love you, Gabriel. More than anything in this world.”

  “No more than me,” I replied, joy surging through me as she glanced at the ring with a happy smile. “Nothing but smooth sailing from here, baby.”

  Penny glanced up at me as Nikki and Alyssa immediately flanked her side to take in the ring. She smiled tenderly at me.

  “Absolutely,” she said. “Smooth sailing.”

  The End

  IT’S NOT OVER YET....THE PARTY HAS JUST STARTED.....

  As a thank you for downloading this book includes an EXCLUSIVE TABOO STEP BROTHER ROMANCE, which can be accessed on the next

  page!

  Carter Prescott is America's Sexiest Bad Boy.

  Suave, sexy and a complete bad boy with a trust fund.

  The tabloids say he drinks too much, f*cks too much and doesn't care about anyone but himself.

  Lucky me. I'm his stepsister.

  My father is running for senate.

  So I'm stuck helping Carter clean up his act.

  What I didn't expect was the attraction between us.

  PR nightmare? That's an understatement.

  Taboo Lovers

  A Bad Boy Stepbrother Romance

  CHAPTER ONE - VANESSA

  “We're on in ten minutes,” Lucas, my father's Chief of Staff, said, tapping at his watch to emphasize his point.

  My dad was pacing the room, his temper starting to flare as I desperately tried one more time to call my stepbrother, Carter, to see why he wasn't there as he promised he would. His mother, Andrea, was getting her makeup touched up nearby, seemingly unaffected by it all. She'd left it all on my shoulders to get Carter there and ready to go in front of the press.

  “Carter, where are you? The press conference is starting in a few minutes and you're supposed to be here,” I said, my tone sharp after getting his voicemail again. “Call me back. Please.”

  “I knew he was going to be a problem,” my dad growled as he continued to pace the room. “I goddamn knew it.”

  His large, imposing figure was enough to int
imidate most men, which had made dating a challenge when I was younger. But Carter had never been fazed by my father, mostly because it was obvious that he didn't respect him.

  “I'm sure he will be here,” Andrea said from her seat, pressing her lips together and staring at her reflection in the mirror, looking for the slightest imperfection. “You know Carter, he's always running late.”

  “I told him he needed to be here half an hour early,” I muttered. “Just because I know he has trouble being on time.”

  My father ran a hand through his thinning gray hair, shaking his head. “Since joining this family, he's been nothing but a disappointment,” he said. “You'd think he'd want me to win this election and become a Senator. If nothing else, it would surely help with his trust fund. God knows that's all he cares about.”

  I cringed at my father's harsh words for my stepbrother. Deep down though, I knew I couldn't dispute them. While yes, Carter was a problem – and truthfully, had become an even bigger one so since our two families had become one – I still hated hearing my father talk poorly of him. My dad didn't mince his words. It wasn't his most endearing trait, but one I'd grown used to over the years. But Carter struggled with it. He wasn't used to being spoken to so directly or so harshly, at times. And because of that, the two men butted heads over everything.

  “He'll probably show up drunk again. Or high,” my father said. “If he does, I swear to you, Andrea, I'm going to – ”

  I stopped him before he could finish, knowing that whatever he had to say wouldn't be pretty and would likely end up in a knock-down, drag-out fight, or with Andrea in tears. Or more likely, both.

  “I'll find him,” I said, standing up, glad to have a reason to get out of there for a moment. “I always do, don't I?”

  In many ways, I was my stepbrother's keeper. I was the one who corralled him, getting him to one event after the other, making sure he had clean clothes and sobered up before he made an ass of himself or my father. It was a role I didn't want, but had taken on to help my father's career. After all, no one wanted to see my dad's name in the headlines for Carter's unruly behavior, least of all, my father. Especially just as he's announcing his run for the Senate.

  “In ten minutes?” my dad asked, his gruff voice softening ever so slightly. “Honey, even you can't perform a miracle like that. And the last thing we need is for both of you to miss the press conference. Honestly, it's probably better if he doesn't show up anyway. I suppose – ”

  My father bit off his words, ending his sentence when we heard raucous laughter in the hallway. Lucas's voice carried into the room and the expression on my father's face darkened immediately.

  “Your family is waiting right in here,” Lucas said.

  My father and I shared a look and a nervous chill crept along my flesh, waiting for the inevitable explosion that seemed to be forthcoming. Carter was there and it was obvious from the feminine laughter in the hallway outside, that he wasn't alone. As the door to our room opened, Carter came in looking as ruggedly handsome as usual, with his shaggy brown hair and toned, surfer body. There was a buxom blonde wearing a crop top and short-shorts hanging on his arm, giggling almost uncontrollably. Both of them looked high as a kite.

  Quickly stepping into my role as the family's peacemaker, I rushed over to Carter, trying to ignore the bimbo at his side – a feat that wasn't all that easy to accomplish. I looked at him and shook my head. He was in no shape to be on the podium for my father's press conference.

