Charlotte stroked my hair out of my face and put her hand on my arm. “Don’t worry, Pepper. We’ll work this out and I’ll make sure we leave the charity event as early as we possibly can.” They both got up from the sofa and raised a hand to say goodbye then they left, and Mills and I were alone in the living room. Mills took Dad’s place beside me on the couch then she reached for my hand and put it in hers. We looked at each other briefly then looked away and sat in silence for a little while. We both just stared out of the big, glass doors that overlooked the ocean until Mills finally spoke.
“This doesn’t mean anything to us, Pepper. It doesn’t. We’re still sisters, no matter what.” I couldn’t even imagine what was going on in her head. Why is my life so fucked up—our life? “You’re not going to leave or anything, are you?”
“What? Leave? Of course not. I’d never leave you over this, Mills. And anyway, where would I go? This is my home and Daddy has been my Daddy forever. I’m just really pissed that he didn’t tell me sooner.”
“You heard him, Pep. He didn’t want to hurt you and you not being his biological daughter isn’t important to him. He loves—”
“—but it’s fucking important to me. Mills! You don’t understand, you’re not adopted!” I screamed, and glared at her. She had no idea how I felt—she actually knew her parents.
She said, “I’m sorry! I still can’t believe it myself,” and I noticed her big, blue eyes were watering, like she was going to cry.
I shouldn’t have taken out my anger on Mills, but I wasn’t in the comforting mood. “It doesn’t matter if you believe it or not. It’s obviously true. This isn’t something Daddy would lie about.” I took a big breath, let out a long sigh and took a few moments to decide what I was going to do. First, I had to talk to Evangeline. I hated to even look at her after what she did with Church, but this situation needed to be discussed—and soon. Mills must have been reading my thoughts because the next thing she’d asked was, “What about Evangeline?”
“What about her? You can’t defend her now, Mills. I have no idea who my parents are, yet she was willing to tell the whole world, just to get more money. You heard him!”
“Pepper, I know you don’t want to hear this but you and Evangeline have always been at each other’s throats—and it’s not always her fault—but I’m stuck in the middle all the time.”
“Not her fault? How can you say that to me? I’m not the one who’s kept a big fat secret all these years! They did and now I have to deal with the shit storm she’s created—again!”
“See? I’m not defending her and you’re blowing up at me. Newsflash, I’m not the enemy here, sis—and it wasn’t just Mom who kept that from you.” I winced at that comment, because I knew it was true. “I’m trying to talk to you like a grown-up,” she said, then Mills got up and walked to the glass door and I felt the hair stand up on the back of my neck.
“A grown-up? You? God, Mills—wait! Did you know about this? Did she tell you this?”
She had her arms crossed and her back was turned towards me. I knew the answer before she said anything. She nodded slowly. “Yes, she told me, but I wasn’t sure she was telling the truth. You know, she says things for shock value—she can’t help herself.”
“Shock value? I’m not shocked—I’m heartbroken. Why didn’t you tell me, Mills? Even if you didn’t believe her, you could’ve told me what she’d said.”
Mills spun around on her socked feet. Her eyes were wet with tears. “What should I have said, Pepper? That you aren’t my sister? That Mom says you aren’t her daughter? What? Why am I always in the middle? Why can’t you two get along?” I was sure she hadn’t realized it, but her voice had risen to a yell and for some reason, she was angry at me. Me! What the fuck?
Somehow, she just wasn’t getting it. She couldn’t see it from my point of view at all. “Why are you defending her—again? Why? I know I would have told you if I’d heard something as important and potentially life-changing as this!”
“You know what I don’t get? Why you’re surprised that we get along better than you and her do. It’s always been you and Dad and you guys keep me out of everything. I was sent to boarding school while you’ve been here, hanging out with Dad, but do you know who came to see me while I was there, every semester? Mom, that’s who! Not you, not Daddy, not Charlotte—Evangeline! So I don’t feel guilty for trying to hold on to some love for myself, sister.”
“What are you talking about? We came to see you all the time and you came home almost every month. You couldn’t be more wrong, Mills.”
