Mine - A Stepbrother Romance (12 page)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

ARIZONA

Sunlight crept through my curtains, and I groggily opened my eyes. Thank god it was Saturday and I didn’t have to work. As memories from the previous night flooded back, I groaned and sat up, searching my room for Mason. He wasn’t there.

“Oh, crap,” I said out loud, my cheeks flushing as I recalled what I’d done.

We’d had a perfectly nice dinner, and Mason had been surprisingly great. He’d spent hours listening to my problems, offered up advice and even shared intimate details of his own life. I’d found myself wondering whether or not Ewan had even been right when he’d thought Mason had insinuated I was a prostitute all those weeks ago at the Rosewood. Surely someone who could be so nice in person wouldn’t go around soliciting random women at functions like that. Besides, I hadn’t even seen Mason with any girls in the entire time I’d been living here in Newport, let alone any ladies of the night.

While I’d gotten wildly drunk last night, he’d taken care of me. He’d dragged me out of the pouring rain when I’d insisted on dancing under it like a loon for a ridiculous period of time, and then he’d carried me to the car and brought me all the way here to my bed. And what had I done?

I’d totally humiliated myself.

I’d stripped off all my clothes while he was hunting for pajamas for me to wear, and then I’d practically begged him to kiss me…and more. A lot more. It was absolutely mortifying. I doubted I would even be able to look him in the eye after that incident.

I lay back down and buried my head under my pillow, never wanting to leave my bed again. I didn’t even feel all that hungover; it was mostly just regret making my head pound. What the hell had I been thinking? I couldn’t believe he’d turned me down, but I was sure as hell glad he had. Otherwise I would have waited all these years only to drunkenly lose my virginity on a whim…to my stepbrother, no less.

Imagine telling
that
story to the grandkids fifty years from now.

I finally sat up again and turned my head to the side. There was a silver tray sitting on one of my bedside tables with an almond croissant and a glass of orange juice, along with two Advils. I reached over to grab the glass when I noticed a little note behind it.

A – Hope you aren’t too hungover. Roy needed some help at the office, so I’m heading up there for a bit. Talk to you later. – M

I downed the juice before attacking the croissant, and getting some food in my belly definitely improved my mood. As I chewed, I wondered about that night at the Rosewood again. Could Ewan have really gotten something so wrong? I’d never actually asked him
exactly
what Mason had said that night. Maybe he’d meant something entirely different and Ewan had simply misinterpreted. After all, Mason had really shown himself to be a decent guy last night. He could’ve had me, but he’d stopped short of claiming me in the most intimate way a man could, all because he cared. Not many guys could leash their desire like that.

My phone buzzed a few minutes later, and I picked it up and looked at the screen. Speak of the devil. It was Ewan.

“Hey!” I said. “What’s up? I was just thinking about you.”

“Morning,” he replied. “I was thinking about you too. Guess what?”

“What?”

“I’m in Newport,” he said. “Had to visit my aunty, and she lives here. Wanna hang out?”

“Of course!” I said. “I can’t believe you’re here!”

“I invited Tina along too, seeing as I figured you’d wanna catch up, but she’s sick again. There’s yet another flu making the rounds in Leyton at the moment.”

“Aw, poor Tina. I spoke to her the other day and she did mention she was feeling a bit off. Anyway, there’s this little diner I’ve discovered near Washington Square. Do you want to go there for brunch?”

“Sure. Do they have milkshakes?”

“Yup. I’ll text you directions and meet you there at say…ten-thirty?”

“It’s a date. I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”

I wasn’t sure if I could really handle too much dairy right now after all the gelato I’d had last night, but I was sure as hell going to try. I hadn’t seen any of my old friends for ages, so catching up just like we did in old times would be great, even if it meant downing a malted milkshake on a weak stomach.

I felt considerably better after showering and brushing my teeth, and by ten o’clock it felt like the previous night’s excesses were a distant memory. I was still going to stay away from wine for a while, though. Apparently it turned me into a horny maniac.

I arrived at the little café ten minutes early, and as I sat there waiting, my cell phone vibrated. It was a text from Mason:
Where are you? Just got back from the office.

Out at brunch with Ewan. Used to work with him at the hotel in Leyton. He’s visiting,
I replied.

My phone immediately buzzed again with his reply:
Is that the tall curly-haired dude I gave the note to that night?

What note? What are you talking about?
I replied.

The one I asked him to give to you at the Rosewood. Remember?

I still had no clue what he was talking about, and I was about to text back when I heard a familiar voice.

“There she is!”

