Chapter 5

Hailey’s POV

Just when I thought Tyler was about to tell everyone what happened last night, he began to backpedal. “I had no idea what happened last night. All I meant was, someone dangerous could’ve grabbed her while she was in that state. That’s all.”

Everyone was somehow relieved a bit at his words, except my mom.

“You are underage,” mom said, panic still in her voice and eyes. “How were you able to get so drunk at the bar?”

I shrugged. “No one asked for our IDs.”

“Oh my god,” mom shook her head. “That is so dangerous.”

“I wasn’t alone, mom, I had Derek and…” my heart sank, remembering that Derek and I weren’t as alone as I had hoped last night. “...his girlfriend. We were perfectly safe.”

Aaron narrowed his eyes at Derek. “Son, you should’ve been taking care of your friend, you shouldn’t have let her leave alone.”

“I didn’t even see her leave!” Derek defended himself. He turned to me and placed his hands on my shoulders. “I tried to look for you,” he said. “I tried to call and text and did everything I could think of, but it was like you had just vanished.”

“I was fine,” I lied. “I called a cab and it took me right to my dorm building and nothing happened.”

Tyler laughed, and everyone spun around to look at him. I shot daggers at him, but he just smirked back at me.

“What are you laughing about?” Derek asked with a frown.

“Just wondering if Hailey was telling the truth,” Tyler said.

I knew it. Tyler was not done with his sarcastic teasing yet.

Tyler continued. “I’m sure there were lots of guys there last night. I know if I saw a beautiful, drunk girl there like Hailey, I would’ve offered to take her home. And I know many of those guys would have had less than pure intentions.”

He might not have been done, but I sure was. I couldn’t just let him keep me on edge like this with his back and forth teasing.

“I told the truth,” I said, my voice sharp. “It sounds like you bring girls home a lot, though. As in home to your own place, I guess?”

I noticed the confused looks on mom and Aaron’s faces at this turn of conversation, but I was too annoyed with Tyler to care.

Tyler gave me a half smile and a shrug. “If she wanted to,” he winked at me.

A weird mixture of emotions began to swirl inside me.

He was charming alright, and incredibly handsome, and I remembered how amazing it had felt being with him.

But it had been a mistake, and his arrogance was equally arousing and irritating. I wished I could cast some sort of spell to make us both forget the whole thing ever even happened.

Derek looked back and forth between Tyler and me, seeming to pick up on there being something between us.

I had to change the subject, fast. I would talk to Tyler privately when I got a chance, I didn’t want to ruin any of this for mom and I needed to nip this one night stand thing in the bud.

“So mimosas on the patio, right?” I said, pushing past everyone to the glass back door, where I could see patio furniture.

I just hoped the mimosas were strong af.

---

I drained the last drop of my third mimosa and set the glass on the table. I would have gone for a fourth if mom wasn’t already giving me the side-eye.

“Well, ladies, would you like a tour of the estate gardens?” Aaron asked as he stood.

“I would love that,” mom gushed.

I couldn’t stand the thought of another awkward moment with the Treves.

“Actually, I’m not feeling too well,” I said, not quite lying. “Would it be alright if I laid down for a while?”

Mom lightly cleared her throat. It was her way of telling me it was my own damn fault without saying it in front of our future family.

“Of course. I’ll have Mary show you to your room,” Aaron said.

Aaron turned and waved one finger at a middle-aged maid that was standing nearby. She hurried over.

“Please show Miss Burke to her room,” Aaron said, then helped my mom stand.

Mary did a small curtsey. “Right this way,” she said in a soft, high-pitched voice.

“Thank you,” I said. This new life was going to take some getting used to.

“I think I’ll head up to my room too,” I heard Derek say behind me. “Get some rest before dinner.”

“Yeah, me too,” Tyler said.

