Before I could even consider sending back a haughty reply, he sent another message.
I know what you’re thinking. It’s a cliché. But it really wasn’t what it looked like. I know it looked bad, but that was a girl I used to see. She doesn’t mean anything to me, and I didn’t invite her over. She just showed up. I haven’t seen her in ages, and I didn’t even want to see her.
Sure, sure. If that were true, then how did she get in the building? To get into his building, you either had to live there, be previously-cleared by the doorman and other security staff, or be a guest accompanying someone who lived there. The only other way to see someone who lived in the building was to buzz them from the outside vestibule and wait for them to let you up.
And that girl had definitely not been buzzed up.
I’d been cleared by Pierce that morning; he’d couriered over a keycard which I’d had to show to the doorman and scan in the elevator to get onto his floor. Whoever that girl who’d sashayed into Cam’s apartment was—she must’ve had the same thing. And why would a girl who meant nothing to Cam have clearance and a keycard from him?
As if he were psychic, he texted me again.
She lives in the building, and she knows my floor passcode for the elevator. Her name is Jana Langford. Ask the doorman. Hell, ask her! She’ll tell you we haven’t seen each other in months, and that I’ve been ignoring her.
As always, he had an excuse for everything. I was sick of wondering whether or not he was full of crap, though, so I stashed my phone in my bag again and continued on towards the subway.
I lasted five minutes. Crap. I needed to talk about this. With a shaky hand, I pulled out my phone and dialed.
“Hey, Anya,” the voice on the other end of the line said.
“Hey. Can we talk?” I asked.
“Sure,” Kara replied. “Are you okay?”
I shook my head before remembering she couldn’t see me. “Not really. I have to tell you something. It’s kinda screwed up. You have to promise you won’t tell anyone.”
“Of course I won’t tell anyone!” she replied. “What is it?”
I ducked about three feet into a small alley so random passersby wouldn’t hear me, and then I filled my friend in on everything I hadn’t told her—how I’d lost my virginity to the infamous Cam Meyers, what he’d done to me that first night, how I still felt about him despite everything, how we’d just kissed, and how he’d seemingly lied to me again.
She listened without saying a word, and finally I was done.
“Well?” I asked hesitantly. “Do you hate me for not telling you?”
She sighed. “Of course not, Anya. I just wish you had, so I could’ve been there for you. This must be so horrible for you, suddenly being related to the guy who did that to you. God, all I’ve done is jump out of my skin with excitement and tell you how lucky you are to be Cam Meyers’ stepsister! I feel bad.”
“Don’t feel bad. You didn’t know that I had a history with him.”
“True. So are you sure he’s lying about everything?” she asked.
“Of course he is,” I said, my face growing hot. “I mean, he looked right in my eyes and said he wasn’t seeing anyone, and five seconds later, that girl just parades in saying she’s horny! So that was an obvious lie. And if he’s lying about that so easily, then the rest of the stuff he said was probably a bunch of lies too.”
Kara sighed. “Well, yeah, but you said he texted you and explained the girl coming into his apartment.”
“His explanation sounded like bullshit. He has a convenient excuse for everything.”
“I guess. But look, Anya…maybe you need to think about moving on.”
“Are you saying I should just get over it? Because it’s not that easy, unfortunately.”
“Not in those words exactly, but you said it’s been a year and a half since the party, right? I’m just saying, he might very well be a total douche who’s lying about whether he slept with that Tiffany skank that night, but it’s unhealthy for you to obsess over it. If you keep remembering how he hurt you, you’ll only hurt yourself more.”
“You think I’m obsessed?” I asked, slightly miffed.
“Maybe that’s the wrong word. But do you see what I’m saying? I’m not necessarily saying you should forgive and forget…but at least try to forget, for your own benefit.”
I grumbled to myself before replying. She had a good point. I’d been letting that night affect me for so long, and I needed to let it go, because no matter how much I thought about it and dwelled on the past, it wouldn’t change what had happened. It wouldn’t change the fact that I’d stupidly kissed him only ten minutes ago, either. That was yet another thing I needed to try and forget in order to move on with my life.
