[ 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 ]
Finally, after driving around for a while, we arrived at this big mansion-looking beach house and there were cars parked everywhere. It seemed like the party had already started.
I followed Ryder into the house, where he was greeted by everyone he came into contact with. He called every girl "honey" or "babe" and called every guy "man" or "bro". I guessed when you have that many friends, it could get hard to keep track of everyone’s names.
Unlike Ryder, I, on the other hand, was just your average wallflower. I knew I was an introvert and I was okay with that. I usually worked best when I was in a smaller group of people, but in situations like these, I was lost.
Ryder was busy talking to this dark haired girl with plump lips and ass like the Kardashian sisters, her name was Vanessa, I think. He had that stupid flirty grin on his face and the both of them couldn't keep their hands off of each other.
It seemed like Ryder was going to be busy for a while. I saw the way Vanessa looked at him and she took his hand and they walked off somewhere. Oh, this is great. Ryder had ditched me and I was officially alone in a group of sweaty strangers.
I decided that the living room full of people dancing and making out wasn't my scene, and I headed out towards the beach instead.
Ahh, the open air, that's better.
I was just standing around, minding my own business, when some drunk guy walked by and gave me a weird dirty look.
"Heya pretty, wanna dance?" he slurred.
Ew. No.
Shaking my head at him, I quickly walked away.
I guess it wasn't safe to be standing alone at a party. I wasn't in the mood to attract any weirdoes or drunkards. So, I scanned the area and I spotted some people who were huddled over a bonfire. They seemed like a friendly enough bunch, so I walked over to the bonfire and sat amongst a few girls. I wasn't trying to be a social butterfly or anything, I was just trying to blend in.
"Hey," the girl next to me said.
"Hi," I greeted her back.
"I don't think we've met, I'm Anna," she held out her hand.
"I'm Kara, nice to meet you," I shook her hand.
"This is Esther," Anna pointed to the girl next to her.
By the way she was moving and smiling at me, I could tell that Esther was a bit drunk. "Want some beer?" she held out a can of beer at me.
"Sure, thanks," I grabbed the can.
"You know anyone at this party?" Anna asked.
"Well, I'm Ryder's stepsister, you guys know him?"
Esther and Anna broke out in laughter almost immediately.
"Girl, everyone on the island knows Ryder Jake Williams. That's who you're talking about right? RJ?" Esther said.
"Yeah, that's him,"
"Well, your stepbrother is a fucking legend," she laughed.
The two girls then caught me up with stories about the famous RJ and his numerous sexcapades, and also a little bit about him being a promising young pro-surfer. But his latter achievement was greatly overshadowed by his first one.
"Everyone knows he's a total player. But still, girls are lining up to be with him," Anna rolled her eyes.
"Why do you think that is?" I asked.
The girls gave each other a knowing look.
"Well, I must say he plays the game well. And between us girls, rumor has it that he's really big..." Anna started.
"And really good in the sack. Knows exactly what's he's doing." Esther continued.
"But I have a theory. I think girls are so obsessed with him because girls are obsessed with bad boys, right? They think they can change him." Anna added.
"And you guys don't think that's possible?" I asked.
"Taming the beast?" Esther laughed mockingly. "Honey if that could be done, I just haven't seen it yet,"
"But hey, what about that Vanessa? I heard they're maybe going out?" Anna replied.
"Vanessa Taylor? Hell no. They're just fuckbuddies. I mean, Ryder's crazy, but he's not that shallow," Esther laughed away.
As the girls chatted on, I realized that the beer can in my hand was now empty. Whoops. Mind you, I was never the drinking and partying type, so one can of beer was enough to get me a little tipsy.
"Hey," I heard a voice coming towards me.
"Dimple guy!" I said in an instant. I didn't know where this sudden surge of confidence came from – but it was probably the beer.
"Dimple guy? My name's Cameron, we've met earlier," he said sweetly as he took the spot next to me.
"Right. It's just that you have the cutest dimples, it's hard to forget," I said as Cameron grinned at me.
"You're Kara, right? RJ's stepsister? Want me to get you another drink?"
"That would be lovely, thank you," I said as I threw out the empty can.
A few moments later, Cameron returned with two cocktail glasses.
"Don't drink the beer, it's all warm. Drink this instead," he said.
"What this?" I asked, and before he even answered, I gulped the drink down to the bottom.
"It's Vodka and some-- whoa, slow down," he said as I coughed. My throat was burning, but I felt good!
"That was really good," I said.
I didn't remember how the rest of our conversation went; he was talking to me about some uninteresting topic on Hawaii liquors and whatnot.
