[ K A R A ]
And right at that moment when our lips barely touched...
"RJ! My man!" we heard a loud yell coming from behind us. We instantly pulled apart.
A few guys and girls were coming towards us. Thankfully, we were somewhat hidden behind Ryder's car, so they couldn't possibly saw what was happening.
"We saw your car when we passed by, thought we'd see you here," said a guy in a white t-shirt and jeans. His smile was kind of cute, especially with them dimples.
"Oh hey, you guys, how's it going?" Ryder nodded at the group of people. These people looked like they came out straight out of an episode of The O.C.
"Who's this?" The dimple guy turned to me, totally checking me out. And of course, I blushed immediately.
"This is Kara, my uh, step-sister. Kara, these are my friends." before Ryder could say their names, Dimple Guy moved up and gave his hand out to me.
"Cameron, nice to meet you," he smiled that mega-watt smile again.
"Nice to meet you too," I replied politely and took his hand. I could feel that his hand was holding onto mine just a second too long, so I pulled away awkwardly.
"Kara's new in town, so I'm just here showing her around," Ryder coughed.
"Oh cool. Will I see you guys at Blake's party tonight? It's gonna be lit," Cameron finally took his gaze off of me, talking to Ryder.
"Yeah man, totally," Ryder said to him.
"You're coming too, right Kara?" Cameron turned to me again.
"What party?"
"It's kind of a tradition we have around here, on every night with a full moon, we throw a party at our friend's beach house. It'll be fun, you should come," he said again, and Ryder shuffled uncomfortably.
"Ok, sure," I replied. I had nothing else better to do anyway, I thought.
"Sweet. I'll see you guys tonight!" Cameron beamed. Waving his hand goodbye, he ran back towards his friends and their cars, and they drove away.
Being left alone again, Ryder and I shuffled awkwardly.
"Um, maybe we should start heading back?" I finally said.
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The car ride back home was filled with an awkward silence between us. There was a fat elephant in that car riding with us, and its name was sexual tension.
What the hell was that back there? Something almost happened. Was he pulling me in for a kiss? And I let him? Holy mackerel. That could've gone real bad real fast.
Ryder tried to ease the awkward silence between us as he shuffled a random CD into his car audio. Soon enough, a familiar music began playing. I realized that it was an Ed Sheeran song, 'Thinking Out Loud'. But it wasn't Ed's voice singing it, it was a cover, and a girl was singing it. Just as my hand reached out to turn the volume up, Ryder was doing the same thing. Our fingers touched and I swore there was an electrical static just then. I pulled my hand away quickly and Ryder turned the volume up.
"So, are we just not gonna talk about it?" he suddenly said.
"What it?" I played dumb.
"You know, what happened back there,"
"Nothing happened back there," I said defensively.
"Right," he said sarcastically.
"Seriously nothing happened, right?" I said again, somewhat nervously.
"Sure, if you say so,"
Groaning in annoyance, I let out a sigh and said, "Fine. It was just a momentary lapse of judgment on my part, and you were being... well, you. So it was nothing,"
Ryder smiled at my response. I was totally serious, but he looked amused. I couldn't believe that he found this funny. Guess everything was a joke to him, huh?
Meanwhile, the song came to an end and suddenly, we heard the girl's voice talking...
"Hey RJ, I hope you like my Ed Sheeran cover, I made it just for you! I miss you—" Ryder quickly stumbled to change the song.
I couldn't help but to laugh, out loud.
"What can I say? Girls love me." He shrugged.
"Cocky sunnofavitch!" I shook my head at him.
"Sunnofavitch?" he laughed.
"Who was that anyway, your girlfriend?"
"No, no, no. I don't do girlfriends. No thank you. It was just some girl. We fucked a couple of times, no big deal. And to be honest, I don't even remember her name," he replied.
"Wow," I responded sarcastically. "I don't get it. You're a narcissistic man-slut. Why do girls still throw themselves at you?"
"I don't know what to tell you, Kara. I mean, just look at me." he motioned to his face and body.
"Just be careful when you're trying to get out of the car. Your head might not fit the door," I rolled my eyes at him.
His face lit up in amusement as he said, "Haters gonna hate, players gotta play,"
"Oh, whatever, Ryder," I said curtly.
"OK, Little Miss Judgmental, let's talk about this. I think your whole purity ring thing is an admirable cause. Really, that's good for you. But it's a lost cause. You don't know what you're missing out there," he argued.
"Well, if that means I'm missing out on assballs like you, I don't think I'm missing out on much," I spat, while I held onto my ring tightly.
"Assballs?" Ryder found my way of cussing to be amusing and laughed away.