Suddenly it occurred to me that I hadn’t just kissed Cam a few minutes ago—I’d kissed my stepbrother to boot. God, if my Mom found out, she’d murder me! I couldn’t even imagine what the tabloids would say if they found out.
So much for saving Cam’s reputation if that happened…
“Okay,” I said. “You’re right. I’ll try to move on.”
“Good. It sucks that he’s your stepbrother now, and that you’re also stuck working with him. Just try to be the bigger person.”
“Ugh, that’ll be hard.”
“I know,” she said. “I’m sorry.”
“It just sucks how easily I fell for his crap again, all within a few hours. If that girl hadn’t have shown up, I’d probably be thinking that he was a somewhat decent guy who I could really try to be friends with. We were actually getting along semi-decently this afternoon.”
Kara hesitated again. “I just…oh, never mind.”
“No, tell me.”
“I just think it’s strange that he’s going to so much effort to make things up with you, if it’s all just bullshit. Like, what’s the point? There are easier ways to get laid, so I doubt that’s it, and it can’t just be because you’re related now,” she replied. “Are you absolutely sure he wasn’t telling the truth about everything? I mean, maybe this is all some giant misunderstanding, and he’s actually a nice guy who really likes you.”
“I doubt it. In all the experiences I’ve had with him, he seems nice when he wants to be seen that way,” I said. “But he’s the kind of guy who’s like…you think you have something special with him, and then you realize that he talks to everyone like that. And he always has an excuse for everything. So he makes you want to believe him, but it’s just so hard. You know what I mean?”
She sighed. “Yeah, I guess. I’ve met guys like that, and boy, are they convincing. Just be careful, okay? And don’t kiss him again!”
“Oh, I definitely won’t be doing that,” I declared.
I’d never been more certain of anything in my life. Kara might think there was a chance Cam was actually telling the truth, but she hadn’t experienced all of his crap firsthand. I had, and I’d be damned if I’d let myself become one of his conquests…again.
No way.
That was never going to happen again.
Chapter 8
Anya
“Hey, sis.”
I whirled around to see Cam in the hall behind me, wearing black shorts and a tight grey T-shirt. I almost began to drool at the sight of his muscular arms and legs before remembering who he was and composing myself. Dammit, Anya, get a grip.
It had been five days since I’d left his apartment in a huff, and I’d just arrived at the hotel Mom and Pierce had booked for our Hamptons trip. Cam had driven up separately, so at least I hadn’t been forced to share a confined space with him on the way up here.
I hadn’t ended up going to brunch with him to discuss work the other day. We’d both known we’d never end up discussing work, and I hadn’t wanted to hear any more of his excuses…mostly because I was afraid I’d start to trust him again.
And that had worked out so well for me the last time.
“Are you following me?” I asked, planting my h
ands on my hips.
He snorted. “Yes, Anya, I’m stalking you around like the serial ax murderer I am. What other possible reason could there be for me to be in the Hamptons right now?”
“I just meant…I was asking if you were following me around the hotel,” I said lamely, avoiding his eyes. “I know you’re here in the Hamptons for our parents. Same as me. Although it wouldn’t surprise me if you were an ax murderer.”
He arched an eyebrow. “You certainly have a high opinion of yourself, assuming I have nothing better to do than follow you around.”
I blushed. “Sorry,” I mumbled.
He grinned. “Well, you were actually right. I was looking for you. Dad has a yacht docked up here, and he wants to take it out this afternoon seeing as it’s so warm out today. He asked me to come and find you to see if you’d like to go.”
I hesitated. “Will you be there?”
“Yes. But don’t worry; it’s a huge yacht, so if you want to ignore me, you’ll find it fairly easy. I’ll even let you push me in the water, if it so pleases you.”
He performed a mock bow, and as much as I didn’t want to, I found myself cracking a smile. “Um. Sure, I’ll come.”