I looked up to see Ewan, and I squealed and jumped up. It was so great to see a familiar old face in my new world. “Oh my god! It’s so good to see you!”

“You too.” He grinned and sat down across from me at the booth. “Cool place.”

“Yeah, I discovered it the other week. It’s one of the only non-pretentious cafés I could find in this town. Is it too much to ask that I don’t want truffle oil infused into everything I eat?”

He chuckled. “Won’t find much truffle oil back in Leyton.”

“Yeah, thank god. Although I have to say, I don’t miss it much. Aside from you guys, of course.”

“Well, we miss you too,” he replied. “But I can understand why you’d wanna stay here. New Dad and all. So how’s that all going?”

The waiter came and took our orders, and Ewan and I caught up while we waited for our milkshakes and fries to arrive. When they did, I sipped on my straw and then looked up at him.

“It’d be so cool if you and Tina both lived here too,” I said, dreamy expression on my face. “We could all hang out just like old times. Remember how we used to go to the diner and get milkshakes like this after school? Before I worked there, anyway.”

“Yeah. Well…you know, I was actually thinking of moving here,” he replied.

“You were? Why?”

He leaned in closer. “Like you said, it’d be awesome. Even if Tina isn’t here, just the two of us is fine. I hate not being able to spend time with you anymore.”

I shifted in my seat, suddenly uncomfortable. I was getting a vaguely ‘interested’ vibe from what he was saying, but surely I was mistaken. I’d known him for years, and not once had he ever expressed an interest in me. Suddenly I remembered the text message Mason had sent to me, and I changed the subject.

“Hey…remember that night at the gala? Mason just said the weirdest thing. He said he gave you some note to give me. What’s that about?”

Ewan looked flustered. “Hmm? Oh...err…yeah, he did,” he said.

His tone was reluctant, as if he were uncomfortable with me bringing it up. That couldn’t be good…

“What? Why didn’t you tell me? What was it?”

He shrugged. “Guess I can tell you now. It was his number and some note saying he’d love to hear from you. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to see you running off with some rich douchebag like him. I know what guys like him are like. But now…well, now he’s your brother, so you can’t anyway.”

A beatific smile spread across his face, and I knitted my eyebrows together. “Wait. All that stuff you said about him calling me a hooker and trying to buy me for the night or whatever. Was any of that true?”

He had the good grace to look slightly ashamed. “No. But you know what guys like him are like. It was implied.”

“No, it wasn’t,” I replied through gritted teeth.

“Look, can you just get over it? Like I said, he’s your brother now anyway. It’s not like anything would ever happen between you. And I’m here now.”

He reached across the table and grabbed my hand, and I jerked away from him.

“No! I can’t believe you lied to me. All because of…what?”

I already had a more-than sneaking suspicion, but I wanted to hear him say it. There was a pregnant silence for a moment, and he finally spoke.

“Because I like you. I’ve liked you for a long time,” he said, each word careful and measured. “And I didn’t want to see you get hurt by getting involved with some sleazy, rich asshole.”

“Oh, so you like me so much that you lied to me and trashed a guy who didn’t even do anything just to keep me away from him? That’s bullshit, Ewan. You know, Mason is actually a pretty decent guy.”

“I’m sorry, okay? Really. Can we just move on?”

“No, I can’t just ‘move on’ from being lied to for no good reason. I’ve been treating Mason like garbage for weeks now, and it’s all because of you. God, he must think I’m insane!”

“Please?”

He went to grab my hand again but pulled it back quickly when a fist slammed down in the middle of the table. The sound startled me, and I looked up to see who it was.

It was Mason. And he looked pissed.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

MASON

“Get away from her,” I snarled. “Or I’ll snap your fucking neck.”

Okay, so that was a bit of an overreaction, but seeing the way this guy was all over Arizona and pressing her for more set me off. She’d clearly said no multiple times, and the douchebag was still pushing it.

He stood up. “This is none of your business, man.”

“This
is
my fucking business,” I said, my hands curling into fists by my side. “When I see some guy harassing my stepsister after she’s quite clearly said no, then it’s my job to step in. Arizona, do you want him around?”

Arizona looked stricken, and she shook her head.

“Leave,” I said, jerking my head towards the entrance.

He glared at Arizona. “Fine. Have fun living in your rich little snob world. I knew it’d change you.”

With that, he grabbed his jacket and stalked out, and I heard him mutter ‘
bitch
’ under his breath.

“You wanna come back here and say that, you little pissant?” I called after him, my fists still balled up.

“Let it go, Mason,” Arizona said. “Can you sit down?”

I sighed and sat across from her, and she put her face in her hands for a second before looking up at me, her cheeks tinged pink with shame.

