He laughs. “Is that why you’re freaking out? Because you think we’re cousins?”
“Wearecousins.”
“Not by blood.”
“What?” I look at him, my heart pounding. “What do you mean?”
“Devon was adopted. He’s not a blood relative. Neither are you.”
Chapter 15
“Wait . . . what?” I back away. “Are you making this up?”
“No, it’s true. My grandparents couldn’t have more kids after my dad, so they adopted Devon.”
“How do you know this?”
“I overhead my dad telling someone on the phone.”
“He never told you this?”
“No, and Trystan doesn’t know. I don’t think my dad wanted us to find out. I don’t know why it’s a secret. Who cares if he was adopted?” He cocks his head. “You really never knew?”
“No! I’m not even sure my mom knew.” I stare at him. “I don’t believe you. You just made that up so you could kiss me.”
“Seriously?” He huffs. “I’ve seen the way you look at me. You’ve wanted me since we met. Now it makes sense why you pretended you didn’t. You really thought we were cousins.”
“We stillarecousins. Just because we’re not related by blood doesn’t mean we’re not related. My dad is still your dad’s brother.”
He slides up next to me. “But we can do what we want. We’re not actually related. You’re just like any other girl at school.” He lowers his mouth to my ear. “And I know you want me.”
I shove him away. “Touch me again and I’ll punch you like I did Kristen.”
His nostrils flare. “You do and I’ll punch you right back. You think I won’t hit a girl, you’re fucking wrong.”
“Go to hell,” I say, hurrying to get out of the hot tub.
I race to my room, sliding the door shut and locking it. I drop to the floor and notice I’m shaking, and not from the chill of the air conditioning on my wet skin but because of what Braden did, and what he said. How he looked at me with those dark, threatening eyes. How he touched me, as if he was about to do more.
Is what he said true? Is he really not my cousin? Did my mom know this? If so, why didn’t she tell me? If Brock isn’t a blood relative, what am I doing here?
I hear Brock’s voice on the patio.
“What’s going on out here?” he asks Braden.
“Nothing. Why?”
“I heard yelling.”
“Rumor and I were just talking.”
“It sounded more like fighting.”
“Guess we were just talking loud.”
Getting up from the floor, I unlock the sliding glass door and shove it open.
“Rumor,” Brock says. “We were just talking about you.”