“That’s right, I’m wrong and you’re right. That’s the way it is... always. Fine!” She stomped out of the room and up the staircase without another word. I wanted to scream at her but what good would it do? I fell back on the couch and wondered what I should do next. My heart stung and I just wanted to get away. I went upstairs, changed my clothes, called Gabe and thankfully, he picked up after just two rings.
“Hey, Pepper. I was just thinking about you.” His tone was upbeat and happy, and it felt good to hear him say that, but sad that I had to tell him what had just happened.
“Really? Thanks for saying that. It’s been a rough day so far.”
“Uh oh. That doesn’t sound good. It’s not Jonathan Church, is it?” I guess he’d always dislike that guy, and who could blame him? Church was an asshole for trying to run him off the road. He could have killed him.
“No, I got some shocking news.” I put my hands over my eyes. Did I want to do this on the phone?
“Talk to me, Pepper. What happened?”
I sighed and slid on my shoes. “Can we meet? Maybe go for a walk or something?”
“Want to take the boat out? No strings attached, of course.”
“Yes, a boat ride would be perfect… and you know what? Strings sound good, by the way.”
“You want me to pick you up?”
I smiled, “No, I’ll drive down to the marina. What time?”
“Let’s say in about an hour.”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you there.” Yes, I needed this. I wanted to feel alive and be with Gabe, but first I had to make a phone call so I scrolled through my contacts until I saw her name. I tapped on the screen and waited for her to answer. I knew exactly what I’d say. That she was a lousy mother, that I’d always be Doug Anderson’s daughter, not hers. How dare she warp Mills’ mind like she had! It rang and rang until the voicemail picked up. I didn’t bother to leave her a message. How could I fit all I wanted to say in a voicemail? It was just like her to ignore me—manipulate me.
I decided to change my clothes again and I reached for my new pink panties and bra set—that ought to make an impression on Gabriel Gregory. Finally, I slid on my summer dress, sandals and a touch of pink lipstick. I brushed my hair smooth and spritzed on the perfume. It took another ten minutes to find the perfect purse—I really had too many—but they were my weakness and just when I was about ready to leave for the marina, my phone rang.
Now, I didn’t want to think about her or deal with her—I wanted to think about Gabe. Oh, well, I’d initiated this conversation. I guess I better finish it.
“Hello,” I said as coldly as I could.
“My kitten, so happy to hear your voice.” Wow, that was a blast from the past. She hadn’t called me ‘kitten’ in years. I guess she knew that I knew since Mills had surely called her by now.
“I’m not so happy to hear your voice, Evie.” Since we were sharing pet names, I had a few for her. I knew she hated that and being called, ‘mother.’
There was silence on the other end of the phone, but only for a few seconds. Naturally, Evangeline couldn’t resist tossing a dig at Dad. “Doug shouldn’t have told you.”
“So I should have waited to read about in a celebrity gossip magazine? Like you wouldn’t have called them yourself? Maybe wait for you to tell me—or Mills? My sister knew this before I did? Really, Evangeline, you are lower than low.” I really wanted to throw
my phone out the window, but that wouldn’t help anything, would it?
“I would never have told a magazine. He’s exaggerating as usual and I’d planned on telling you myself but you’re always so angry, Pepper. So very angry. That’s going to lead to wrinkles if you aren’t careful.”
“Who are my parents, Evangeline? I deserve to know the truth, don’t I?”
“I’ve always imagined and thought of you as an orphan baby—a child with no parents—except us.” What was that in her voice? Concern? Amusement?
“Well, I don’t want to go another day with you in control of my life so if you can tell me anything, I want to hear it—now.”
“I can’t. It might destroy the family.”
“That’s great. How can I trust that you’re telling me the truth? After all these years of your lies and deceit.”
“Don’t be so damn dramatic, Pepper. It’s not the end of the world. Doug and I adopted you when you were a baby—and don’t worry, he can’t deny you any of his money. Actually, legally you have more of a right to it now than Mills. As an adopted child, you are guaranteed an inheritance. He can’t cut you out of his will.”
