Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 111038 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 555(@200wpm)___ 444(@250wpm)___ 370(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111038 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 555(@200wpm)___ 444(@250wpm)___ 370(@300wpm)
“Stop worrying,” Zeke said, indicating Aspen. “Make up with your brother. Have his girl come around. Those chicks won’t fuck with your girl. They ain’t dumb.”
It… I had to stop and make sure I’d heard what I heard. And I had.
I scowled at him, but there was no heat. There was merit in Zeke’s suggestion. Bren Monroe was a fighter. She fought dudes. She could more than handle the girls.
“One mistake in that scenario,” I said after a moment.
“What’s that?”
I held Aspen close. “No way am I hanging out with my brother this summer. He doesn’t get my summer.”
Aspen tensed and lifted her head. She was watching me, and for once I avoided her gaze. I didn’t want her to see inside of me, and I knew she would. I felt stripped raw in front of her. Then she caught my chin and made me look her in the eye.
Her eyes were fierce.
I tried to look away.
“Hey.” She leaned in, resting her forehead against mine. “He doesn’t get anything else. It’s not like that. You got a brother. That’s what you get.” She lifted her head, bringing her mouth to my ear. “And you got a dad. A good dad.”
See? Straight to the bone.
I closed my eyes, looking away, but I stroked the side of her face. Rubbing a thumb over her cheek, I looked again, and she had paused—literally in the palm of my hand—the sight moved me. I started to melt. I didn’t know what it was, like that whole thudding feeling I’d felt a week ago, when something clinked into place.
It was deep.
It was strong.
It was life changing.
And it scared the piss out of me.
I let out a sigh. “Maybe we should go?”
Her eyes dropped to my mouth. “That sounds good.”
I groaned as she stood, and I moved right behind her. I had a hard-on to hide, though every jackass in this room knew what I was sporting. My hands remained on her hips, and I let her lead us out of the room.
“You taking off?”
Zeke held up his hand as we passed him.
I met it with mine. “Catch you later?”
“Yeah.”
Aspen kept going, so he watched us as we moved through the room.
“Party tomorrow night?”
That would be Saturday night before graduation, and when Aspen almost stumbled over a step, I remembered there was a situation there. But I’d wait to ask, like I was waiting on addressing the issue of her parents. Timing had to be perfect.
“Let’s talk tomorrow,” I called over my shoulder.
He nodded. “Got it. Have fun.”
Aspen started out into the hallway, but I caught her hand and moved ahead. Guess my dick was going to lead us.
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Zeke called.
My hand squeezed Aspen’s. “That’s virtually nothing.”
His laughter sounded behind us as I took her out through his patio doors and skirted around the far side of his pool. It saved us from going through the house, but we still came around the side of his house as a group walked up the driveway.
They saw us and stopped. Whatever had been said, whoever was laughing, all of it died.
“Good grief, Blaise,” said the girl closest to me. “What happened to you?”
I grimaced and drew Aspen in front of me. I used her shamelessly as my shield. I was desperate. Ducking my head to her shoulder, I nipped her skin before grinning at my sister. “Your twin thing must be off, Taz.”
Aspen faltered again, almost falling back, but I manhandled her. I hurried her past my sister’s friends. She was there with girls who I knew had fucked Zeke, and a couple other guys too. I recognized her boyfriend, and he was throwing me definite shade, but I didn’t care.
“Blais—hey!”
I guided Aspen down the driveway.
Taz followed me to the street. “Jerk face! Stop.”
I chuckled. My sister was learning how to talk to me. This was better than the other bullshit she’d tried.
“Not now. I got somewhere to be.” I turned around, taking Aspen’s hand. I kept walking backward, so Aspen kept going too. “I need some alone time. You know how it is.” I gestured to her boyfriend. “It’s nice to see you two crazy kids worked it out, huh?”
The guy was full-on scowling at me now. He crossed his arms. The other guy with him gave him a cautious look.
Taz stopped, her hands in the air. “I’ve called you, like, twenty times over the last month. You never answer.”
A strangled laugh left my throat. She had no idea.
“What happened to your face?”
We kept going.
Taz stood on her tiptoes, as if that would help her. “I deserve to know, you know!”
I felt an asshole statement coming. I tried to squash it, because Taz had always been nice to me. She was eager for a relationship. But I couldn’t stop my mouth. “Yeah. Call your real brother first. Then we’ll see what you say.”