I didn’t know what to say. I shook it and tried to push an image out of my head. Hours ago those same hands had roamed my body. Hell, I rode his fingers. He might still have my nail marks on his back.
I felt my face redden and turned my attention to my mom. “Why didn’t you tell me you got remarried?”
David draped his arm around my mom and kissed her temple. “That was my idea. She wanted to tell you right away¸ but I thought it’d be more fun for her if she got to do it in person.”
Yeah, real fun.
Mom looked at David, then at her watch. “If we want to get these kids settled in today, we should get back on the road.” She fished in her purse and dropped a handful of bills onto the table.
“How about you ride with Dad, Megan.” Hunter stared at me, his expression unreadable. “Summer and I can get to know each other better on the drive.”
My mom beamed at Hunter. She went on tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “What a great idea.” She took David’s arm and handed Hunter the keys to her truck. “We’ll see you kids at home. Drive safe.”
I could have killed Hunter. Or kissed him. Or done a million other things I shouldn’t have been thinking about doing to my stepbrother. Without a word, I grabbed my purse and then headed to the truck. I leaned against the passenger side and waited. He approached, stood right in front of me, and slid the key into the door. He was so close I smelled his cologne.
“You could have just used the power lock feature on the keypad,” I said, pointing to the set of keys in his hand.
I hoped he couldn’t tell what kind of effect he had on me. Before yesterday, I couldn’t stand Hunter. He was smug, conceited and had the unrelenting desire to beat me at everything. Today I felt him every time I moved. The memories of last night made me want to do it all over again.
He grinned and opened my door for me, then walked around the other side and climbed into the driver’s seat. He started the truck. “Ready to go home, sister.”
I recoiled. “Oh god, Hunter. Don’t call me that ever again.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “This is an interesting twist of fate, isn’t it?”
“You didn’t know?” I found it almost impossible to believe our parents kept it secret.
Hunter shook his head. “Not a clue.”
“Nice surprise, huh?”
Hunter laughed. “Could be worse.” He glanced at me. “My new stepsister is kind of hot.”
I clasped my hands together and kept them planted on my lap. I stared out the window.
“We didn’t do anything wrong, Summer.”
“I know that.” I glanced at Hunter. He clenched his teeth and tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
“Then what’s with the look?”
“What look?” I bristled.
“You look like you just killed your dog.”
There he was. The Hunter I was used to dealing with. The relentless ass who tossed barbs at me whenever he got the chance.
“Look, Hunter. I don’t give a shit if you don’t like the look on my face.” It started to bubble out. I couldn’t stop myself even if I wanted to. If my mom and I shared one trait, it was not knowing when to stop talking. “I’m not so good with change, okay? So now, instead of going home I find out that my mother has moved. Not only has she moved, but she’s also remarried. Now I have a new stepdad, who has a son, who I fucked the night before.” I pulled my hair up into a ponytail. “So excuse me if I’m not great company right now.”
“You’re angry with me.”
“No.”
“Admit it, Summer. You’re mad at me.”
“I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at myself, Hunter. Don’t you get it? Not everything is about you.”
Except this was. He was wrong. I wasn’t angry at him. I was mad at myself for being stupid and reckless the night before. I was even angrier with my mom. It was a sad, sick twist of fate that the only guy who ever made me feel alive was now my stepbrother.
Hunter went quiet. It was a few minutes before he spoke again. “You’re not the only one whose plans got shit on, you know.”
There it was. The walls were up again. Last night we tore them down with our hands, our lips, our sweat, only to rebuild them. Perhaps even higher this time.
Chapter Seven
I ignored Hunter all the way to my new house. Life didn’t even feel real. It was as if I went to sleep and then woke up in an alternate universe. Except my mom was still yanking the rug out from under me, so this must be mine. I stared out the window the whole drive, painfully aware of the silence that drove the wedge deeper.
Once we finally pulled into the driveway, I was ready to leap from the vehicle. I looked around. Hunter and his dad lived in a large colonial-style house. My eyes widened as I stepped out of the truck.
“Holy shit.” I pulled my sunglasses off and looked around. “Where’s Mom and David?”
Hunter grabbed one of my boxes out of the back of the truck. “Dad said they were going to stop for dinner.”
My stomach rumbled. I could have used a dinner break. I bit my lip, grabbed a box and followed Hunter into the house. From the outside, it looked large. From inside, it looked enormous. Vaulted ceilings, curved staircases, marble floors.
“Holy shit.”
“You said that already.” Hunter headed for a set of stairs. “Follow me. The bedrooms are this way.”
I followed him up a large flight of stairs and down a long hallway. He stopped near the end and opened a door. “You can have this room.”
I entered and set the box down. “This place is bigger than some of the apartments I’ve lived in.”
I smiled at the sight of the king-size, four-poster bed. It wasn’t the kind with curtains, where you could shut yourself away from the world, but it was solid oak and covered in ornate carvings. I turned to thank Hunter for showing me to my room, but he was gone. I looked at my bed longingly. I wanted to fling myself onto it and snuggle in. Instead, I groaned and went downstairs to get more of my stuff.
I was headed to the stairs with my last box when my Mom and David appeared out of nowhere. I set it down.
Mom flung her arms around me. “How was the drive?”
“Fine.” I panted as I picked my box up off the floor. David looked at me, somewhat puzzled.
“Summer, didn’t Hunter tell you to park the truck in the garage and the staff would get your stuff in the morning.”
Fucking Hunter. I smiled. “Yeah, but I didn’t want to trouble anyone.”
“It’s no trouble, Summer.”
“You’re very kind, David, but it’s not a big deal. I can carry my own stuff.” My words sounded harsher than I’d intended. I sighed and started up the stairs.
“Summer.”
I took a breath and turned. “Yeah.”
“Why didn’t you take the elevator?” He pointed to a door a bit farther down the hallway.
Fucking Hunter. I shrugged. “Stairs are great cardio.”
I wanted to kill Hunter. I imagined my hands wrapped around his throat as I squeezed the life out of him. My imagination shifted when I realized that in order to strangle him, I’d have to touch him. I remembered what happened the last time we touched. My traitorous body warmed to the idea of touching him.
My last box in hand, I pushed my door shut with my foot. I took in my new surroundings. I wasn’t joking when I told Hunter this room was bigger than some of the apartments I’d lived in. There was a bookcase beside the window and a large lounge chair. I flopped onto the bed, promising myself that I’d only relax for a few minutes before I started to unpack.