Holiday Knockout (A Steele Family Novella Book 1) Read online

  “Thank you so much for helping and stopping a riot. I’m sorry for being confused.”

  It’s always hard when there’s a new release. There’s not a lot to do in this town, and with it growing and people from the next two towns over, we get pretty busy. “Don’t be sorry. Just remember to relax, tear the ticket, and send them on their way.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Have a nice night.”

  “Same to you,” she says with a smile, her mood shifting to a little more cheerful. I wave to her and toss my messenger bag across my body and leave the theater. The drive home is short, but I’m so damn tired that it feels like an eternity.

  The second I enter my home that I share with my brother, I kick off my shoes and let my feet hit the cold floor, and I sigh. I need a shower and a massage, but I’ll settle for a drink and a nap.

  "Wow, that's a long, drawn-out sound. Are you okay?" my brother, Joseph, says.

  I’m shocked to see him here. As a doctor, he spends a lot of his days and nights at the clinic of his or at the hospital. "I'm surprised you're home so soon."

  "I'm not that early; you're just really late." I look at my phone and realize that he's right. I ended up staying at work two hours longer than I was supposed to.

  "Damn, I didn't think I stayed that long. No wonder I’m exhausted.” I drop my purse on the end table next to the sofa.

  "It's cool. Take a seat."

  I plop down on the sofa and kick up my feet. "Thanks, bro. How are you?"

  "Losing my mind and my heart, but I'm all good.” He cracks half a smile, and I know it’s killing him how much he wants one young woman. It’s complicated because she’s the sister of the woman Joe’s best friend is marrying. My brother met her while in the process of saving her and her family from being kidnapped, and he’s been lovesick ever since.

  "Are you going to make your move?" I ask.

  "I want to, but she's so young." She is. She’s only eighteen, I believe, and my brother’s already over thirty.

  "And you're not getting any younger. If she's into you, then why fight it?" It’s not like I’ve seen the man date anyone for as long as I’ve known him. Granted, we only reconnected a few years ago when my shitty mother informed me that I had an older brother. It shocked me and I feared that he would want nothing to do with me, but when we met, he welcomed me with open arms. In fact, he turned into the brother most girls hope to have. He loves and protects me like I’ve always been a part of his life.

  "You're right. I hope to get some alone time with her this weekend."

  "Eww." That’s information I don’t need to know about.

  He nudges me and shakes his head. "That's not what I meant. I want to get to know her better. It's not just about sex for me. It's soul deep."

  I’m so glad he can feel that for someone. I don’t know if I can. I haven’t fallen in love with anyone, and until I met Joe, I didn’t know what love could be. It’s a sibling love, but it’s stronger than I could have imagined. "I don't know about that. I think Mom made me too cynical to believe in my own happily ever after."

  "Don't give up. You're only twenty-two. You've got a long time to be this miserable for some guy."

  I laugh out loud, standing up because I need a drink of something. "I won't. I'm just not that optimistic. I sure as hell don't want some bossy bastard."

  "You're not your mother.”

  “Do you want another beer?”

  “Sure.” I walk into the kitchen and pull out a beer for both of us and join him back on the sofa.

  "It's funny how you don't call her Mom." We don’t really talk about our mother because it’s a sore subject for both of us, but he’s even more closed off about it.

  "I had a mom. A great mom that loved me more than my birth mother ever did. I won't dishonor her by giving the birther that title."

  "I'm sorry I missed out on having you in my life all these years."

  He wraps his arm around my shoulder for a brief hug and says, "You got me now. So how are you doing? Is there too much going on at the theater?"

  I shake my head gently and then take a drink of my beer. It’s cold and goes down smooth, hitting the spot. "No, it's just a busy night. Most days I'm in and out on time. With me going on a mini-vacation, I have to make sure everything's in order.”

  “I understand that. It’s why I’ve been keeping late hours at the clinic. I don’t want to leave patients hanging.”