I scoffed at that remark. “You really think that this is all about money? I’m not you. I don’t give a crap about Daddy’s money.”
“Well said, from someone who’s never been without it! I have, and it’s not pleasant. You need to calm down. Be grateful for what you have.”
“This conversation is over. I’m hanging up now. Goodbye.” I swiped the ‘end’ button on the phone and noticed my hands were shaking. I wanted a tall, icy, alcoholic drink—and Gabe. Yep, a cold drink and an incredible fuck to calm my nerves...
I jetted down to the marina with music blaring out from my speakers and my smooth hair now whipped up by the wind. Surprisingly, I wasn’t feeling the wreck I’d been just an hour ago and waved goodbye to my concerned father, but he didn’t really have any reason to worry. I wasn’t going to do anything stupid—Gabe was anything but stupid.
When I got there, I saw him standing on the deck. The sun was waning in the sky behind him, and the lights on the boat were already on and glittered on the water. I briefly slid up my sunglasses and took in the sight of rows upon rows of blue and white boats, all looking clean and crisp, ready to run across the Gulf Coast waters. Yes, this is where I need to be.
I put the car in park, grabbed my bag and walked to the edge of the boat. “Permission to come aboard, Captain?”
“Come aboard!” He grinned, and pushed the hair out of his eyes. It was getting longer and I liked it. It was kind of unruly in a hot, just-got-fucked sort of way. He looked amazingly sexy in his red t-shirt and flowered swim trunks—more like a surfer than a billionaire and I loved the way his taut muscles moved under his shirt. Kind of like a bad boy, but he had a good guy’s heart. Great combination.
I stepped on deck, tossed my purse down and threw my arms around him. I pressed my body against his and let my lips do the talking. As far as I was concerned, this was all I wanted to do, but Gabe wanted to hear what had happened and when the kiss ended, he held my arms firmly and looked at me in my eyes with a smile.
“Let’s get out of here and then you can tell me what’s up. Help me untie the boat. I’ll show you how.” He smacked my bottom as I bent over to reach for one of the ropes.
“Hey!” I pretended to protest and once the boat was loose, he pulled down on the lever and we eased out of the marina into Destiny Bay. It wasn’t crowded today, much quieter than it had been on our last trip, and I sat beside him and enjoyed feeling the wind in my hair and the sun on my face.
“So… guess what? Turns out I’m not Doug and Evangeline Anderson’s daughter after all.”
Chapter Three — Gabe
“What? What do you mean?” I was totally shocked. I had an idea Pepper had something serious going on in her family, but this was crazy.
“I mean, I’m not their daughter. I’m some random kid they adopted and at twenty-three years old, I’ve only just been told about it.” Pepper slid her white sunglasses over her eyes and stared straight ahead at the horizon. “Crazy, huh? After all these years, and now they tell me.”
“Damn, Pepper. Are you okay? What did your dad say?” I knew better by now than to ask about Evangeline. She was a piece of work and I didn’t want to upset Pepper any more than she already was.
“He said it doesn’t matter to him. He loves me and he’s still my dad. They adopted me when I was a baby and he never wanted me to find out, but that stupid mother of mine was going to blackmail him so he had to tell us—in case it came up in the news, or celebrity gossip or something. Although it turns out that Mills knew about it. I guess Evangeline had already told her but Mills didn’t believe her.”
I put my arm around her shoulder to comfort her. “Pepper, I’m sorry.” I didn’t know what to say, but I figured if I kept her talking, I wouldn’t have to say anything.
“My stupid mother used me as leverage to get more money out of him. Mills turned eighteen, so that means no more child support checks from Dad—so she threatened him. She told him that if he didn’t keep paying, she’d tell me about my real parents. I guess, and I don’t blame him, he decided he didn’t want to be blackmailed by that witch, so he decided to tell me himself.”
“Hmm…sounds like you were being played by both sides.”
She slid her glasses up over her head and frowned. Her blue eyes were serious and angry. “What do you mean, played by both sides? How did my dad play me? He’s a victim of her evil ways too!”
