Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Harper

“Nope. No way. Uh uh. This shows waaaay too much skin.” I stare at my

reflection in the mirror, glaring at the offending scraps of material I'm

currently wearing. The triangle bikini top barely contains my breasts,

and when I turn to check out my backside, the bottom half of my butt

cheeks are hanging out.

“You look hot,” my best friend Sadie says, her dark eyes sparkling as she

clutches her hands together in glee. “Let's go to the pool!”

Shaking my head, I face her, taking her in. She's wearing a two piece

that barely covers her, but she’s not as curvy as I am. I envy her smallish

boobs and willowy figure. She can get away with anything, including

not wearing a bra. If I didn't wear a bra?

Tits everywhere.

“I know that look.” Sadie points at my face, where I can feel the scowl

already forming. “You're coming outside with me. No chickening out

allowed.”

“I can't.” I'm already whining, and this isn't good, especially when I

promised Sadie I would actually be social tonight.

We're hosting a party. Our parents are out of town for the weekend and

my twin brother Ryan thought it would be the perfect opportunity to

throw an alcohol-soaked bash. He pretty much invited everyone from

school to attend.

It doesn’t matter to Ryan that we don't live in the best neighborhood in

town. Or that our old, two-story house is kind of shabby. We have a

pool and access to Dad's liquor stash. To him and his friends, that's

cause for a celebration.

“You can and you will, Sadie says firmly as she grabs hold of my arm

and steers me toward my closed bedroom door. I try to resist, but

she's stronger than she looks. “It'll be fun. I promise. All the boys will be

looking at you.”

She practically croons that last statement, as if it's supposed to entice

me. Guess what?

It doesn't

Having the boys look at me is a problem. Their attention makes me

uneasy. Uncomfortable. Ryan may be my twin, but we are the complete

opposites in almost every single way. He's popular at our private school

while I'm not. He attracts all the girls, while guys barely look in my

direction. He's really attractive. I'm really...

Average.

Okay, I have nice hair. It's a thick, glossy brown with natural gold

highlights that become brighter in the sun. It's my best asset. Well, that

and my boobs. If you're in to big ones, then I can deliver.

Ugh, my thoughts are so dumb sometimes.

“Ready to go?” Sadie chirps, pulling me out of my head.

I blink at her, surprised to see we're standing directly in front of my

bedroom door, her hand curved around the handle. “I'm not ready yet.”

Her shoulders slump a little, but

she’s not defeated yet. “I hear Easton is already out there.”

Okay, that perks me right up. “Did he bring a girl?"

“I don't think so.” Sadie smiles brightly and opens my bedroom door.

“Come on, let's go!”

I let her drag me down the hall. Down the stairs. Into the kitchen, which

is packed with all sorts of people I vaguely recognize from school. Not a

one of them says anything to me, and it's my house.

Frustrating

We go outside, where there are even more people. Music is playing

loudly over the portable

speaker Ryan got for Christmas last year. It's small but powerful, and

the heavy base seems to throb in time with my heartbeat. There are so

many people in our small pool, I'm not sure how they all fit. Others are

crowded around the sides, dipping their feet in the water or sitting in

one of the chairs that surrounds the small glass topped table with a

giant crack in

Easton is sitting at the head of the table like a king surveying his court.

He's the most popular boy in our class-in the entire school. He's

gorgeous and rich and built like a god. Tall and broad with a powerful

chest and six pack abs

Cluster 1

Long legs and powerful thighs. He's currently got all of it on display as

he sits there in a pair of dark blue swim trunks and nothing else,

clutching a beer bottle in his hand as he glowers at everyone.

“There's your boy,” Sadie whispers as we both watch him.

It's hard not to stare at him. That chiseled face with the strong nose and

sharp cheekbones, it's all hard lines with those cold, glacier blue eyes,

offset only by his soft, lush mouth.

An utterly kissable mouth

A sigh leaves me as I stare at it. His lower lip is much thicker than

his upper lip, which is shaped in the perfect cupid’s bow. Those lips are

pink and full and he’s currently licking them

I jerk my gaze away from the perfection that is his mouth and glare at

my best friend. “He's not my boy,” I remind her.

“He's no one’s,” Sadie readily agrees. “But I'm sure once he sees you in

that bikini, he'll be dying to get his hands on you.”

A shiver rolls through me at the thought of Easton putting those big,

rough hands on my body and I try to ignore it. “He doesn't know !

exist.”

Sadie snorts. “Liar. You're his best friend's sister.”

“He never talks to me.” In his world, I'm no one. He's only interested in

blondes, while I have dark hair. Popular girls who demand attention

while I'm just... boring

The smart girl. The one who likes to read. The one who cringes when

she’s called on in class, even though she always knows the answer. The

nerd. The one with only a couple of friends. The one who's...

Madly in love with Easton.

Sometimes I wish I could punch

myself in the face.

“He'd talk to your tits.” At my incredulous look, Sadie bursts into

laughter. “What? It's true! Look at you!”

I glance down at myself, wishing I'd worn a coverup. At the very least, a

T-shirt. Everything is on display and while no one is paying us any

attention, if Sadie keeps laughing like that, someone's going to notice.

"Sadie! Gimme a beer!”

This comes from my brother Ryan, who knows my friend has a tiny

crush on him and will do whatever he says without protest.

Pig.

True to form, she perks right up, her body practically vibrating with

excitement. “Coming right up!”

She dashes off before I can say a word, leaving me alone. Just standing

there. Feeling awkward.

What else is new?

Ryan's gaze goes to mine, a frown forming on his face. “What the hell

are you wearing, Harp?”

I shoot daggers at him with my eyes, but it's like he doesn't even notice.

All of his friends laugh, barely looking at me. Save for one.

Easton

His eyes rake over me, making gooseflesh rise. He's checking me out.

Oh my God, Easton actually notices me.