"Well hey, if you ever change your mind, I don't mind helping a girl out," he said as he winked at me.
"R-Ryder! That is wildly inappropriate!" I gaped.
"I'm just kidding, don't get your panties all in a bunch,"
Ugh! That smug bastard.
"Or am I?" he added, giving me that stupid smirk.
"Just shut up and drive," I smacked his head and shoved his face back to the road.
"Ow! New York girls are so violent," he commented.
Thankfully, the situation was not as tense anymore as we continued making jokes at each other. We arrived home later that evening and enjoyed a nice dinner with our parents altogether. Despite him always poking fun at me for being a virgin, I felt somewhat more comfortable with Ryder now. I could see us actually being friends, or even a brother and sister.
"We need to leave at around 8. Let me know when you're ready, I'll be in my room," Ryder said to me as he excused himself from the dinner table.
"Where are you kids going to?" Lacey turned to me.
"Oh it's just a party at Ryder's friends' house or something like that," I answered, trying to sound as uninterested as possible.
"Oooh sounds fun! I'm glad you're making friends," Lacey patted my back in excitement.
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It was just a few minutes before 8 o'clock and I was all ready. I wore my tight skinny jeans and an off-shoulder white top. My long wavy hair was being tied neatly into a ponytail. I had also applied some light make up, just a little. I was never really the type that put a lot of effort into how I look. Feeling satisfied with myself, I headed out of my room and climbed the stairs towards the attic, to Ryder's room.
I got to the door and started knocking, but there was no answer. I pushed the door open and heard the sound of running water from the en-suite bathroom. Ryder must still be in the shower. I had already climbed the stairs all the way up here, and I didn’t feel like going back down, so I made my way inside, thinking I could just wait in there.
Stepping into the room, I found myself taking note of all the little knick-knacks and toys. Ryder's bed was just a queen-sized mattress with white sheets and blankets on the floor. On the bedside table next to the mattress, I saw a photograph of a woman, and she looked so much like Ryder, so that must be Layla. Then I saw a couple of surfboards hanging on the wall and one lying on the floor. There were lots of surfing trophies, medals, pictures of Ryder surfing, and a newspaper article that said: Ryder Jake Williams... The best new player in town.
Walking over to his desk, I saw several books that I enjoyed reading myself. Looking at Ryder, I wouldn’t have pegged him as a literature nerd. He also had some of Fitzgerald's books, which was my favorite author.
Hm, not bad.
The drawer on his desk was slightly opened and I noticed the pile of condoms inside. I rolled my eyes at it.
Of course, I mumbled to myself. That’s more like him.
Then I moved my gaze to the shelves where I saw his DVD collection.
"What are you doing?" suddenly I heard Ryder's voice.
I turned around and saw Ryder was half naked – only wearing a pair of low hanging jeans. He just came out of the shower, so his body was still a little wet. He used the towel on his hand to dry his messy hair. I couldn't help but to take note of his perfect abs, the way his muscles flexed when he moved, and how his lower abdomen had that V-shape leading towards—
"Are you done eye-raping me?" he said coolly. Unfazed.
I gasped in terror and quickly looked away.
"Wow, you have Game of Thrones!" I quickly pulled out the DVD I was holding on the shelf. "It's one of my favorite shows of all time, not including the last two seasons, though," I rambled on. The tone of my voice was slightly too high pitched for my liking.
Not cool Kara, that was a really bad cover!
Ryder let out a chuckle. He went to his dresser and picked out a white shirt and slipped it onto his toned body.
"I thought you told me to come find you here at 8..." I rambled again.
He let out a sigh.
"You know at this rate, you'd be begging for me to take your virginity before the summer's over," he said as he combed his hair with his hand, not even looking at me.
I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks. My face was burning up.
"Oh, hell no!” I yelled, trying to sound as stern as possible. “Only in your dreams, honey,"
"Hey, I was just joking," Ryder then strode over towards me. I should be moving out of his way, but I found myself frozen, unable to move.
I was now stuck between him and the desk. Standing right in front of me, his hand reached over my waist, lightly grazing my hips, and rummaged the desk drawer behind me. And I swear, he purposely stood there, just a second too long, so that I could smell his fresh masculine aftershave. Dang... My breath hitched as soon as I caught the scent. Meanwhile, Ryder grabbed a couple of packs of condoms from the drawer and slipped them into his back pocket.
"Or was I?" he murmured somewhat seductively. He was looking down at me, and his face was only inches away. My cheeks turned hot red in response, and he broke into laughter at my reaction.