  “Are you packed and ready to go?” I ask him, although he’s always so organized, so I’m sure he is.

  “Yeah, I have everything ready so that we can leave without trouble. You?”

  “I am. Although I did have to make me a new shirt for Vegas.” He rolls his eyes because I have a new hobby of creating cute tees with funny sayings on them to wear. “I love making them, so leave me alone.” I stick out my tongue. “I’m off to bed before I fall asleep right here.”

  “Okay. Goodnight, Sammie.”

  “Goodnight.” I wave and walk into my room on the first floor. Now that I think about it, if Joe and Sophia actually get together, I’m going to have to move out. I should start looking for a place to rent. Although, if I know Boomer and Joe, I’ll be living rent-free somewhere.

  ****

  The wedding is about to start. We’re all at the chapel waiting for the bride and groom to come in when I get my first glance at the Miller brothers. They are sitting on the bride’s side, and one turns my way. Our eyes meet and I whip my head back toward the altar, keeping my eyes off him, but I can still feel his stare.

  I turn my head and give him my haughtiest glare, but all he does is raise one thick, dark brow up and smile. I turn away again, doing my best to remain calm, but damn, the man is gorgeous, and I bet he’s well aware of it. The prick.

  Since he wants to stare, I look and take in his appearance. He’s in a crisp, dark blue dress shirt that clings to his muscles and matches his eyes, which are the prettiest shade of blue I’ve ever seen. He bites his bottom lip, dragging his teeth along it before he lets another smile that reeks of cockiness creep over his face.

  He gives me a wink, and suddenly I’m hit with the reasons I should stay away from this guy. He’s an athlete with money and power who probably sleeps with several chicks at once. The rest of the ceremony, I manage to keep my eyes off of him and the second it’s over, I sneak out of the chapel before he comes looking for me. I’m going to do my best to avoid him before and after the fight, hiding out until we all board the flight back home.

  Chapter Three

  Daniel

  Who the fuck is she? I don’t know if it was her staring at me or just fate that dragged my attention away from the doctor who was eye-fucking my baby sister Sophia as she stood next to the bride. Once I lay eyes on this dark-haired beauty, my dick goes rock hard and my brain doesn’t want to operate correctly. This hadn’t happened to me since I was a teen and sure as hell not this intently even when my hormones were running wild. I stare at her unable to quit my newly found obsession.

  A low rumble comes from my chest as a big motherfucker next to her whispers something in her ear. She giggles, and that sound, although barely audible, shoots straight through me and gives me a feeling I don’t want to ever go away. My heart pounds in my chest faster than any fight has ever done. Who is she? Never mind, all I need to know is she’s mine. The rest doesn’t matter. Fuck, I can’t shake this overwhelming emotion. This is lust tripping on ecstasy.

  I start to stand up, but my brother Mike has my arm, dragging me down. I flush with embarrassment when I hear the officiant, "…or forever hold their peace." I almost accidentally objected to the marriage. Several pairs of eyes are on me, luckily it’s not the bride and groom, but how the fuck would I explain myself on that one? That I'm ready to fuck the brains out of the sexy woman across the aisle, or that I want to bash in the head of the guy she's sitting next to.

  "Get ahold of yourself," Mike grumbles in my ear. "We have a fight tonight. He's not going to make a mo
ve on Sophia before then. We'll check his ass after it."

  He's not aware that I'd forgotten about Doc for a minute while focusing on the beauty sitting directly behind the old bastard staring at my baby sister. My little vixen sees the slight look of disgust I give Doc and narrows her brows, scowls, and turns her head, sending her long dark hair swinging over her shoulder in an angry huff.

  It takes everything in me not to walk across the aisle and drag her to me. I drink in her profile and think about staring at her face for the rest of our lives. The ceremony ends and everyone goes their own way. I’m about to chase her down and speak to her when my father turns into a fucking cockblocker.

  “Leave her alone, Danny.”

  “No. Let go of me. I’m not going to let her get away.”

