“What?” Annie freaked and apologized to Araya before yelling at Sebastian to hurry up.
Wasting no time, I stuck my head into the room. “Psst!” I hissed, and Araya jumped, turning in my direction.
“Ryland?” she asked.
“The one and only, sweetheart.”
Walking into the room and toward her, I grabbed her hand. “Come on.” I tugged.
“What? I can’t go with you! What about—”
“I think Annie’s going to be a while.” I smirked, tugging again, and she bit her lip nervously. “Besides, you owe me. You did stand me up, after all.” I wasn’t beneath using guilt.
She took a deep breath and I knew I’d won. She stood when I tugged this time and, smiling triumphantly, I led her from the room and down the hall, pulling her into my mother’s study a few doors down.
Leading her into the white room, it was like stepping into a magazine layout. Coraline never used this room unless she was hanging out with the mini drink cart.
Expensive furniture draped in different shades of white scattered the room and it smelled of lingering brandy.
I let go of her hand and slid the double doors closed. When I turned around, she was nervously twisting her hands together, her back still toward me.
That nagging feeling was back, and I stood there secretly observing her and wondering what the hell I was missing. Why couldn’t I figure out what was different about her? It was driving me crazy!
Unexpectedly, she spun around and placed her hands on her hips.
“You started that fire!” she accused.
I grinned. “Are you accusing me of arson, sweetheart? That’s a major accusation.”
I advanced on her. The bottom of her dress brushed my legs and she backed up. Her hands braced out at her sides behind her, helping her feel for the wall. I didn’t stop until she was pressed up against it and I was trapping her.
“Besides, why would I need to start a fire?”
She swallowed. “Because you’re afraid.”
“Afraid of what exactly?”
“Annie.”
“Annie’s a big softy. Don’t let her fool you.”
“It seems like the only one trying to fool me here is you.”
I watched her lips as they moved. They distracted me from wondering how she was able to see right through me. If I were afraid of anyone, it was going to be the tiny girl in front of me. She packed one hell of a punch, and I felt myself trying to consume more air than normal.
“You have very distracting lips.”
My face was only a few inches from hers, but I couldn’t see her expression through her sunglasses. I braced my hand next to her head and leaned in close. Close enough that I could feel the warmth from her body and the erratic beat of her heart.
I was close enough to her that I could feel the hum I created within her body and the way her soft curves teased me. I was close, but not nearly close enough.
I traced my thumb over her bottom lip, and she sucked in a sharp breath.
“Why do you wear these glasses?” I traced her cheek below the rim of the lens. “Who are you hiding from?”
“I’m not hiding from anyone.”
“Liar.”
If she was going to call me out on my crap, it was only fair that I get to do the same to her.
“I’m not! I—”
I had flustered her. If I didn’t take it down a notch, I was going to take it further than I intended. At least she was out in the open about it. I hid from everyone, including myself.
“Ryland!”
Araya jerked beneath me, like we’d just been caught doing something I was only thinking about doing. I groaned, knowing I’d picked a too obvious hiding spot. The stain of red blended into Araya’s hairline, and it made me wonder when the last time I’d seen a girl blush so much.
Dropping my head forward, I felt Araya’s wild curls brush across my temple. She was so close. Her skin, her scent… It was messing with my head and I wanted nothing more than to bury my face in the curve of her neck, but the angry foot tapping behind me reminded me that we weren’t alone.
Turning away from temptation, I didn’t completely spin to address the pain in my ass, nor did I move away from Araya. I wanted steal all the seconds I could close to her. She would definitely be guarded very close after this stunt.
“What can I help you with, Careless?”
I smiled smugly because I could practically feel the scorch of her glare against my back.
I knew she would like nothing more than to unleash hell on me at this exact moment, but she would bite her tongue until Araya was no longer in the room.
“How about we step outside?” she said, biting off each word with a clenched jaw. “Just the two of us,” she added.
What she really meant was where there were no witnesses to testify against her. I looked at Araya again.
“If I’m not back in fifteen minutes, come save me.” I winked at her and she swallowed hard.
“Ryland!” Careless screeched, like I somehow offended her. “Outside! Now!”
She stalked past me, grabbing a fistful of my shirt and pulling me with her.
“We’ll just be a minute, Araya,” she said sweetly and pushed open the French doors with one hand. “By the way, I’m Cara. Nice to meet you.”
She led me out onto the patio and I breathed in the smell of fresh roses and I knew I’d never be able to smell another flower again without being reminded of Araya. Careless shoved me into one of the expensive pieces of patio furniture and I slumped in the sun-warmed seat, while she stood there glaring at me.
“What exactly do you think you’re doing?”
“You mean besides being annoyed by you?”
“You know exactly what I mean! You set the kitchen on fire? Seriously? What is the matter with you?”
“Are all those rhetorical questions?”
“Damn it, Ryland! This isn’t a game!” she hissed and I was starting to realize she was actually pissed off. “She isn’t like the other girls you’re used to.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re being dramatic, Cara.” I rarely used her real name.
