Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 121460 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 486(@250wpm)___ 405(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121460 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 486(@250wpm)___ 405(@300wpm)
Mind you, he was Brodan. He was the best-looking guy in Ardnoch. Maybe even the entire county. Not that his looks were the primary reason I was in love with or even attracted to him. I loved Brodan’s openness with me when he was so closed off with anyone outside of his family. I loved that I knew things about him no one else did, like how he still enjoyed eating Chewits and ready-salted crisps at the same time. A “delicacy” he’d discovered when we were kids. Yuck. I smiled to myself at the thought. I loved how loyal he was to me and his family. He was popular, but he wasn’t a bully. He treated everyone with the kindness they deserved until they proved otherwise, but even then, he wasn’t mean. If you were a shitty person, he just wouldn’t give you his time.
But yeah, I was attracted to him.
My body reacted to his in a way that it never reacted to Phil’s.
I didn’t feel that deep tug of need in my belly when I looked at Phil, the way I did when I focused on Brodan’s hands or his broad back and shoulders. I didn’t get butterflies when Phil smiled at me, but I sure as hell did whenever Brodan gave me his boyish grin.
“I can’t wait for you to get away from that woman.” Brodan brought my thoughts back to the confession about my mum. He turned his head to look at me. “You know she’s wrong, right? She’s just scared of being alone, so she’s saying anything to make you stay.”
I shrugged, as if I didn’t care. “It’s only pushing me further away.”
“I’m sorry.” He nudged me with his arm. “You deserve so much better.”
I gave him a sad smile.
“So, is she the only reason you’ve been quiet lately? You haven’t spent much time with Phil …,” he said with an uncharacteristic tentativeness. However, the truth was Brodan didn’t talk to me about Phil unless he had to. I think it was weird for him that I’d started dating. I think maybe he wanted me to stay in a place where he didn’t have to acknowledge I was a girl.
“We broke up.” I smoothed the hem of my dress, even though it didn’t need smoothing. When I glanced at Brodan to see his reaction to my news, I found his attention on my hemline. Or my legs. Sensing my stare, his eyes jerked to mine.
“When did you break up?”
“A week ago.”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“I was processing.”
Brodan scowled. “Please don’t tell me you’re upset about it. He wasn’t good enough for you, Sunset. I’m fucking glad you broke up.”
Indignation roared through me. “Nice.”
He sighed. “I’m just being honest. The guy is a prick.”
“There is nothing wrong with Phil. If anyone wasn’t good enough for anybody, I wasn’t good enough for him.”
Scoffing, Brodan shook his head. “He’s lucky you gave him the time of day. I still don’t know why you did.”
“Because he was nice. And funny. I didn’t treat him right. Brodan, I just … I didn’t … I’m not like you. I can’t just have sex with someone and be okay about it if I don’t have genuine feelings for them.”
My friend shot up, drawing his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. He gaped out of the small turret window, sounding choked as he asked, “Did you … did you have sex with Phil?”
At his disbelieving tone, I felt a mix of anger and hurt. “That’s so hard to believe?”
Brodan swallowed hard, still not looking at me. “No, ’course not. I just didn’t realize you were that serious about him.”
“It wasn’t that I was serious about him. I wanted to have sex, so we had sex.”
“Right.”
At his refusal to look at me, hurt won over, and I felt myself retreating. “I’m going to go.”
He whipped around, his hand landing on my knee. “No. No, don’t.”
My skin tingled where he touched me. Brodan used to touch me casually all the time. It never used to bother me. Now it was like being hit by a jolt of electricity. “Can you handle talking about this? I’m not Arro, you know.”
Brodan wrinkled his nose as he removed his hand from my leg and wrapped his arms around his knees again. “One, Arro is never allowed to have sex, ever. Not happening. Sex does not exist for Arrochar Adair.”
I giggled, and Brodan’s expression lightened.
“Two”—his gaze drifted over my face and quickly swept my body before he looked away—“you’re not my sister, Roe. We’re best buds. We can talk about anything.” He met my eyes again. “I promise.”
“I can talk to you about this?”
“Of course.” Suddenly, his countenance darkened. “Did he hurt you?”
“No.” I grimaced. “But it was bad.” So bad, it might have put me off sex for good if I wasn’t so sure that there was something missing.