Free Trick - A Stepbrother Romance by Caitlin Daire

why I was even annoyed at Jimmy for possibly seeing another girl behind my back. I’d let Patrick kiss me for a few seconds last night before pushing him away, and then I’d spent almost the whole night thinking about him. Then again, I hadn’t planned for it to happen. I hadn’t wanted it to happen. If Jimmy was seeing someone behind my back, then that was a bit of a different story. It meant he’d actually wanted it, planned it and gone out of his way to do it.
    I still felt guilty as hell, though.
    “I’m so sorry, Lucy. I should’ve told you sooner,” Claire said.
    “Don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault. I get why you didn’t tell me.”
    As I brushed my hair, I remembered something. “Oh, by the way, speaking of weird things happening last night, something else happened too.”
    “What?”
    “When Patrick went back into the house, I swear I heard someone else skulking around the yard. It was really creepy. It was probably just an animal, but I couldn’t shake this feeling that someone was right there outside, creeping around.”
    Goose bumps populated my arms as I filled her in. I’d completely forgotten about it till now in all my angst about Patrick, but when it had happened last night, it had really creeped me out.
    “Oh, god…that would’ve been freaky. Did you call the cops?” she asked, her voice tinged with concern.
    “No. Like I said, it was probably just an animal of some sort. Plus I don’t see how someone would get in. Hardly anyone has the security codes to get past the gate without being buzzed in. There’s us, our housekeeper, and a few maintenance guys. I think that’s pretty much it.”
    “Hm. It was probably just a cat, but be careful. You never know. If it happens again, call the cops.”
    “I will. Gotta go. Talk to you soon.”
    I headed out of the guesthouse to find Patrick lounging against his car, and my heart skipped a beat as I looked at him.
    “Finally ready to go, huh? I’ve only been waiting for about ten years,” he said, barely looking at me.
    “Not all of us wake up looking like a perfect ten,” I replied, opening the passenger door and climbing in. He snickered but didn’t respond.
    I’d thought it would be really awkward being around him after what had occurred last night, but he was back to being a dick, and somehow that comforted me and made it a lot easier to cope with. It made me feel like things were back to normal. Perhaps we could both pretend nothing had happened at all, and everything would be okay.
    “Um, what time does filming start?” I asked, trying to make conversation. Of course I sounded awkward as hell.
    “In two hours,” he replied, keeping his eyes on the road. “But we’ve all gotta get dressed and get makeup done. I really should’ve been there earlier.”
    “Sorry,” I mumbled. “I hardly got any sleep, so it took me ages to get ready. I feel like a sloth.”
    “It’s okay. Same with me,” he replied. He didn’t elaborate as to why he hadn’t slept much, and I didn’t press him.
    We arrived at the set forty-five minutes later, and I yawned as I followed Patrick into a large building. Lighting and camera staff, makeup artists, and all other kinds of studio workers were milling around, and a harried looking red-haired woman rushed over to us.
    “There you are! We need to get you into wardrobe right now!”
    Patrick gave her a lazy smile and held his hands up. “Calm down, Pam, it’ll be all right. Nice dress, by the way. Makes your eyes pop.”
    She rolled her eyes and gave me a half-hearted smile. “You’re the sister, right? Is he always so charming?”
    “He wishes,” I said.
    She laughed and then scurried off with Patrick, and I wandered over to the craft service table to grab a coffee. I sat down and watched the general goings-on for a while, and Patrick returned twenty minutes later, looking even hotter than usual in a pair of black designer jeans and a plain white T-shirt which accentuated his rippling