  “Just because she’s Doc’s sister doesn’t mean that you can play to get even.”

  “She’s related to that pervert?”

  “Yes. His younger sister, Sammie.”

  “Sammie,” I growl out. Fuck, my dick hardens a little more just knowing what to call her when I drag her into my arms and kiss her.

  She does a disappearing act before the fight, and I see red. What the motherfucking hell? She's like a ghost, and it sucks because I don't have time to chase her ass down.

  "Are you ready to do this?"

  "Of course I'm ready. I'm going to knock him on his ass as soon as that bell rings."

  "A little cocky tonight. I like that, Beast."

  I turn around to see a female reporter in my locker room. And then I see Sammie with some of my family. She turns around and walks right out as the reporter presses her hand on my bicep. I want to go after her, but I can't just run out into the crowd.

  "No comment. I don't know how you got in here, but you need to go. I've got a fight to prepare for." Security escorts her to the door as my family comes in.

  I've seen the woman around, but I don't know her personally. She's not the usual reporter they send to cover MMA. They use this one because she's got big tits and they think that gets her into places and gets us talking. It doesn't work for my brother or me.

  The next two hours feel like an eternity as I wait for the fight to begin.

  When it does, I enter the ring like a king like I always do, but I'm fighting the Tank and we've been talking shit for months. None of it’s acceptable, but the fucker brought up my sisters and fuck if I let it go, so I brought up his. Hopefully Sammie didn't see those videos that are everywhere. I wasn't as fucking vulgar as he was, but I didn't let him get away with the shit-talking.

  My mind is so focused on Sammie and her reaction to it that I don't protect myself adequately. It only takes me a second to find myself slammed against the cage. Shit. I toss a knee then swipe my foot under his, causing him to lose his footing, and I attack. There's no way I'm going to let him get the best of me with my future wife in the audience.

  We all gather at our condo to celebrate the wins after Mike and I answer a million questions from reporters. I look around the room and there she is, sitting there talking to my sister Crystal. They smile at each other and laugh. My sister sees me first and says, “Hey, Daniel, have you met Sammie?”

  “Not officially.” I can’t take my eyes off Sammie. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I say, taking her hand and bringing it to my lips. Her eyes widen and her face flushes with the unmistakable hint of desire, but she flinches and violently tugs her hand back. Her reaction intrigues more than I expected. My dick is throbbing in my jeans, begging to be inside her until we both come instead of being offended.

  “Charmed,” she says, rolling her eyes at me.

  “Now, Vixen. What did I do to you?”

  “Nothing, and you never will. Stop with the flirting already.”

  “If that’s what you want.” I walk away from her and head into the kitchen that’s only separated by a small hallway. I lean on the counter and take a calming breath because I’m tempted to ignore her command and carry her over my shoulder. I’m not sure why she has this pull on me, but she does and it’s going to destroy me if I can’t have her. Taking another deep breath, I push off the granite surface, and then go into my fridge, dragging out a beer and popping it open and drinking it down. I stand there with my back to the hallway with the fridge door resting against my leg.

  I can feel eyes on me, but I don’t stop drinking. Once I finished one beer, I reach for another.

  “An alcoholic, I see.” Vixen is looking for trouble.

  “Do you have a problem with people having a couple of beers? Or is it just me?”

  “I don’t care what you do with yourself, but a man who can’t even step away from the fridge door while he drinks seems to have a problem.” I set my beer back on the shelf and close the door. “Oh, no. Don’t stop on my account.”

  “The only problem I have involves getting you naked and under me.” She walks over to the sink, and that’s when she fucks up. She gets a little too close to the devil. I slide my hand around her waist, spinning her to face me. Without another word, I thrust my hands in her hair and slam my lips on hers. She doesn’t fight me; no, she surrenders and adds her own fire to our little tongue war as if she was waiting for me to attack her sexy self. I pin her to the edge of the sink, lifting her off her feet and grinding my cock along her sweet spot. She gives me a moan, digging her fingers in my hair.

