Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 58069 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58069 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
“I’m ready,” Kat says.
“Later, Eddie. How long you in town for?” I ask him.
“The whole summer. I go back in the fall.”
“Maybe we could all hang out sometime?” I say.
“I’d like that,” Eddie Lind says with a smile.
“Bromance? Really? With one of Henry’s friends?”
“Au contraire, Kat,” Eddie interjects. “I remember when Henry broke my nose by the Millcreek, don’t you? You were there.”
“Then why’d you come to Wainscott?” Kat asks. It’s the booze in her that’s making her short with him.
“Maybe to see you guys.” Eddie shrugs.
I’m not sure what he suspects, but Eddie Lind is fascinated by the Shaw siblings and can’t seem to get enough of them. Especially my Kat.
We stumble outside together and make our way through the dunes in the dark. Henry and his friends are still drinking and will stay until they pass out. Kat and I hold hands and sense our way in the shadow. This is our beach and our stomping grounds which we both know by heart, and darkness doesn’t deter us as we move on instinct alone.
“What did you have Eddie do?” Kat asks.
She’s intrigued by him, I can tell. She’s not so used to me having friends outside of herself.
“I wanted to do something romantic. I never get to treat you right since we’re always in hiding.” I grab her and pull her to me, stroking her hair back from her face.
When I kiss her, I do so without reserve. I hate sneaking around and wish I could love her openly, but everyone here in Montauk will only ever see us as siblings though we don’t share a drop of the same blood. Kat is my soulmate. She’s my whole reason for staying in this godforsaken place with Henry, the sadistic narcissist.
I light the tea candles Eddie placed in paper bags near my setup. It’s simple—a blanket, some pillows, a bottle of Champagne, and baguette sandwiches I made earlier.
“A little moonlight picnic. I thought it’d be fun. There’s so much I want to do for you, with you, but can’t because we’re always hiding. I want you to know you deserve to be treated like the queen you are,” I tell her. She looks so tempting in the candlelight. “You know I love you, Kat, right?”
She looks up at me and her lips part, her eyes glittering in the low light. I cup her chin and brush away the tears under her eyes with my thumb.
“I love you too,” she says, her voice raspy with emotion. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Chapter 6
Katelyn
The moon and the sound of the crashing surf are intoxicating, but nothing is as mesmerizing as Heath and the way he looks at me. His expression is one of absolute devotion and unbridled lust, and I feel perfect under his gaze, like the most cherished treasure. My whole life, I’ve felt like I was never enough, not feminine enough, not thin enough, not similar enough to the other girls at Fairmont or the people in my family's social circles. But in his arms, I have always felt complete, like who and what I am is perfect for him, and he’d never change a thing.
I can’t remember all the times I’ve been told I should change myself to be more appealing to others. Diet more, exercise more. Stop wasting time exploring the outdoors. Girls don’t fish, or at least not the ones who want to get married. Who wants a girlfriend who spends her days waist-deep in wetlands studying tadpoles or who doesn’t drive a nice car? A girl who doesn’t wear heels or spend her days shopping for luxury items and having brunch with her friends isn’t going to win the interest of men, especially not men of caliber who come from good families with money. My whole life, no one has understood why none of that makes me happy, why I refuse to conform, no one until Heath, who makes me feel like the Kat I am is absolutely perfect in her true form.
He hands me a flute of Champagne, and we share a bowl of strawberries, but we’re kissing so much, we can barely get anything in our mouths. Though we’ve come close, we’ve never actually made love before. My belief is that Heath holds himself back out of loyalty to my father or some element of shame from us being perceived as siblings by all of those around us. But Heath has never felt like a sibling to me—a soul mate, a twin flame, the other half of my heart—all of those, but never a brother. For me, my actual brother conjures blood-curdling fear more than anything else.
I don’t want to fear Henry or the opinions of those who don’t matter. Heath is my end-all-be-all, and I don’t care about anyone else.
“Nobody commented on my weight, at least,” I say when we pull apart.