Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33243 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33243 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
7
ALEC
Zara interacting with my brothers wasn’t something I expected to witness tonight.
But I couldn’t deny the way my chest expanded when I saw her smile at something Jasper or Jameson said. She’s comfortable with them and them with her, which is interesting. Because while my brothers look extroverted and sociable enough, they’re actually not … especially with people they’ve just met. Like me, they’re extra wary of who they let into our small circle. They can do small talk, sure, but they won’t go out of their way to make sure others feel comfortable.
Without even saying it, it’s clear that they all welcome her to the fold. Even Justin.
“Your brothers are nice,” Zara says.
That makes me laugh. “You can say that.”
“I have a question that’s been nagging at me since meeting them. Why does everyone’s name start with J but not yours?”
“You picked up on that, huh?”
“Hard not to. Jameson, Jasper, Justin. You’re Alec.”
“I’m actually James Alexander. I go by Alec because James and Jameson sound similar enough.”
Her face lights up in understanding. “Oh, right. Wow. That’s like a rich kid’s name.” She shoots me a look. “This is gonna sound weird, but I’ve never really asked your last name.”
I stiffen at this because it will take one Google search before she finds out who I am, before she finds out who we all are. “Fielding.”
“James Alexander Fielding. You have a trust fund or something?” She says it jokingly, but the humor dies on her face when I nod.
“Yes. All of us when we turned 18. We knew about it when our parents died.”
Her ears turn red, and she covers her face with her hands. “I am so sorry, Alec. Sometimes, my mouth works faster than my brain does.”
“It’s okay. It’s been a long time.”
We walk quietly after that, and I remember my conversation with Jameson earlier. Before they left, he pulled me to the side to talk.
“She seems like a good one, brother,” he told me.
“She is.”
“Then?”
“Then, what?”
“What is this throwing looks of desire when the other one isn’t watching?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
He gave me a look that said he didn’t believe it one bit. “You stare at her with so much longing when you think she’s not looking. And she does the same.”
“That’s not possible.”
He huffed. “You’ve been through so much, more so than the rest of us. Let yourself be happy. God knows how much you need it.”
“I don’t deserve someone like her.”
“Ah, there it is.”
“What?”
“You thinking you’re beneath her.”
“I am.”
“You’re not, Alec. You deserve love and happiness, just like everyone else.”
“I only met her a few days ago.”
“I’m not telling you to marry her tomorrow, Alec. Just … just give it a shot, will you? Who knows? This might change your life … for the better.”
“But with everything we’ve been doing, I don’t—”
“There’s four of us, brother. You being happy for once will not derail anything. Trust me.”
“It makes me feel guilty.”
“For what?”
“That I’m gonna choose to spend time with her while all of you—”
“You suffered at the hands of our uncle while the three of us enjoyed boarding school. I was partying the night he burned you. Listen, I never forbid you anything. Never. But this time, I’m gonna forbid you from feeling even an ounce of guilt.”
“But—”
“I love you, Alec, and I will never move past the fact that I was partying left and right while he was beating you. I thought of myself and only myself, but ever since you came back to us with that scar, I made it my mission to make your life—all of yours—as happy as possible. I’m not trying to control you, but I’m not above giving you a bit of a nudge here and there. That’s what big brothers do.”
Zara swipes the keycard and turns the knob. She hovers in the middle of the doorway, eyes scanning the floor, gnawing on her bottom lip. “You, uhm, want to come in?”
Do I? More than anything. But if I step foot in her apartment, I’m gonna cross a line I’ll never come back from.
I’ve tasted her lips, and the desire to taste the rest of her is almost overwhelming. Once won’t be enough. A lifetime won’t be enough.
Something snaps in me.
“Ah, fuck it,” I growl and pull Zara into my arms, crushing my lips to hers, half-pushing and half-dragging her inside.
Kicking the door closed behind us, I cup her face and kiss her like I’m sucking her soul, my hands running over her curves and dips, and those tits.
Fuck, she tastes even better. So much better than last time. She leans into me while I push my tongue into her mouth, tasting icing and cupcake and all of her.
Without any urging, Zara unbuckles my pants and shoves a hand into my boxers, making me hiss when her fingers wrap around my cock. “Zara, fuck.”