Read Sunkissed for Free Online Page B

and Blue Mountain Beach.
    The next morning Trista awoke to the smell of bacon, eggs, and coffee. She felt a little stiff and sore, remembering her rendezvous with Riker at the beach last night. Trista felt a confusing sense of remorse and happiness. She tried to think it through. Riker was someone she’d just met. Why did she feel such a pull to this man? It was purely sexual attraction, she reasoned. She didn’t know one thing about him except that he dated her sister and worked as a bartender at the Liars Club. That was it. Her sister was in love with this man, and whether or not he felt the same way about Nicolette…that was a moot point. Trista wasn’t going to hurt Nicolette. She would follow through with her plan and start getting ready to move to New York. Florida had never been a long-term thing anyway. She needed to put a thousand miles between herself and Riker.
    Happy with her decision, Trista eased out of bed. Throwing on a robe, she opened her blinds and peered outside. The sky was an angry mix of purple and grey, and the waves were at least three-feet high, throwing foamy water onto the beach. A storm was definitely brewing.
    “Oh my God, my head. Why do I drink so much when I know the next morning I’ll be paying for it?” Nicolette asked as she saw Trista coming down the back stairs to the kitchen. “Thank goodness I don’t have to work today.”
    “It’s just as well. Have you seen the weather?” Trista asked as she walked by, grabbing a mug from the cupboard.
    “It’s Florida. One minute it’s raining and the next the sun is out. It’ll blow over soon.” Nicolette made herself another cup of coffee. “I made some eggs and bacon.”
    “I’m good, thanks. Just need coffee.”
    “Where did you slip off to last night?”
    The question made Trista stop in her tracks. She wasn’t sure how to answer it. Did Nicolette see Riker follow Trista last night? “What do you mean?”
    “I saw you leave the party and head down the beach.”
    Trista turned her back on Nicolette, stalling for time to think about her response, and concentrated on selecting a pod of coffee from the rack. Nicolette had stocked up on all kinds of K-cups, including a mix of flavored coffee. Trista selected a hazelnut breakfast blend, sticking it in the coffeemaker’s contraption. “I just needed to clear my head and get some fresh air. A walk on the beach usually helps.”
    “Did you get to know James?”
    Trista paused. That was a loaded question, for sure. She’d gotten to know Riker inside and out. But, she didn’t think Nicolette had seen her having a rendezvous with her so-called boyfriend. They had been situated a pretty good ways down from the beach house and covered by the sand dunes. “Um, yeah. A little. Why do you call him James? I noticed that everyone at the party seems to know him by Riker.”
    Nicolette shrugged. “I dunno. I think calling someone by their last name is…kinda high schoolish. I just think James is more fitting.”
    Trista couldn’t disagree more. Riker was a perfect fit. He was unlike any other man she’d ever met. Most guys she knew who went by James—instead of Jim or Jimmy—were usually the nerdy types. Leave it to her sister to try to change someone into something they weren’t.
    “I saw you two walking up from the beach last night. I figured he would try to win you over with his charm and quick wit.” Nicolette stared at her sister over her coffee mug. It was making Trista very nervous. “What do you think?”
    Trista wasn’t sure where this was going. So her sister did see them walking on the beach. Did Nicolette suspect something? “Think about what?”
    Nicolette sighed. “Wake up, Trista. What did you think about my boyfriend?”
    “Uh, I think he’s a nice guy.”
    “So…what did you guys talk about?” Nicolette asked impatiently.
    Trista didn’t know how to answer that question either. It was too damn early in the morning for this kind of interrogation from