Bend (A Stepbrother Romance) (10 page)

He shrugged as if to say “your funeral” and joined the women back outside.

Maybe it was my funeral. Cadence would be the death of me in that little two-piece bathing suit. But if I was going to unravel their plan, I’d have to apologize and make nice.

That was fine. I was in showbiz, after all. I could be charming as all hell.

═ ♪ ♫ ♪ ═

“Well,” Victoria said, smiling at my father and me, and then turning to her daughter. “This is weird.”

“You got that right,” Cadence mumbled. She hadn’t risen from the water since I’d stepped outside and made myself a drink, choosing to hide herself up to her neck. It was fine—the wavy view of her plus my own memory told me all I needed to know. All I didn’t want to know—I was still really fucking turned on by her.

After overhearing my little tirade, I had no doubt she’d never want to talk to me again.
But I have to try
. “Where’s your camera?” I asked her. I shouldn’t have noticed its absence, I shouldn’t have cared, but the thing was like a fifth appendage on her.

“I was in a rush and I left without it,” she said.
Damn. She must have been pretty upset to forget to take it with her.

Stop giving a shit!

I turned back to Victoria. “So, how’d you two meet? I didn’t even know Dad was seeing anyone.”

“Keir doesn’t approve of his old man dating,” my father explained. I shot him a look. I didn’t approve of him falling head over heels for one deceitful woman after another.

“Your father got stood up at a bar,” Victoria said.

“A business meeting was canceled,” Dad cut in. “I was there when they called to let me know they wouldn’t be coming.”

“He looked a little sad, so I joined him at his table and cheered him up!”

God, I was going to be sick. She was doing that sickly sweet giggle that these LA women did to make themselves sound younger and dumber. He was smiling at her as if he’d found the love of his life somewhere there, beneath her Botoxed forehead and fake tits.

I caught Cadence rolling her eyes. It was gratifying to know that she was just as happy to be there as I was myself.

“What about you two?” Victoria asked. “Tell us about how you two hooked up!”

“Mom, I already told you,” Cadence, said, floating away from her spot at the edge of the pool to paddle her way toward the middle, as if treading water would get her out of the conversation.

“You daughter conned her way into getting a photographer’s pass at my concert,” I said. My father shot me a warning glare.

“I did not con my way into anything,” Cadence said, her eyes flashing. “Just because I wasn’t actually being paid to be there doesn’t mean I lied my way into a pass.”

“So?”

“What?” she asked. “You think people never do favors? One of the writers I work with knew I was a fan, she talked to her boss, they got me a pass.”

“What’d you give them in return?”

“What?” Her face turned red.

“No one does anything for free. Nothing like that.”

“Keir,” my father cut in, “It’s none of your business. No harm, no foul, right?”

“Except there was harm. You read the headlines.”

“There was no favor, Keir,” Cadence said quietly. “Nothing more than a little extra work. A little prioritization. Not everyone’s keeping score and not everyone’s out to use people.”

“You go right on thinking that, babe.”

Dad sighed. “If you can’t get along…”

“We can’t,” I said, standing. “I’ve got to hit the road, anyway. You know she works for a tabloid, right? Better not let her anywhere near your office.”

I fled, his shouts following me through the glass doors. I wasn’t running from him, though. I was running from her—her bathing suit, her eyes, the beads of water rolling down her skin… I adjusted myself in my jeans. Being pissed and turned on at the same time wasn’t new territory for me, but feeling bad about it sure as hell was.

How long could I stay away for? Until the end of my tour? I had to be over her by then—all I had to do was get myself inside a few groupies. I’d work her right out of my system.

Then and only then would I be able to make my father see what they were.

I almost made it out. Almost got away without having to actually talk to her face to face. But bare feet slapped the tiles behind me as she rushed after me toward the front door. “Wait!”

My hand froze on the knob. I should have taken off, but idiot that I was, I stopped, and turned around, and faced five feet and three inches of dripping wet wrath.

And all I could think about was peeling that bathing suit off of her.

All things said, I was starting to understand how my father could keep falling as hard and as stupidly as he did. The heart’s a bitch of an organ, and the cock is even worse—and they wanted her. As bad as I was sure she was for us, they wanted her.

And they were about to override my brain if I wasn’t really fucking careful.

CHAPTER NINE

Cadence

That bastard. That utter, utter bastard. Just who the hell does he think he is?

I should have swam a few laps and cooled down.

Instead, I lifted myself up over the edge and followed Keir into the house, leaving behind his concerned father and my faux-scandalized mother.

I couldn't let it slide. I hauled myself from the pool and chased him back inside the house, ignoring his father's and my mother's protests.

“Wait!” He'd moved fast and was almost out the door, but he stopped at the sound of my voice.

It wasn't until his eyes roved up and down my body that I remembered I was wearing nothing more than my little black two-piece. Anger burned my cheeks but that look heated me in other ways, adding fuel to the fire.

“You son of a bitch,” I spat, “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“I react poorly when I see my father being taken advantage of.”

“You don't know my mother, and you don't know me.”

“I know your type.”

Worse even than the awful things he'd said was the fact that he was right about her. I wanted so badly to believe this time would be different, but I could see it already. She was going to suck that poor man dry.

“What is it?” he went on, a cruel sneer twisting his lip. ‘Are you two after money? Fame? You already got your fifteen minutes.”

I scoffed at him. “Yeah. That was my big plan. Getting myself called ‘brother-fucker’ on the Internet.”

