Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 100470 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100470 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
“I think it’s going to take a lot more than one sip.”
He chuckles. “One sip. Sure.”
Shrugging, I take another one. This one warms my entire chest. It feels good.
“Want to talk about it?” Rowdy asks, settling on the floor beside the wolves. “I can tell something’s eating you.”
I scrub my palm over my face and sigh. “It’s…hard to talk about.”
“Like admitting what happened to me while in town with Evan? Yeah, I get that. I think you owe me your story since I gave you mine.”
He has a point.
Question is, can I trust him?
“What if you hate me for it?”
His head cocks to the side, reminding me of Mage. “Unless you hurt someone I love, I don’t see why I’d hate you.”
“It’s more like they hurt me.” I frown before taking another long pull of the tequila. “So fucking badly.”
“Spill it. I promise not to judge.”
A heavy sigh rattles out of me. “Man, everything’s such a mess.”
“Ronan?”
My gaze snaps to his. “Partly. How’d you know?”
“You were fine until we got back home. Figured it had something to do with him.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose and squeeze my eyes shut. “I got jealous when those people first showed up here. He liked Logan.” A laugh barks out of me. “I didn’t want him looking at him like that or kissing him or letting him touch him. I told him it should be me.”
Jerking my eyes back open, I study Rowdy, searching for some sort of judgment. When I don’t find anything but an impassive look, I continue.
“I kissed our brother, Rowdy. Got him off with my hand too.”
“Do our parents know?”
“Fuck no,” I growl. “They can’t ever know. Mom loses her shit anytime we’re alone with Raegan.”
His features darken. “This is about her, too?”
“It’s so messed up,” I choke out. “I’ve been fucking around with them both. Kissing and touching. She got me off the other day and Ronan lost his shit.”
To his credit, Rowdy doesn’t gape at me in horror. His eyes are narrowed slits, but he listens intently, not interrupting as I keep on rambling.
“While in captivity, Ronan had sex with Raegan. Like actual penetrative sex. I was so pissed.” I rub a palm over my head, noting that the hair is already growing out since Aunt Eve buzzed it. “I was jealous, Rowdy. And then…”
His brow lifts, urging me on.
“And then I walked in on them having sex today in my cabin. I was so pissed,” I hiss, tightening my hold around the tequila bottle. “What if Mom and Dad had caught them? What would have happened then?”
He sighs heavily, taking in all of my confession. Then he reaches for the bottle. I take another swig before passing it over to him.
“You’re right. That shit is fucked-up.”
We both laugh and then I groan. “Yeah, man, it really is. How am I supposed to stay with Ronan right now when I can’t decide if I want to kiss him or kill him?”
“You can’t,” he says with a shake of his head. “It’s too messy. Stay here. Maybe things will cool down. You know you can’t let that shit continue, right? Dad will…” He trails off, head bowing. “Dad won’t take it well.”
A bitter laugh escapes me. “And that brings me to the rest of this fucked-up story. Wild says Dad’s not just Mom’s wife. He’s her father. Her actual father. The age gap between them has always been huge.”
He blinks several times, digesting my words. “Wild embellishes the truth. He likes to push buttons and see how far he can antagonize someone until they lose their shit.”
“I know,” I grunt, “but his story adds up. Don’t you ever wonder how Mom and Dad ended up here in the first place? Why they don’t go live on the outskirts of town with Uncle Atticus and Aunt Eve? It also makes sense why they’re so paranoid about leaving Raegan alone with us.”
“Their paranoia is warranted,” Rowdy reminds me. “You guys did exactly what you’re accusing them of doing.”
“You’re supposed to be making me feel better not worse.”
“I’m not a bullshitter like Wild. I’ll tell you like it is.” He hands the tequila back to me. “But I’m still your older brother who’s going to look out for you. I will always have your back. Stay here until this all blows over.” He flashes me a smirk. “Keep your dick in your pants. I’m not Ronan.”
I flip him off but feel decidedly lighter. Maybe this is exactly what I need. A break from both Ronan and Raegan. At least I won’t be a part of what they’re doing. It won’t get me into trouble and I won’t have to be tormented by it day by day.
I can move past this.
I have to if I want to keep my heart and sanity intact.