bored. “Jack, meet Tess.”
“Ah, the sister,” I said because Tess was still smiling at me and, unlike Lila, her smile seemed genuine.
“Half-sister.” This came from both girls at once so I heard it in surround sound.
“Got it,” I said under my breath. And I did. Even at a glance, these two were obviously nothing alike. Tess looked beautifully normal compared to Lila—all natural and comfortable, with her welcoming smiles.
I glanced back at Lila, who leaned against the doorframe, studying her nails. When I met Tess’s eyes and saw laughter there, I could have sworn she saw what I was thinking. How I was comparing.
Sure enough, she leaned forward slightly and dropped her voice to a fake whisper. “Sometimes, I doubt we even share that one half of the gene pool.”
I laughed. Lila rolled her eyes. “We all know it was Daddy who had the affairs, not your tragically devoted mother.” Lila pouted sweetly. “Like mother like daughter, I suppose.”
Tess’s smile faded fast, and she shot Lila a glare that made me take two steps back. Friendly sister or not, remind me never to get on her bad side.
Despite the glare, Tess’s voice was sweet. “I meant your mother had an affair and pawned you off on my poor father. We both know your mother has the moral compass of a serial killer.” She smiled brightly. “Like mother like daughter, right, sis?”
Lila flashed her sister—er, half-sister—a fake smile that was more of a grimace than a grin.
“All right, then,” I said, backing away from these two before I had to witness any more. I held up the mug. “Gift from my dad.”
“Wow,” Lila said in a monotone. “How thoughtful.”
“Lila,” Tess hissed. To me, she added, “Thank you for this. And tell your father thank you. He’s been so great to us.”
“You paid him for six months,” Lila reminded her. “Why wouldn’t he be great to us?”
I stared at Lila at a loss for words. Her answering glare was filled with challenge. Jeez, what had I ever done to this girl?
Without breaking eye contact, I addressed Tess. “Is your sister always so personable?”
Tess gave a snort of laughter. “This is one of her good days.”
Lila rolled her eyes again, and just like that, I was freed from her challenging look.
“Yeah, well, if you guys don’t need me here—” I started
“Wait,” Lila said, straightening in the doorway. “Are you going to do anything about this smell?”
“Lila,” Tess answered. “I told you, it’s just some mothballs. I’ll take care of it.”
Lila crossed her arms. “We just paid six months’ worth of rent for what will likely be a week’s stay—”
“You don’t know that,” Tess interrupted.
Lila ignored her as she faced me with that haughty look that made me want to...
Kiss her.
No, not kiss her. Well, maybe kiss her. She was gorgeous, there was no denying that, and it would be gratifying in the extreme to see some of that spoiled rich girl haughtiness replaced by dazed passion.
But there was no way in hell I’d be the guy to kiss her. She’d probably stab me in the heart with those stilettos if I tried.
Besides, her words were just starting to register. “What do you mean this is only for a week?”
Tess rushed to step in front of me, as if to keep her sister from replying. Probably worried that her sister would say something embarrassingly rude… again. “We don’t know how long we’ll be here.”
“Oh, please,” Lila said. “Have a little faith. You might not think I’m much of a sister or a daughter or a human being, for that matter, but even you have to admit that I’ve got a way of getting what I want.”
Tess gave a short laugh. “Yeah, because you’re a spoiled brat.”
Lila made a tsking noise. “Now, now. No need to be jealous, Tess. Daddy loves us both equally… even if he does treat me better.”
I watched this little sibling squabble with equal parts revulsion and fascination. For all their toxic words, there was little heat. Almost like this was the norm for them. For all I knew, it was. I shook my head, ready to make my escape again. Let these psychos figure out their own shower handle.
But Lila had other ideas. Her eyes trained on me, and I saw this shift in her. She went… soft. I didn’t know how else to put it. Her shoulders sank down, and she tilted her chin. Her lips softened from that incessant sneer to a luscious pout, and her eyes…
Oh man,