Sunkissed (4 page)

“Trista, I want you to meet my boyfriend, James Riker.” Nicolette held his hand tightly. “James, this is my sister, Trista Carmichael.”

He shook her hand with a bewildered smile on face. “Nice to meet you, Trista.” Riker turned his attention to Nicolette. “You never told me you had a sister.”

“Well, Trista has been in Hollywood the last couple of years. She’s here for a
quick
visit.”

Trista noticed her sister put an emphasis on the word quick.
After Nicolette finds out that I slept with her boyfriend, I won’t be able to get out of here fast enough
.

“Hollywood, huh? What do you do there?” Riker asked, an amused look on his handsome face.

Trista could see that he was struggling to maintain the conversation. All she wanted to do was go back upstairs and hide under the covers. She had slept with her sister’s boyfriend. How in the hell were they going to fix their relationship now? Nicolette would never forgive her. And why was Riker cheating on Nicolette? That was one thing she wouldn’t tolerate—once a cheater, always a cheater. That was why she and Blake would never work out. Trista had been through enough cheating scandals in her life. She thought about her father and how his cheating had caused the original rift between her and Nicolette.

“She was on that show,
You Only Live Once
,” Nicolette said.

“So, you’re an actress?” he asked her, genuinely surprise.

Trista nodded as Riker studied her with renewed interest.

“I forgot. The only TV that James watches is the sports channel. I don’t think he has ever seen anything else on TV other than a football game.

“
The Simpsons
,” Riker said.

“Huh?” Nicolette asked.

“I watch
The Simpsons
on Sunday nights.”

“Right. Anyway, let’s go get you a beer.” Nicolette led Riker away while Trista stood in shock. She didn’t know what was worse. Her sister dating a cheater or her sister finding out that Trista was the one who’d slept with her boyfriend.

For the rest of the party Trista managed to avoid Riker. She would leave a room when she saw him enter and find somewhere else to hang out. After a couple of hours, though, she got tired of the cat-and-mouse game. Trista went upstairs and changed into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. Quietly, she slipped out the back door and headed for the soft, sandy beach. If not for the surprise party, this would have been a perfect night. The moon was full, the waves were softly crashing onto the beach, and the air was cool but not too cold. Trista relished the feeling of the powdery sand between her toes as she made her way down to the water.

Dipping her foot into the chilly salt water, she thought about how all this was going to play out. She already had a hard road ahead of her if she was going to repair her relationship with Nicolette. Now she was going to have to come clean about sleeping with Riker. Nicolette deserved to know that Riker was sleeping around on her. Trista hadn’t known Riker had a girlfriend, let alone, that girlfriend being her sister. Nicolette would have to forgive her. Trista couldn’t have known that Riker was her boyfriend. Hell, he had introduced himself as Riker. Everyone at the party called him Riker, she noticed. But her sister was the only one who called him by his first name, James. Nicolette would understand the situation. It was a mistake. A mistake that Trista would not let happen again.

Trista continued to walk farther down the beach, away from the house with all the noise and drunken partygoers. She sat down at the base of a sand dune and contemplated just going back to Hollywood. Or maybe she should go to New York. Her career had started on Broadway with a bit part. Plus she’d done a short stint on a daytime soap opera. There were plenty of possibilities. She would call her new agent, Kate Peterson, tomorrow morning and let her know to put out some feelers on any new gigs opening up. Trista had started her career with Kate, so it was only fitting that Kate find her a new job. Start over fresh somewhere. Trista started to get excited about the prospect of moving to New York. She would buy a condo in trendy Tribeca. Eat leisurely brunches at Popovers on Amsterdam and 86
^th
Street. Take long walks in Central Park. See a Yankees game. All her favorite things to do in the Big Apple.

“Hey, Trista. I’ve been looking all over for you.” A male voice interrupted her thoughts. “Can we talk for a minute?”

Trista looked up to see Riker standing at the foot of the dune. “You’re the last person I want to talk to.” Trista waved him away. “Leave me alone please.”

