Page 9 of Devious Love

The chuckle that leaves him makes the whole car rumble. “Yeah, only a witch like you could’ve been born on Devil’s Night.”

I suck in a sharp breath. “Fuck you, Watson,” I growl, turning for the door.

Before I can throw it open, he grasps my arm, stopping me.

I yank out of his hold. “What?”

“My dad was your mom’s friend first. They met in kindergarten.”

“I know.”

“Did you also know they went to Luke and told him about their relationship before they talked to you and Matt? They did it because they didn’t want to hurt him.”

A jolt of surprise hits me, but I shake it off. It doesn’t matter.

“But they did. They hurt him. My dad and Allan barely talk when they see each other.”

He sighs. “And now we’re circling back to what I said earlier. Life isn’t fair. Once you accept that, everything will be easier. Trust me.”

“Why are you telling me all this?”

“Because my dad loves you. It sucks to see him sad because of the shit you throw his way all because he fell in love with your mom.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” I slap a hand to my chest dramatically. “Did he bother to think about how my dad felt?”

“I just told you, he did.” Dominic taps his fingers on the steering wheel, a little aggressively. “Ask Luke. Talk to your dad, and then you can draw your own conclusions.”

I watch him in silence. His words mingle with the comment Chia made this afternoon, about me not being fair, about me making assumptions. Doubt creeps into my brain.

What if I’m wrong about how my dad feels?

“Why did you do this?” I ask again. My stomach does somersaults, and my body heats up. My heart thumps so hard, I can literally feel the vein in my wrist pulsing. Isohave a crush on him…damn him!

Peering over at me, he arches a brow. “Do what?”

“Drive me here. Talk to me.”

He shrugs. “Dunno. Maybe this family thing is rubbing off on me. You’re my stepsister now, after all.”

There’s no stopping the way my body revolts. I reel back, gagging, and he bursts into laughter. My cheeks flame, and heat spreads from the back of my neck to the tips of my ears.Great.

“The idea of me being your stepbrother is so repulsive, it almost made you throw up?” he asks between fits of dark, sarcastic laughter.

I fold my arms across my chest. “You’re not my brother, regardless of whether or not our parents are married.”

“Duly noted.” With a nod, he hits the unlock button. “You should go. Hopefully, your dad’s still up to let you in.”

“Thanks for the ride.” I climb out of his car and pull my backpack from under the seat.

“It’s nothing.” He shrugs.

At the entrance to the apartment building, I press the button for unit 27. The headlights from Dominic’s SUV shine on me as I wait for Dad to answer, like he’s making sure I get inside safely.

“Hello?” Dad’s voice finally comes through the speaker.

“Dad, it’s Mia.”

“Mia?” he yelps. “Are you okay? What happened?”