Chapter 0005

Evelyn's POV

“Are you sure about this, Mom?” I question Madelyn as we sit together in my new bedroom. “New York? And Gregory?”

My mom’s brown eyes fill with confusion, and she lowers her eyebrows. The one significant difference between the two of us has been and always will be our eyes. I ended up with green eyes from some recessive gene, while she has brown.

It aches to know that difference at times. I always looked at us like twins.

“He’s a good man, Eve. He’s hot, he’s handsome. He’s just like your father.”

“My father? The man I’ve never met? The man who abandoned us?”

Madelyn shakes her head at me. “You need to give him a chance, baby. His son, too. Sebastian seems like a lovely boy.”

Gag. “I just want to make sure you’re happy, Mom.”

The woman before me waves her hand as if to shoo a bug. “No matter. I wanted to tell you. We’re going on a little family vacation, just the four of us.”

With Sebastian? God no! Over my dead body.

“Mom, that sounds like a really crappy attempt at a bonding experience between the four of us.”

Her eyes begin to fill with tears. Oh great, the waterworks are on their way in.

“Please, baby?” Her crocodile tears fall as she fake whimpers. This woman is a piece of work. But hey, it answers the question I’ve asked many times.

We’re absolutely related and just as dramatic as the other.

Fake tears or not, I roll my eyes at my mother. “Fine, fine!” Even after all these years, I can’t resist her little act.

The next day, Gregory whisks us away to the Hamptons of all places, which is incredibly exclusive. The four of us layout on the sand, but I keep growing frustrated.

“I don’t understand why we came here. The sea here is nowhere near as good as in Hawaii.” I don’t even care that I sound like a whiny person. I’m pissed.

Sebastian leans in from behind me, almost touching my cheek. I jump at his sudden appearance, and he quietly laughs. “Maybe because the Hamptons lack interesting Hawaiian girls like you, Princess.”

Instinctively, I jump up and away from the man. In his hands was a surfboard, and as he stood, I glared at him, an idea forming in my head.

“Maybe you can reach top speeds on land, rich boy, but on the water? That’s my territory.”

I take off running to the water, refusing to check if Sebastian is following me.

The second I jump on the board, a calm runs through me, my arms paddling towards the waves. Not like the waves are similar to the ones I rode through my entire life, but there’s a comfort I feel out here.

I get to a wave, finding my balance as I jump to my feet and ride the wave for only a few feet before it dies out.

Confidence, control, happiness; the feelings that run through me out here steady me again. I turn to look at Sebastian triumphantly, proving I’m the better surfer, as a wave rolls through, knocking the man off his surfboard and into the water.

“Ha!” I laugh loudly, enjoying his karma while waiting for him to resurface. Guess that’s my first mistake. Because in one fluid motion, my surfboard is ripped out from under me, and I watch in horror as Sebastian lets me crash into the water.

I come up for air quickly, sputtering and spitting up salty water. “You jackass!” I snap, wiping at my eyes.

Sebastian quickly grabs me under the water, holding on tight. “So, in your territory, this is more fun, isn’t it, Princess?” he questions me.

I struggle against his firm grip. How is he holding onto me and keeping himself afloat without any issues? “Let me go, Sebastian!” I demand. “You’re gonna kill both of us!”

To my surprise, he listens and releases me from his grip. He goes underwater, and I wait for him to come back up to scream in my face or splash me with water.

That’s not happening, though.

Startled, I quickly plunge into the water, searching for Sebastian earnestly. Spotting him in the dark depths takes a second, and I quickly swim after him to pull him up.

Darting away, Sebastian avoids my grip, and we simultaneously breach the surface. I gasp and cough as I regain my balance at the top of the water. That bastard tricked me? Seriously?

“What the hell? Why did you do that? You scared the shit out of me!”

“Well, now you know what it feels like to be played with, Princess.”

I freeze, incredulous, as Sebastian leans in close to me. Expecting him to laugh in my face again, I’m surprised when he kisses me, although it’s only for less than a second.

I don’t register that our parents are screaming and shouting our names, but I turn back to the shore to see them. A lifeguard stands next to them, ready to rescue us if need be.

Hurriedly, I swim back to the shore so they can see I’m okay. But I don’t shake the soft, albeit fast, kiss Sebastian left behind.

I can’t help but shiver.

I keep my distance from him as I stay on the sand near my mother. She tries to ask me what happened in the water, but I wave her off, saying it was nothing more than a sibling rivalry.

A tight squeeze goes through my stomach at these words, reminding me of our palpable tension and our secret. Why does Sebastian insist on messing with me? Does he not understand the mistakes we’ve made have to stay in the past?

I soak up the sun and keep to myself the rest of the day. When Gregory says it’s time to head back to the villa, I jump up, thrilled to get a moment to myself the second we return.

Only the universe—or maybe just the Cains—has a sick sense of humor. I find out once we arrive that my room is right next to Sebastian’s.

“Great. Sounds awesome,” I grit through my teeth, smiling at the two adults.

I ignore any attention Sebastian tries to get from me and go into my room, closing the door in order to fucking breathe.

“This is utterly absurd,” I murmur as I shake my head. I drop my beach bag on the ground and walk straight into the bathroom to take a shower. I need to get this day off of my skin.

Thankfully, I get lost in the bliss of a warm shower, forgetting even for twenty minutes about my predicament. Once I turn off the water, I wrap a towel around my chest and grab another to rub as much water out of my curls as possible.

It’s not until I open the bathroom door to the bedroom that my heart and body both trip up. Sebastian is sitting on my bed, and while I’m frantic, he’s staring at my chest.

“What are you doing?” I frantically whisper. “Get out of here!” I don’t know what games he’s playing, but I can’t deal with them right now.

Sebastian stands up, taking a step closer to me. My mind starts screaming at me, every atom of my being going haywire.

“Go back to your room, please,” I whisper again, stepping back to keep distance between us.

I see the look in his eyes. It’s the same he gave me during that wild night together. My body trembles as he continues to walk towards me. That’s when my back hits the wall, and I have nowhere else to retreat to.

Sebastian leans down and kisses my neck. My body quivers with anticipation and desire. God, why is he doing this to me? What is his end goal?

I clutch my towel tighter, but my body feels hot now under his lips. I ache and yearn for him, which is the opposite of what I want from this man.

“Our parents…they’re downstairs…” I manage to mutter nervously, shaking uncontrollably.

Chuckling, Sebastian breathes against my shoulder before moving up my neck to reach my ear.

“That’s why you have to behave yourself, Princess.”