Chapter 21 Misty
MISTY
Deep down, I know that he’s just doing this to fuck with me, that Talbot doesn’t really find me attractive. The flirting, the random touches, telling me to run my hands over his shirtless chest—it’s just a game to him.
“This is how it went with Austen,” I remind myself fiercely. “A guy so much as sneezes in your direction, and you fall in love with him.”
Brielle’s not wearing any underwear under that dress. No bra either. Her hair looks great; she’s sex on a stick. Shoot, now Austen even showed up to surprise her. Probably because one of the WAGs posted a picture of shirtless Talbot.
Both men are going to fight for Brielle.
I’m out in the cold, trudging away from the big gray stone mansion because I can’t be there when Austen swans in and declares his undying love for my stepsister, can’t stand to watch him romance her the way he never did me.
Because I’m not worth it.
“Maybe I do need Talbot to take out Austen,” I say to the cold, lonely night.
“Take me out?” Austen drags an arm around my shoulder, spinning me to face him.
“I, uh…” I stammer. “You know, like, because you’re going to be brothers-in-law soon. Probably should get to know each other. There’s that new pop-up brewery in the Christmas market.”
My ex shakes me roughly. “You’re not going to marry him.
You don’t even like him. You’re just doing this because you’re still obsessed with me.
Because you never got over me, and this is some sort of inept rebound from you.
” His nostrils flare as he takes deep, heavy breaths.
“Look, I need you to focus. This Talbot, he’s not good for you. ”
Austen hasn’t shaved, his hair looks a little wild, and there’s salt stains on his jeans.
“Talbot is nothing but a distraction. You already lost me the Gatorade contract because you were involved with him.”
“It was going to be hard to beat Ryder; he’s the hot new thing,” I argue, “and he’s got that husky.”
“Shut up. Stop blaming other people for your fuckups, Misty,” he rants, pacing in front of me.
“Christ. You want to know why you’re such a failure?
It’s because you can’t take responsibility for yourself and the people you hurt.
Now I have another shot at making this money, but I gotta get in on this deal, okay? But I need you to help me.”
“Of course, anything,” I promise.
“I need you to sign for a loan for me. Just so I can get this deal going. It’s really going to help me,” Austen whines.
“Does this have to do with the man you were meeting with yesterday?” I gasp.
“You were spying on me?”
For a second, I think he’s about to hit me. Austen clenches his fist.
“Are you worried about money?” I lay a hand on his arm. “I bet Brielle could ask her dad.”
“You’re not my wife; you work for me, so shut up and do what I say.” He wrenches away from me. “Just get me the money.”
I twist my hands in the sleeves of my sweater. “How much?”
“As much as you can. Like, I don’t know, a million dollars.”
“I can’t get a loan for a million dollars,” I choke out.
“Just try, Misty.”
He suddenly clasps my hands in his. “You said you still love me, right? I need you, I need you to do this for me, for us. You said we could still be friends, right? Friends help each other out.”
Backbone, backbone.
“A million dollars, though?” The number feels like ice-cold snow down the back of my sweater.
He leans in, like he’s going to kiss me.
I can’t help but nod, slowly falling under his spell. Any woman would do anything for this man. “Sure, Austen, I can get you some money. Don’t worry about it.”
“You always take care of me, don’t you, Mouse,” he murmurs as I fall into his eyes.
“The fuck are you doing with her?”
Talbot, huge, angry, and shirtless, like some sort of Icelandic warrior demon, faces Austen, keeping his back to me.
“You think you get to just dump her, humiliate her, treat her like trash, then snap your fingers, and she’ll come sit by your feet like a dog?
She’s my bitch, now, Langley.” The deep voice is sinister in the dark.
“Don’t ever let me catch you around her. ”
“Misty, this is why I don’t want you with him.” Austen’s voice cracks.
“What the fuck are you still standing here for?” Talbot moves like a snow leopard. “Get the fuck out.”
A steel blade glints in the moonlight.
Austen sputters, backing up as Talbot flips the blade lazily in his hand. “You’re a fucking criminal.”
Talbot smirks as Austen stumbles through the snow back to the house.
“Talbot, it’s fine, it’s—”
I choke on the words as a huge hand whips out and grabs my neck, dragging me toward him.
