Page 7 of My Filthy Stepbrother

Dakota isn't the kind of woman who wants people to take care of her. She's like her mother in that sense. It's one of the reasons I knew Miss Ellie and my dad weren't going to work out. My father is an old-school kind of guy. He likes to go to work, come home, and have a beer and dinner with his family.

Cody's mom is not the stay-at-home type of woman my father wants. However, at the time they got together, it was plain to see that they needed each other. I got a mother and Cody got a dad, but it puts us in this insane family dynamic that none of us truly want to be in.

The older we get, the less familial everything becomes. Still, that doesn't stop me from wanting to take care of her. The expression on her face is flush with hues of red and wonder. She must not believe me.

"I know we haven't been close over these past few years. With you being away at school, and me focusing on work, I want you to know that it's never stopped me from thinking about you, caring about you."

My mind drifts to her grip around my cock, stroking and rubbing me to climax but ending so abruptly.

Her voice breaks into my thoughts. "I know, Dean. One reason I've stayed away is because of how I felt … well … feel about you. I thought putting some space between us would give this crush I've had on you time to go away. Only, it never did."

"I never questioned it either. Mostly because I felt the same. What do you think our folks will say?"

Cody raises her shoulders up and down, turning away from me to eat and drink her beer. "Who knows? Mom will probably tell me this is the worst decision I've ever made right after taking that fancy job at that fancy startup."

"I doubt that, and take it easy on your mom. You only got one. She's had to come to terms with the fact that you're living a life she probably wanted."

"Really? How would you know that?" She grins and shakes her head in disbelief.

"Because I talk to your mom about more things than the weather. She loved that you went away to school and found a job up north. I can tell there's a part of her that wishes she'd done the same. One of their biggest arguments is about how Dad never wants to leave Tamworth."

"What about you, Dean? Would you leave Tamworth?"

"Of course, I would. Especially when I'm ready to get my company off the ground." I want to ask her to come with me, but that's asking a lot from Cody when I don't have a plan in place to take care of us. She deserves to know what I want and how Iplan to reach my goals. At least then she'll be able to choose if she wants to go along for the ride.

"Well, if you're going to take care of whatever I need until I get on my feet, the least I can do is help get your paperwork situated for your company. I'll stop by the store and see about a job tomorrow. Hopefully, you won't have to take care of me for long."

I tell her, "I'll take care of you no matter what. My first order of business is to?—"

She cuts me off. "Your first order of business should be to let me take care of you the way you started to earlier."

I flash her a grin with a subtle sigh. "You know that taking care of you also means telling myself to not be selfish. You've been through a lot today, Cody. How about you get some rest? We should both hit the sack and tackle everything else once we have a fresh start to the day."

Cody gets up from her seat and begins to clean the kitchen, and I can tell there's some disappointment in her energy. I get it, but I also want our first time together to be memorable.

She stops moving around the kitchen when I gently touch her arm. I have to let her know that this isn't the rejection she's taking it as. "Dakota, I want you. I also want this first time between us to be something more than playing grab-ass in the kitchen. "

To seal my intentions, I tip my head lower to kiss her gently on the lips. Her mouth is soft, inviting, and desperately begging me to change my mind about waiting. Before I allow my primitive nature to take control, I pull away from the kiss, cupping her face in my hands so Cody can see the sincerity in my eyes.

"Goodnight, Cody."

"Goodnight, Dean."

The rest of the night feels like any other as I toss and turn before falling into a deep sleep. The following day, I don't wake up until the late morning when I have to get ready for my shift. I hope to see Cody, but her bedroom is empty and the house is cold. Dad's bedroom door is locked, which means he's probably going to sleep for the next 24 hours.

Ever since the divorce, he has been using work to distract himself from the silence of this house. But working himself to the bone isn't going to last forever. Without me and Cody here, he'd be alone. I know that's not a problem for me to fix, but I can't help but worry about him.

Instead of worrying about my dad, I give his door one last glance before getting ready for work and going into downtown Tamworth. Tamworth is barely a city. The downtown district is a single road of boutique shops and businesses with Flannigan's taking up an entire block with its own parking lot.

There's a perpetual scent of pine wafting through the vast department store. There's normally a guard on duty at the front door, one making rounds through various sections of the store, and another in the back, watching the security monitors. When I walk into the store, passing through home decor, I can't stop scanning every aisle.

The store is fairly empty, but that's simply the season we're in. The lull that comes after Christmas and before tax refund season makes the store a ghost town on weekdays. It's routine, expected, and with that expectation, Wesley isn't shy about cutting back hours.

Wesley Flannigan considers himself old money, but it's the worst kept secret in Tamworth that he married into the Flannigan family, taking his wife's last name too. He's strategic and exacting. However, I notice there isn't a security guard making rounds through the departments, forcing me to hurry into the back office. Wesley has worry written all over his face, and the pudgy guy looks like he's going to be sick.

"Everything alright?" I ask, clocking in and dropping my duffle bag in front of employee lockers.

"No," Wesley replies, shaking his head before burying his face in his hands. "I don't think we're going to recover, Dean. No one's spending money in department stores anymore. Flannigan's only has two locations, but the competition is wiping us out. Online and in the brick-and-mortar. I'm sorry, but you're going to be our only guard on duty for a while."

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