“Whoa! I didn’t mean to piss you off. Trust me! I’m on your side! I’m just saying that he didn’t have to tell you—he could have given Evangeline the money but instead he chose to tell you. He made a decision, and she made a decision. You were the only one who wasn’t given a chance to make a decision. That’s all I’m saying. I think they’re both wrong for continuing to fight with you stuck in the middle.”
She sighed and looked up at me. “You know, I’ve never thought of it like that before. I guess he does get some credit for this craziness. But, why didn’t he tell me until now? Why keep it a secret? All he did was play right into her hands.”
“Seems that way.” I sighed. I hated that Pepper had to go through this.
“But then again, I understand why he told me now. Her blackmail would probably never end. Once she’d got more money from him, she’d keep threatening him to get more and more and it wouldn’t stop. God, that woman is a bitch!”
I turned the boat forty-five degrees to starboard and through the marina entrance into the open sea. “Parents do weird things sometimes when they want to protect their kids. I wouldn’t hate him for it—or her really—I’m sure they weren’t trying to hurt you by keeping it a secret.”
“It wasn’t even that good of a secret anyway, because Evangeline had already told Mills all about it.”
We cruised a little further along the coast, then I turned the engine off, dropped the anchor and looked at Pepper. “You want something to drink?”
“Do you have any wine? Maybe white?”
“Yes, I’ll be right back.” I scurried down the ladder to the galley and pulled the cork on a perfectly chilled bottle of Chardonnay from the fridge. I decided I’d join her so I grabbed a bucket of ice and brought everything up on deck. She’d moved to a seat under the canopy so I sat down beside her and poured us both a glass of wine. Even though the sun was going down, it had gotten hot and I looked forward to feeling the cool breeze coming off the water. “Here you go.”
“Thanks, Gabe…and thanks for this. I’m really starting to love being out here on the water. Maybe I’ll buy a boat, too.” She sipped and smiled at me with her perfect, pink lips. I liked how the lower one was slightly fuller than the top and I remembered rubbing my thumb across them as we made love the last time. My desire for her was rising in more ways than one, but she needed more from me than sex right now.
“You’re welcome,” I said. “And I have
to confess, I’m normally pretty selfish about my time on the water. I don’t usually bring friends out here. This is kind of my own space where I can get away from everything, but I’m glad you’re here.” I smiled and took a sip. I didn’t want to come across as too intense.
She looked at me and tilted her head in such a sexy way. Her long, blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders and I wanted to kiss her right then.
“Really? Now, why is that? There’s so much of it.”
“I don’t know. It’s almost holy out here. It’s special to me, and I don’t like sharing things that are special to me.” I brushed her tanned leg with my finger as I spoke.
“And me? Am I special to you?” She slid along the seat a little closer to me with her sandal dangling off her perfect, little foot.
“Yes, very. I sure wouldn’t want to share you, Pepper.”
She set her glass down in the cup holder and looked into my eyes. “Prove it. Right here. Right now.”
“Really? Right here? Right now?” She’d caught me a little off-guard and I slid my glass into the illuminated cup holder. It was getting dark fast and we’d already missed the sunset, but there were still a few fingers of light on the horizon.
“Uh huh.” She nodded and tossed her sunglasses onto the deck, then she lay back on the cushions and pulled me on top of her. She didn’t have to tell me twice and in a split second, one hand ran through her hair, my lips kissed hers and my other hand slid under her dress and brushed against the wetness of her panties.
“Mmm…Pepper, you’re already wet.”
“You make me that way. Now, fuck me, Gabe.”
I slid her panties down her legs and pulled them over her feet. They were pink and lacy, delicate and sexy, just like Pepper. I yanked off my shirt and knelt beside her—I had to have her sweet pussy.
My head instinctively went between her thighs and I left light kisses on her hot skin. She grabbed my hair, balled her fists in it and I remembered how she liked it hard and dirty. I grabbed her ass cheeks in my hands and pulled her closer to me. She lifted her legs and rested them on my shoulders, then I used my thumbs to spread her bare lips apart. She moaned when I licked her perfect pussy and sucked her clit into my mouth. God, she tasted so sweet!
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