Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 89658 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89658 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
My brother slides his hands into his hair, his shoulders slumping forward. “I will ruin him.”
“He tried to kiss me and then brush it off. There are so many worse things that happen in the world, Caleb. I don’t want to cause problems. I don’t want to be the focus of a lengthy legal battle. Besides, it’s his word against mine, and he has deep pockets.”
“I understand where you’re coming from here, really I do, but we can’t just let him get away with it. He needs to know what he did was wrong, and no one messes with my sister.”
A small smile spreads across my face. “I appreciate that, but I’ve thought a lot about it, and I don’t want to do anything. I want to move forward, Caleb. I don’t want a scandal. I’ve had cameras in my face since the day I was born because of one. I refuse to drag myself into one now.”
If anyone understands the shit I went through as a kid, it’s my brother. He was right there in the mix. Except he wasn’t the product of an affair, like me. “Promise me, Caleb. Promise me you won’t do anything.”
He sags against his chair. “Joey,” he whines, clearly not wanting to agree.
“Please.”
He looks completely defeated when he closes his eyes and sighs. “Fine.” He clears his throat and asks, “So where’s all your stuff? The lady said you moved.”
“That first weekend you had the preseason away game, I went back and had a friend help me move my stuff into a storage unit. I turned in my keys and came back here. But really, I didn’t have a lot. Most of the furniture stayed behind in that fancy place Dad insisted I live in when I started that job. I brought a few bags of clothes and personal things back here.”
Caleb runs his hands over his face and exhales loudly. I risk a glance over his shoulder, and the intense look on Brock’s face is startling. He looks completely angry, his face a little flushed and the tips of his ears red. When his gaze meets mine, he seems to relax a bit, but not much. Is he mad at me? Because I lied about my job and kept this from him?
“So, I guess that means you’re staying here, huh?” Caleb flashes me a smile.
“I want to look for my own place. I don’t expect you to put me up for long,” I insist, but it falls on deaf ears.
“Bullshit. You can stay as long as you need to. Hell, you can just move in here if you want. It’s just me, Joe. Well, me and Brock here, but like I’ve said before, you know I have plenty of room.” Caleb gets up and grabs two bottles of water, handing the first one off to Brock, who is leaning against the counter with his arms crossed, just watching.
I flash my brother a wide grin. “You just want me to stay because I cook better than you,” I tell him, getting up from the chair and walking around to where he stands.
He snorts out a laugh and throws his arm around my shoulders. “That’s a nice bonus, I’ll admit, but you know it’s more than that.” He meets my gaze. “It’s always been you and me against the world.”
I nod, my throat thick with emotions, as I wrap my arms around his chest and hug him tight. “Love you, Cay.”
“Love you too, pipsqueak.” He kisses the crown of my head before stepping back. “All right, I’m going up to unpack and shower. We’ve got a team workout in the morning and films and meetings all afternoon tomorrow.”
“We can throw some burgers on the grill later,” I tell him.
“Sounds good.” Caleb turns to leave the kitchen, throwing Brock a fist bump on his way by.
The tension from earlier is now gone, but it’s only replaced by a new form, and this one feels heavy on the sexual side. I turn to face Brock, truly acknowledging him for the first time since they arrived home. “How was your flight?”
Those piercing blue eyes just stare at me, deep and all-knowing, as if he can see all the way down to my soul. “It was shit, actually. I was worried about you.”
With a deep exhale, I step up to where he stands, inhaling the familiar woodsy scent I will forever associate with Brock. There’s a hesitancy as I place my hands on his chest and meet his gaze. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset or worry you.”
He reaches forward, wrapping his big hand around my back and pulling me into his embrace. “When Caleb got that call right before we boarded the plane, I didn’t know what to think. My mind went to some pretty fucked-up places, but the reality may be worse. Knowing someone touched you, even just brushing against your arm, and then kissed you—” He shakes his head and closes his eyes. When he opens them, they blaze with fire, but it doesn’t feel angry, nor directed at me. Brock rubs his thumb over my bottom lip as he whispers, “I don’t like knowing someone else had their lips on yours, especially when it’s not reciprocated.”