by Mia Carson
“Claire, right?” she asked with a smile. Her smile was anything but pleasant; her lips curled as if to mock Claire. Her eyes searched her, assessing whether or not she belonged. She was an attractive woman, but not overly so, and as for first impressions, she looked great.
“Who’s asking?” Claire asked aggressively, her glass before her.
“Penelope,” the woman smirked and held out her hand. Claire didn’t budge. “Okay, then.” She rested against the wall next to Claire.
“How can I help you, Penelope?”
“I saw the way you were looking at him.”
“Looking at whom?” Claire asked innocently.
“Chance. I saw the way you were looking at him, and I could feel how uneasy it made him with you watching. I’m not sure if you are aware, but he’s your brother.”
“Hmm, and you came all the way over here to tell me something I already know?” Claire asked.
“I just thought I’d remind you of the inappropriate way you were looking at him. Chance isn’t that kind of person, and you aren’t even his type,” she told Claire flatly.
“And you are?” Claire asked, eyebrow arched sarcastically.
“Damn right,” she said. “You do know you look so out of place here.”
“Well, I better go somewhere else then, before I rub off on your rudeness,” Claire said and emptied the remaining champagne in her glass.
Penelope grabbed her shoulder as she passed. “Hey, I’m not done talking to you.”
Claire shrugged her off and brought her elbow back, catching Penelope’s shoulder. Penelope mumbled bitch under her breath and shoved her. Claire was about to lunge at her when Chance rushed over and stood between them.
“Hey, hey, hey, break it up,” he said, parting them. “What’s going on?”
“Why don’t you ask your dumb bimbo?” Claire fumed, slapping his hand away from her.
“Penelope, what’s this about?” he asked.
“Just making a point,” she said as she smoothed her hair.
“Why are you two back here alone?”
“I came here to enjoy the evening. She decided she would come out here to remind me of how wrong it is to want to be with you,” Claire snarled at the woman.
“She what?” Chance asked. He was growing more infuriated by the minute. “Penelope, it’s not your place to talk to my sister like that. You owe her an apology.”
“I’m not blind, Chance. I saw the way she looked at you when we came in,” she spat. “What would I be apologizing for?”
“Are you hearing yourself?” he asked the woman. “She is my family.”
“And I am your whore?” she asked and shoved past him. “You two are messed up.”
Chance stared at the ground after Penelope had left. “I’m sorry about that. She can be unusually feisty. Please forgive me?” He looked at her. “She’s nothing.”
“That didn’t seem to stop you from parading her in here earlier today. I saw you walk in; she was draped over your arm. Tell me something, Chance - do you make a habit of misleading women?”
“Penelope does what she wants, and don’t read too much into that. She has a big temper and a small mind…not my kind of girl, really. Can we not talk about other people?”
Claire pretended she didn’t hear his last words. There was no way she was going to let him get away without confronting him about Penelope. “So, are you with her now?”
“Penelope? Hell no!”
Claire wasn’t sure why she asked because she wasn’t sure she was prepared for the answer, but just because they had agreed to stay away didn’t mean she still didn’t care about him. At least her body did - every night he permeated her thoughts and lived in her dreams, and her body ached for his touch. She knew he felt it too; she saw the way he looked at her when he thought she wasn’t looking.
“But she was hanging on your arm.”
“She thinks she owns me. And yes, she always finds a way to be close to me, even after I send her away.”
“No, you don’t need to explain it to me, Chance. I get it. We can’t be together as lovers, and the sooner I understand this, the better for all of us. You should date Penelope or any other girl you want to, and I should move on with my life.”
“Claire, don’t say that. I do miss being with you. I’m trying to figure it all out,” he said, attempting to stroke her face.
She dodged him and cleared her throat. “No, Chance. Let’s just make it a clean break. I don’t want to stifle you.”
“Claire, you’re not doing anything to me.”
“It’s for the best,” Claire said as left him standing alone.
Memories of St. Lucia and better days flashed through her mind, and she fought the tears that threatened. She maintained her composure long enough to make it past the lingering guest and make it inside the house. She climbed the stairs that wound to the first landing and ran into Penelope again as she left the guest bathroom.
The two women shot daggers at each other with their eyes, but no words were said as Claire brushed past the woman and hurried down the hallway to her room. She curled up on the bed and covered her face with the pillow, which served to muffle her screams as she released her frustration. She lay there motionless for a considerable time, staring at the ceiling, her mind blank. Maybe Penelope was right; she didn’t belong here, and she had overstayed her welcome. It was time she moved back to Miami.
CHAPTER 16
“Are you for real?” Amy squealed on the other end of the phone. “I haven’t seen you in forever.”
“I think it’s about time I gave LA a break. There is too much going on here,” Claire sighed.
“What’s wrong? Is it Chance? I knew it would affect you being so close to him. Maybe it’s time you got that apartment you wanted.”
“Well, it’s a little bit more complicated than that. I didn’t tell you, but Chance and I didn’t quite end it in St. Lucia even after our parents got married.”
