Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 102929 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102929 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
I never did.
I made my own…
There was too much at stake if I failed this, and I didn’t understand until later that losing was the consequence I was trying to run away from. Though when that finally occurred, it was too late. The damage was already done.
There was no turning back, nor was there any moving forward. We were all stuck in this triangle, where destiny captured us together.
* * *
Whether we wanted it to… or not.
Chapter
Thirteen
Kraven
“You’re so full of shit!” Brian shouted at me later that night. We were in the game room, playing pool.
I nodded to the corner pocket.
It was almost midnight, and the party was just getting started with swarms of people going in and out of the house. I couldn’t stop thinking about this weekend and what I willingly got myself into.
Julius might have been older, but he wasn’t wiser. I had inherited that trait. With him, everyone knew what they were getting.
He was stable.
Complacent.
Safe.
It was why Isla wouldn’t leave the house. Julius provided what she never had, and the longer she was there, the harder it was going to be to get rid of her. I mean, how long did she think this was going to go on for? She wasn’t my problem, yet now I was the one who was stuck with her all weekend.
One thing was for sure: I wasn’t going to change my plans or revolve my life around hers. She would have to tag along. Except she was going to play by my rules, and she wouldn’t even know it. If I were going to do this, I had to do it the right way to make it work.
Bottom line, I’d do whatever it took to get words out of her mouth. Even if it meant I had to play nice with her. She responded to Julius’s kindness and warmth. I was the exact opposite of that. Except when it came to getting what I wanted, I could pretend she meant something to me.
When, in reality, she meant nothing.
My brother was too emotional, too involved. He felt too much, exactly like our mother. You see, Julius had a heart.
I was certain…
I didn’t.
Cold.
Dark.
Calculated.
I was made this way.
Brian narrowed his eyes in my direction. “What’s going on with the redheaded bombshell sleeping under your roof?”
My lips twitched in amusement while uncertainty crossed his features.
“What do you think is happening?” I baited, seeing where this was going.
I never mentioned the black cat, and I suppose you could say I didn’t think anyone would notice her. Especially since she had done everything in her power to blend in, starting with her Wednesday Addams-inspired wardrobe.
“Is she sleeping with you or your brother?”
I cued up my pool stick, responding, “She mostly sleeps on the couch.”
“So who is she?”
“Why the sudden interest in who she is?”
“I don’t know. She’s been at your house for a while, hasn’t she?”
I shrugged. “I hadn’t noticed.”
“Bullshit.”
I chuckled.
“You don’t talk about her. Why is that?”
I shrugged again. “She’s not mine to talk about.”
“She’s your brother’s, then?”
“Why does that matter?”
“What’s with the attitude?” He laughed. “You like her or something?”
“Trust me, Brian, if I liked her, she wouldn’t be passing out on our couch.”
“Does that apply to your brother, too?”
I threw back a shot of tequila as a blond-haired girl chimed in, “Did someone finally tame Kraven Knightly?”
I had no idea who this girl was, but she obviously knew me. This was usually how it went down, and then I’d be called an asshole after they got what they wanted out of me.
There was a line I wouldn’t cross with Isla. Eventually, I’d eat my words and thoughts, feeling as if no one could get my heart racing and my cock hard quite like she could. Without even trying, which only infuriated me in ways I never imagined.
Nevertheless, I loved my brother more.
My choice was him…
Until we made her choose between us instead.
“Speaking of your growing fan base…” Brian mocked. “Where’s the third to your threesome tonight?”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I think I do. You don’t bring her around, and you’ve barely let us into your house these last couple of months. I’m assuming it has something to do with your new roommate.” He gulped down his shot before slamming it on the table. “Tits. Ass. Long legs that seem to go on forever.”
“Brian,” I coaxed, “I’m warning you.”
The blonde reached around me, grabbing a shot off the table. I slowly turned, keeping my eyes locked on hers.
I brought my focus back to him when Brian asked, “You’re telling me you don’t want to bury your dick deep inside her?”
My gaze met the blonde’s again, and she batted her lashes at me.
Looking only at her, I replied, “I could be persuaded.”
“I’m not talking about the blonde.”
My eyes shifted back to Brian. “What do you want from me? You want me to lie and tell you I want to ride off into the sunset with my brother’s girl?”