“I’m warning you, Ryland.” She pointed a stern finger at me, and her eyes narrowed dangerously. “Stay away from her. She is off limits. Period.”
Careless didn’t normally hand out warnings, so when she did, she meant business. I’d eat dirt before I admitted that to her or anyone else, though. She wasn’t the kind of person you wanted to have on your ass.
She was normally very thoughtless, which is where she got her nickname. I won’t lie; Cara was pretty damn intimidating when she wanted to be, and when you pissed her off, she dedicated her life to making yours miserable.
However, this time, she didn’t have me thinking twice about her word of caution before I would eventually do whatever she was telling me I couldn’t.
It gave my brother and me nothing but pleasure to piss off our sassy baby sister, and today would be no exception to that rule. Slouching in the patio chair, I tilted my head so I could see past her to the tiny girl trying to sit so elegantly on our mother’s fifteen thousand-dollar couch.
That alone made me want to walk up to her and kiss her long and hard until her feet were no longer touching the ground. She was defying one of the many rules of Coraline Dare, and anyone who didn’t have a death wish in their pocket would never do that.
I knew she was anything but the prim and proper girl she masqueraded as, and her little display sparked my curiosity even more. We Dares… we were full of disguises. By the time I was six, I’d learned to spot a phony from a mile away.
She looked like any other girl from my parents’ crowd, but she stood out like a rose in a thorn bush. She was sitting there in a room void of all color, except for the flare of long red hair, pink lips, and soft curves wrapped in a dress the color of a sunny summer day.
A strong ache settled into my bones, making me want to bathe in her glowing warmth. She was still wear
ing those same sunglasses and they looked out of place against her ivory skin.
She shifted nervously on the couch, crossing and uncrossing her long legs. I couldn’t help but stare at them, wondering what they would feel like wrapped around—
“Ryland!” Careless snapped, interrupting my thoughts.
It was probably a good thing.
Focusing back on my sister, who all but had steam rising from her body, my eyes lazily drifted up to hers.
“That sounds an awfully lot like a dare, Careless,” I drawled challengingly. “And you know how I feel about dares.” I taunted her. Just to add fuel to her fire, I gave her the infamous Ryland Dare stare. “Besides, there’s something about her that is begging me to—”
“Finish that sentence, Ryland Dare, and the only one who’ll be begging for anything will be you, and it will be for air.” She threatened.
“What’s the deal with this girl? Why are you acting like she’s made out of fine china, and why does she wear those sunglasses everywhere?”
She gaped at me like I was stupid, and then her head cocked to the side. Slowly, her expression phased into a frown of confusion.
“You don’t know, do you?” And it was like the last piece of the puzzle was found.
“Know what?” I asked, sitting up in the chair.
The corner of her mouth tilted. “I’m actually going to let you figure this one out on your own, my dear brother. It’s going to be fun to watch and as far as the sunglasses, she has scars around her eyes.”
“Scars from what?”
She shrugged and her face set stubbornly.
“If this is your brilliant plan for keeping me away from Araya, you suck at it.”
“As long as you don’t touch her—and by touch I mean have sex with her—you’re free to talk to her all you want.”
I felt like I was being set up, but I wasn’t sure how. “Thanks for the permission, Mom.”
She hated when I called her that and she flipped me off before walking back into the room with Araya. I watched as she walked up to Araya, who seemed to be lost in thought and was startled when Careless said her name.
Rolling out of the chair, I moved to lean against the doorframe and watched Careless introduced herself. Her face transformed as she gave Araya one of her rare genuine Cara smiles. She didn’t give those out often, but when she did, they always managed to light up the entire room.
I wished she had more to smile about, but maybe having Araya as a friend would help. God knows she needed one. Maybe she’d be less wary of people. I wasn’t going to help that if I started something with Araya that I knew I wasn’t going to finish.
Yeah, I wanted her now. That’s how it always started out, but it wouldn’t last. It never lasted. And if I ruined this for Careless, I’d only be pushing her further away from having a normal relationship with another human being.
I didn’t need to add to the unraveling of my sister that our parents had started. So I would leave Araya alone. I would listen to Careless and move on to the next girl.
Pushing away from the frame, I walked past Careless and Araya. I saw Careless glance up at me. A small crinkle formed between her eyebrows and her eyes lifted. She knew I didn’t give up so easily and that left her suspicious.
I tried not to notice the way Araya glanced in my direction. The movement was subtle; I barely even caught her and probably wouldn’t have if I hadn’t been so focused on her. She didn’t look up or try to catch my attention as I walked past, and I pushed away my disappointment.
“You girls have fun,” I called out as I walked out of the room.
The hallway seemed to have grown a couple of miles as I walked away from the room, stuffing down the image of Araya’s red hair sprayed across my pillow. I definitely needed to stay away from the house while she was here.
Sebastian was waiting for me in the sitting room. He was leaning against the wall, arms folded, and smiling like the Cheshire cat.
“Touch her and you die,” I warned, walking past him.
He lifted his hands, shaking his head and chuckling. “I’m the least of your worries. Annie’s waiting for you in the kitchen.”