“Don’t ever”—Talbot’s nose bumps mine, his teeth scraping my lip—“ever let him touch you, you understand? You’re mine. He doesn’t get to have you.”
The words are bitter cold against my mouth.
“Why do you care?” I whimper. “You don’t like me.”
“Don’t like you? Gumdrop, I’m fucking obsessed with you.”
The kiss is crushing, possessive. I’m drunk on the whiskey taste of him. It’s like being wrapped in the embrace of death—sweet, soul stealing.
People sell their souls for kisses like this.
I cling to him as his tongue steals my mouth, licking at me. Huge hands grasp my ass, crushing my hip bones like he wants me to crawl into the warmth of him.
“Why are you…” I pant as he presses hotter kisses along my neck, my chin, my nose, nips my lip again, fists his hand in my hair, yanks my head back so he can take my mouth.
“I’m done,” he says between the heavy kisses, “waiting for you to see how bad he is for you.”
“You’re bad for me too.”
“No, Gumdrop, I’m going to be so fucking good to you.”
The steam from the kiss trails around us, wrapping us in smoky tendrils.
Talbot twists us, then I’m stumbling through snow as he pushes me back against a tree.
“You want me to show you what it’s like to get fucked by a real man?” His large hands knead my ass.
In the distance, a door opens, and music and the cries of drunk bimbos spill out. The bachelorette party is in full swing.
“Was your bachelorette to Austen this lame?” Talbot nips my ear.
“Misty! Talbot!” Aunt Kathy is shrill. “We are not paying you to stand around outside.”
The door slams.
Talbot grabs me around the waist, kisses me as he swings me around in the snow.
“You’re getting paid?” he quips.
“I had my first kiss.”
“I feel like there are lies upon lies with you. So you were going to get married a virgin last year after all?” Sienna accuses me from her bed.
“No, with Talbot.” I flop down on the fainting chair in her room that she insisted to her parents she absolutely needed and would die on when she was in her nineties, and now she can never get rid of it even though it’s purple cheetah print.
“I’ve never been kissed like that.” I swoon.
“To be fair, you only ever kissed Austen. I’d be shocked if he even looked up from his phone while you gave him a blow job.” Sienna sits up and stares at my embarrassed face. “Seriously, dude?”
“He liked to watch porn while I… you know.”
“Gave him a blow job? Gross. Demeaning. And we’re not letting Talbot choke him to death with his own cheaterous dick why?”
“Austen is…”
“Revolting? A narcissist? A liar? A cheater?”
“I’m trying to remember why I liked Austen in the first place.” I shake my head. “All I can think about is Talbot—the way he kissed me, not like Austen kissed me. Talbot kissed me like he wanted me.”
Sienna blinks. “Yes… That’s how a normal straight man is supposed to kiss a woman he’s attracted to. He shouldn’t kiss her like he’s performing CPR. He should kiss her like he wants to make love.”
“Nooo, Talbot wants to fuck.” I flop back on the couch. “He said he wanted to fuck me against a tree.”
“And you didn’t do that because…”
“Aunt Kathy complained we were out of the lobster rolls, and she wanted more drinks out.”
Downstairs we hear drunken shrieks. The bedroom door is thrown open.
“Honestly, girls.” My mother shakes her head. “Misty, you know how I can’t handle these parties. Brielle is complaining about the cupcakes and says no one likes the party games.”
“What? She’s still at the party? I thought I had a break—er… I thought Austen was—”
“Austen?” My mom frowns. “Misty, honestly, have you been drinking? It’s a bachelorette party, of course Austen’s not here.”
I’m secretly delighted. Austen wasn’t here to see Brielle after all. He was here just for me.
As a friend, I remind myself.
But in the back of my mind, I’m already thinking about where to get a loan.
“Austen was here?” Sienna demands when my mom leaves after making us promise to come back down.
“Just outside,” I admit. “I think Talbot scared him off.”
“Or shot him in the woods and threw him down a ravine. And do not text your ex. Put it down. Down,” Sienna warns before I can go for my phone.
“I’m just worried…” I trail off as my best friend glares at me.
Better not tell her about taking out the loan for Austen, I decide. We’re looking into it. Maybe.
I’m just going to do it as a friend. As a sister.