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We wove through the bonfires on the beach until one of the cheerleaders called Selena’s name and she changed course.
I trailed after her. The cheerleaders were sitting right beside the hockey guys. Just my luck. I tried to sit at the opposite side of the fire from Asher, but somehow, ended up right beside him. It was like a space opened up at the worst possible position. He watched me in stony silence as I sat down beside him. My face was hot, and I avoided his eyes.
“Hey – you want a drink?” Selena asked me, offering me the red cup someone passed her.
“What is it?” I took it and sniffed. A spicy scent wafted up and tickled my nose. I shook my head quickly and passed it back.
A soft snort came from Asher, sitting on my other side.
“What?” I wondered defensively.
“You’re at a party on the beach, and you’re being picky about free drinks?” His tone was scathing. I could see myself in his eyes. Picky, spoiled little rich girl. I didn’t look good. I’m allergic to cinnamon.
The explanation was on the tip of my tongue, ready to defend myself, when I stopped. Why should I defend myself to him? Nothing I said would change how he saw me. I might as well keep my goddamn pride. It was all I had, at the end of the day.
“Yeah, well, some of us care what we put in our bodies,” I said flippantly, trying my best not to show how much his derision toward me hurt.
He smirked, but his eyes were cold. “Only the best for daddy’s little princess, right?”
I forced my own cool smirk. “That’s right.”
He studied me a moment. “Good to know.” Then he turned to face the other way, and just like that, I was dismissed.
Asher
SENIOR YEAR
“Evie, isn’t it time you went home?” My sister never usually came to parties after the game. Her attending was a new development, and I didn’t like it. Sure, it was a dick move to forbid my sibling from having any kind of after-hours fun, but it was for her own good. Growing up without a dad, with the hardest-working single mom in town, I’d become a little protective over the women in my life.
Ok, a lot protective.
A soft snort sounded at my pointed question.
Sitting in the corner on a daybed, deeply engrossed in her phone, was the second reason this party blew.
Winter fucking DeLaurie. Since I’d figured out just how spoiled rotten the school Ice Queen was under her stunning smile and designer clothes, our relationship had bounced between disdain and total avoidance.
She was difficult to ignore, however. Before senior year, it felt like our paths rarely crossed. Now, I was aware of her everywhere, walking around, existing in the same world as me, drawing eyes wherever she went. She was the most stunning girl in school. Of course, that didn’t change what was on the inside. A pretty front, and an ugly interior. That just wasn’t my style. Locking horns with her always left me pissed off and dissatisfied. The girl never backed the fuck down. I’d never met anyone who hated to lose as much as me. I might respect her stubbornness if I didn’t dislike her so much.
“Got something to say, DeLaurie?” I challenged. She hadn’t even looked up from her phone to cast her judgment on my relationship with my sister.
Winter rolled her eyes, a move designed to irritate. It was effective, I’d give her that. I’d also like to give her ten spanks on the behind for being a brat. Just the sound of her cool, mocking tone made my palm itch.
“She’s your twin, last time I checked, not your little sister. Stop treating her like she’s five.” Winter’s arctic tone held just a hint of condescension and was absolutely infuriating.
“What’s it got to do with you, rich girl? We all know you wouldn’t be here without Daddy’s permission, would you?” Winter was the textbook definition of a pampered little princess, even if she was a neglected one.
“At least I have a daddy, Asher. Leave your sister alone and stop trying to be her dad. Maybe you should look for a non-blood relation you can get to call you Daddy.” She raised a slender caramel eyebrow at me, her China blue eyes daring me to respond.
I raked my eyes over her tight body. “What, like you?”
Winter paused a moment, something flaring in her gaze. Winter had to know how hot she was. It would be impossible not to. With a tight cheerleader physique, long blond hair that fell in waves to her waist, an upturned button nose, and huge, lush baby blues, she could have been a model. She was the poster girl for white, blue-blood beauty, with her pearl earrings, and diamond tennis bracelets. She was the kind of girl who would have made bank on social media but was far too aloof to share photos of her privileged life. She was beautiful and ugly at the same time. A startling contradiction made flesh.
Her eyes took me in just as much as I drank in the sight of her. She took in my dark hair, and olive skin. The tattoos I’d been collecting on my arms. I wondered for a moment what she saw when she looked at me. Then she spelled it out.
She dropped my stare and tossed her regal head. “You wish, Martino. I don’t slum it. I have vibrators worth more than you.”
Well, that was pretty fucking clear. Like oil and water, it was clear that Winter DeLaurie and I should never mix. I wasn’t sure either of us would survive it, and I didn’t care enough to find out.