“I just want a chance to explain.”

Trista scoffed. “Save it for Nicolette. You owe her an explanation, not me.”

“It’s over between me and Nicolette.” Riker walked closer to Trista. So close that she could smell his delicious scent. He irritated her and intrigued her all at once.

“Of course it is…now. Or it will be once she knows about you.” Trista brushed the sand off her pants as she stood up. “How long have you been running around on her?”

“You don’t understand. It’s
been
over between Nicolette and me. We aren’t together anymore.”

“She introduced you as her boyfriend.” Trista pushed Riker as hard as she could. Caught off guard, he stumbled and fell back on his rear end. “I don’t know what kind of bullshit you’re trying to pull, but you aren’t going to hurt my sister.”

“I don’t want to hurt Nicolette.” Riker reached up and pulled on Trista’s ankle, which caused her to fall on top of him. He wrapped his arms around her, holding on to her tightly. “Obviously you guys had a little falling out. She didn’t even tell me about you.”

“That has nothing to do with you. Don’t change the subject. You’ve been sleeping around on her. Exactly how many women have you been fucking?” Trista tried to wiggle out of his strong grasp.

“I haven’t been sleeping around. First of all, we aren’t dating anymore. Second, when we were dating, I never cheated on her. Regardless of what you think, I don’t go around fucking everything that moves. And if I remember correctly, you were a willing participant last night.”

“I didn’t know that my sister was in love with you!” Trista broke free of his grasp.

“Please listen to me. Nicolette and I broke up months ago. She’s not fond of the word
no
. I’ve told her several times that we were never going to be a couple again. Lately, it’s just been a casual thing between us. A few nights ago, we had dinner. She asked me to give her one more chance. I told her that we would see how it goes, but I made it clear that we were not exclusive. This party,” Riker paused, pointing to the beach house in the distance, “was a complete surprise to me. I had no idea.” He put his hand on top of hers and held it over his chest. “I’m telling you the truth.”

Trista wasn’t sure about anything he was saying. He was right about one thing. Her sister wasn’t fond of the word
no
. Nicolette always wanted the things she couldn’t have and would do anything to get what she wanted. But all that didn’t matter. Nicolette was her sister. Despite everything that had happened between them, Trista didn’t want to hurt her. Whether or not Riker was telling the truth didn’t matter. Obviously, Nicolette still had feelings for him.

However, Trista was having a hard time resisting this man. She tried to block out the strong emotions she was feeling for Riker right now. The way he smelled delicious, his strong arms that were wrapped around her, the memories of their night of passionate sex. There was something about Riker that she couldn’t deny. It was like he had some kind of spell on her, and she didn’t think she could help herself if she stayed another second.

“I need to go.” Trista tried to stand up, but Riker pulled her back down. He put his hands on her face and pulled her closer before kissing her. She felt herself melt in his arms. She couldn’t help it. She kissed him back. “I can’t do this,” she said between kisses.

“Yes, you can. I know you feel it too.” Riker kissed her again. “You and I were made for each other, Trista Carmichael.”

“I don’t want to hurt my sister.”

“Whatever problems you and Nicolette have...don’t have anything to do with

us. I want you,” Riker whispered, slipping his hand up her shirt. He caressed her right nipple sending a fluttering sensation in her stomach. Before she knew it, her sweatpants were down around her ankles and Riker was on top of her. She could feel his erection stretching the fabric of his jeans. “I need to get inside of you.”

Trista couldn’t resist him. She wanted this man unlike any other she had been with before. She reached down and unzipped his jeans. Riker pulled his pants down as she freed his cock from his underwear. Trista put her hand around it and stroked the length of it, causing Riker to moan in her ear.

“I can’t wait any longer,” he said, clenching his jaw. He slipped a finger inside of her, feeling her wetness.

“I want to feel you inside me, right now,” Trista said, pulling him down.