“I knew it!” she screeched, and Claire could almost see her smiling into the phone. “You whore!”
“I know, I know,” Claire responded. “But how could we just turn it off because they got married? We tried, and then we decided what the heck.”
“I understand,” Amy sympathized. “I’d do the same too.”
“Well, that was our plan, but Chance has decided it doesn’t make sense anymore. I see him with these girls all the time, and he says it’s nothing, but even before that, he had been distant. I finally got tired of the whole charade and we’ve decided to call it off.”
“I’m sorry, Claire,” Amy said. “I know none of this can be easy for you, but I don’t think running away is the solution.”
“I’m not running away,” Claire defended. “I just need a break. Plus, I thought you were a fan of running away. You got me to St. Lucia.”
“That was different,” Amy defended. “As bad as you may feel now, I am sure it’s nothing like what Trent did to you.”
“Still, I don’t want to be around him all the time. He doesn’t have to be here, yet he lingers and…” she paused when she saw Chance standing at the door. She whispered, “Amy, I’ll call you back; he’s here.”
“Go away with me,” he said to her as soon as she had hung up the phone.
“What?” she asked.
“The two of us - let’s just go away,” he said again.
“Are you serious?” Claire asked. “I thought we just agreed to call it off.”
“I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to lose you, Claire, but it’s hard being here and pretending to be siblings when I can’t touch you in public. I know the way I feel about you is wrong, but I can’t help what goes on in my head when I see you. Please, just say you will go.”
Claire stared at him in horror. He was saying all the things she wanted to hear, but she was afraid to believe it. With her luck, he would return from their trip and things would go back to normal. “I don’t know.”
“I DO know, Clai
re,” he said. “I do know we’re destined to be together.”
“And how do you know this?”
“The way I feel about you,” he told her and cupped her face in his hands. “I think I’ve fallen for you, Claire, and I don’t want to think about you with anyone else. And I don’t know how we are going to make this work, but I am willing to see what happens, where it goes.”
Claire remained silent for some time; Chance waited for her to respond. “Your proposition does sound exciting. I love travelling but…”
“Just say yes, Claire. Don’t overthink it.”
“I have work,” Claire said.
“I can take care of that, Claire. Just say yes.”
“But what do we tell our parents? If we both disappeared at the same time?”
“With the way I feel, I will tell them we went away together, but I know you’re not quite ready for that, so maybe you can tell your mom you’re going to hang out with Amy like you said.”
Claire grimaced. “You heard that, huh?”
He nodded and gripped her hands in his. “It doesn’t matter; I don’t blame you. I can be erratic sometimes, but with you, I’ve been stable. And you know what, I don’t want to hide anymore. We’re adults, and honestly, I don’t see why we can’t be together if that’s what we both really want.”
“Your dad might disagree,” Claire said. “Any my mom won’t like it.”
“Claire, fuck what everyone wants. What do you want? What do we want?”
Claire thought about what he was saying to her, and she could hardly deny the appeal. After all, they weren’t related by blood, so nothing was stopping their being together. She just didn’t want to hurt her mother. “I want to be with you, Chance. I’m just not sure about going public with our relationship.”
“I don’t care about anyone else…just you. Do you want me the way I want you?” he asked, looking into her eyes.
“Yes,” she whispered, “you know I do want you so much.”
“Then it’s settled. Let’s not sneak around anymore. Let’s go tell them.”
Claire was nervous when Chance took her hand and led her outside. She protested all the way to the study. Before they got there, they ran into Willow, and her expression turned to shock when she saw them holding hands. Claire tried to disentangle herself, but Chance wouldn’t let her. He gripped her hand firmly and smiled at Willow.
“We were just coming down to see you and Dad,” he said to her.
“What is it?” Willow asked, eyeing their joined hands.
“Please.” He indicated the study. “We need to tell you both something.”
Willow nodded, but she didn’t speak again. Bryan looked at them over his glasses when they entered, then he removed them.
“Well, hello everyone,” he smiled. Willow walked over to stand next to him.
“Dad, Willow,” Chance began. “Claire and I are still together.”
“You what?” Willow asked. “Claire, I thought you said you would break it off with him after we got married.”
“No, Mom…you said that.” Claire cleared her throat and continued. “Mom, I love him.” No one said a word but Chance squeezed her hand. She looked at Chance. That was the first time she had said the words aloud. “I want to be with him, and I don’t care about unwritten society rules. It’s stupid that we shouldn’t get to be together just because you are.”
“This is wrong,” Willow persisted. “Bryan?”
“Um, Willow, I agree with Claire,” he told her. “As a matter of fact, I’ve known they were still seeing each other. I mean, I didn’t see them, but I knew it from the way they looked at each other all the time.”
“And you didn’t say anything?” she asked.
“They are adults, Willow,” he told her. “I don’t see what the problem is, or how it is my concern. If they choose to be together, then that’s on them. We did the unconventional by getting married within days of meeting. I think they deserve a chance to make themselves happy as well.”
“Unbelievable,” Willow said, folding her arms and walking over to the window.
