Naughty(15)

     



 

****

Autumn worked on the peas in her mother's kitchen as she listened to her  sister go on and on about her latest contract with the firm. She hadn't  gotten the courage yet to come out and say anything.

"I think it's wonderful, your accomplishments," Mary said, smiling.

"Yeah, when are you going to settle down, and give me grandbabies?" Bill, their father, asked.

"Dad, women don't have to just have a husband. It's an archaic principle."

Their father rolled his eyes. "It's good for a woman to have a family.  Your mother was the happiest when we had a family, right, Mary?"

"Yes, dear. Our girls are different."

"What about you, Autumn? You going to be giving me grandbabies soon?"

"Please, Dad, don't be silly," Summer said.

"What? Why can't I have grandbabies?" Autumn glared over at her sister.

"You're not even dating, and we all know that you have to be committed to the guy to even go down the aisle."

"Actually, I am seeing someone."

"Oh, a nice boy, I hope."

"He is."

"How come we've not seen him?" her father asked.

The questions bombarded, and Autumn just couldn't bring herself to say who it was. Not now, not in front of her parents.

"We're just seeing where everything goes. You know, taking our time, and  I don't want to rush him in meeting you guys." You've already met him.  "What about you, Summer? You're quick to judge me. Any guy lurking in  the background that you haven't told us about?"

"No. I don't have anyone." From the way Summer was looking a little jittery, Autumn was convinced Summer was hiding someone.

She finished doing the peas, then the carrots. When Summer went out to  have a smoke, she followed her. Autumn didn't smoke, she didn't like it,  but something was bothering her about Summer's reactions to certain  things.

"What gives?" Autumn asked, watching as her sister took a long draw on her cigarette.

"I thought we told everything to each other," Summer said.

"Yeah, I thought that, too. Some things are just a little private. What  are you keeping that makes you nervous?" Autumn folded her arms and  waited.

"It's nothing. Not really, just a feeling I get, and it's not a great one."

"Why?"

"Okay, fine. I like bad guys. The dirtier the better, I love them. Take  Carter for example. I can't believe I'm even bringing him up again, but  he was the kind of guy I dated. The kind of guy that got my rocks off."

Guilt swamped Autumn, but she forced herself to listen.

"You don't think that anymore?"

"I don't know what I think anymore, Autumn. God, you remember David, the boring guy I tried to get you to date?"

"Yeah. It's hard to forget."

"Well, I've kind of been seeing him."

"And Brad?" she asked.

"Yeah, the two men. Not together. I don't even know if they know about each other."

"Don't you think that's a little cold? Even for you."

Summer groaned. "I like Brad. He's funny, and he's reliable. I know what I'm getting with him."

"And David?"

"I don't know. He's like this enigma that I can't figure out, and it's  so frustrating. I want to know everything about him, but how can I know?  He's boring. Or at least I thought he was boring."

Autumn was amazed. "You know there are some things that surprise me about you."

"Yeah, how about having feelings for an ex?"

She froze. "An ex?"

"Yeah. I went and saw Carter, and I wouldn't say feelings in actual love  and the heart, and all that, but I got this feeling, this need, that we  weren't over."

There went her chance to tell Summer about her relationship with Carter. "Oh."

"Yeah. He's seeing someone now, not that I'm surprised. He's one of  those guys that will get snatched up. Wonder if he can keep it in his  pants."

"He didn't for you?"

Summer hesitated. "I can't remember."

"Girls, dinner is almost ready," their mother said.

Autumn was saved from any difficult conversation. Leaving Summer outside  to finish her smoke, she went and set the table, wondering what the  hell she was going to do.

****

"What do you want to do?" Carter asked, later that night.

"I don't know." Autumn laid her head on his chest, and he stroked her  hair. "You should have heard her. She sounded so confused."         

     



 

"She's confused because she's not used to fucking someone that isn't bad. Even you think he's boring."

