Summer Breeze Kisses - Addison Moore Page 0,143

been far bigger than life, far too opulent for its own good and that of its patrons. Perhaps that’s the real reason my mother and father couldn’t make it work. They wiped the shine off that phony town and saw right through the grime underneath. All that glitters isn’t always gold, and neither was their partnership. As much as I hate to admit it, there is a level of peace that’s taken over in the years since their split. Before those dark days, there was a lot of yelling, a hell of a lot of shouting matches that preceded the main event, that preceded my mother’s personal living hell. My heart breaks just thinking of the ways my parents tormented one another. They’re both good people who just so happened to have their relationship meet with a tragic end.

The country club’s house band plays light jazz, adding a touch of casual elegance to the otherwise stuffy environment.

“There they are.” Scarlett presses her tits to my chest while keeping her eye on the table that seats our family. Crap. My balls ache at the touch of her skin. As soon as Scarlett stepped into my truck tonight with that tiny red dress hugging every sinful curve, I knew I was in far too deep to ever admit. Tonight is the night Scarlett and I have committed to going for the proverbial gold, and I’ve already made the decision I’m not holding back.

“Listen to me.” She pinches my chin and forces me to look at her. “I want a performance that will make a ten-dollar whore blush. You got that?” Ironically, it’s her face that’s lit up like a stop sign.

“You sure about that?” There’s a dare in my voice, and as soon as she picks up on it, her eyes widen like lily pads.

“I’m sure.”

A dark laugh rattles my chest. “Hold on to your skirt, sweetheart. Things are about to get heated.” My arm finds a home over her waist as I shuttle us over to the table set dead center of this decrepit establishment.

Bradley and Mom rise as soon as they see us, and those smiles they were wearing long before we ever arrived at the table quickly diminish once they pick up on our body language.

“We’re so glad you could make it,” her father grunts, shooting me a warning shot with those tired eyes.

“Yes.” Mom rakes up all of the fake enthusiasm she can muster. My mother is a lot of things, but enthused to see me with my arm around my future stepsister she is not. “Please take a seat.” She points to either side of Knox, and I grimace. Not one thing I have planned for Scarlett tonight involves my brother.

Sabrina and Duncan rise to scoot down to make room for the two of us. Scarlett’s sister stares at me as if she’s seeing me for the very first time. Her eyes slowly raze over my features, and I can feel the uncomfortable burn. She’s wearing a hot pink low-cut dress that might as well come down to her navel, and already she’s leaning over in an effort to introduce the girls.

Duncan tilts his head over at Scarlett with that mournful look I’ve seen a thousand times before in guys who woefully regret the decisions they’ve made. Of course, he regrets cutting Scarlett loose. She’s beautiful and smart and a hell of a good person. I’d include nice, but that might actually be a lie. Nevertheless, he’s a douchebag who deserves the twisted sister he’s chosen because his cheesy ass isn’t good enough for Scarlett to begin with. I scowl at him until both he and Sabrina find their way into their new seats. It’s me who lands next to Scarlett’s ex, and I want it that way in the event he decides he wants to play games with her feet or any other part of her body. I’m not giving this idiot another chance to break her heart. What kind of a pervert dumps a girl just to go for her sister? And now she has to put up with the fact this idiot might be sticking around for a lifetime? I’m just as pissed as she is, if not more. I nod to Lawson to move it, and one by one our siblings scoot over until Scarlett and I have the two seats closest to the couple we soon hope to evict from their happy thrones—our parents.

“So, is this still a thing?” Bradley’s finger drifts