“Oh, that’s just too easy,” he shook his head and pulled away. “Come on,” he said as he grabbed a black hoodie from the chair, and walked out of the room.
I let out a relieved sigh and awkwardly put the DVD back on the shelves.
"That was very inappropriate, you... creep!" I called out to him, trying to hold my ground.
Shoot. I can feel myself being a little wet down there. Shoot, shoot, shoot.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Okay, I know what you’re thinking…
I knew it was wrong to find my stepbrother so attractive. Especially if he came in the shape of Ryder Jake Williams. It was probably just my hormones or whatever. Maybe it was the jetlag or the oxygen level in the air. Whatever it was, this would probably wear out in a day or two.
I will be fine.
Back inside his truck, we were driving into the night and I saw Ryder sitting there, on the driver's seat, radiating with confidence. As he was driving, he turned to me suddenly, eyeing me from head to toe with his head cocked to the side.
"Damn, you look good," he nodded in approval.
"Eyes on the road," I replied as soon I could.
He just grinned and kept driving, looking absolutely unashamed. And dang it, my cheeks were burning up again.
Oh, fudge. I have a feeling tonight's gonna be a bumpy ride…
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- - - - - To Be Continued - - - - -
[ R Y D E R ]Okay, I knew I shouldn't be messing around with my stepsister's head like that, but come on, she was too cute for her own good. And I didn’t understand how she was still a virgin. Guys must threw themselves at her, I mean look at her. I could only wonder how she survived 18 years of living, without having once tasted the best feeling in the world.As we were driving to the party, when I knew she wasn't looking, I turned my gaze at her and admired the view. She was wearing these super skinny jeans that hugged her ass perfectly. And that off-shoulder blouse, her collarbone was practically screaming "eat me" at me.Whoa, pull it together!Yeah, yeah, I knew that she was off limits. She was gonna be my fucking stepsister in two months. Goddamn it, she was biting her lips now. Her skin was like porcelain, with the slightest touch of pink, and I had to keep putting my hands in my pocket or else it was gonna wanna—oh shit, she was looking at me, look away!* * * * * * * * * * *
[ K A R A ]Cameron and I were already in the car, driving on our way home when I saw Ryder's number calling me."Hey Ry," I picked up, somewhat slurring."Where the hell are you!?" he shouted at me furiously."I'm on my way home, I left you a text,""I'll take you home, don't get in the car with Cameron! Do you hear me? I said—""Psssh, why you yelling so loud-eh? My ears are hurtin'! I'm almost home ok, I'll see you later," Without giving him a chance to say anything else, I turned off the call.He tried to call again, and I simply rejected it. My head was pounding and I didn’t feel like getting yelled at some more. What was wrong with him anyway, first he ditched me and now he wanted to find me?"Everything ok?" Cameron asked."Yeah, it was just Ryder being a weirdo, whatever," I shrugged and leaned my head against the window.I must have blacked out for a bit, maybe for a few minutes, because when I woke up next, I saw that we weren’t on our way home. I had memorized the streets t
[ K A R A ]On our way back home, Ryder and I didn't say one word to each other. But he gave me the occasional glance, as if to check if I was okay. I sat silently in the car, still trying to process everything. Every time I remembered what just happened, I felt like throwing up. But I reminded myself that it was done and I was okay now. I was sitting in Ryder’s truck with him, and I felt warm and snug under his jacket. Being able to inhale his scent over and over again felt amazing because it really told me that I was truly safe.When Ryder and I finally got to the house, he parked the car and took a deep breath before killing the engine. It looked like he wanted to say something, but he wasn’t sure."Thank you for... coming for me," I said lowly, deciding to break the silence for us.Ryder sighed in exasperation. "I told you not to get in the car with him, why didn't you listen to me?" he said rather sternly."I was feeling sick, he offered to take me home. And you ditched me, I cou
[ K A R A ]A couple of days had passed since the whole bonfire fiasco and I was feeling much better. A few days ago, I got to see Ryder's surfing match for the first time with mom and Peter. I didn’t quite know the rules of surfing matches, but I knew that Ryder did very well. I was told that he scored enough points to compete in the next round.Though I didn’t understand the rules, I now understood why girls would want to date surfer guys. I mean, just look at how cool and passionate Ryder was when he was competing. There was something about all that passion that just drew you in. And don’t get me started on that moment when he returned to the shore after his surf. Shaking his wet hair from side to side, he would get up from the waters below with his board shorts hanging low, his toned body all wet and tan and that gorgeous smile on his face...Holy cabbage! Stop thinking about that— you're not helping yourself, woman!Anyway, things were great for us. Mom and Peter seemed really ha
