“No,” I rush out.
“Then what’s the problem?”
“I … I don’t know. I don’t trust people who so effortlessly change who they are.”
Jensen holds my stare before finally letting out a heavy sigh. “You aren’t the first step sister I was required to play nice with, Bri. I’ve honestly lost count. It’s easier to push people away with leers and innuendos than to demand my personal space. When I realized you bought into those bullshit rapist rumors at school, I couldn’t do it anymore. It’s one thing to have people whispering behind my back but having someone I live with being afraid to be in the same room with me was a kick in the gut.”
“I’m not scared of you.”
His brow arches as his lips press into a hard line. “Uh-huh.”
I study him, watching as he gets back to eating his lunch. “You really didn’t do it?”
“Hurt that girl?” he clarifies, glancing my way. I nod and he shakes his head. “Wouldn’t dream of it. Believe what you want to believe, but I’m not a bad guy. She’d been sending me nudes for weeks and asking to fuck, so when she approached me at school and dragged me into the bathroom, I was all too eager. When some guy walked in on us, she got embarrassed and ran off. By the end of the day, the whole school knew we’d been hooking up. I don’t know who got her parents involved, but I guess they were angry. She said I’d forced myself on her, and that split-second decision fucked with my whole future.”
“How so?”
“I had three Ivy league colleges lined up, and her parents saw to it that my acceptance letters were rescinded. Even after the girl came clean and her parents made a statement to the colleges, the damage was done. The world thinks I’m a fucking rapist, and no matter how many courts rule in my favor and clear my name, I’ll always be seen that way. Even the asshole who walked in on us testified that everything seemed consensual from his point of view, and that’s a lot coming from him. Brady and I didn’t exactly get along in high school. I was a bit of an outcast, so it was only too easy for the masses to believe the lie.”
I lean against the counter, that same heaviness from earlier coming back twofold. I can’t imagine how hard an accusation like that must be, and for the slightest moment, I wonder if that’s what I’ve been doing to Colby, but my gut tells me he’s guilty. As for Jensen, looking at him now, I see just how genuine he is. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still definitely weird, but a rapist? Far from it. “I’m sorry,” I tell him, “I judged you too soon, and I feel like shit about that.”
He shrugs his shoulders. “It’s fine. I’m used to it.”
“Nobody should ever be used to something like that,” I tell him. “Though there’s just one thing I don’t understand.”
“What’s that?”
“What was with all the step-sibling relationship shit? I mean, I know that shit is hot in porn and books, but that’s fucked up.”
Jensen laughs, embarrassment flooding his features. “Fuck,” he mutters under his breath before raising his gaze, his lips pressed into a hard line. “You want the complete truth?”
“Always.”
“I was trying to scare you and your mom off,” he says. “You guys are the third mother-daughter duo my father has moved in here over the past two years, and honestly, I’m fucking bored of the routine. I don’t mean to offend you, I kind of like the way you stand up to my father. It’s entertaining, but I’m sick of having to pretend like each new woman is something special when they’re not. In the sincerest way possible, you and your mom will be out on your ass in three months tops.”
I nod, getting it. “I kinda figured as much.”
“Yep,” he says. “That day at brunch when I was staring at you, I wanted you to fear me. I did the same thing to your mom, but she was too caught up doting on my father while he paid her absolutely no attention. No offense, but the woman is kinda daft. That’s beside the point, though. I wanted you both to feel uneasy about moving in here, but it clearly didn’t work. Your mom was all too eager to throw you to the wolves, even after I followed you into the bathroom.”
“That was fucked up by the way.”
He laughs. “I consider it some of my best work,” he says, his eyes sparkling with laughter. “You were freaked out and wary about being here, and at first, I think your mom was too, but anything my father says is religion to her.”
Letting out a sigh, I meet his stare. “Okay, here’s the deal,” I tell him. “You and I don’t have to be friends, we don’t even have to acknowledge each other when we’re here, but I’ll chill on the bitchy attitude if you promise to keep being normal.”