He bit back an unexpected laugh, looking as surprised by it as I was.
Maybe he's starting to see absurdity of this
. I shivered, my wet skin cold in the air conditioning. He licked his lips.

My eyes dropped. His gaze was traveling my body with that hungry intensity again. But his fists remained clenched at his sides.

“None of this was on purpose, Keir,” I said. “I don't know what's happened to you... But I thought we had something. A connection.”

“I thought you were genuine. I guess we were both wrong.”

“I am.” I hated the way my voice cracked. “I am, you asshole.”

His face was blank when he spoke again. Unreadable. As if he'd slipped on a mask. “Unfortunately, we can't afford to believe you.” He moved forward, just half a step, hand rising as if he wanted to touch me.

But then he turned on his heel and left, leaving me angry and alone, and just a little bit heartbroken.
See you around the holidays, shithead
, I thought. What the fuck was his problem? There was something wrong with the guy, that was for damn sure.

I can dig
, I reminded myself.
I'm a gossip researcher
.

Feeling better with that plan in mind, I returned to the pool and my new, tenuous little family.

═ ♪ ♫ ♪ ═

I learned very quickly that Keir's father, while a tough and shrewd media mogul, was a good man. An odd combination, knowing what I knew about showbiz. But he cared about his family. And apparently, after marrying my mother, that made me an immediate member, as well.

“Here,” he’d said before I left, firmly pressing a business card into my hands. It was the number for a car service, with an account number scribbled on the back. “Use it.”

“I couldn't!” I gasped, shocked and grateful and conflicted all at once.

“No stepdaughter of mine will be seen taking the bus,” he said gruffly, “It would embarrass me. Put your own feelings aside and just use it. For us.” He squeezed my mother around the shoulders.

“Okay,” I squeaked. “Thank you.”

Part of me wanted to insistently refuse. Perhaps to spite Keir, or to prove to him how wrong he was about me.

But though he tried to hide it, Mr. Sonder looked so happy when he offered, and even happier when I finally accepted.

I felt sorry for him all over again for getting sucked in by my mother. He deserved someone good and loving and loyal.
Maybe she's changed
. My heart wouldn't let me believe it. It had been betrayed too many times.

At first I swore to myself that I wouldn't actually take advantage. I wouldn't use the car service for my daily commute, despite what he'd said. But to visit them? And maybe for emergencies? I'd be a little crazy to turn it down.

But, shamefully, I caved immediately the next day. Keir's words kept me tossing and turning all night, working me up into a frothing rage. If only he'd shown his true colors the very first minute I met him backstage after his show. It wouldn't have hurt so damn much if he'd been an asshole from the beginning—if I hadn't started to care about him.

I should have known better.

I spent too long in the shower to catch the bus that would get me to work on time. Cursing my complete lack of resolve, I called the car service, and they were outside my door in less than fifteen minutes.

It was such a comfortable ride compared to my usual modes of transportation, I actually felt guilty.
Maybe next time I'll offer the roommates a lift, too
.

Nice as the commute was, though, an icy ball of dread formed in my stomach as we drew closer to the office. I didn't even want to know what people were saying.
I'll look for Zach
. Not that he was a friend, exactly, but he'd be the friendliest face by far.

Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, he was approaching the front doors when I pulled up. I offered the driver a guilty thank you and a tip—which he refused—and rushed to meet Zach in the lobby before he beat me to the elevators.

“Goddamn,” he said, “Aren't you fancy. I take it you met Daddy Sonder?”

“Oh, my God, don't call him that,” I said, pinching the bridge of my nose.

“I'm surprised you came in today,” he said.

The elevator arrived and I followed him on. My stomach tried to stay on the first floor as the elevator brought me closer and closer to our offices, but there was no turning back now.

“What am I going to do, hide?” I asked.

“After fucking my stepbrother? I would have.”

He was only teasing, but it was too early in the morning and the wounds were still to fresh. “We're not stepsiblings!” I hissed, “We're both adults!”

Zach shrugged. “Facts don't matter. Headlines do.” The elevator dinged. “Good luck, girly. Catch you on your lunch break.”

I tried to hide behind him as we walked by the receptionist's desk, but she saw me. Hell, there were probably cameras. “Cadence? Wendi would like to see you. Right away.” She bit back a laugh as she said it. I briefly imagined throwing her oversized purse at her face before making my way to our editor-in-chief's office with my head hanging.

This would be much tougher than my weekend meeting with Zach. Him, I could put off. He was a writer and my superior, but he wasn’t my boss and I didn’t really need to go out of my way to impress him. But Wendi Whitford? She was actually someone I admired, despite the fact that I wasn’t in love with the whole gossip blog business.
Don’t blow this.

“Straighten up!” Wendi was waiting for me in the hall. She looked as severe and intimidating as ever, with her four-inch heels and her ruler-straight bangs. My fingers itched for my camera. I wished I could take a picture of her.

She gestured me last her inside her expansive corner office and shut us alone together inside, away from prying ears.

The morning sun streamed through the windows. I shielded my eyes against it as I waited for her to bark another order.

“Sit.” She pointed at her couch rather than the seats before her desk. I sank onto it cautiously, searching her face for signs of what she was thinking—and just what she was going to do with me.

“Keir Sonder slept with
you?
”

Oh, this is going to be a great conversation
. “I clean up well,” I offered, as if that was a reasonable explanation.

“No offense, sweetheart, but that boy only sleeps with actresses, models, executives...”
Women more like herself
. Something crossed her face that reminded me of Kelly.