“Wow, what a lovely night with a lovely lady. We should walk down to the beach by your house.”
I hum, but don’t answer. I willnotbe inviting him in or down to the beach, but I do want him to drive me home.
He plays the music in his car so loud that we can’t talk. It’s a rock band I’ve never heard of, but he tells me the lead singer went to his gym when he lived in Los Angeles. Both of us being from California was originally something I liked that we had in common. Now I’m just annoyed at how pretentious he sounds.
When we finally get to my house, I exhale a sigh of relief. A headache is forming at the back of my skull.
“Wow, well, that sure was fun. Thanks so much for … inviting me out.”
I turn to smile at him, hoping he gets the hint that I don’t want to walk on the beach.
He’s holding up a bottle of tequila. “I’m going to make you the best margarita you’ve ever had.”
“Oh, wow. That’s okay. You don’t?—”
He doesn’t let me finish before getting out of the car, slamming the door shut, and walking toward the house, disappearing through the heavy palm trees and plants lining the path to the backyard.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I mutter.
I hurry after him, hopping over a pile of discarded floorboards from the renovation. “Hey, I really had fun tonight. I’m just kind of getting a headache, and I think I need to lie down.”
He’s already at my studio door, but he turns around to face me. “You go right ahead. I can make the drinks while you get comfortable.”
I open my mouth to firmly tell him I want him to leave when the door swings open, revealing a very pissed-off-looking Dayton. My heart jumps into my throat at the sudden intrusion. His expression is hard, eyes narrowed and jaw set.
And he’sshirtless.
I gulp, my mouth drying at the sight of his rippling abs and the V dipping into his gray sweatpants. His biceps are taut, hands braced on the doorframe. He towers over both of us, reminding me just how big he is compared to average-sized guys like Rider, who stands at a modest five foot eleven.
“I didn’t realize you were bringing a guest home, Cupcake.” His words have a clear bite to them.
Rider’s eyes widen as he takes a step back. “Hey, man. I, uh, I didn’t know. I swear.” He raises his hands in a defensive mode, the bottle of tequila in one of them.
Dayton eyes the bottle, reaches out, and takes it. “Go.”
Rider’s mouth drops open as he takes another step back. His eyes jump from Dayton to me, wide with terror. It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him that he’s my stepbrother and I had no idea he would be here tonight, but if this is what it takes to get rid of him, then so be it.
I shrug, stepping into the studio. Dayton lifts his arm to allow me in before slamming the door shut in Rider’s face. My mouth waters at the visual of his tense back muscles. He slowly pivots to face me, his eyes darkening when they land on my face. He’s gripping the tequila bottle so hard that I’m afraid it might shatter.
“Hot date?”
chapter twenty-one
Dayton
She brought another man home.
She was on a date.
I’m trying to think through the roar in my brain as I pop open the bottle of tequila. There’s a small bowl of limes on the counter from the tree in the backyard, so I numbly start cutting them up after Summer escapes to the bathroom. The tension in my muscles is making me ache, like I need a massage or to submerge in a hot tub to stop feeling like I could rip someone’s head off—a very particular someone with stringy hair and great taste in tequila.
“Sorry to interrupt your evening. You want me to chase him down in my car?” I call through the door.
I’ve been storing my Aston Martin in the garage to drive it when I’m on the island.
“You wanted to scare him off, and we both know it.” She emerges from the bathroom, face washed and hair up in a seashell-shaped clip. She changed into a thin white sweater that hangs off one shoulder and short cotton boxer shorts with blue stripes on them.
My mouth waters at the sight of her nipples under the fabric, which is exactly why I’ve been avoiding her since herbirthday. Her tanned thighs look squeezable and delicious, so I turn back to the margaritas I’m mixing up.
