Chapter 23
Another day in Cape Canyon, another event at the damn country club.
Only this one was particularly bad because not only had my mother forced me to wear a hideous green dress she’d chosen for me and was cut to make me look like a nun, but Arena was away with her family in Greece on a luxury vacation. She’d taken to sending me pictures daily of “Greek hotties”—girls and guys—that she’d hooked up with while living her best life over there. While I was stuck here with the same boring people at the same inane events.
But the very worst part was I couldn’t touch Dacre or Presley because we were out in public. It was a special kind of torture, given how incredible they looked in their suits tonight. Presley’s was all black, with a crisp white shirt and thin black tie that made him look like Clark Kent. Dacre had opted for a navy suit that brought out the blue in his eyes, tailored perfectly to his incredible arms.
I watched Presley talking to two girls I’d seen around at Triple C, and who used any excuse to touch him as they spoke to him. They were gorgeous and I hated it every time they gripped his bicep or swatted his forearm, that jealous little monster inside of me resisting the urge to claw their eyes out.
The image of it had me laughing to myself—me flying into a fit of possessive rage over my stepbrother and jumping on one of the girl’s backs, hauling her away from him and down to the floor to claw at her face. The drama of it. My mother would be scandalized. I’d be disowned, disavowed, and shipped off to a remote mental health facility. This community would be talking about it for years to come.
I took a sip of my drink, eyeing their interactions. Presley liked the attention, that was easy to see, but I got the sense he didn’t particularly care about it coming from them. Or maybe that was wishful thinking on my part. Maybe I was giving more meaning to us sleeping together than was actually there.
“He had a threesome with them last year,” came a voice from beside me.
Sinclair appeared at my left, taking a sip of his champagne, and I scowled. I could have lived without knowing that.
“Did you just stop by to ruin my day, big brother?”
Those intense green eyes locked on me. “Did you move here to ruin mine?”
I stared back at him, trying to sort joke from reality, but there wasn’t an ounce of humor on his handsome face.
He shifted closer, his cologne invading every one of my senses, and I resisted the urge to let my eyes flutter closed as I breathed him in.
“You’ve got both of them half in love with you already.” He nodded in Presley’s direction, but I knew he meant Dacre too. “And I want you to know that if you fuck with them, I’ll fuck with you.”
I studied him again, assessing the threat. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that he meant every word. A part of me respected him for it. He was protective of his brothers; the three of them were bonded in a way I hadn’t seen from other siblings. But he needn’t have bothered with the warning. It was far more likely I was the one in over my head and would be the one left in pieces if it fell apart.
Or maybe it was when it fell apart. I had no idea where I stood with either of them, and I was too scared to find out.
“Come on, Sin, if you’re jealous just say that,” I taunted, trying to hide the effect his words had on me. “If you want the chance to fuck me for yourself, all you have to do is ask. We can go find a quiet place right now and I’ll choke on your cock too.”
His eyes pinched almost imperceptibly at the corners and it was his turn to study my expression for the lie.
I smiled sweetly back at him. Although if he called me on it, would I say no? Sinclair was a walking fucking promise that any kind of sex with him would be mind-blowing.
I’d been trying to fool myself into thinking I wasn’t attracted to him, but it was a damn lie.
I wanted him. Wanted all of them.
A blur of blonde hair in a blue dress appeared at his side, fracturing the moment.
“God, my mother is such a pain in the ass, she’s all over me about when you’re going to propose.” Veda rolled her eyes, slipping her hand into Sinclair’s.
His fingers tightened around hers, just as she glanced my way.
“Oh, my bad. I’m interrupting.”
Sinclair shook his head. “Not at all.”
The look he gave her was almost affectionate. More than I’d ever seen from him with anyone, and something a lot like jealousy burst through me.
Why her? It was nearly impossible to penetrate Sinclair’s outer armor, yet she had done it well enough to become his girlfriend. What did she have to offer him that no one else could?
She was beautiful, that much was obvious. But I knew enough about Sinclair to understand beauty wouldn’t have been enough.
“Veda, this is Dempsey, our stepsister.”
Veda offered me her hand and a small smile. “Nice to officially meet you. It’s weird that we haven’t already.”
She dropped my hand and looked to Sinclair, who shrugged like I wasn’t important enough to know.
He looked down at her, that same affectionate edge to his expression, and I wanted to grip his lapels and beg him to look at me that way.
I knew he never would, though.
“A pleasure to meet you, Veda. It’s a lucky woman who can snag Sin.”
Sinclair’s eyes locked on mine, something passing between us for a split second. Then he took Veda’s hand in his, pulling her away. “Let’s go talk to your mother. Hopefully seeing us together will be enough to placate talks of proposals.”
She beamed back at him like he was her knight. “See you soon, Dempsey.”
She offered me a small wave, then they disappeared through the crowd together, Sinclair taking a small, pathetic piece of me with him.