Fixated On You (Torn Series #5) (29 page)

Now my disruption was back, living in my own home. Wonder what kind of gimmick she’d ploy to rile me up.

I didn’t have to do anything, not really.

I knew for a fact that having me
breathe the same air as her already made her furious.

All I had to do was keep my smug, cocky, sexy smile in place and it was a surefire way to drive her crazy.

Easy.

***

The following morning, I was in the kitchen chugging a glass of orange juice when she strolled in, wearing tiny sleep shorts and a tiny, sleeveless shirt that showed off her flat stomach. Olivia gave the word
morning wood
a new meaning. She was so hot that I almost spat out the juice, but instead, I choked on it, making me cough loudly.

“If you stopped checking me out, you could’ve saved yourself the woody.” Olivia tsk-tsked me before grabbing an apple from the fruit basket and sexily biting into it.

Damn, but she was fine. I wished more than anything that she would turn ugly. But damn, my secret desire for her was raging right along with my morning issue; not from any romantic sense, but in a purely one-off, sexual conquest kind of way.

I had a reputation to uphold, as did she. However rumors had begun swirling that she was getting serious with someone.

My eyes stayed with her. They took in how she concentrated on looking over the newspaper, how she softly hummed while reading, and how she kept twisting the ends of her hair. I never knew why, however I had always found her completely fascinating to watch. Every year, I’d always find myself studying her from afar, picking out tiny habits that she did. Maybe it was her beauty that really got to me, or how she simply acted like she was normal instead of heavenly beautiful. I won’t admit this out loud, but those guys who thought that she was a goddess were on point.

She was fucking exquisite. Angelic.

Olivia was an angel in disguise. Let’s face it, not only was she a tease, but a bitch through and through.

This senior year was going to be an interesting one. Soon-to-be step-sister or not, I hoped that by the end of it, I’d have had a taste of that exquisiteness she’d offered to those guys who had bragged crazily about her “skills”.

I couldn’t wait for the fun to finally begin.

Chapter 1

Liv

Hi Sweetie!

Can’t wait to see you in a couple of days! How are things holding up with Liam? I’m sure you two lovebirds will work it out just fine. He can always come and visit you, you know.

Spend as much time as you can with your dad. You won’t see him for another year, sweetie. Try not to be too hard on him. He loves you dearly.

By the way, remember that guy I mentioned I met a week after you left? Well, I want you to be the first to know, but I’m engaged!!! What a nice surprise right? I’ll tell you all about it when you get here.

P.S. And no, I haven’t lost my mind, hun. I’m in love :)

I love you,

Mom

When mom mentioned “surprise”, I never had thought I’d get the surprise of a lifetime.

As expected, mom was at the airport waiting on me with a huge grin on her face. I spent my entire summer in Sydney with my father. He moved out there after he and mom got divorced two years ago.
Bizarre really, ‘cause I left my summer to head to winter. It wasn’t all that bad after I started dating Liam Hollingsworth, who was a freshman in University of Sydney. We promised to try and work things out, but as much as I liked him, I knew long distance relationships were hard work. So we decided to see how it’d be for a while, basically measuring the difficulty ahead of us—or if it was even worth trying.

So I was unofficially single, if that makes sense at all.

Mom didn’t unfold her secret until we were all alone. This whole bomb landed on me the second we got onto the freeway.

“Okay, I don’t want to keep you waiting ‘cause I know you might be dying to know who the man is, but don’t freak, okay?” My mom glanced at me sideways before looking out to the road ahead with a large beaming smile playing across her face.

Well, if her smiles were always this huge, then I didn’t care if she married a preacher—okay,
maybe
a little—but seriously, watching her now, seeing how happy she was, made me realize how lonely she might’ve been for the last two years. It was drastic for her to get engaged to someone so quickly, but if it was what she wanted, then who am I to come in between her and her prince charming? Well, here’s hoping that he
was
one after all.
Hell—I have yet to meet him
.

“Seriously, who is your mystery man? You’re killing me smalls.” Pulling out my strawberry lip salve, I popped the tin open before I dipped my pinky in and applied some to my lips.

“It’s Brett Edwards,” she said with a pained—almost sour—face.

I dropped my lip salve along with my jaw. “You’re kidding, right?”
Please, please, please, tell me that you are
. I was praying to the gods—or whoever was listening--to help me salvage my senior year in high school.

Mom exhaled a long sigh
; a big indicator that she was darn serious. “This was why I never mentioned it to you because I was afraid of
this
—that you might change your mind and never come back here, Liv.”

She was imagining the extremes. Come on, really? It was no big deal. Sure, I was a grown up. I could deal with this. “
But Brett, Mom? Really?
”
That
did
not
come out right. Personally, I had no problems with Brett…but his only child on the other hand…
Greyson
…Ugh. Kill me now.

He was your typical asshole. Thinking about him was a waste of energy. Enough said.

Mom reached out and gave my arm a tight squeeze. “He’s amazing, Liv. He treats me like a queen. Not only that, but he makes me feel wonderful. I did promise you that I wouldn’t marry again until I’d found my Mr. Darcy. Well, I believe with my whole heart that he is, Liv. He loves me—well, he’s been in love with me for decades—that’s why he never got married.”

That got my attention. Pride and Prejudice was our all-time favorite film. For her to mention Mr. Darcy was major deal. “What do you mean? How long have you known him?”

“Since high school and then college, but he left to live in Chicago after we graduated. But as you know, I had dated your dad since I was seventeen—so he never stood a chance.”

