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“Who? Oh, you mean Will? He’s a cousin.”
Cousin? This makes me sound so incestual when, in fact, we don’t share the same blood.
“Oh, sorry.” He cocks his head. “Thought you were someone else.”
Amelia turns back around to face me, her eyes confused and riddled with guilt as if I didn’t know better. “Thanks again, Will. For everything.”
Stepping away, she moves toward Austin as he wraps his hands around her waist and pulls her in for a tight embrace. Fuck. A growl escapes my throat, and without a goodbye, I exit the building, my footsteps heavy with my fists clenched downward as I walk back to the car.
Inside the car, I lean my head back and close my eyes, ignoring the burning sensation consuming me.
You fucking idiot. What did you think would happen?
She’s too young, and she’s got some kid as her boyfriend.
You’ve got adult stuff to occupy you, pussy on-call. Why the hell is this bothering you so much?
I start the engine and slam my foot on the gas with a vengeance.
No more mind games. Just forget she even exists because you have no choice. She’s everything you can’t have.
And everything you want at the same time.
A deadly combination that never ends well.
Thirteen
Amelia
The sight of Austin standing beside my door dressed in a pair of dark jeans, a white hoodie, and matching sneakers causes my breath to hitch as I take it all in.
His welcoming smile fades almost instantly when his eyes feast upon Will. The expression is one I’ve been privy to witness on several occasions, like when Ethan Albright sat beside me at lunch and asked me out, or even on prom night when a few of the boys from the football team serenaded me in front of the entire senior class. While it was done as a joke, Austin was less than impressed.
I’m not sure why I panicked, quick to refer to Will as a cousin. It wasn’t so far-fetched, I guess, given that Mom treats him like a son. But then my emotions wreaked havoc, confused that I had fantasized about him inside his bed and guilty because standing in front of me is the man I love.
Austin Carter.
Without trying to draw too much attention to the situation, I thank Will and say goodbye. He doesn’t appear bothered, turning his back quickly and walking at a fast pace back to the car. I figure he has some woman to attend to, given I cramped his style last night by crashing at his apartment drunk on Cosmos.
“You’re here,” I say, eyes wide as I step back to examine him again. “But how?”
“I took a train very early this morning,” he responds, looking over my shoulder. “Who did you say that was?”
“And you’re here for the day?”
“I leave on the last train tonight,” he concludes, eyeing me oddly. “You didn’t answer my question?”
I shake my head, pretending that I forgot when, in fact, I was hoping we could skirt past the topic of Will.
“He’s my Aunt Nikki and Uncle Rocky’s son.”
“Your cousin?”
“Yes, well, sort of. We aren’t actually blood-related, but my mom is his godmother and spent time raising him with my aunt and uncle.”
“You’ve never mentioned him before.”
I purse my lips, trying my best not to show anything about disinterest over this conversation. “There’s not much to mention. We spent many summers together as kids, but he’s older, so he got bored with my childish antics. He went off to college and then started some business. My dad’s company invested in his or something like that. I’m not sure. I don’t pay much attention, to be honest.”
