I want to know more. I want to know everything. But there’s my father to consider.
David would shit a brick if anything developed between me and Vista. He’d probably have my other leg broken or just disown me completely. The kind of scandal being my stepsister’s lover would bring about is incomprehensible. The media would have a field day with it. It wouldn’t affect me in the least. I could give a flying fuck what anyone thinks of me. But David Black has a reputation to consider, and somehow I’ve fallen into that equation. And that’s why my father made it clear how off-limits Vista is to me.
I watch Vista sleeping, her face awash in the flickering glow of the television. Having captured that perfect peace, her features are slack, her eyes darting around behind closed lids as she chases her dreams.
After we arrived home, she accused me of trying to starve her to death, and then ordered a pizza. With my credit card. She took over my living room after that, channel surfing until she landed on some sappy romance movie with some douchebag actor spilling tears every other scene and completely unmanning men everywhere. It wasn’t until it became clear that she was going to eat the entire damn pie that I decided to join her or risk starving myself.
Turns out, the chick movies aren’t half bad and it comes with the added bonus of getting to sit here and stare at some seriously beautiful scenery.
Vista’s mom, Lara, was spot on when she named her daughter. Vista is one hell of a sight to get lost in.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, interrupting my thoughts, which is just as well since they were taking a nosedive into female territory. Any longer, and I’d be risking scrotal retraction.
I curse under my breath when I see who’s calling. It’s as if David Black is psychic. Swiping my finger over the screen, I answer the call. “Hey, Dad. What’s up?”
“How is the arrangement working out?” he asks, cutting straight to the point.
“Fine so far.”
“Are you sticking to the agreement?”
“Like glue.” Growing agitated, I run my fingers through my hair. Even at twenty-two he continues to treat me like a child.
“Good, because it would cause problems if you didn’t, and I don’t have the patience or resources right now to clean up another of your messes.”
For fuck’s sake. “I told you I would handle it myself. You didn’t need to step in—”
“But I did,” he interrupts in typical David Black fashion. “And you’d better be grateful. Otherwise, Terrance Adams would have taken that contract and torn it up, then where would you be? Just how long do you think I’m going to continue to support you?”
As he gets rolling on his speech of what a worthless disappointment of a son I am, I tune him out. I’ve heard it all before, countless times, and at this point, I can recite it forward and backward in my sleep. My father may be successful but he’s also predictable. He believes in finding a method that works and sticking with it. So far it’s worked well for him, but what he fails to grasp is that one day, it will be his downfall. Not mine.
“...regular reports to my office, understand?”
“Sorry, I checked out,” I tell him, earning another round of chastising.
“If you can manage to be responsible for a nanosecond, tell your sister that I want regular updates on your progress. If we expect to keep this deal with Adams on the table, we can’t afford to waste any time. He’s going to want proof that your recovery is on track so he knows he isn’t wasting his time investing in you.”
I love how he’s taken to referring to my business venture to ours. “Yeah, Dad, I’ll fill her in in the morning. She looks too peaceful to wake up right now.”
There’s a long pause. “Levi, I meant what I said. If I find out you two are having anything other than a platonic relationship—”
“Don’t worry, Dad,” I interrupt, knowing how much it pisses him off when I do. “We’ll be sure to keep it strictly PG-13.”
“Damn it, boy!”
“I’ve gotta go.” I hang up the phone, cutting off his tirade. No doubt, he’ll lay into me next time we run into each other anyway, so I’m not really missing anything. Dad never misses an opportunity to cut into me. For now, though, I’m going to live up to my promise.
Tossing my phone on the table, I lean forward and pull my shirt over my head. Slipping my arms under Vista’s shoulders, I pull her dead weight, repositioning her body over mine so we’re lying together on the couch, her head on my chest and her arm draped across my stomach.
Is it wrong to do this? Maybe. Do I care? Not even a little bit. Vista’s weight on me feels good. Perfect. She’s warm and soft, her curves fitting around me just right. I think about that night. It was a lot like this, only Vista wanted to be in my arms. I wish I could go back. I’d change everything.
I never would have pushed her away.
***
“Oh, my God.”
I wake up to Vista’s breathy voice in my ear, and the smile I struggle to fight down is instantaneous. I can feel her heat pressing against my side, scalding my skin straight through her clothes. She’s panicking now, I can tell, and it only makes me want to smile wider. I want her to think the worst. I want to see her reaction, to be center stage when that fiery passion erupts.
Pinned between me and the couch, her hand presses into the center of my chest as she struggles to push herself up onto her hip and in the process, crushes my ribcage.
“Damn, woman,” I grunt. Wrapping my hand around her wrist, I remove some of the pressure. When I open my eyes, I meet hers. They’re wide and full of confusion, maybe a touch of horror, too.
“How—Why—Did we...?” She shakes her head then throws her leg over mine, scrambling off me.
I watch her as she runs her hands over her clothes and through her hair, and her expression makes me laugh. “Did you know you snore when you sleep?”
“I do not!” Snatching a pillow from the floor where I tossed it last night, she lobs it at my face, but I catch it one-handed before it can reach its target.
“You’re right. You were too exhausted to do much more than drool.”
Her eyes flare and I can tell she’s about to scream, so I decide to take mercy on her and put her mind at ease to save myself the ruptured eardrum.
“Don’t worry, princess. Your virtue, or what’s left of it, is still intact.”
She scowls down at me, but when she speaks her voice is soft and filled with doubt. “We didn’t sleep together?”
“Oh, we slept together,” I say as I push myself up and place my bare feet on the floor. “Just not in the way you’re hoping.”
“Oh, get over yourself. Believe it or not, not every woman in the world wants to sleep with you.”
With sharp movements, she strides toward the stairs. I watch her go for a moment before remembering that I can match her pace now, and then I get up and go after her.
“You’re right. Not every woman in the world wants a piece of me. Although, they’d be crazy not to.” She glowers at me as we reach the top of the stairs, but her eyes betray her as they fall to my bare chest. She wants me just as much as I want her, and when she lifts her gaze back to mine, I wink at her.
Huffing, she picks up her pace.
“But you know what I’ve come to realize?” I ask. Taking two large steps, I reach her bedroom before she does and plant myself in the opening, blocking her entry.
Her expression twists and I can see the rage burning in her eyes. “What?” she snaps. “What is this big revelation?” Again, her gaze drops to my chest, then falls to my abs, then comes back up, sweeping over my arms, which I cross over my chest because it makes the muscles look bigger.
I love her attitude. It’s the right mix of pissed off and intrigued. She can’t resist me and she knows it, and that’s what’s got her all riled up. I can read the truth all over her. I decide to enlighten her.