Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 69098 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69098 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
“Rowdy, take the boys to that clearing we passed,” Dad instructs. “Me, Owen, and Logan can set some traps nearby. They’re close and with this storm rolling in, they won’t get far. It’ll be easier to be stealthy with just a few of us.”
Rowdy nods and then turns on his flashlight, motioning for us to follow him. I’m not sure where CJ and Jace are as we haven’t run into the other group yet. Honestly, I hope they stay far away from me or I’ll use CJ’s face as a means to beat out my frustrations.
And frustrations I have aplenty.
I’ve been obsessing over the fact that me and Rae had a moment earlier. A sick, twisted, wrong moment.
Fuck, it had been thrilling, though.
I could have kissed her. I wanted to. I’m almost positive she would have let me. And the way her hand crept down toward my cock.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
I wanted that moment with her so damn badly.
My dick has been half hard since. That is, until I learned Logan’s been making out with my damn brother. Nothing like betrayal to kill a boner.
What’s my fixation on my siblings lately?
Am I confusing our deepening friendships with something sinister like lust?
Could I really jeopardize my life by making a move on my sister or staking some caveman claim on my brother?
Yes.
The truth is a punch to the gut and dangerous. My mind is a wild, chaotic mess. I need to keep myself away from these situations if I have any hope of navigating them. I can’t be pissed off if my brother kisses another man. I should be happy for him.
Nah.
Fuck that.
I still want to kill Logan.
If CJ were here, I’d want to kill him too.
Fuck my life.
“Everything good?” Rowdy asks, voice low. “You mad we didn’t catch them yet?”
“Hell yeah,” I growl. Among other more infuriating things…
“Me too. We’ll get them eventually. These woods may be vast, but we know them like the back of our hands. Those fuckers won’t have a chance.”
I wish I could fixate on catching the bad guys, but my mind keeps circling back to the moment with Raegan and disgusting thoughts of Logan mauling my brother. With my mind elsewhere, we come up on the clearing in no time. Rowdy tosses me the tent bag after unstrapping it from his backpack.
“Set this up. I’ll take first watch while you guys sleep. No campfire. We don’t need those assholes to know where we’re at.” He hands Ronan a battery-operated lantern. “Use this sparingly while he puts the tent up and then lights off.”
At least having a task allows me to focus on something else that doesn’t make me blind with rage. Despite the increasingly vicious wind, I manage to erect the tent by myself while Ronan wisely stands aside, holding the lantern closer to me whenever I need the light to see.
It starts to rain softly at first, but then the clouds release buckets of it all at once. Ronan snaps the lantern shut, immersing us in total darkness. I manage to fumble my way into the tent and he quickly follows behind.
The silence between us is oppressive.
A nasty, evil beast standing between us, snarling at us both.
I hate it.
I hate him.
“Ry,” Ronan croaks out. “Can we talk?”
Scoffing, I drop my backpack to the floor and set to rummaging for my sleeping bag. “There’s nothing to say.”
He’s quiet as we situate our bedding. We’re both soaked and getting everything wet from our clothes, but if anything, it cools off some of my anger.
I sprawl out on one side of the tent, trying like hell to ignore my brother. He swallows audibly and the fabric of his sleeping bag makes a swishing sound as he attempts to get comfortable.
I bet he wishes Logan were here so they could suck each other’s dicks and fuck.
My hands curl into tight fists. I want to punch something. Someone. Ronan would be the obvious choice since he’s within reach, but I refrain.
The tent shudders against the wind and the rain pelting it grows louder. I wonder if Dad will cut his expedition short and come crawl into the sanctity of our tent soon. At least then we’d have a physical barrier to keep me from knocking some sense into Ronan.
“I know you’re mad…” He sighs heavily. “I just don’t understand why.”
I open my mouth to tell him exactly why. Then I clamp it shut. Honestly, I don’t know why I’m so angry. Logan is a dick and Ronan deserves better. End of story.
Is that the truth, though?
Guilt swarms in my gut like a hive of angry bees. It’s not the full truth.
The truth is, I’m jealous.
Ronan is my brother.
Mine.
If he was going to experiment with a man, it should’ve been me. Someone he could trust to keep his secret. Someone who could protect him.