Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 105306 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 527(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105306 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 527(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
“And are you?” His gaze shifts pointedly to Ryann, who blinks.
Points to her chest. “Me?”
“Yes, you. Are you wholesome?”
“Jesus, Duke, could you not?” I growl. “Can I keep talking or are you going to keep interrupting with stupid questions?”
“They’re not stupid questions—they’re relevant.”
They’re not, though.
“Whatever. Let me finish my story.”
His arms cross and he leans back into the cushioned chair. “Fine.”
As if I need his permission—although he does own this house. We just live here by his good grace, and so he can write it off on his taxes.
“So I met Ryann, and for whatever reason, we just…clicked.”
When Ryann snorts, we both look at her.
“Sorry, but we didn’t click. I couldn’t stand you, remember?”
I grin. “Oh, yeah, I forgot about that.” I look at my brother. “She couldn’t stand me, which basically meant she was perfect. So I asked her to help me out and do me a favor, and she agreed.”
Duke is quiet when I finish my spiel. “Why would you agree if you couldn’t stand him? What was in it for you?”
I squeeze her hand.
“Nothing was in it for me, but at the time, I thought he was such an asshole and needed to be taught a lesson. It didn’t take long for me to realize none of that was true. So…” She shrugs. “I helped him because he was my friend.”
“Your friend,” Duke deadpans.
“Right. Then just as things were getting serious between us, the first story blew up and almost ruined everything.”
“So there was nothing between you and the blonde from the pictures?”
“No, Duke, did you not see the halftime report today?”
“I watched it on my flight, but we both know even videos can be deceiving.”
He’s not wrong about that.
People—celebrities and athletes—pull PR stunts all the time to get their name in the news, the even bad publicity is good publicity bullshit I can’t stand.
“So I wanted to come see for myself.”
It’s then that Drake and Drew come busting back into the living room, unable to stand the suspense.
“Did Dallas tell you I busted in on him banging?” Drake is eating a chip off the plate he’s bringing me after he probably already ate most of them in the kitchen from the bag, plucking another one as he hands it to me.
“Oh God,” Ryann whispers beside me. “Shoot me now.”
I feel her shrink down as I smack my brother’s hand away when he reaches for another chip.
“What the fuck—who says that.” I snarl at my brother. “Ryann is sitting right here, asshole. Don’t be rude.”
“Yes, he told me you were upstairs when I arrived.”
If anyone can keep a straight face, it’s Duke; years of lying to our father to prevent us from getting our asses chewed came in handy when we were kids, and lying is coming in handy now.
forty-seven
ryann
“Picturing you naked is the most productive thing I’ve done all day.”
– Dallas
“Did Dallas tell you I busted in on him banging?”
Why are these guys like this?
I want to shrivel up and fade into the couch or sink into a black hole.
“What the fuck—who says that. Ryann is sitting right here, asshole. Don’t be rude.”
I give him props for sticking up for me, or at least letting his brother know his comment was rude. He doesn’t have to blurt out the first thing that pops into his brain.
Or—I don’t know—at least don’t do it in front of my face?
The guys continue talking about the drama with Tiffany; Duke shares a few close encounters with fan girls, stalkers, and mega-fans with no boundaries. He shares a story about Posey and the time he accosted one of her dates in a parking lot before they started dating.
I discover they have the same agent, Eli Cohen, and that the twins haven’t signed with one yet. They chat about Eli and his girlfriend, their circle of trust sounding incredibly small.
Duke asks me questions about myself: where am I from (Illinois), what do my parents think of all this (my dad is thrilled, my mom is horrified), what’s my major (mass comm).
He isn’t warm and fuzzy, but he also isn’t a complete asshole.
And…
The resemblances between the four brothers are uncanny; I would guess they were brothers even if I never saw them in the same room together and no one had told me they were related.
Big.
Broody (except for Drew, who is upbeat and cheerful).
Thick brows. Thick necks.
Thick muscles.
Tan skin.
Duke looks expensive, like a man who can walk into a high-end department store and buy whatever he wants because he can.
Expensive sneakers.
Joggers that probably cost more than my entire outfit.
Hoodie with fabric so fine I can see the sheen from here.
His face hasn’t been shaved, but I can see that his hair has been freshly cut.
It’s shorter than his brothers’ hair, but it’s the same color as theirs, and I wonder if they resemble their mother or father or both.