Page 29 of Cash

Ease him into it.

Find a way to gently tell him. Control the damage.

Break his heart then immediately help him put the pieces back together.

“I’m not interested,” he spat and I closed my eyes. “I didn’t want to be a dick about it, but seriously, when a man avoids you and does whatever he can to dodge your attention, he’s not into you.”

“Not interested,” she whispered.

“No, Penny, I’m not interested so stop fucking staring at me like you can’t wait to fuck⁠—”

“Gross!” she shouted and got to her feet. “I don’t want to… gross…you’re my brother.”

Her confession rang out and all the oxygen in the room was sucked out with it.

The air was utterly still.

Kira, Zane, and Cash, frozen.

Especially Cash as I watched in absolute horror as Penny’s declaration tore him to shreds. But just as quickly as he froze, his big body jerked and he threw his head back and laughed.

“Well there’s a response to a rejection I’ve never heard before,” he said through his waning chuckles.

Oh shit, he didn’t believe her. Not that he would. He didn’t know anything about his family. There were no parents listed on his birth certificate. As far as he knew he was born a ward of the state since he was abandoned.

I didn’t have to look at Zane to know he was staring at me, scrutinizing my every breath, and for once I couldn’t find her—I needed Lore. I needed the heartless, lying bitch who felt nothing, cared about nothing, hated pretty much everything, and only played nice when it was convenient or meant I’d get what I wanted.

But in that moment, she was nowhere to be found. Therefore, I couldn’t guard against my reaction or the pain I felt for Cash.

He was mostly a prick, but deep down he was a good man. Hiding in plain sight just like I was. I understood him on a soul-deep level. I would never admit it out loud but last night as rough and intense as our sex was, I’d actually felt a connection I’d never felt with another person. An invisible tether that linked me to him. Not our bodies, but deeper, a different plane of reality where for the first time I felt safe to be me. Stella. Lore. It didn’t matter. I could be anyone I wanted to be, and Cash would simply accept me.

“I’m your sister,” Penny tried again. “I’m sorry I didn’t⁠—”

“Bullshit,” Cash clapped back, fury lacing his tone. “I don’t know what game you’re playing but it’s not going to work.”

“Cash—”

He interrupted her again with a slash of his hand that ended with pointing at Kira. “You get, before and since you’ve gotten here, Kira’s crawled through your life. Your bullshit isn’t going to work.”

I chanced a glance at Kira. Her fingers were flying over the keyboard.

I should’ve said something—saved her time and told her where to look but I was too heartbroken for Cash to utter a word.

“You were born in Hesperia,” she softly said.

“Close but wrong,” he returned.

Kira’s fingers flew faster. Zane’s scrutiny intensified. Cash’s jaw clenched. But Penny looked like she was getting ready to cry.

“You were born in Hesperia at Victor Valley hospital.”

Either Cash didn’t know that or he did and she was right.

This had to be the most painful conversation to witness. The only thing more painful was explaining to Cara why she couldn’t see her parents again.

“Our mom was…” Penny trailed off. With a jerk of her head and a stiffening of her spine, she went on. “She was sick. Very sick.”

“Just stop,” Cash demanded but there was a thread of uncertainty wrapped around his words.