“Cool. Meet us out front in an hour and a half. I’m going to go for a jog and practice for that Color Run next weekend. I’m already getting good press about that, so kudos to you for coming up with the idea.”
He winked as he finished speaking, and with that, he turned around and walked the other way. I was left standing in the hall outside my room, beyond confused. He hadn’t even tried to talk to me about our awkward encounter the other day, even though I’d never replied to any of his frantic texts. Perhaps he’d finally gotten the message and realized I wasn’t going to trust him…not now, not ever.
Sighing, I slid my hotel room keycard into the lock and hauled my duffel bag of clothes and toiletries inside. Pierce had tried to insist that I let the bellboy carry everything for me, but the poor guy had looked exhausted after carrying all the other stuff in from the car. Mom was different to me in regards to travel; she thought it was necessary to take five giant suitcases of clothes for just one week. Pierce seemed to be the same.
Me? I was a bit simpler. As long as I had my laptop and a few changes of clothing, I was good to go. Oh, and a toothbrush and comb for basic hygiene, of course. I wasn’t that simple.
After connecting to the hotel’s snail-paced Wi-Fi, I posted a brief update on my Twitch webpage. Sorry for being so absent, everyone. Lots of family stuff going on. I’ll do some more gaming when I get back from vacation! —Elune
As much as I was looking forward to exploring the Hamptons and reading some trashy novels, I was also looking forward to a time when I could play games again. The internet here was too slow, and my Mom would probably be upset if I spent the whole vacation on my computer anyway, so I knew I couldn’t do that.
Still, I could use the money from my gaming channel. Some might think it was weird that I needed money so badly, given the wealthy status of the man my Mom had just married, but I didn’t want to leech off him. Besides, the money wasn’t exactly for me…
But that was another matter entirely.
After having a quick shower and changing into a black one-piece bathing suit, shorts and loose top, I read up on a few journal articles for college and then grabbed my hat, bag, and sunglasses. Everyone was already waiting for me in the lobby of the hotel by the time I got down there, and Cam grinned as we followed closely behind Mom and Pierce on our way out to the car.
“Is that a little black bikini you’ve got on under there?” he murmured, ogling the strap of my bathing suit. It was peeking out of my top, and I pulled my shirt over to cover it.
“No, not that it’s any of your business,” I muttered, elbowing him. Accidentally, of course.
“Lame. Oh well, I already know what it looks like under there anyway.”
“You’re disgusting,” I hissed. Urgh. I couldn’t believe I’d actually agreed to be friends with him the other day. What on earth had I been thinking?
I ignored him on the drive to the marina and chose to listen to Pierce as he pointed out different landmarks and pretty buildings.
“Down that road is our old vacation home,” he said, sticking his thumb out of the window. “It was a nice place, but it started falling apart, and I didn’t have the time to deal with it. Now a new family owns it. Maybe we can drive up there later and see how they’ve renovated it, honey.”
Mom smiled at him. “That’d be great. I’d love to see where you used to stay. Oh, what did that sign say? I missed it.”
“It said ‘Welcome to Montauk’,” Pierce replied. “It’s not as fancy as Southampton down this end, but it’s still a wonderful place, and in my opinion, it has a far superior yacht club.”
Jeez. To me, anywhere in the Hamptons was fancy.
Fifteen minutes later, we were standing on a dock in front of an enormous white yacht, which had the name ‘Christina’ emblazoned in black and gold lettering on the side.
“Happy honeymoon, darling,” Pierce said with a grin.
Mom squealed. “Oh my god! When you said you had a yacht out here, I had no idea this is what you meant! Oh, Pierce, it’s too much. You shouldn’t have.”
“You didn’t expect it, which is precisely why I should have,” he replied before leaning down and kissing her.
Cam leaned over to me and whispered. “His last two wives were massive gold diggers. That’s what he really means. Or was it the last three wives? I don’t remember.”
“I see,” I said, pressing my lips into a thin line.