[ K A R A ]I had never had an interest in extreme sports before, but I must admit, watching Ryder surf was really sexy. Ryder had another surf match today, so Peter, my mom, and I went down to the beach to support him. He did great out there, something about him making the finals, and everyone was really excited for him, including me.Wait. Did I just become a Ryder groupie? Oh God, no.When Ryder returned ashore and he found us, all three of us jumped and waved excitedly at him. He came over and I ran towards him in excitement, wanting to give him a hug."Congratulations..." I said with open arms, but he just dodged me, as if he didn't want to be touched. And so, I moved my hand around into a high five and gave him an awkward high five instead.What was that all about?“Ryder, you were amazing out there!” my mom beamed."Let's go celebrate, the four of us, as a family. How 'bout we go take the boat out and have a nice meal together?" Peter added, smiling from ear to ear.Peter was o
[ R Y D E R ]I never thought I'd say this, but meaningless sex isn't as fun as it used to be anymore. Yeah, but that didn't mean I was gonna stop doing it. I still did it whenever I could. It was just that they used to be fun, and now it just felt like work. They got too predictable almost. It became boring.That being said, every night there would still be girls coming in and out of my room. This wasn’t anything new. This had been going on for years. Dad knew and he didn’t care. But for Kara and her mom, this was something else. I could see it from the way they looked at me. I saw that look on Kara’s face when she noticed a girl coming out of my room with her clothes all messed up.Oh yeah, she was so grossed out by me.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *[ K A R A ]Ever since that night at the yacht, Ryder and I stopped talking. I saw him around the house a lot though, parading around his latest conquests. Sometimes I wondered if he did
[ K A R A ]I was hoping I wouldn't run into Ryder this morning, spare me the awkwardness, please and thank you. I still didn't know how to deal with him, so I was super glad to see that he wasn't in the kitchen when I walked in, it was just Peter and my mom."Morning honey, we missed you at dinner last night," mom said."Yeah, sorry, I went out with a friend,""You've been spending a lot of time with this friend of yours. When are we gonna meet him?" she gave a teasing look."Mom. It's not like that,” I rolled my eyes at her. “We're just friends,""Sure, they all started that way," she said again with a wink."Lacey!" I hissed."Fine, fine. So what's your plan for the day? If you're free, you should come with us and watch Ryder compete,""Oh I can't," I quickly said. "I have plans," I lied, I didn't have any plans. I just didn’t want to see Ryder right now."Oh, plans. With that friend?" my mom smirked naughtily."Mom!""Just kidding,” she giggled away. “Don't be home too late, honey
[ K A R A ]Hiding in the comfort of my room, I made sure the door was closed and I opened the notebook. Pretty soon, I realized that the book was filled with all sorts of scribbling and poems. They were all handwritten, most likely by none other than Ryder himself. Several of them caught my interest, notably the poems titled ‘Dear K’. It went something like this:* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Dear K,Should I call you a stranger?Or maybe a friend, or an acquaintance.A housemate. A playmate. A play date.I find it hard to act and behave.When I don’t know the meaning of what I see.You are you, and I am me.And these are the only things that we'll ever get to be.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Dear K,It was just a day. Maybe a Thursday. Maybe a Friday.It was just a girl. Brunette, sweet, and small.It was just talking. She said she wants to believe in love.It was just a kiss. Except
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * TWO YEARS LATER GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * [ R Y D E R ] The dawn was breaking outside the window. This bluish and orange light was creeping up the night sky, signaling the beginning of yet another day. 6:30 AM, the clock read. Kara was still sound asleep, maybe last night took a toll on her? Last night was... a lot of fun. I was getting hard all over again just thinking about it. Slowly I rolled over to my side, carefully wrapping her tiny body in my arms. My fingers ran to caress her soft cheeks. "Hey..." I murmured to her ears as she shuffled a little. "Mmhmm," she mumbled, still closing her eyes. "Merry Christmas, baby," It was Christmas day in Australia, you would not have guessed it from the weather outside. It was 85 degrees and nothing but sunshine on the horizon. Apparently, that was how Christmas was done over here in the land down under. Kara wasn’t saying anything. She refused to wake up
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *ONE YEAR LATERTAHITI, FRENCH POLYNESIA* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *[ K A R A ]“Ry…?”I woke up this morning shivering and cold. This usually wouldn’t happen. Especially that we were living in Tahiti now, it was 80 degrees outside. And normally, I would wake up with Ryder’s body wrapping around mine like a blanket. He always made me feel warm, so I didn’t even need a duvet. But today, I woke up with the bed empty and it felt cold.“Ry?” I said again, but I heard no answer.I stirred in bed and slowly propped myself up. Ryder wasn’t anywhere in the room. I glanced at the clock and it was still 5 o’clock in the