I’d rather face the devil himself than Annie.
“Dead man walking.” Sebastian said, walking behind me, humming the march of doom.
Araya
Seven
By the end of the week, I was surprised at how disappointed I was that I wouldn’t be seeing Careless again for a few days.
I found it strange to call her Careless, but she assured me no one called her Cara, except her parents. I couldn’t be sure and she didn’t come right out and say it, but I could tell she didn’t get along with her parents.
I had yet to meet either one of them. They didn’t seem to be all that involved with any of the Dare siblings. During my last day with Careless, I heard arguing and the sound of glass shattering, slamming doors the echoes to end the fight.
I pretended not to notice, remaining nonchalant when Careless got up to shut the door to the study. If she was fazed by any of it at all, she didn’t say anything. Not that I expected her to, but most people would have felt embarrassed and apologized for what happened. But she didn’t feel the need to keep up appearances for her parents. She was exactly what her nickname suggested: care-less. After that, she said it was nice enough outside that we could spend our time out there from now on.
I knew the signs; it took years and years of perfecting the practice of becoming detached the way she was. I was really beginning to like Careless. Having a friend would be nice, but she wasn’t the type to commit, not even to a friendship.
She was nice and all to me, and at times it felt like she liked flirting with the idea of opening up, but something always pulled her back. It was sad to think she would go through life keeping everyone at arm’s length.
The only one she seemed to be remotely close to was Annie, and honestly, it was kind of hard to resist her sweet southern charm.
It was that small affection she held for the older woman that made me cling to the hope that she wasn’t completely lost to a future of loneliness. I wondered how she was with her brothers, but I hadn’t seen either one of them since my first day there.
I felt confused, wondering why Ryland went through so much trouble just to disappear the rest of the week.
Shifting on my bed, I wrapped my feet and legs underneath me and leaned into the open window, seeking the fresh air. The light breeze swept the hair away from my face and washed over me, cooling my warm skin.
The summer heat had leaked inside the tiny apartment, smothering the air in the room until I felt I was suffocating. I was forced to take refuge on my bed, staying by the window all day by myself. Not that it completely sucked. I liked sitting here with my eyes closed listening to the sounds below.
Except lately, my mind found it hard to concentrate on anything other than Ryland.
Every time I heard footsteps leading up to the room Careless and I were in, I held my breath, hoping it was him, but it never was, and my heart sank each time. Careless didn’t seem too pleased to find Ryland and me alone that first day and I wondered if maybe that was why he had stayed away.
He didn’t seem like someone who obeyed rules, but something had kept him away. I knew eventually we would run into each other again and the thought made my heart jump. Ryland made me nervous, but he made me curious even more, and that left me wanting something more.
My shoulders fell when I couldn’t ignore that tiny voice in the back of my thoughts that taunted me with the reminder that Ryland probably wouldn’t be interested in me once he found out. I knew he didn’t know. I wasn’t sure why Careless hadn’t told him, but the way he’d been with me confirmed what I already knew. He wouldn’t be in the dark forever, and I would worry about his reaction when that time came.
I stayed in the same spot until the sun faded behind the lining of our building, slowly sinking into the horizon. I panicked when I realized I was late starting dinner.
I dreaded having to deal with Nina and Carl when they got home to find it wasn’t waiting for them.
It would be the reaction I expected, but lately, something was different with the two of them, Nina mostly. I usually triggered Nina’s short temper, and she’d go off like a loaded gun, but they seemed to be less angry with me. Although I wanted to enjoy the sudden change, I remained wary of them.
Sure enough, they completely surprised me when they got home at their usual time and I only received a small grunt of annoyance from Carl when I told them dinner would be another fifteen minutes. We ate in mostly silence, but every once in a while Nina would throw in a question about my time with Careless, her family, and even Ryland.
She didn’t like when my responses were short and vague, and she would snap at me and rant about my attitude until she got up from the table to get ready for bed. I wanted to ask her about going to the park tomorrow, but I knew she was angry and her answer would be no.
Before I got in bed, I twisted my hands and bit the inside of my cheek. I lingered at the edge of my mattress in anticipation while I tried to work up the nerve to ask Nina about Sunday.
“Is there something you want, Araya?” Nina asked from across the room.
I lost my nerve. “No,” I mumbled and climbed into bed.
Next time I would ask before I pissed her off.
I spent the entire weekend trapped inside. Nina and Carl were gone all day Saturday running errands. I never went with them. They said I held them up and walked too slow. What they could get done in a few hours without me took all day when I went with them, so I stayed home.
It was better this way anyway. I bruised easy, and my body always felt like I fell down a flight of stairs after a day out with them. By Sunday I could already feel the walls closing in around me and I wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and sleep until Tuesday, when I would see Careless next.
Monday passed just as slowly and I wondered how I’d gone four years cooped up in this apartment.
That night, as I lay in bed listening to the sounds that came only when the sun set, I tried to let the familiar lullaby put me to sleep—the hushed hum of the cars’ engines as they passed by below, the stray cat’s meows of loneliness and hunger.
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