Show Me How to Love (Caldwell Family Book 1) (2 page)

Renee crossed her arms over her chest. “Someone is having sex in the closet.” She sneered at Andre. “While it won’t ruin your sister’s wedding, it will send her into hysterics if she finds out.”

Andre’s dark eyes narrowed. “Stepsister.” He spit out the words like he’d tasted something nasty. The thumping grew louder. Andre ran a hand over his face. “Damn.”

“Exactly,” Renee said.

Mikayla glanced toward the bar and cringed. “Renee, your dad’s at the bar.” They swore in unison as the groom and his groomsmen left the billiards room and joined Renee’s dad. That meant the rest of the family would soon be returning.

The teens laughed again and a loud slap against the closet door echoed throughout the lobby. The men turned their way. This tryst wasn’t going to be a secret much longer.

A woman’s voice came slightly muffled from the other side of the door. “Oh, daddy, just like that.”

“What the heck?” Renee said pressing her hands to her temples.

Andre shifted at Mikayla’s side. A scowl twisted his handsome face. His shoulders were rigid. Hands clenched into fists at his side. She glanced at the door then back at him. He took a step forward and she placed a hand on his arm. His very firm arm. Her stomach did a little twitter that she decided to pretend wasn’t happening.

“Don’t open the door,” she said.

His eyes met hers, coal black and hard with fury. She remembered the way he held onto his girlfriend Angelica the night before. At the time, the prideful manner he’d used when introducing her to Ryan made her assume Angelica was just a pretty armpiece for a rich man.

Another thump from the door came right before the men reached their group. “What the hell is going on?” Renee’s dad, Philip Caldwell, asked.

The teen with blonde weave giggled. “Someone’s getting it on.”

The men’s faces lit up with both bemusement and enthusiasm. Mikayla inwardly scoffed. What was it about the idea of sex in a closet that got men so excited?

A slap against the door was followed by, “That’s right, whose is it?”

Mikayla’s hand fell from Andre’s arm. Her jaw dropped. Everything in the background became a dim murmur as a sinking feeling rushed through her midsection.

No.

This couldn’t be happening.

He couldn’t be the one in that closet. One glance at the astonished look on Renee’s face confirmed Mikayla’s thoughts.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion, but she had to have moved quickly because she was right in front of the closet door. Vaguely she noticed movement around her, the cackles of the girl’s laughter, and maybe even someone calling her name. She snatched open the door.

Andre’s girlfriend fell with a loud smack on her back, Ryan bare assed on top of her. They both stared up at the group, while the teenagers laughter increased to the crescendo of a pack of hyenas.

Mikayla’s gaze swept the spectators. Needles of heat spread over her body. They were laughing at her. The laughter picked at internal cuts she’d thought long since healed.

Mikayla shook her head and stepped back. Disbelief and anguish churned like hot acid in her stomach. Her dad’s “I told you so” ran through her brain. Pain tore through her chest while humiliation, her old companion, set her cheeks on fire.

Ryan held up a hand but didn’t move from his position between Angelica’s thighs. “Mikayla, look, this is not what it seems.”

Anger spouted within like molten lava. She clenched her teeth and pressed a hand into her rolling stomach. She wanted to scream, curse his ass out. But she would not act a fool in front of these people.

Ryan’s mother Victoria pushed through the group. She took one look at Ryan on the floor and groaned. All hell broke loose as the rest of the family and guests came from the far corners of the estate.

Mikayla couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, with the noise and commotion. She spun on her heels and ran upstairs.

When she entered the room, she’d shared with Ryan she wanted to set the place on fire. The king sized four poster bed was made, rose petals and chocolates rested on the pillows. Bridezilla had mentioned the resort staff were given instructions to create a romantic setting for all rooms with couples. Her stomach heaved and her mouth went dry. If she’d come to bed early, he would have had sex with her the night before. If she hadn’t caught him today, he might have tonight.

She threw the few items she’d taken out of her bag back inside. Angry tears blurred her vision, but she refused to shed them here. Not where he’d have the chance of ever seeing how much he’d humiliated her.

