Page 1 of Butterfly

PROLOGUE

MASON

She was the most beautiful girl I’d seen in my entire life.

And I wanted her more than I wanted anything.

I watched as she spun around and around in another man’s arms, laughing on the dance floor at my father’s wedding. She was tiny and delicate, a pale, black-haired butterfly in a blue dress with hair like satin and skin like silk. And as my eyes followed her, I almost lost my footing—like the earth had tilted off its axis and even gravity had been thrown into chaos.

At eighteen, I’d already been with dozens of girls around my age, and a handful of older women, too. All gorgeous, all sexy, all eager to please. All entertaining until I came, and then immediately forgotten. Honestly, I was fucking bored with all of them. It didn’t bode well for my future. But this little slip of a thing caught my attention and held it like no one ever had. And even though I was only eighteen, I already knew no one would ever captivate me the way she did.

I wanted her.

I would have her.

Ignoring the fairy lights hanging from the trellis, the candles and flowers surrounding the pool at our family home, and the laughing, chattering guests, I focused on the guy she was with. Some young, skinny jackass who clearly didn’t realize what a loser he was, or how undeserving he was of the perfection in his arms. It wouldn’t take much to scare him off.

I was on my way to do so, and to get my hands on her tight, sweet, supple body, when a hand fell onto my shoulder and gripped hard.

“Mason,” my father said.

“Paul.” I’d stopped calling him Dad a long time ago. He’d stoppedbeinga dad after Mom had died five years ago and he’d abandoned me to his grief. And here he was, abandoning me again for some gold-digger he’d found and fallen for.

Well, fuck him.

Paul coughed. He hated when I called him by his first name.

“I’d like you to spend some time getting to know your new stepmother and stepsister. Anna’s still mingling with guests, but I’d like us to spend the rest of the summer together. And I see that you’ve spotted your stepsister, Leslie.”

My whole body went cold. I ripped my eyes off the butterfly in blue to turn and look at him. “What do you mean?”

He nodded toward the dance floor, face grim. “That’s your new stepsister.”

This time, I did stumble.

Stepsister.

My fantasy of introducing myself to her, seducing her, and seeing what her body looked like underneath that blue dress disappeared quickly as reality intruded. She was my stepsister. Not only could I not have her—neverhave her—she was the daughter of the woman I hated, the woman who was trying to replace my dead mother. I wanted nothing to do with this newfamily my father was assembling in an attempt to forget the love of his life who had given him everything.

My mother had been everything to me, until the car accident. Then she’d just been…gone. And my father acted like he’d forgotten.

I shoved those thoughts aside, continuing to watch her, my stepsister, the lust and awe burning into ash.

“Listen, Mason. I know I’m not your favorite person, and you’re angry at me for remarrying, but I’m telling you—treat our new family right, or I’ll make sure you regret it.” He squeezed my shoulder again, and I tried not to flinch. “You hear me?”

“I hear you,” I said through gritted teeth.

“Good.” He lifted a hand to his mouth. “Leslie, come join us.”

The butterfly paused, saying something to her partner. He kissed her—a light peck, but seeing his lips against hers made me want to break something.

I couldn’t help but stare at her bare legs as she made her way toward us. Even walking, she looked like she was dancing.

When she reached us, she stared up at me, her dark eyes soft and curious.

The ground threatened to start spinning again.

I ignored it—and the pain in my chest at knowing this perfect creature wouldn’t be mine. I’d always been good at projecting guilt and externalizing blame—I’d learned it from my father, after all. So it didn’t take much to shift my frustration at the universe into anger ather. This was her fault. She didn’t have to be so innocently seductive, such a forbidden temptation.

---