Claire moved to stand behind her. “Mom, this is what I want. You know what I’ve been through recently, and I really want to be with Chance. I was respectful of your decision even when I didn’t like it. That’s all I ask in return.”
Willow remained facing the window for some time, then turned around and faced her daughter. She smiled and stroked her cheek. “He makes you happy?”
Claire held her mother’s hand and looked back at Chance. “He does, and we both want this.”
Tears streamed from Willow’s eyes, and she hugged her daughter. “This is going to take some getting used to.”
“We’ll still be family, Willow, because I love Claire, so much,” Chance said, much to everyone’s surprise. “I intend to marry her as soon as she agrees.”
“What?” Claire asked.
“Claire, we’ll be one big family, only you won’t be my step-sister, you’ll be my wife.”
“Chance, do you hear yourself?” Claire asked. “I mean, do you hear what you are saying?”
“I do. I just don’t hear you saying yes,” he said to her. Willow and Bryan watched as he moved closer to Claire.
“What was the question?”
“Will you marry me?” he asked her when he was standing directly in front of her. “Please don’t say no in front of Dad and Mom.”
She smiled and stroked his face, feeling happier than she had in a long time. “Yes!”
Chance lifted her in the air in a hug, and when they looked at their parents, they were smiling.
“Congratulations, Chance, and good choice,” Bryan said as he hugged them both. Willow was slower, but she did the same.
“Now, if you don’t mind, Claire and I have some place to be. I took the liberty of reserving the jet, Dad. I hope you don’t mind. I need to go celebrate with my fiancée.”
“No, go ahead,” Bryan said. “Enjoy.”
Chance took Claire’s hand and walked with her out of the room. Once outside and out of eye and earshot of their parents, he pulled her to him and kissed her passionately and with all the love he had been slow in showing. “I love you so much, baby,” he said when he pulled back and looked into her eyes.
Claire smiled at him. “So where are we going?”
“Mexico,” he said with a wink. “We have a little island around Cancun.”
“Mexico? I’ve always wanted to go there,” she said, throwing her arms around his neck. “Another island would be great.”
“Well, let’s get going,” he urged, and she ran to her room to pack her things. It didn’t take long to get ready, and once inside the jet they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. They arrived at Bryan’s private island where the staff was expecting them.
“Do you have mansions all over the world?” Claire asked as she stepped into a house more elaborate than the one on the island where they had first met.
“Something like that. And you do know all of these island belong to you as well right?”
Claire nodded, smiling at Chance. “Crazy, but I can get used to this.”
No sooner had they stepped into one of the master bedrooms, and before Claire had a chance to relax and get comfortable, Chance was nibbling her ears and gripping her breasts from behind. She struggled against him, giggling, but he held her tighter and led her to the bed.
“I don’t think I can wait another minute,” he breathed into her ear. He hoisted her into the air and brought her to rest on the large, king-sized bed in the middle of the room.
Claire didn’t have time to notice the view she was afforded from the large glass that covered almost one section of the wall in the corner room, the one that led to the balcony. Neither did she get to feel the softness of the plush carpet under their feet. All she could feel was the immense pleasure from his hands travelling along her sides, his breath on her skin, and his tongue as it played over her firm nipples. Slowly he ran his hands a
long the length of her leg until he felt the lace partition. He covered her warmth with his palm and gripped it more firmly. Claire writhed when he did and pulled him down to her. Their lips collided, and the ecstasy that followed was unlike anything they had shared before.
Her eyes rolled back, and she writhed again as he drove his finger deep inside her pussy. Before she knew it, she felt his warm, wet tongue licking her swollen clit, and she trembled and gripped the golden hair on his head. Chance dominated her from the inside out, flicking his tongue expertly over her throbbing clit and sinking his finger deeper inside her pussy and faster each time. He rose and pulled her to the edge of the bed, guiding his cock straight inside her. Claire, feeling unrestrained, let out a long, lingering moan that echoed through the halls of the mansion.
Chance stroked her hard and fast, and she gripped the edge of the bed as they shook to the rhythm of Chance’s pounding. He eased off and turned her around, placing one of her legs on the floor and the other on the bed. He guided his cock inside her once more. She groaned as she felt his cock thrusting deeper and harder into her, dominating her. She felt him groan and moan even louder as he sank his hands in the soft flesh on her ass and buried himself deeper into her. Soon a bubble started in her, threatening to burst. She dug her nails into Chance as she always did and pushed herself closer against him so his cock hit deeper in her pussy. She was coming, but she wanted to take him along with her. She didn’t have to wait too long as his tempo increased, and he stiffened and groaned loudly as he let himself spill into her before he fell onto her.
Claire slid off him and fell face down on the bed, heaving as she tried to regain her breath. Chance lay on his stomach and relaxed on his elbows. He lowered his head and kissed her on the forehead. Claire pulled him closer and kissed him on the lips. No words needed to be spoken as their eyes locked. They had found each other, and even though the events leading up to their union had been wild and unpredictable, they were finally where they were meant to be: in each other’s arms.