Chapter 15
Evan
Itake a steady drive out to The Hamptons on Saturday afternoon, my head a jumbled mess after last night.
I’d hoped going for a ten-mile run with Harrison would clear my head, set me straight, but it didn’t achieve shit.
I still don’t know exactly what happened at that bar, but something changed between Anais and me – or more accurately, inside me.
I saw Anais Lauder in a different light.
And that could only mean one thing. I’d completely lost my damn mind.
It was the only logical explanation for this. .. inconvenient shift.
For Christ’s sake, she was barely legal.
Sure, she would be turning twenty soon, but I usually preferred my women old enough to at least order a drink.
I wasn’t Theo, God damn it. If anything happened between Anais and me, I’d never live it down.
Just imagining Theo’s smug, self-satisfied face, and the shit he’d surely give me, was enough to make my skin crawl.
No way I was giving him that ammunition to use against me.
I grit my teeth, my knuckles turning white as my hands strangle the steering wheel of my Aston Martin Vanquish S.
My thoughts are in overdrive. And I can’t seem to stop them.
Anais had been back in my life for all of two weeks and already she was turning it upside down. With that sassy mouth, bratty behavior, and the way she’d mess with my fucking lunch like it was a damn game. This was not the same Anais I remembered. She challenged me. Teased me.
The girl who drunkenly, pathetically, confessed her feelings for me had vanished. And in her place stood a feisty, confident woman, determined to push all my buttons.
And it was fucking hot. An aphrodisiac. Which I hated.
Because it meant, in my own way, I cared. And that was one thing I couldn’t afford to do.
My phone rings through the car’s Bluetooth, pulling me from my thoughts. I see Harrison’s name flashing on the infotainment screen, like a goddamn warning beacon. These fucking Lauders. I can’t get away from them.
I click the answer button on my steering wheel.
“Yes?” I drawl, tone cold.
“Why didn’t you tell me you went out to a bar with Anais last night?” he demands, getting straight to the point.
I scowl at the accusation in his voice.
“Didn’t realize I had to report every single move I make,” I say nonchalantly, knowing full well it will piss him off.
“You do when it concerns my sister,” he growls. “Now why the fuck were you on a date with Anais.”
I laugh sardonically. A date? The fuck? That escalated quickly.
If watching Anais screech her way through and butcher several songs counts as a date, then my best friend really needs to raise his standards.
None of us are the dating type, really. Except Jameson, who is still chasing a ghost of a woman for the past ten years.
And then there’s Hayes whose priority is his baby girl.
Sure, he beds women, but even that is more clinical than romance.
And as for Jameson, I’m not sure what happens when he visits the rooms of Elite, but from what he’s told me, I don’t think he’s fucked a woman in a decade.
He can barely stand to be touched. And the only woman whose touch he wasn’t repulsed by, disappeared without a trace.
“I’d hardly call it a date, Harrison. Could barely consider it hanging out.
Every second of it was pure torture.” I spit, getting aggravated.
“Your sister can’t sing for shit.” My huff of laughter is humorless.
“Because truthfully, I’d rather have my dick chopped off without anesthesia, than willingly sit through that again. ”
Harrison grows quiet for a long moment. I relax, hoping that’s the end of this pointless conversation. But then he has to open his fucking big mouth again.
“Stay away from her, Maxwell. You know as well as I do, Anais has feelings for you.”
My brows shoot up. All this time, I thought he was oblivious to his sister’s feelings toward me.
And here he is, proving me wrong. Motherfucker.
He exhales. “Look, I don’t think you’d cross that line with her,” he says with an easy laugh.
“It’s obvious to everyone in our circle how much she annoys you.
But Anais is tenacious. Persistent. And for some unknown reason, she likes you.
” I hear his distaste through the phone.
“But underneath that hard exterior, she’s innocent.
A good girl. She doesn’t know the shit we’re into,” he mutters, and I know without him saying it, he’s talking about Elite.
Truthfully, I understand – I wouldn’t want any of my friends near my sisters – but he’s reading too much into this.
Nothing’s going on with Anais. Sure, maybe I’ve started seeing her differently, and there might’ve been times when my dick’s shown interest. But, anything past that, I engage my brain.
And that knows it’s never going to happen.