She sucked in a deep breath when he slipped inside of her, filling every inch of her. This is the last time, she told herself. After tonight, she was going to work things out with her sister, for better or for worse.

After saying goodbye to Riker, Trista walked back to the party, stopping by the deck to rinse the sand off her feet. She managed to avoid her sister and all the guests by using the garage entrance and taking the elevator up to her room on the third floor. She stripped off her clothes and stepped inside a hot shower.

A gamut of emotions ran through her. Part of her was disgusted with herself for having sex with Riker again. Especially after knowing that Nicolette was head over heels in love with the man. Riker told her repeatedly that it was over with him and Nicolette. But it shouldn’t matter, Trista thought. Nicolette would still be hurt if she knew that Riker was having sex with her younger sister.

But the other part of her felt an undeniable attraction to Riker. Conflicting emotions were making her crazy. She had no choice now but to leave town. First thing tomorrow, she was going to call her agent and start planning to move to New York. She would have the movers ship her boxes out of storage in California and send them to New York. Far away from Riker, her sister, and Blue Mountain Beach.

The next morning Trista awoke to the smell of bacon, eggs, and coffee. She felt a little stiff and sore, remembering her rendezvous with Riker at the beach last night. Trista felt a confusing sense of remorse and happiness. She tried to think it through. Riker was someone she’d just met. Why did she feel such a pull to this man? It was purely sexual attraction, she reasoned. She didn’t know one thing about him except that he dated her sister and worked as a bartender at the Liars Club. That was it. Her sister was in love with this man, and whether or not he felt the same way about Nicolette…that was a moot point. Trista wasn’t going to hurt Nicolette. She would follow through with her plan and start getting ready to move to New York. Florida had never been a long-term thing anyway. She needed to put a thousand miles between herself and Riker.

Happy with her decision, Trista eased out of bed. Throwing on a robe, she opened her blinds and peered outside. The sky was an angry mix of purple and grey, and the waves were at least three-feet high, throwing foamy water onto the beach. A storm was definitely brewing.

“Oh my God, my head. Why do I drink so much when I know the next morning I’ll be paying for it?” Nicolette asked as she saw Trista coming down the back stairs to the kitchen. “Thank goodness I don’t have to work today.”

“It’s just as well. Have you seen the weather?” Trista asked as she walked by, grabbing a mug from the cupboard.

“It’s Florida. One minute it’s raining and the next the sun is out. It’ll blow over soon.” Nicolette made herself another cup of coffee. “I made some eggs and bacon.”

“I’m good, thanks. Just need coffee.”

“Where did you slip off to last night?”

The question made Trista stop in her tracks. She wasn’t sure how to answer it. Did Nicolette see Riker follow Trista last night? “What do you mean?”

“I saw you leave the party and head down the beach.”

Trista turned her back on Nicolette, stalling for time to think about her response, and concentrated on selecting a pod of coffee from the rack. Nicolette had stocked up on all kinds of K-cups, including a mix of flavored coffee. Trista selected a hazelnut breakfast blend, sticking it in the coffeemaker’s contraption. “I just needed to clear my head and get some fresh air. A walk on the beach usually helps.”

“Did you get to know James?”

Trista paused. That was a loaded question, for sure. She’d gotten to know Riker inside and out. But, she didn’t think Nicolette had seen her having a rendezvous with her so-called boyfriend. They had been situated a pretty good ways down from the beach house and covered by the sand dunes. “Um, yeah. A little. Why do you call him James? I noticed that everyone at the party seems to know him by Riker.”

Nicolette shrugged. “I dunno. I think calling someone by their last name is…kinda high schoolish. I just think James is more fitting.”

Trista couldn’t disagree more. Riker was a perfect fit. He was unlike any other man she’d ever met. Most guys she knew who went by James—instead of Jim or Jimmy—were usually the nerdy types. Leave it to her sister to try to change someone into something they weren’t.

“I saw you two walking up from the beach last night. I figured he would try to win you over with his charm and quick wit.” Nicolette stared at her sister over her coffee mug. It was making Trista very nervous. “What do you think?”