“Mason…I’m so sorry. I’m so, so, so sorry. I’ve treated you so badly, and you didn’t even do anything to deserve it.”

She looked down at the table, and I leaned forward and frowned. “What exactly happened? I mean, when you texted me saying you had no idea what note I was talking about, I figured he must have never given it to you and filled your head with some bullshit. Figured that’s why you’d acted the way you did. It was the only thing that made sense. Y’know, up until now I’ve been going crazy trying to figure out what I supposedly did that was so wrong.”

She took a deep breath. “That night…he came and told me that you pulled him aside and pretty much asked how much it’d cost you to sleep with me. Like I was some sort of prostitute. I didn’t think he’d lie, so I was really mad. But if I’d just spoken to you about it when it happened, this would have all been cleared up weeks ago. I’m such a bitch.”

I wanted to run out, find that Ewan prick and punch his fucking face in. Arizona looked like she was about to cry, so I relaxed instead, letting a slow grin spread across my face.

“Do I look like a guy who needs to pay chicks for sex? I’m not that ugly, am I?”

She gave me a watery smile. “No, of course not. I should never have believed him. I guess at the time I really thought he was telling the truth. I had no idea he liked me, so I didn’t think he had any reason to lie.”

“Yeah, well it’s not like you really knew me at the time. You couldn’t have known any better,” I said in a soothing tone, trying to stop her inevitable flow of tears. “Besides, a lot of rich guys pay for sex. They think it’s just easier that way. Not me, but yeah…it does happen. I’m not surprised you listened to him.”

She jerked her head up. “Really?”

“Yeah. I get it. I mean, I wish you’d actually spoken to me about it and saved us all this drama, but hey – it’s actually been kinda fun giving each other crap for the last few weeks. Some of the insults you’ve come up with for me are fucking classic.”

She gave me another weak smile, and I grabbed her hand. “I forgive you, okay? We’re all good.”

She nodded. “Thank you. I don’t deserve it.”

“Sure you do. I’ve been just as bad. Remember how I made you dress up in that nurse costume?”

“You think I could forget that?”

With that, she suddenly burst into a fit of hysterical giggles.

“What’s so funny?” I asked as she practically shrieked with laughter, tears running down her cheeks. We were getting some pretty strange looks from other customers in the café, and after a few seconds I couldn’t help joining in her mirth. It was contagious.

“It’s just so ridiculous,” she said. “We’ve been so horrible to each other, all because some douchebag friend of mine made up some crap to keep me away from you.”

“Remember when you threatened to throw me out a window?” I said, guffawing at the memory.

“It was a figure of speech,” she said before erupting into another fit of laughter. “God, why is this so funny?”

“Because it is.”

Our fits of laughter finally died down a few minutes later, and she gazed at me. “How’d you know I was here, anyway?”

“Like I said before, I knew something was up the second you texted me back saying you had no idea what I was talking about when it came to Ewan and that note. So I…uh…”

My voice trailed off sheepishly, and she arched an eyebrow. “So you did what?” she asked.

“You left your laptop unlocked and signed into iCloud, so I used the find my iPhone program thing to track you down. The little GPS thing showed that you were right here. I came right away ‘cause I wanted to confront that dude and find out once and for all what the fuck was going on.”

“Stalker,” she said, her eyes crinkling around the corners.

I put my hands up. “I know, I know. You can take out a restraining order later. By the way, seeing as we’re doing this whole apology thing…well, I’m sorry for being such a prick to you these last few weeks. I was reacting to how you were acting, but I should’ve just manned up and asked you what your problem was straight away. It’s not all your fault. So I’m sorry too.”

“Hm…I’ll consider forgiving you,” she said with a playful smile. “Seriously though, it’s fine. Let’s just try to move on. And…uhh…let’s pretend last night never happened. I was drunk as a skunk.”

“No problem,” I said, although there was no way I was going to forget seeing her naked and begging for it anytime soon.

We sat in silence for a while as she drained her milkshake.

“He told me what the note said,” she finally said, peering at me over the top of her tall glass.

“Yeah, well, I meant it. I wanted to see you again.”

“Why?” she asked.

I shook my head. “You know why.”

“I want to hear you say it.”

She was just teasing me now, and I grinned and leaned forward. “Fine. I liked you, okay? You were funny, smart, beautiful…I didn’t care that you lived in the middle of nowhere. I still wanted to see you again.”

She chewed on the end of her straw, a half-smile playing on her lips. “And do you still like me?”

She didn’t even need to ask. We both already knew the answer to that question.

Fuck yeah.