My mom’s story was disheartening, but at the same time, inspiring. I suppose if mom and Brett would be happily married and in love, my feelings about Greyson had nothing against true love.

“I also forgot to mention it to you, hun, but we’ll be moving in with them. Greyson lives in the pool house—so you’re in the clear. I promise.” My mom rushed to add that teeny bit of information.

Inhale, exhale, Olivia.
The world wasn’t ending. This was my chance to give mom her happiness, so I dared not ruin this for her. Living with the Edwards—
of course!
Brett and mom were now married. “I need a moment to digest this tidal crap of information, Mom.”

“I’m so sorry to do this to you, Liv. I wanted to warn you, but I was scared you might not come back home.”

“You’re being silly. Of course I’d come back, but I would’ve appreciated a little adjustment time, you know? This is a lot to take in, Mom. The crazy major upheaval kind, but if you’re happy then I’m happy. That’s all I want.”

My mom looked misty eyed before she gave me a grateful smile. “Thank you, sweetie.” She sniffed, wiping the sides of her eyes. “This means a lot to me. I expected screaming or even an attempt at it, so thank you for not putting me through that. You’re the best daughter a mom could wish for.”

She always gave me too much credit, but she was my mom, right? They always tend to do this even if their kids were horrendous. “Thank me after a week and I haven’t scratched Greyson’s eyes out.”

“He’s a good kid, Liv. Just give him a chance. Trust me.”

Yep, that’s what my mother said.

But not a chance in Hell I’d trust that douche. All he did was make snide remarks whenever he was in my vicinity.

This
belief was reinstated that very same night after Brett and Mom chatted with me a couple hours after dinner; talking about Liam, my undecided college plan, my goals and so forth. As Mom had assured me earlier, Brett was a good man—a man who thought the world of my mother. It was icky and amazing at the same time when they were next to each other.

I was jet-lagged and the last thing I needed was to unpack in a new bedroom that I didn’t have any attachment to. My childhood home was sold after my parents got divorced, so Mom and I moved into a leased townhome.

She did all of the moving while I was gone, so all of our things were in Brett’s home.

It was going to take a lot of getting used to, but I was willing to try for my mom. Besides, this was my senior year—my last year in high school—no man was going to ruin it for me.
Even if his name was Greyson Edwards.

It was a warm night and I wanted to have a quick dip in the pool. It was almost midnight, so instead of diving head first, I had to resort to using the steps, careful not to disturb anyone.

My thoughts were occupied of emailing Liam or not as I approached the azure pool that was slightly illuminated.
A soft moan escaped when my body bathed in the cool refreshing water. I was smiling, floating as I stared at the twinkling stars when I heard the first
thump thump
sound.

“Harder, Grey!” a woman’s voice demanded, coming from the pool house. Then the loud sound went erratic—jackhammer loud. “Shit!” the woman screamed.

What the hell!
Could they get any louder?

Greyson was having sex. He didn’t care if anyone was around to hear it. He just did his own business just because he could. He was a total douchebag.

The last leg—
the finale
—was even worse. I thought the woman was being cut open and gutted. I was cringing and gasping as she rode out her orgasm. I stared at the slightly lit pool house, wondering if she was all okay.

Five minutes later, I was still struck, appalled and in deep shock.

I watched, paralyzed, as Greyson and his latest girlfriend emerged from the door. He was escorting her out while she kept her hand glued to his ass.

The second they disappeared; I swam back to shallow water and climbed out of the pool. Deep in thought, I squeezed the water out of my hair, sighing. I was walking toward the table where I had left my towel when he spoke behind me. "Were we loud? Sorry. I didn't know we had an audience. If I had, I would've made a better show of it."

Funny, he didn’t sound a bit sorry at all. “Don’t bother,” I gritted out, loathing his cockiness.

He laughed like he was being tickled.

Fucker
. I rolled my eyes and continued ignoring him.

But even with my indifference, the idiot remained.

“So, how was Australia? I heard that you slept your way around all summer long. I’m curious; do you prefer American or Aussie dicks? Or are they all the same? A dick is a dick, right?” I heard him snort, which angered me some more.

“Yes, they’re all juicy, Grey.”

“Mine is oozing, Liv. Keep that in mind, will ya? Might come handy to you if you need to get some workouts done.”

I spun around and glared at his grinning face. “Dream on, Greyson.”

“Always, Liv.” He started to walk backward, still facing me as he tapped his chest a few times. “Sweet dreams, pooh.”

Pooh
. Winnie the Pooh was my favorite… back in third grade. I didn’t need another reason to stay and banter with him. I left the pool area in a flash, needing to erase that mocking laugh that irritated me to no end.

That night, my dreams weren’t sweet. In fact, they were nightmares of Winnie the Pooh.

The terror of douchebaggery had begun.

Chapter 2

Grey

Pooh
.

I hated Winnie the Pooh with a passion because of one person. Olivia.

She looked so angelic…
like a beauty that never gets old. Every guy in school wanted her. I did too, but I’d rather get hit by a fifteen-wheeler than admit that. Fuck that.

When it came to her, I got all hot and cold. Literally. My body’s reaction to her added more to my contempt when it concerned her.

I knew she was beautiful. Hell, sometimes I got so awestruck that I forgot why I hated her to begin with. I remembered gasping when I first saw her in our third grade class.

She knew how she affected men, and she used that to her benefit. She toyed with men; paraded them in front of me. The only thing I could be grateful for was that none of my guy friends took a chance on asking her out, nor did she seek them out, knowing how I’d react.