Trista wasn’t sure where this was going. So her sister did see them walking on the beach. Did Nicolette suspect something? “Think about what?”

Nicolette sighed. “Wake up, Trista. What did you think about my boyfriend?”

“Uh, I think he’s a nice guy.”

“So…what did you guys talk about?” Nicolette asked impatiently.

Trista didn’t know how to answer that question either. It was too damn early in the morning for this kind of interrogation from her sister. Remembering their beach rendezvous, they hadn’t done a whole lot of talking. “We ran into each other on the beach. He didn’t say too much. Just that he…” Shit, what should she say? “That you two had known each other for a while.”

“Well, we’ve had our ups and downs, but I think he’s coming around. Riker is one of those types who’s hard to nail down.” Nicolette scooped some egg onto her fork. “He has commitment issues. What guy doesn’t?”

“Are you two dating exclusively?” Trista wanted to hear her sister’s side. For all she knew, Riker was lying to her. Maybe he had a ton of girlfriends on the side. He was a very handsome and charming man. Somehow she doubted he had lied to her though. He seemed genuine and caring. But, she thought the same thing about her ex-fiancé, Blake, when she had first met him. “I mean, let’s face it. You’ve had some commitment issues yourself.”

Nicolette laughed. “Let’s just say that my Facebook status says ‘It’s Complicated.’”

“All your past relationships have been complicated.” Trista said.
Especially with me.
“But are you in love with him?”

“Did you not see James? He’s yummy and he’s sweet and he’s everything that I’ve ever wanted in a man. Who wouldn’t fall in love with all that?” Nicolette put some butter on her toast.

Trista couldn’t disagree with her. Riker was yummy. She was feeling so guilty. What the hell was wrong with her? She wanted to mend her relationship with her sister, not tear it apart. From now on, no more trysts with Riker. “But are you
in love
with him?”

Nicolette gave a small shrug. “I could be, I guess.”

“So what’s the problem? I mean, besides both of your commitment issues.” Trista took her coffee and stood across the kitchen counter from her sister. She watched as Nicolette took a bite of toast then pushed her plate away. Her dark hair was a tangled mess and hanging in her face.

“Honestly, I have no idea. We dated off and on for a year. We’ve broken up and gotten back together so many times I can’t keep track of whether we are off or on,” she laughed. “Last month James asked me to meet him for dinner. I thought we were celebrating our anniversary. He even booked a reservation at Edward’s in Rosemary Beach. Instead of being a celebration, he told me that he wanted to date other people.”

“Ouch,” Trista replied.

Nicolette shrugged. “James just needs some time. He knows that we are good together. I’m willing to wait until he comes around.”

Trista put her mug down. “I’m sure it will all work out. Look, Nicolette, I wanted to talk to you about my plans. I’m not planning on staying in Blue Mountain Beach for long. After breakfast, I’m calling my agent to see if she can line me up some auditions.”

“You’re going back to California?”

“No, New York. I’d like to give Broadway another shot. You know, a lot of film actresses have gone back to Broadway. It couldn’t hurt.”

“Why did you come back Trista?” Nicolette studied her sister.

“After I got fired and things went south with Blake, I couldn’t think of anywhere else to go. I just knew that I needed to get out of Hollywood.” Trista walked to the sink and rinsed out her mug. “I know things aren’t great between us, but I would like a chance to fix that. You know, before I leave.”

Nicolette drummed her perfectly manicured fingernails on the countertop. “There has been so much that has happened. I don’t know how you think we can repair our relationship in just a few short days.”

Trista turned to face her sister. “I don’t know how either, but I’d like to start.”

Nicolette stared into her empty coffee mug.

“How about this? I’m going to take a shower and change. Let’s go shopping and have lunch. My treat. We can talk it over.”

“All right,” Nicolette agreed. “Give me forty-five minutes. I desperately need another cup of coffee and an aspirin before we go.”