Mary hurried inside, and I had to almost jog to keep up. I could hear what I assumed were Derek and Tyler’s footsteps behind us, but I couldn’t risk turning about to look for fear of losing Mary. She led me back through the living room and up the spiral staircase I had noticed when we first walked in the place. At the top of the stairs we took a sharp right, then headed down what felt like a maze of hallways.

Finally, we stopped at a large, ornately carved wooden door. She pushed open the door and gestured for me to enter.

I looked down the hallway before I entered the room. I noticed Derek had stopped at one of the first doors in the hallway. He gave me a small wave before he walked in. I breathed a small sigh of relief, knowing he wouldn’t be too far from me.

Tyler kept walking. He passed by me, gave me a smirk, then continued to the other end of the hall. He pointed at his door before he walked into it, and I rolled my eyes.

I walked into my room and struggled to keep my mouth from hanging open at the sight of it.

“We’ve laid out fresh towels for you in the bathroom. If you need anything, pull this bell here,” she pointed at a bell hanging by the door, “and someone will come right away to assist.”

“Uh…” I started. This felt like a very expensive hotel that I had only ever seen in movies.

“Can I get you anything else, miss?”

“Uh, this is great. Thank you,” I said.

I looked around the room. A large bed with lace curtains around it sat in the center of the room. There was a fireplace and recliner in one corner, a dresser and vanity close to the door, and next to it, I spotted the entrance to what appeared to be my own private bathroom.

This single room was twice as big as my dorm room, at least.

I had never felt so uncomfortable or out of place in my life.

I sat gingerly on the edge of the bed and caressed the soft comforter. It seemed familiar, and I cringed when I remembered where I had seen something similar recently.

Tyler’s.

My mind flew back to the night before, then to our conversation throughout today. I shuddered and realized I would have to do the very thing I had just vowed not to.

Go to his room and talk to him.

I stood and smoothed my shirt, gathering my courage. I just had to go and get it over with. Then we could be done with the whole thing.

I walked out into the hallway and down to Tyler’s door, my dread growing the closer I got to it. I quickly rapped on the door as soon as I reached it, nervous that if I hesitated at all I’d chicken out.

Tyler opened it a moment later. He looked a little surprised but quickly composed himself. “Well, I knew you couldn’t resist for long. Come on in.”

I hesitated, then walked in.

His room was decorated more like a hunting lodge than my soft, feminine one. I stood in the center of it, crossing my arms over my chest. I felt even more uncomfortable in his room.

“I am really sorry about the mistake last night,” I said, before he had the chance to say anything sarcastic again. “I was…let’s face it, shit-faced…and you looked like someone else. I hope you won’t hold it against-”

“Derek?” He suddenly cut me off.

“What?”

“You mistook me for Derek last night.” This time he seemed more certain about his words, as if he was telling me a fact.

“It doesn’t matter who I mistook you for!” I could feel my face heating up. That was the last thing I wanted to talk about at that moment. “I just hope you won’t hold it against me. I’d really just like to forget it ever even happened…”

“Oh, I’d like to Hailey,” he said, walking closer to me, that signature smirk on his face. “But I can’t forget what you looked like last night. In that sexy little black dress…and that lacy black bra…”

I took a step back, my heart leaping into my throat. “Please, Tyler, it was a one time thing. Can we put it behind us and never speak about it again, for our parents’ sake?”

Tyler inched closer to me and I stepped back until I hit the corner wall of his room. He put his arms on the walls, trapping me. My heart began to pound in my chest.

“You know, I’ve never had a woman tell me what to do after we had sex,” he snarled.

“I’m sorry, but…”

He leaned in until his lips grazed my ear, a move that drove me wild last night, but gave me chills today. “If you really want to apologize, it has to be the way I want it,” he paused, then added, “stepsister.”

“Wh-What do you mean?” His words sent shivers down my back, and not in the good way.

Suddenly, a knock came at the door. Tyler and I both froze.

“Tyler, can I come in?” a voice said through the door.

Derek!