As much as I liked Pierce, it bothered me somewhat that he had so much money; enough money to buy a two-hundred foot yacht as a wedding gift like it was nothing. I was well aware of how the economy worked, and I was sure he’d done a lot to earn at least some of his family’s wealth…but still, it bothered me, knowing that I was going to be out here taking advantage of that and having fun in the sun, while other less fortunate people struggled to make ends meet.
Still, I didn’t want to seem too ungrateful. He obviously cared about my mother, and he’d really helped me out by setting up the internship for me, even if it meant I’d be stuck working with Cam for a while.
Even though it was nearing the end of fall, it was an uncharacteristically warm day, and as one of Pierce’s employees steered the yacht out onto the sea, I stripped off my shirt and shorts, grabbed a soda from the bar on the top deck and then lay on a sun lounge, soaking in some rays as I relaxed with a book.
“How’s the internship going, honey?” Mom asked, glancing over at me. Pierce looked over with interest as well.
“Good,” I said. “Cam is participating in a charity run soon. He’s already getting some good press about it.”
“Oh, how nice,” Mom said. “I still can’t believe you two already knew each other this whole time, and Pierce and I had no idea! It’s worked out really well.”
“Mm,” I replied, forcing a smile. “It really is something…”
Something friggin’ awful, I silently added.
“I think the word you’re looking for is ‘serendipitous’,” Cam said, cutting in as he strolled up from below deck. “A happy accident.”
“Accident being the operative word,” I muttered.
Cam snickered at my response, and I felt my cheeks heating up. This time it wasn’t because of the sun.
“Sorry? What did you say?” Mom asked, a puzzled expression on her face.
“Oh, nothing, I was just wondering where I left my sunscreen,” I said hastily, sitting up and groping around the deck below my lounge.
“I’ve got you, sis,” Cam said, holding up a tube of sunblock.
Of course he had it. Rolling my eyes, I held my hand out, but he shook his head. “Don’t worry, I’ll help out,” he said with a sly grin. “When do you do it yourself, it’s hard to reach certain areas.”
“I’ll kick you in certain areas in a minute,” I his
sed as he squeezed some of the thick white lotion into his hand and leaned down next to me.
I didn’t want him touching me, but Mom and Pierce looked so pleased that their darling children were getting along so well that I hardly felt it was appropriate to say no and kick Cam into the ocean like I so desperately desired.
My skin tingled from his touch as he applied the lotion to the visible parts of my back and shoulders, and his Dad finally spoke up from his lounge.
“You two should go for a swim,” he said. “It’s nice weather today, considering the season. I’d go for a swim myself, but I don’t think any of you want to see me in swim trunks.”
Mom giggled. “I certainly wouldn’t mind.”
“Mom! Gross!” I said, although I couldn’t help the smile from spreading across my face. The two of them were behaving like love-struck teenagers. I had to admit, it was pretty cute, and besides, it was technically their honeymoon, so they had every right to act like a cutesy couple.
“Christina, I think I forgot to show you the remodeled master bedroom below decks,” Pierce said, trying to keep a straight face. “Why don’t I give you another quick tour?”
Mom giggled again, and I planted my hands firmly over my ears. “This is torture!” I called out, teasing them as they disappeared below decks. “Don’t blame me if I jump overboard!”
Letting out a yawn, I reclined on the sun lounge and picked up my book again. Twenty minutes later, it was starting to get even warmer out on the deck, and I glanced over at Cam, who seemed to be working on a tan. Not that he needed it; he already looked perfect. My eyes lazily traced the dark, twining patterns of the tattoos on his chest and arms, and after a moment I realized I was staring…and he’d noticed.
“Are you going to go for a swim?” I hurriedly asked, trying to pretend that was why I’d been looking at him. “I was thinking about it, but I don’t know. The water might be freezing.”
He sat up and shook his head. “The water’s probably quite nice, but I’m not going in, given the shark problems around here.”
I rolled my eyes. “There aren’t sharks here. We’re not in Australia.”
Playboy - A Stepbrother Romance Page 8