Still, I must admit, Cameron could have chosen to talk to any other girl but me, and yet he chose to sit here and talk to me. It felt kind of nice to be wanted, I guess. And maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe the bonfire, or I don't know my hormones— but I was starting to think that Cameron was kind of cute.
But after some time had passed, suddenly the happy-bubbly feeling went away, and I started to feel sick and dizzy.
"Are you okay? You don't look so good," Cameron said.
"Uh... I don't feel good," That was all that I could say.
"Do you need to go home?" he asked.
"Yeah, but I have to wait for Ryder, he's my ride, ha…" I slurred.
"Well, I can take you home," he offered.
"Really? Is that okay?"
"Of course, don't worry about it, come on," he gave me his hand and I took it. He helped me up and we walked towards the house.
"Wait, I should tell Ryder so he won't be looking for me," I said to him. I scanned the room to see if Ryder's somewhere in there, but he wasn't.
"You can just give him a call," Cameron said.
"I don't have his number,"
"I have RJ's number, here," Cameron took out his phone.
I took mine out too and started dialing Ryder's phone. Meanwhile, Cameron led me out of the house. The phone rang and rang, but Ryder wasn't picking up.
Since he wasn’t answering, I decided to leave Ryder a text instead, and I followed Cameron into his SUV.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
[ R Y D E R ]
I knew I would always have fun whenever I run into Vanessa at a party. But somehow, today I was just not feeling it.
What the hell?
I took my eyes off of Kara for one second and she disappeared. Vanessa said that she was probably somewhere having a good time, making new friends. But still, I didn’t feel right leaving her on her own.
"Baby why are you so tense, relax," Vanessa said as she kissed my neck. I was lying on the bed inside of one of the guest rooms, and Vanessa was straddling me.
"Hey, I think I should go look for—"
"Shush," she cut me off, putting her index finger on my lips. She looked at me seductively and I kissed her finger and sucked on it lightly. She moaned in response.
"Relax now baby, I'm gonna take care of you, okay," she slipped her finger out of my mouth and started sucking it with her own. Then she put her hand inside my jeans and started massaging me slowly.
I let out a groan, and she seemed mighty pleased about it.
* BUZZ! * BUZZ! *
Though I should focus myself on Vanessa right now, I noticed my phone vibrating on the bedside table next to me. I took a glimpse, and it was an unknown number was calling me.
Unknown number? I don't have to answer that.
Vanessa started unbuttoning my jeans and pulled the zipper down. She smiled as she saw that I was getting hard. I grabbed a fistful of her hair and smiled triumphantly, knowing what was next to come.
Vanessa pulled my boxers down and started to shower my cock with kisses. She lightly kissed the tip and then began sucking at it hungrily.
"Yes, baby," I said through my teeth.
* BUZZ! * BUZZ! *
My phone vibrated again, but this time it was a text.
Why do I feel like I should check it out?
"Hold on, gimme a sec," I said to Vanessa as I sit up and grabbed my phone. She gasped and looked taken aback.
Unknown Number: Hey Ry its Kara, I can't find u but just let u know Cameron is taking my home. C u at housew.
Fuck! Kara's going home with Cameron?! Shit, I have to warn her! And what's with all the typos? Don't tell me she's drunk too?!
"What's going on?" Vanessa asked, trying to push me back down on the bed.
"I have to go," I quickly pushed her away and adjusted myself back in my pants.
"Are you for real?" she yelled, fuming.
"Sorry babe, I'll make it up to you," I gave her a quick peck and I stormed out within seconds.
"Call me!" I could hear Vanessa's voice calling out to me.
I didn’t care about her or anything else right now. I made my way through the sea of people, in the house, frantically looking for her. When I couldn’t find her, I got more and more anxious. I asked several people if they had seen her, but no one seemed to.
Shit, shit, shit. Where the hell is Kara!?
*
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- - - - - To Be Continued - - - - -
[ 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
[ K A R A ]I spent the entire night reading and rereading Ryder's notes over and over again. His poems were honest and raw. He wrote so beautifully. I never would have imagined the same mouth that said all those dirty jokes could write such romantic things.And okay, I don't mean to sound narcissistic, but are these poems written about me? Am I… ‘K’?Not trying to get a big head or whatever, but my name started with a K. Also, a lot of the things he mentioned in his poems were like they were taken from our daily lives. I wanted to believe that theory, but I still couldn’t wrap my mind around it. Ryder had said it from day one, he didn’t believe in love and all that crap. This book and his personality was a total contradiction.Maybe he didn’t write this book? Or maybe he did? What is happening?* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *For the next few days, I hadn't seen Ryder at all around the house. Things ended somewhat awkwardly at our last
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 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