Stepbrother Charming(21)

It takes everything to fight the tears back. It helps to know that I really am a better person than this pompous, indulgent shit who won't stop looking sexy as he wipes his feet all over me. And because I'm better than him, I'm not going to abandon his twisted ass out here in the middle of nowhere.

Ty lingers outside for about a minute, until I honk the horn, giving it a long, hard push. The sound blasts out to sea, now taking rain from the clouds overhead.

He looks at me, shuffles over, and gets in. His eyes are softer, more sober looking and less cruel. I can't resist revving the car, letting the engine voice the growl that's tearing me apart from the inside-out.

“Claire, look, shit got outta hand.” Ty's voice sounds softer than I've ever heard it. “I didn't mean to insult your ma or your intelligence. You're a smart woman – bright enough to stay the fuck away from me. Nobody else does that. Normally, I'd have your panties as a souvenir by now, and I'm glad I don't. Not just because we're in this fucked up family arrangement, but because you stood up to me. It's all this poison talking, this shit I can't get over about the marriage. You understand? I was a kid when I lost my mother. When some strange woman walks into my dad's life without warning, what the hell am I supposed to think?”

I don't know the answer. I can't figure out whether there's some sick truth to what he's saying, or if my mom's truly gone head over heels for the first time in my life. And even if the bastard next to me is right, it stings even worse.

“Here's what I think,” I say, slowly circling through the sandy parking strip, heading for the main road. “You don't like my mother. I'm not too fond of your dad. Hell, Ty, I'm not a fan of you.”

His lip purse, just enough for me to notice. His gorgeous blue eyes flash icy dark for a second, and then he's glaring at me, angry like I just spat in his coffee.

I don't get it. It's not a big secret – we're enemies. Step-rivals. One big, dysfunctional family.

How can he be so damned oblivious?

“You really hate my ass, huh? After I just gave you an honest apology?” Ty snorts. “So much for smoothing things over. I'm an open book, Claire. I won't hide a damned thing from you. Yeah, I've given plenty of shit, and I'm gonna keep giving you more because it's what I do. It's me. If you can't handle me the way I am, then we're gonna be strangers after all.”

“Yep. Honestly, I'd rather keep my distance than be roped into more of your head games!” I snap. “We can't control what our parents do. For one very brief second, I thought maybe you were right, maybe we could find some common ground. But you've ruined that today. You proved it doesn't work. I think you're delusional to think anything else. I'm not your step-sister, Ty. I'm just another bitch who came along for the ride when my mom decided to crash your dad's wonderful life.”#p#分页标题#e#

I try to keep my eyes fixed on the road. Still, there's no ignoring how his fists flex, making his huge biceps bow up. Jesus, what guns he's got strapped to his shoulders. If most fit young men are carrying rifles, then he's got cannons.

It's a joke when most men say it, flexing and prancing around like bulky peacocks. With Ty, it's God's truth, otherworldly perfection sculpted from head to toe.

Unfortunately, there's an asshole inside the body of this Greek god, and now I've laid all my cards out.

I'm barking at him here like a cornered animal. I'm not afraid to let him know how bad he's hurt me, pissed me off, but I can't let him see how my heart races a little bit faster every time I take a nice long look at him.

There's dead silence for the next mile, maybe more. He's done talking. Cautiously, I look over, staring at him while he's got his head turned to the window, aiming his deadly blue eyes out at the stormy Pacific.

“Ty...”

“Shut the fuck up.” He spins his face around, and it's lined with anger. “Just get us home. I don't need any more of this horseshit before my big fight.”

“Fight? For charity? I didn't know you had one coming up.”

“None of your business. I thought about asking you to come, but there's no fucking way now. You can't stand me getting in a few words here in the open. There's no goddamned way you'd handle watching me pummel Fat Boy to the floor.”

Oh my God. And he's the one who called me sensitive? I can't tell if he's really that stung, or if this is just one more mind game. If I give into the urge to smack him across the face, as hard as I possibly can, I'll probably wreck this car.

“You're right,” I mutter. Every syllable threatens to lodge in my throat and choke me. “I've got my internship starting this week. I don't have time to watch you beat on some other big ape. Time's all I've really got, Ty. I need to make money and get my career going. I'm not a billionaire's kid like you.”