Sunkissed Read Online Free PDF Page B

then,” Nicolette said, grabbing her sister’s hand. “Tonight we have fun! Come on.”
    Nicolette hit the lights, darkening the living room. Only a few candles glittered throughout the area. “He thinks we’re having a romantic dinner. Just the two of us. I had everyone park their cars down the road at the neighbor’s house. Wait until he sees all of his friends here. He’ll be knocked out of his socks,” she whispered to Trista, still holding on to her hand. For a moment, it felt like they were still little girls playing dolls in their bedroom.
    Everyone got quiet as the front door opened. Trista could make out a tall figure standing in the doorway. “Nicolette?” he called out. “Where are you?”
    Trista held her breath. Suddenly the lights came on, more balloons and confetti dropped from the high ceiling, and everyone shouted, “SURPRISE!”
    Standing in the doorway was Nicolette’s boyfriend. He was the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome, wearing distressed jeans and a white, button-down shirt. Canvas deck shoes on his feet. He genuinely looked surprised as his eyes met Nicolette’s. Then he saw Trista.
    “Shit, shit, shit,” Trista mumbled under her breath as her eyes locked with Riker, Nicolette’s boyfriend. James and Riker were one and the same. She dropped Nicolette’s hand like a hot potato. “He’s knocked out of his socks, all right,” Trista whispered.

Chapter Seven
     
    “Trista, I want you to meet my boyfriend, James Riker.” Nicolette held his hand tightly. “James, this is my sister, Trista Carmichael.”
    He shook her hand with a bewildered smile on face. “Nice to meet you, Trista.” Riker turned his attention to Nicolette. “You never told me you had a sister.”
    “Well, Trista has been in Hollywood the last couple of years. She’s here for a quick visit.”
    Trista noticed her sister put an emphasis on the word quick. After Nicolette finds out that I slept with her boyfriend, I won’t be able to get out of here fast enough .
    “Hollywood, huh? What do you do there?” Riker asked, an amused look on his handsome face.
    Trista could see that he was struggling to maintain the conversation. All she wanted to do was go back upstairs and hide under the covers. She had slept with her sister’s boyfriend. How in the hell were they going to fix their relationship now? Nicolette would never forgive her. And why was Riker cheating on Nicolette? That was one thing she wouldn’t tolerate—once a cheater, always a cheater. That was why she and Blake would never work out. Trista had been through enough cheating scandals in her life. She thought about her father and how his cheating had caused the original rift between her and Nicolette.
    “She was on that show, You Only Live Once ,” Nicolette said.
    “So, you’re an actress?” he asked her, genuinely surprise.
    Trista nodded as Riker studied her with renewed interest.
    “I forgot. The only TV that James watches is the sports channel. I don’t think he has ever seen anything else on TV other than a football game.
    “ The Simpsons ,” Riker said.
    “Huh?” Nicolette asked.
    “I watch The Simpsons on Sunday nights.”
    “Right. Anyway, let’s go get you a beer.” Nicolette led Riker away while Trista stood in shock. She didn’t know what was worse. Her sister dating a cheater or her sister finding out that Trista was the one who’d slept with her boyfriend.
    For the rest of the party Trista managed to avoid Riker. She would leave a room when she saw him enter and find somewhere else to hang out. After a couple of hours, though, she got tired of the cat-and-mouse game. Trista went upstairs and changed into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. Quietly, she slipped out the back door and headed for the soft, sandy beach. If not for the surprise party, this would have been a perfect night. The moon was full, the waves were softly crashing onto the beach, and the air was cool but not too cold. Trista relished the feeling of