I wondered if she still thought of me as a “bad boy.” I certainly liked disrupting her good-girl image. With that thought in mind, I slipped one thin strap off her shoulder.
Corsica pushed back again. "Penn," she muttered.
"Can't I have my birthday wish?" I asked, peppering her hesitant mouth with kisses. "I can't get you out of my mind. I need you."
She frowned and pushed up to sitting. Corsica smoothed down her hair, but I caught her hand before she could tug her dress strap back into place.
"We can go in my bedroom if you're worried about someone seeing us here," I said.
Corsica blinked and shook her head. Her frown deepened. "Penn, what is that?"
I twisted to see what she was studying, and my stomach clenched. Behind me on the end table was a framed photograph of me with both of my parents. I was young, maybe fourteen, and without my beard and tattoos; I looked exactly like my father. Xavier stood behind me, one hand on my shoulder, his other arm tight around Alice's waist.
"I can explain," I said, sitting up.
"No," Corsica gave a humorless laugh. "I probably should have seen it earlier, but I was, I don't know, waiting to get to know you better. I really wanted an evening with just you, too."
"Then, let's do that."
She held up both hands. "So, the only reason you don't have any money is because you won't forgive your father?"
I gaped as Corsica stood up. "What?"
She tossed her hair. "It makes sense. I mean, it matches this whole image you've got going. You're the penniless black sheep. You had some big fight with Xavier, and he wants to make amends, but you won't let him."
"It's not so easy to forgive him," I grumbled.
"So what if it's not easy? What if it's the right thing to do?" Corsica put her hands on her hips and then threw them in the air. "Stubborn is not an attractive quality. Happy birthday, Penn. I hope you grow up."
I stood, but I couldn’t stop her. The words couldn't get past the lump in my throat. She finally saw exactly the image I wanted to project, and it left me feeling hollow. What I really wished for was that Corsica could know all of me.
Chapter Nine
Corsica
"Why would it be about the money?" I hissed into my phone. "I never thought he had any in the first place."
"Oh, please," Ginny snorted. "You were on board as soon as you saw him head up those VIP stairs in the dance club. You're a sucker for someone well-connected, and the most well-connected usually have money."
"That wasn't why I went home with him," I snapped. I was shut in my guest room, but I went into the bathroom and closed the door just in case.
"Oooh, now we're getting to the good stuff," Ginny said. "So, why did you go home with him in the first place?"
"I-I was mad at Joshua. And you."
"Me?"
"Yes. You were making fun of me for not knowing how to celebrate. You didn't think I could cut loose."
Ginny i
nterrupted, "So you snagged the first hot guy you saw that looked nothing like Joshua and you let him take you home."
"No," I ground my teeth in frustration. "It was more than that. I mean, Joshua was trying to make me leave and he grabbed my arm. Penn stepped in like a white knight. He was going to give me a ride wherever I wanted to go."
"You know it's okay to admit you're attracted to him, right?"
"I am not," I snapped. "He's not my type at all."