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *ONE MONTH LATERHUNTINGTON BEACH, CA* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *[ K A R A ]The first thing I noticed about California was the air. The air was salty, but breezy and cool. Ryder and I arrived in the golden state a few days ago. We were living in a cute little Airbnb right by the beach. It was the coolest thing ever.Every morning, Ryder would go out to train by the beach. The first contest on his world tour would be held here next week. Every morning, I would wake up with him, make coffee, and I’d do a little writing as I
* This is a bonus chapter with Peter and Lacey's POV. Enjoy! *[ P E T E R ]“It’s a great wedding, huh?”My eyes were glancing around the room and I locked eyes with my ex-wife. We exchanged a smile and I thought it was polite to make small talk. What I didn't realize was how awkward it was, talking to my ex-wife at our children’s wedding.“Yeah, it is,” she replied.I was holding a glass of scotch and she was holding a glass of champagne. We were both standing by the sidelines, watching our two kids share the dance floor as bride and groom. It was quite an ironic sight. Life had a pretty crazy sense of humor. I remembered a few years ago when it was Lacey and me out on this dance floor, dancing as the bride and groom. We were so happy back then. We thought we were in it for the long haul. And yet here we were, only a
* This is a bonus chapter from Elle and Cole's POV. Enjoy! *[ E L L E ]It was a beautiful night in Hawaii and a wonderful wedding. My best friend, Kara, just got married to the love of her life and I couldn’t be more proud. Today was supposed to be one of the happiest days of our lives, but it felt rather bittersweet.One person’s happiness is another person’s tragedy.I saw Cole standing silently by the sidelines and my heart sunk to my feet. Cole had been in love with Kara for years. That was actually how we met and became friends. He was introduced to me by a friend and he was telling me how he was in love with his best friend. I thought guys like him were so adorable. They were a rare breed. He was so thoughtful and kind. They don’t make guys like this anymore.I decided to help him win the heart of his best friend,
[ R Y D E R ]Kara was probably thinking that I was taking her up to our room, but no. I liked to keep things interesting.So instead, we got some milkshake from my favorite diner and made our way to our Secret Beach. The night was young and full of possibilities. We were giddy and excited, laughing at each other as walked down the beach, barefoot with our hands clasped together. I was reduced to a grinning and smirking mess. Thankfully, she was too."Kara, you're smiling like crazy," I commented."It's because I'm crazy about you, Ryder Jake Williams,""You're so perfect in every way. I'm the luckiest man alive," I stopped our tracks and stood right in front of her.I reached out to hold her hand, and I caught her by her wrist. She flinched when I touched the scar over her tattoo. It had healed, but the mark was still there.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *ONE WEEK LATERKAUAI, HAWAII* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *[ K A R A ]"Oh my God!” mom gasped as soon as I walked into the room. “Ryder's gonna go crazy when he sees you,""Mom!" I hissed and looked away, totally embarrassed."Seriously though, if I swing that way, I would've married you right now," Elle added.It was our wedding day today and I was all dressed up in the bride’s attire. I had curled my hair and let them down, and I was wearing this lovely white lace gown that cascaded down my body so heavenly. When I looked into the mirror, I was in awe too, I couldn't believe myself when I saw my reflection.Ryder going crazy... a girl can only hope.
[ K A R A ]The next thing I know, Ryder and I were driving down the highway in this convertible car. The summer wind was blowing through our hair and Ryder was holding my hand in his throughout the entire ride."We just passed the city limits,” I noted the sign. “Seriously, you're not gonna tell me where we're going?""And ruin the surprise? I think not,""Okay... just answer this then, is it somewhere where we could get a milkshake?" I said it naughtily."Damn, look at you go," he stifled a laugh."Six months of being away from you would do this to a girl,""Baby, I wish I could. But, actually, I want to wait," he said suddenly. "I wanna be that whatever unicorn-guy you've been dreaming of. I'll be that guy that waits for you and loves you no matter what,""What?"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *SIX MONTHS LATERNEW YORK CITY* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *[ K A R A ]"I still can't believe you're getting married to Ryder next week," mom said as she stomped to the kitchen with our dirty plates."You've known him how long exactly? Three months?" she teased, referring to the time when I argued with her over her choices on marrying Peter."Ha-ha, very funny," I laughed sarcastically as I stalked to the living room to continue packing my things.There was so much stuff that I had to sort through, my room was a mess. I even had to use the living room because there wasn't enough space. And now the living room looked like the ballroom in Titanic as they were sinking.If you were