“Harrison,” I start, trying for patience.
“Don’t you think you’re getting a little ahead of yourself?
She wanted to go to a karaoke bar. I took her.
Then I dropped her off at home. Surely that’s better than leaving her stranded?
That’s all it was. End of. Nothing more.
Nothing less.” I don’t entertain the topic of her liking me.
What’s the point? “I might be an asshole, but I wouldn’t leave your little sister alone in a shit part of town, at night.
” I sigh, irritation slithering through me that I’m having to explain myself.
“You’ve got nothing to worry about. I still can’t stand her, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
” Even as I say the words, I don’t believe them.
Because once more, I can’t ignore the niggling feeling that something’s changed between us.
He exhales, clearly relieved. “Good. Now that that’s settled, when are you heading to The Hamptons?”
“Already on my way,” I tell him.
A beat of silence. “Oh. I thought we were hitting Elite tonight?”
I roll my eyes. Harrison doesn’t need me to hold his hand at the sex club. “Your neediness is showing and it’s really not attractive.”
“Be serious,” Harrison snaps, his tone laced with annoyance.
I sigh, running a hand through my hair. Sometimes my friends really do annoy the fuck out of me. “My answer is the same, Harrison. I’m not going to Elite tonight.” I say slowly, because clearly, he needs me to spell it out for him.
“But you always want to go to Elite,” he mutters, confused. “You’re usually the one dragging us there.”
And that’s the thing. Usually, I’d be the first one walking through those doors, looking for some kinky, no strings, release.
Gritting my teeth, I try to swallow down my impatience, but then… “Jesus fucking Christ,” I explode, my patience gone. “What is this? Twenty-one questions? No, I’m not going. What are you? My friend or fucking ball and chain?” I hang up before he can answer, done with Harrison and the conversation.
“Sweetheart,” my mother coos as I step into the entryway of our large Hamptons home.
“Mom,” I greet, smiling as she tugs me into a hug.
Her head pulls back to look at me, as her hands come up to cup my face. At six foot four, I tower over her five-foot six frame.
“I’ve missed you. It’s been too long.” She scolds, but the smile playing on her lips tells me there’s no weight to it.
I chuckle, shaking my head. “We had dinner in the city two weeks ago.”
She waves me off with a grin. “Still, too long.”
A snort escapes me. “Mom, you do realize you go months without seeing Thalia.”
She frowns as if the thought never even occurred to her.
Thalia, my sister, lives in Palm Beach, but spends her time flying all over the world for horse competitions.
My parents visit when they can, but their busy schedules don’t always allow it.
Even with Mom taking a small step back from acting and now only doing one movie a year, there have been occasions when she still spends months at a time on location – much to my father’s disappointment.
“Well, all my children are here now and that’s what matters.” She beams up at me.
For a brief moment, it hits me just how much Thalia looks like her. Thalia has always been her mini me, but as she’s gotten older, their similarities are even more obvious.
“Where is everyone?” I ask, shifting my leather weekend bag on my shoulder.
“In the back yard. Your father decided it was a nice evening to grill.”
Mom turns, heading down the hall, expecting me to follow. But I turn instead and make my way up the stairs to my bedroom. I want to get freshened up before I even think about seeing the rest of my family.
Truth is, I’m still out of sorts after my conversation with Harrison.
His comment about Elite hit closer to home than I’d like to admit.
Even though I’ve been wanting to let off steam by sinking into a willing, kinky, pussy.
But lately, I’ve been holding back. And I’m pretty sure it’s no coincidence I haven’t touched another woman since Anais invaded my life.
I shake the thought away. I’m not ready to explore what that means right now.
Pushing open my bedroom door, I step inside, dropping my luggage to the bed. I glance around at the modern space, taking it in. Dark walls, darker wood furniture, walk in closet and attached bathroom. Minimalistic, but me.
I exhale, finally letting myself relax in the familiar surroundings, and forgetting all the bullshit of the last couple of weeks.
Stripping out of my clothes, I pad to the bathroom, tapping the shower’s control panel, hitting the cool setting. With any luck, the freezing water will finally help clear my head and I can pull myself together for tomorrow when I have to face the source of my conflict.
But of course, the joke’s on me.
Because an ice cold shower…
Doesn’t help even a little bit.