  “Carter, we need to get you changed – ”

  Carter was in his usual attire – ripped jeans and a tight t-shirt that hugged his firm, fit body. The tattoos on his arms were visible, bared to the world; something my father always tried to make him hide when we were in front of the cameras. He felt that it sent the wrong message and would be abhorrent to his typical voting base. Personally, I thought he was overreacting a bit about Carter's tats and that in this day and age, most people wouldn't think twice about them.

  Nevertheless, my father insisted that Carter cover them up at public events. So, as usual, knowing that he never came prepared or took my father's campaign events seriously, I had a suit and tie ready and waiting for him. One of my tasks was to always make Carter look presentable for the cameras.

  “Leave me alone. I'm fine like I am,” Carter said, then he turned his glassy eyes toward me.

  I looked away, unable to make eye contact with him in his current condition. It killed me every time to see my gorgeous stepbrother drunk or all doped up. I hated seeing him becoming the waste that my father always accused him of being. Carter was better than that. There was more to him than the drunk playboy he was starting to be known to be. I'd seen it.

  I remembered a time when he wasn't a train wreck. When he could speak articulately, even eloquently about any number of subjects. I remember when he had a passion and zeal about him. But as I looked at him, his eyes glassy, swaying back and forth on his feet, I also saw that those days seemed long gone. Carter had started down a dark path, one I didn't know that he could come back from. A path I was beginning to doubt he even wanted to come back from.

  Carter, sensing my discomfort smirked at me, showing off the dimple in his left cheek. “You just want to see me naked, don't you, Vanessa? Admit it, you love my body.”

  “Eww, she's your sister, Carter,” the blonde on his arm said, scrunching up her nose distastefully.

  “Stepsister,” I quickly corrected her, though I didn't know why I even felt the need to address her in the first place.

  “Yeah, we weren't always related,” Carter said. “And she wasn't always so far up her father's ass either.”

  “Carter!” Andrea scolded him from where she was sitting. “Don't talk like that about your stepsister or your stepfather.”

  That's about as harsh a scolding he'd ever get from her. She typically stayed out of everything when it came to reprimanding him or doling out punishment. Andrea preferred to avoid picking sides between her husband and son, and left the actual parenting up to my dad, who, in turn, often left it up to me.

  I was Carter's stepsister and was honestly, the only person in our family that he actually respected. He'd eventually listen to me, even if he couldn't help but throw insults my way every chance he got. He felt like I'd sold out and was in danger of becoming just like my father. That was something that bothered him more deeply than he could express with words. In turn, he just acted like a spoiled teenager. My dad was huddled in a corner, talking very animatedly to Lucas, and I could tell by the rigid, angry set of my father's body, that their conversation wasn't going well. We were supposed to be out there in front of the press in minutes and Carter was obviously not in the right frame of mind to be front and center for the world to see.

  No matter what outfit I forced him into, or how presentable I tried to make him, he was still wasted and would probably say or do something awful. The result would be bad for my dad's Senate bid. “Well, Carter, why don't you just relax and hang out here while we talk to the press,” I said.

  “Why? You ashamed of me now too?”

  His gray eyes bore into me as if he could see right through me, and it sent and unpleasant shudder through my body. I remembered a time not too far back when those gray eyes of his had the opposite effect on me, and I felt a pang of sadness.

  “No, of course not,” I said. “But you're drunk and this is a really important day for my dad. And besides, we were supposed to wear business attire for this press – ”

  “I'm tired of pretending to be someone I'm not for the sake of his career,” Carter said, speaking loudly so my father could hear him. “It's not like he's done anything for me lately.”

  My father stopped talking to Lucas and turned, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Carter. The set of my father's jaw and the dark look in his eyes told me that things were about to get ugly. My dad had a temper on him, and Carter always knew how to push the wrong buttons, and seemed to revel in doing just that. Trying to mitigate the si
tuation, I grabbed Carter's arm again, but the blonde slapped it away.

  “Sorry honey, he's mine,” she said.

  The blood in my veins was boiling and the stress of the entire episode was really getting to me. I could usually maintain my composure, unlike my father, but I still had his rage inside of me. And this whore had just slapped me.

  “For tonight,” I leaned close and whispered only so she could hear me. “Tomorrow night it'll be another trashy blonde and you'll be history. I've seen it more times than you can even count. But I'm not going anywhere, bitch.”

  “Ladies, ladies, no need to fight over me,” Carter said, smiling wide and putting an arm around both of us.

  “Carter, we need to talk. Alone,” I said, my eyes narrowed and angry as I stared at his latest conquest. “And she needs to go. Now.”

  “Brittany isn't going anywhere, except back to my place to fuck,” he said. “Care to join us, Vanessa?”

  “I'll pass,” I muttered, pulling him and his bimbo out of the room and shutting the door behind us.

  The last thing my dad needed in that moment was to deal with Carter. And I knew that the longer we stayed in there with him, the larger the risk of my dad blowing a gasket grew. When it came to those two clashing, it was always a matter of when, not if. And it didn't help matters any that I knew Carter was only acting that way to get a rise out of my dad. He was trying to push him over the edge and embarrass him. That's just what he did.