Read Pulse: A Stepbrother Romance for Free Online

feelings. Ugh.
    “Mary told me you’re still working the warehouse job you dropped out of school to pick up,” Jerry said. “If you want it, there’s a desk job at my company for you. You would have to move out here, but it would be a hell of a lot more comfortable for you and pay a lot better, to boot.”
    “A job?” That was the last thing I expected to come out of Jerry’s mouth. Was he going to speak in tongues next? “Doing what?”
    “I won’t lie to you—you don’t have the skills to start off doing more than administrative tasks and errands, but I’ll get you trained up, maybe get you out with the sales team, and you’ll contribute before you know it. What do you say?”
    Jerry smiled, no doubt expecting a flood of relief and gratitude coming his way.
    “I’ll pass,” I said.
    “You’ll… pass?”
    I took satisfaction in so thoroughly confusing the poor man.
    “An office job just isn’t my type of work.”
    He frowned. “You want to work in a warehouse for the rest of your life? You know you can’t just do manual labor forever, Christian. It’ll catch up to you and you’ll need other skills to survive.”
    “It’s Chris,” I reminded him. “And I don’t intend to. But the city is where I belong, and it’s the only spot I can make the connections to do what I want to do. I won’t move to the country to sell insurance, or whatever you guys do.”
    “They’re financial instruments,” Jerry said. “And they help people invest money in important ways.”
    It was all gibberish. “Okay, whatever. Point is, I appreciate the offer, but I’ll pass.”
    “If you say so,” Jerry said, bemused. “Just remember that the offer is always open, if you ever need it.”
    As I shifted, I saw a face behind him that shouldn’t have been there. My heart pounded. I didn’t think I would ever see her again.
    “Sorry, Jerry, but I have to go find my brothers. We’ll talk more later.”
    I wasn’t ready to talk to her. Not yet. I needed to think about what to say.
    This time, I would not let Leah get away.

 
     

     
    “Leah!”
    Dad beckoned me. I’d put off coming in for as long as possible, squeezing as much rehearsal time in as I could before dinner.
    “Where have you been? Stephanie came in hours ago, and I know you two drove together.”
    I hadn’t had time to tell him about the audition, and despite the importance of practice, my face grew hot. His paternal disappointment always cut deep, especially because he’d given up so much for us.
    “Sorry,” I said. “I’ll explain later.”
    “Leah, it’s so nice to meet you again!” Mary swept me into an embrace, the affection throwing me off. I’d forgotten how free she was with her hugs—it had been the biggest thing I took away from our first meeting a month before.
    “Mary, you’re looking well.” It was the truth. The Mediterranean had agreed with her, giving her a dusky tan.
    The difference in Dad was even more dramatic, but it wasn’t the trip that had effected the change. It was Mary.
    Having a woman to love has helped him. He’d been alone for far too long.
    “And this is Rory, one of your soon-to-be stepbrothers,” Mary said.
    He’d been talking with Steph, but they stopped when Mary made her announcement. I placed him in his mid-teens, a few years younger than my sister. Unruly brown curls framed his face, which otherwise looked familiar in a way I couldn’t place.
    “Have we met before?” I asked him.
    He shook his head. “Doubt it, ‘less you come out to Brooklyn often. I’d remember if I ever saw you.”
    There was something about the voice, too. But no, not enough to ring a bell.
    “Rory is a good hockey player,” Mary said. “We’re hoping he might have what it takes to play in Canada, maybe make the NHL one day. That would be a dream come true for him. For us.”
    “Yes, that would be quite something,” Jerry said. He’d never watched a game of hockey in his life. “I want you to meet