  “Fuck, I can’t wait for everyone to go so I can have you on every damn surface of this place.” And that’s when I lose her. She pulls her face away from mine and pushes at my chest.

  “What? What’s wrong?”

  “I’m not going to sleep with you. I thought I made that clear,” she informs me, slapping her hands onto her tiny waist as if that’s supposed to make her more believable.

  I crowd her space with my hands gripping her thighs. “When was that? Before or after you ground your soaking wet pussy over my cock and kissed me like you want to be banged all night long.”

  “Classy. Bye.” She shoves me a little harder so that I back up, and then she hops off the counter and leaves the room.

  I lean against the sink and stare at the empty doorway for a minute, hoping to understand what the fuck just happened. “She thinks I’m a bum.” The look of distrust etched on her face reminds me that she regretted that kiss. That’s for sure. I run my fingers angrily through my hair. I leave the kitchen and go to my room to get ahold of myself. My cock is so painfully stiff, I need to stay away from everyone until I’m presentable. It takes a long-ass time because every time I get it to go down, she pops back into my head. I can hear her voice as she moaned my name.

  Once I finally come out, she’s gone along with most of the guests. I look at the large clock on the living room wall and see that I’d been in my room for over an hour. “We’re all going to get some sleep, Danny,” my mother says. “Congratulations again on winning, baby. I knew you would.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  I hug her and then Sophia before my Dad wraps me in a big bear hug and whispers, “She’s got it for you, but something’s not right. Give it time.”

  “Thanks, Dad. I’m not going to give up on her. I don’t care if it takes the rest of my life.” I’ve been knocked down, and I will have my rematch.

  Chapter Four

  Sammie

  I’m restless.

  The weeks have passed since I saw, kissed, felt Daniel, but that hasn’t stopped me from dreaming of him almost every night. Things around Steeleville have been wild and crazy and yet, all I find myself thinking about is—wouldn’t it be great if he was around to hold me and keep me safe? Not that I’m not safe, but I want the man more than I’ve ever wanted a man before.

  Having a man to keep me safe had never crossed my mind until I found my long-lost brother. Joseph and I met barely five years ago. I remember it like it was yesterday.

  Entering the hospital, I nervously look around, hoping that someone doesn’t call the cops. I mean…it’s a hospital so there’s no reason not to be allowed in
side, but there’s a front desk that has a mean-looking receptionist and a guard standing off the main entrance to the ER. I’m not here for anything medical. I’m here to find a doctor. I’ve googled the name, cross-referenced the images on the many medical sites, and everyone points to this hospital and a little clinic a town over. I don’t have a car or anything, so I have to do it while he’s on duty here.

  “Um…hi. I need to speak with Dr. Joseph Simmons, please.”

  “Dr. Simmons is busy at the moment. Is it an emergency?”

  “No, but it’s imperative that I talk to him.” Like, I’m homeless and I’m getting by on the last dollars I have until payday next week. Oh, and I’m his sister.

  “I’ll page the doctor and inform him, but it may be a long time before he responds. Your name, please.”

  “Um…Samantha Morris.”

  “Okay. Please have a seat.” She types something in the computer, and a part of me is wondering if she’s silently alerting security. I sit in a chair and wait…and wait…and wait.

  Three hours pass by, each one more interminable than the previous one. I’ve lifted my head to every pair of legs I saw passing me just in case I missed him. I stand up and grab my things to leave when I hear the receptionist say, “Over there.”

  I look straight ahead to see the man whose face I burned into my memory. “Sammie,” he whispers, taking two steps at a time, and without a word from me throws his arms around me for a hug. I sigh and hug him back.

  “I thought I just imagined you,” he says, squeezing me tighter.

  “You know who I am?” I ask when he finally pulls back.

  “You look like her.”

  “Thanks.” It’s a compliment and not all in the same breath.

  “Come with me. Let’s go talk, have dinner.”

  “I don’t—”