"Yeah, I know." She sighed. "I'm so sorry. I was hoping I'd have more to  show for what I was going to do. I failed. I don't want us to hide  anymore. This is so hard. I'm so sorry."

"You didn't fail me, baby. You could never fail me." He kissed the top of her head.

"I want to move in with you, but I really want to, erm, to tell Summer.  It's important for me to do that. We're close, and she's my sister." She  looked close to tears.

"Okay. I can wait." When it came to Autumn, he'd already realized that  he could wait for a lifetime. Providing they were both together, he  could. She was his muse, his inspiration, and the love of his life. He  would do anything for her, even if that meant waiting.





Chapter Ten



Following day

Present day



This was a nightmare. Summer stood in the entrance of the bedroom, and  there was no denying what had happened. Autumn tensed up in his arms,  and Carter saw the anger on Summer's face.

He'd hoped to avoid something like this, but he'd done what Autumn had asked, and now it was biting her in the ass.

"What the fuck is going on here?" Summer asked, losing her temper.

"I can explain," Autumn said.

"Explain? Explain what? Explain how his dick was inside you."

"That's enough," Carter said.

"I told you. Yesterday I told you what the hell I was thinking, and yet, you're with him."

Carter pulled out of Autumn and handed her a shirt to cover up.

"This is not what it looks like," Autumn said.

"So I'm just imagining that his cock was inside you," Summer said. "I  can't believe it. I can't believe you'd be like any other slut."

Summer advanced on Autumn, and before he could stop her, she slapped her sister.

Not thinking, he grabbed Summer's arm and slammed her up against the wall.

"I'm so sorry. I can't do this."

Autumn was gone, and he heard the front door slam closed.

Fuck. He was pissed off, angry, and instead of having his own woman in  his arms, he had a woman he couldn't actually stand. Autumn had never  been able to deal with conflict, and right now, Summer was giving her a  whole load of it.

"Let go of me!"

"Why don't you start by shutting the fuck up!" He growled the words,  letting her know without a doubt that he wasn't about to take any shit  from her, or from anyone.

"Fuck you. You knew what I wanted, and you went to Autumn."

"I was with Autumn before you even fucking came back into my life,  Summer. I told you no. I didn't string you along. I told you without any  doubt or shit that I wasn't going with you. I don't want you. I don't  owe you anything, but I let Autumn take her time to tell you we're  together. You're so damn difficult that she felt too much guilt to tell  you." He sighed. "I'm going to release you. Are you going to go crazy on  my ass, or are you going to act like an adult?"

"I am an adult."

"Answer the damn question."

"You can let me go."

He held her for a second longer, and finally released her. Stepping away, he grabbed his jeans, and pulled them up.

"I can't believe you and Autumn are together. She's my sister."

"You and I were finished a long time ago, Summer. You cheated on me, and  we both know that neither of us were really fucking together."

"We dated."

"We fucked. I didn't care about you. You didn't care about me. We're two  different people. You look down on people like me, and Autumn."

"How dare you?"

"How dare I? How dare you? Thinking that Autumn was in the wrong to be  with me. I fucking love her, Summer. I love her, and you could have  fucking ruined that for me."

"You love Autumn?"

"Yeah, I do, and now that you've done the shit that you've done, I may have fucking lost her."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry."

"You and I, we never did the whole love thing."

"You know what I said yesterday?" Summer asked.

"Yes, I don't keep secrets from her."

"You love her?"

"Yes."

Summer bit her lip, and he saw her eyes flood with tears. "I'm so sorry. I'm so fucked up."

"Does this have anything to do what that guy you tried to give to Autumn?" Carter asked.

"I didn't mean for any of this to happen." Summer collapsed on the edge of the bed, and covered her eyes. "I screwed up."         

     



 

He didn't want to have to deal with this, but this was his chance of  dealing with this. Sitting beside her, he grabbed a piece of tissue,  offering her up.