Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 33691 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33691 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
“Probably.” She shrugs as she makes a turn.
“Holy cow,” I whisper when I see the line of cars that have formed all the way down the road leading up to the big house at the very end.
“This is more than normal,” Emily says as she finds a spot to park. We climb out of the car and head toward the house. “I’m guessing word has spread to a few other schools.” I try not to fidget. I hate these types of things and usually avoid them at all costs. I thought this was only going to be people from our school. We haven't even gotten into the house and I’m already feeling out of place. “We can leave at any time. Just let me know and we’re out.” She must sense how uneasy I’ve become.
“Okay.” She loops her arm into mine. I wish I had my freaking phone. Asher probably doesn’t know that my bag is in his car. If he does, then he really is being a jerk.
Isn’t that what turns me on about him? I inwardly groan at myself. Do I have daddy issues or something? Don’t you need a dad around to give you those? Who knows? Not me, that's for sure.
I take a deep breath to get my nerves under control as we get closer. The house is massive. I can hear the music blaring and what sounds like a ton of voices coming from the backyard. We walk around to enter through the back gate to see that the party is already in full swing. There are people everywhere. Some of the faces are familiar, but there are a ton that I don’t
recognize.
“Emily!” a bunch of people shout.
“Hey!” She lifts her hand and waves to everyone. “You want a drink?”
“I don’t know. Are you gonna have one?”
“I think I might. We can always call a Lyft and pick the car up tomorrow.” True. I don’t think anyone would notice at the house. There is a plethora of vehicles to pick from in one of the two giant garages.
“Okay.” Could one drink really hurt anything? It might actually help me loosen up a bit.
Emily says hi to a few more people as we make our way toward an area off to the side of the pool.
“Two, please.” Emily points to the White Claws shoved down in a bunch of ice. “Don’t take mixed drinks. Make sure whatever you get you open yourself,” she whispers to me when the guy turns around and grabs them for us. I pop it open and take a sip.
“Not bad.” It’s sweeter than I thought it would be and doesn’t have a harsh aftertaste.
“Oh, look. Let's grab the chairs.” I follow Emily over to one of the lounge chairs by the pool. She puts her purse down before digging out her phone. “My brother is texting me.” She clicks away on her phone. I want to ask about what, but I do not want to draw attention to my interest in him. She drops her phone back down into her purse. “I bet he’s hanging out with Chase.” She rolls her eyes.
“Who’s Chase?” Emily pulls her dress off over her head. She’s got a bright pink bikini on. Cheerleading really must keep a girl in shape. I guess you do need to be small if you’re going to be tossed into the air and caught by people. This is partly why I was not putting on a swimsuit.
“Chase is Asher’s best friend. They’ve been friends since they were kids.”
“Is it a bad thing that they’re hanging out?”
Emily’s lips purse. “They’re probably out at some fancy dinner with a bunch of bimbos.” That sounds oddly specific. I swallow the knot in my throat.
“They do that a lot?”
“I didn’t think so, but clearly I don’t know shit.” Irritation coats her words.
“You don’t know what your brother does in his personal life?”
“I’m starting to think the two of them are just good at hiding what they do.” Emily chugs back her drink. “Another?”
“Sure.” I take a few big swigs of my own. Emily isn’t wrong. Asher is good about hiding who he is. Never in a million years did I think what happened today would. I mean, wasn’t it a bit of blackmail? I give him what he wants, and he’ll be Mr. Nice about our parents being together. I’d be a dirty little secret.
I grit my teeth. I’m not sure if I’m doing it because I’m angry he wants to keep me hidden or because there’s a small dark part of me that gets turned on by the idea of being his dirty secret. I know one thing for sure: I read too many romance books with office affairs or something. I love the ones where they have to sneak around to be with one another. But this isn’t a freaking office. It’s a damn family. And Asher is my stepbrother. I chug back the rest of my drink just as Emily returns holding two fresh drinks for us.