Ryan burst through the door. She jerked the zipper closed on her bag. Somewhere he’d found his pants. He glanced from her to the bag before stepping forward. “I’m sorry.”

Mikayla held up her hand. “Just get out of my way.”

“I know it seems bad, but it’s not what you think.” Ryan’s usually perfect posture gave way to stooped shoulders.

She closed her eyes, unable to meet his stare. “Get out of my way, Ryan.”

His footsteps on the hardwood floor were slow as he crossed the room. She stiffened when he gently clasped his hands around her shoulders.

“Mikayla, please, let me explain.” His voice dripped with regret, as if he were actually sorry about what happened.

She opened her eyes. Even with the remorse in his eye, he still reminded her of the guy she’d considered her friend. Piercing brown eyes that had been full of sincerity when he’d insisted his feelings were real. The same full lips that comforted her when he’d kissed her forehead after she’d come to bed late the night before.

She took a deep breath. The pungent smell of sex coated him. Revulsion twisted her stomach. She pushed his arms off her shoulders. Anger lifted her knee as she sharply kicked him between the legs.

A piercing cry burst from his lips before he curled into a ball and fell to the floor. She stepped around him, gently pulled her coat off the hanger, and walked out the door. She may not really be a socialite, but she could hold her head high and walk out like one. The noise in the lobby hadn’t died down. Philip Caldwell’s voice arguing with another that she recognized as his brother’s overpowered the other voices.

So much for keeping the peace at this damn wedding.

Renee waited for her at the bottom of the stairs. Hands wringing before her and, lips turned down into a frown. Renee opened her mouth to speak, but Mikayla lifted her hand. Right now Mikayla couldn’t stomach seeing Renee, she looked too much like her twin.

Maybe her friendship with Renee was just as superficial as her relationship with Ryan. Another person she thought she had a connection with but was only fooling herself. Pain flashed across Renee’s features, but thankfully she let Mikayla pass.

She strode out of the estate into the cold February air with her head held high. Quickly, Mikayla put on her coat and stared at the icicle lined trees. What did she do now? She’d ridden up with Ryan, but she’d be damned if she stayed here all weekend. She pulled her cell phone out and searched for a cab company. The list of local cabbies had popped up a second before Andre burst through the front door, a single overnight bag in his hand.

Their gazes locked. Mutual understanding flowed between them. He may be from the side of the Caldwell family feuding with Renee and Ryan’s side, but right now he was the only other person who wanted to get the hell off that mountain as much as she did.

“Can you give me a ride?”

He hesitated. She didn’t blame him. They’d barely talked the night before, and she was the girlfriend—former girlfriend—of the man who’d just fucked his woman in a closet. Mikayla considered taking back her request when he held out a hand. The tension in her shoulders eased a bit as she placed her palm in his. The warmth of his grasp traveled up her arm and spread like fingers inside her chest. His brow furled before he looked away and walked her to the black Mercedes S 550 brought out front by the valet.

The snow that fell the night before crunched under their feet. She lowered her head and watched as the fragile crystals shattered by their steps. Shattered, much like her earlier enthusiasm of being invited away for a weekend with Ryan Caldwell. Just moments ago she’d thought her life was perfect. That she’d arrived. Instead, she was once again the outcast who didn’t belong with the cool kids.

Andre dropped her hand as soon as they reached the car. The loss of his warmth seemed like another fist to her gut on a crappy afternoon.

Ryan burst through the front door. His concerned gaze darted first to her then Andre. He hobbled toward them. “Mikayla!”

She ignored Ryan and stared at Andre, “Let’s go.”

Andre cracked his knuckles. She expected him to cross the distance and beat the crap out of Ryan. Instead, he clenched his jaw and entered the car. She followed and slammed the door. Closing her eyes, she blocked Ryan’s calls while Andre speed out of the driveway.

CHAPTER 2

Andre whipped his car around a sharp curve. Anger pushed his foot on the pedal every time he remembered Angelica landing on the floor in Ryan’s arms. He’d thought he and Ryan were past this. Past the childish games and petty rivalry their father’s started. What the fuck was he thinking? No matter how much he tried to pull away this infighting would never end.

