Summer Breeze Kisses - Addison Moore Page 0,107

response in me.

“Okay”—Cade rubs his hands over Cassidy’s arms—“so the two of you are friends—soon-to-be stepsiblings. You should at least get along. We’re headed out.” He gives a casual wave as he steers Cassidy toward the door, but that look on her face lets me know this conversation is far from over.

Daisy and Piper come up behind them as Rex heads over to Owen.

“We’re taking off.” Piper waves back at Owen, and he heads this way.

“And I’m off to Stilettos.” Daisy checks her reflection in the mirror adjacent to the entrance. “I’m on in an hour. You’re welcome to come with if you want,” she tosses out the offer just as I spot Rex slapping his friend Jet five as if he’s leaving himself.

“I’ll think I’ll stick around. Hey—what did we decide for the bachelorette party?”

“We’re going to a strip club!” Piper shouts as she and Owen disappear into the night.

“It’s tits and tails.” Daisy scrunches her nose as she follows them out. “You’ll be at Stilettos with me!”

The night begins to swallow her up, and I take a step outside. “Wait! I demand a recount! I want to see men! I need naked men in my life!”

“All right, Muffin Top”—that familiar cologne enwreathes me once again—“I’ll make all of your naked dreams come true. No need to beg. It’s a good look, though.” I turn to find cockier than hell Rex Toberman holding up his hands in surrender. “I’m kidding. I walked into it. I couldn’t help myself.” He circles safely around me. “I’ll be leaving now.”

“Oh, no, you don’t.” I grab ahold of his shirt and pull him in close. “You’re having coffee with me.”

Rex

Scarlett Kent is a ball of pent-up aggression, and as much as my brain screams run the hell away, something else, something decidedly stronger insists I follow her like an obedient dog all the way to the Hallowed Grounds coffee shop.

We put in our orders and sit out front in the cool night air. It’s still hotter than hell, and it feels appropriately so with this devilish redhead blowing steam through her nostrils at me.

“Let’s just go through this rationally.” She shakes her head, those neon green eyes piercing through the murky darkness like distress signals, beautiful signals, but distress is the operative word. “It’s not like either one of us wants this to happen.” She pulls a small plastic tube out of her purse and begins disinfecting her hands. She motions my way with the tiny bottle, and I’m quick to refuse. “No offense to your mother, but my father isn’t ready for any kind of commitment.”

“Why’s that?” I spin my iced coffee until I get a nice backbeat going. I completely agree with her, but at the same time, I’m amused as hell that she went there.

“He’s a free spirit. Always has been. Besides, his kids still need him.”

“You’re grown.” Not sure why I feel suddenly moved to play devil’s advocate, but I can see the flames rising in her eyes, and I’m in the mood to stoke them.

“Not really, my brother is a year younger than me. We still need his full attention. Anyway, the same can be said for your mom. The twins are still in high school. She’s still in full mom mode. A marriage is something serious.”

“And binding,” I lament right along with her. It’s true. Knox and Trixie still very much need her mothering skills, but more so than that, my father still needs her—he just doesn’t realize it yet.

“Right—binding. Legally now and forever.” Her voice grows small as she runs her finger over the rim of her cup over and over. “I guess everything I just said sounds pretty ridiculous.” Those serious eyes of hers fall to mine, and I hold them there, make them stay right where I want them. There’s something about Scarlett’s all too serious eyes that makes me want to linger. The urge to soak her in overpowers the urge to run like hell. That’s what I’ve been doing—correction, we’ve been doing for the last solid year that our parents have been seeing each other. For whatever reason, the more our parents’ mutual attraction grew, Scarlett and I have experienced a repelling of sorts. Normally, I would have found her attractive, in all honesty I still do, but the fact my mother is determined to land her father as her man, any inkling of acting on that attraction I feel toward Scarlett has efficiently been canceled out. Or, in the least, I’m