"Running away from me, stepsister?"
I squeezed my eyes shut for a fraction of a second before forcing myself to turn around.
"I wasn't running," I lied, keeping my voice as steady as possible. "I was just getting some water before I called my Uber."
Cole didn't say a word at first.
He just reached into the open cabinet beside him, pulled out a clean crystal glass, and filled it from the fridge dispenser.
He set it down on the marble island and slid it smoothly across the polished surface until it stopped right in front of me.
It was such a casual, considerate gesture, which made the sharp, piercing look in his dark eyes even more jarring.
He crossed his arms over his broad chest, leaning his weight back against the counter.
"Right," he said slowly in a low voice. "Just like you w