He swung around another curve, hit a patch of ice, and jerked the wheel quickly to straighten the vehicle. His companion gasped. One of her hands gripped the door, the other balled into a fist between their seats. Easing off the gas, Andre maneuvered the next curve at a slower speed. The snow and ice from the night before made the roads worse than they were when he drove up yesterday. Killing both of them in the mountains would be an imperfect ending to the weekend from hell. His fingers released their death grip on the wheel, and he tried to control his angry foot.

He couldn’t believe he’d agreed to let her come with him. In their brief conversation the night before, he could tell she was starry-eyed for Ryan. The desperation on her face when she’d asked him to leave pushed past any preconceived notions from the night before. She may not have had the good sense to stay away from Ryan, but she didn’t deserve spending the rest of the weekend up there.

Spotting a bar on the main road, he quickly pulled his car into the parking lot. He needed to calm down. He was too angry to drive rationally. Neon beer signs flashed in the windows of the wood building, old gas station signs hung on the exterior walls. It wasn’t his ideal place to stop, but the lack of a Confederate flag was enough to make it suitable.

“Why are we stopping?”

He turned to…damn, he’d forgotten her name already. “You want a drink?”

She scanned the building, nose crinkled, she drummed the fingers of her right hand against the door. After a few seconds of consideration, she turned to him and shrugged. “No stars and bars. Why not?”

The corner of his mouth lifted in an appreciative smile that she’d looked for the same flag he had as she opened the car door and stepped out. Whatever her name was, she wasn’t stuck up, something not usually found in Ryan’s girlfriends.

They entered the dim interior of the bar. Country music played softly in the background and a thin haze of cigarette smoke clouded the view of the few people at the bar. The friendly smile of the bartender eased his tension.

“Sit wherever y’all want.” The bartender yelled. “I’ll be over in a second.”

His companion nodded at the bartender before sliding into one of the worn wooden booths near the front window.

“His greeting is comforting,” she said.

“I agree.”

She looked out the window and he checked out the inside of the bar. No need for false conversation. There weren’t many pleasant things to say after finding your significant others having sex in a closet.

She ran her fingers through her hair. He’d noticed her hair the night before. It was cut chin length and framed her face in a sleek even style. He loved when a woman’s hairstyle accented her features. The smoke filtered sunlight didn’t diminish the glossy shine of the dark brown, almost black, bone straight tresses. His fingers twitched to touch them, and he clenched his fist.

Andre had noticed a lot about her the night before. She wasn’t what he’d expect from one of Ryan’s girlfriends. Flashy, high maintenance, and beautiful were what Ryan usually went for. Instead, she was stylish but didn’t appear fully comfortable with her style. Her steps hesitant in heels, as if she were still getting used to them. Sexy, in that girl next door kind of way. The biggest shocker, her kindness. While everyone else struggled to get away from his step-sister, she’d jumped right in to help. The mismatch of her and Ryan grabbed his attention the second he’d seen them together.

His eyes strayed to the hint of cleavage revealed by the buttons of her light green blouse. Yeah, he’d noticed her for other reasons, too. He jerked that thought back. No more sleeping with his cousin’s girlfriends. His family may be ruthless, but he’d adopted the philosophy of using that tactic only for a specific purpose. Sleeping with her served no goal. Ryan didn’t want her, and he didn’t want Ryan’s leftovers.

He cleared his throat and shifted in the seat. She looked back at him with wide eyes that sparked with her anger.

“Can you believe that just happened?” she asked.

Thoughts of her tempting cleavage were forgotten as the memory of the reason for their departure came back. “No.”

She lowered her eyes to her fingers tracing grooves on the table. She had nice long lashes. “How long were you two together?”

He sat back in the stiff seat. “Nine months.”

“Was it serious?”

He glanced over his shoulder for the bartender. Thought of the engagement ring in his bag. “You can say that.”

“You know Ryan begged me to come. After years of listening to my instincts tell me he wasn’t ready for a grown-up relationship, I finally broke down and look what happened.”

She opened her mouth then snapped it shut. She gave him a wary glance, before crossing her arms and stared out of the window. Twice she turned to him as if she were going to say something before sighing and turning away with a frown.