Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22339 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22339 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
“I hate your brother,” I insist, knowing it’s a lie.
He chuckles, giving me a half-cocked smirk that reminds me of Colter, and I sigh because I love his brother so much. “No, you don’t. You love him and he loves you.”
I want to cry because his love isn’t the same love I have for him and that’s when I see the girl he brought with him and she’s talking to another guy. “As a friend.”
“She’s just a friend,” Grant says, tilting his head.
“With benefits.” The thought of him putting his lips on her, kissing her the way he kissed me so fiercely, grinding on her like he’d just done to me, was unbearable.
“No, she’s not, but you didn’t hear that from me, so don’t upset your pretty little head about that.” He tapped the crown of my head like I was a child. Grant has always treated the both of us like kids and still teasingly calls his brother a kid just because they’re five years apart in age.
“Why would he bring her then?” I challenged. He knew that bringing her would lead to speculation.
“Because she has no family or friends and he wanted her to meet some people. I think she danced with a couple of men here tonight while my brother kept his eyes on you.”
“I don’t understand him.” I shake my head.
Grant taps his head and says, “I told you, manufacturer’s defect.”
“So there’s no fixing?” I ask with the playful smile.
“Who knows?” He shrugs and leads the way toward his happy wife. We grab his wife and head back to my apartment, where they drop me off and I’m allowed to sulk in my misery.
I recap my night in as I strip out of my slutty Christmas outfit. I kissed Colter, and when he started to kiss me back, it was everything I imagined it would be like. It should have been amazing, but then he pushed me away, regretting it. Despite Grant’s reassurance, he doesn’t know what his brother does while he’s at school. I have to get over the fact that Colter doesn’t see me as a lover but as a little sister he has to look after. Yes he got aroused, but who wouldn’t when a half-naked girl is climbing all over you?
Chapter One
Bethany
It’s almost two weeks until Christmas and I have six hours straight of classes today, so it’s good because then it means fewer days traveling to and from the college. I step out of my parents’ house and gasp, nearly bumping right into Colter. “What are you doing here?” I hiss, giving him my best glare.
“I’m driving you to school today,” he answers. He doesn’t even live in Holly Hills anymore since he works and lives in New York City permanently. Something happened after Christmas last year because he dropped out of med school and quit working for the delivery service.
I haven’t seen him in weeks because he’s only around on weekends to visit his parents, and I do my best to avoid him when possible.
“You don’t even live in Holly Hills. Shouldn’t you be at work or with your girl?”
He gives me a frown. “What I need to do is take you to school? Are you ready?”
“I don’t need a ride to school; as you can see I have my own car.” I point to my vehicle, which is not in the best shape with old wipers and tires that are not road-worthy.
“Yes, you can just drive in a blizzard all by yourself with your tires balder than your Uncle Tim’s head.”
“Hey, they’re not that damn bad.” I cross my arms with a huff.
“Don’t lie; you were skidding into the bakery. You almost hit Holiday’s delivery truck.” I rolled my eyes because that shit was super scary and he’s right. I nearly destroyed my best friend’s main source for delivering her baked goods. It’s not like her husband couldn’t have whipped up a replacement, but it wasn’t like I could afford to repair the damage. Unfortunately, I wasn’t wealthy like Holiday and I’m still a college student.
“Let’s get in before the weather starts to turn,” he says, taking my book bag off my arm.
He sets it in the back seat before opening my door and waiting for me to climb into his SUV. It’s super nice and brand new. I hadn’t seen this one compared to his older one last year. How could he afford it now?
I wait until he climbs in before I ask, “This is a nice ride? Is this Grant’s?”
“No, it’s mine,” he says, buckling his seatbelt before looking at mine to reassure himself that I’m strapped in before pulling out of my parents’ driveway.
“So, do you work for the mob or something?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Oh. What about work? Are you a driver in the city?”
“No, I’m not a driver.”