Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 130512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 653(@200wpm)___ 522(@250wpm)___ 435(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 653(@200wpm)___ 522(@250wpm)___ 435(@300wpm)
Reaching for a blanket, I covered him up, and that was when the doorbell rang.
I perked up. Now we’re talking. It was almost a party.
I was moving up the stairs when I heard my dad going to the door. He and Mom walked differently. I would recognize the sound of his footsteps for the rest of my life. They were quiet, but ominous at the same time. I rolled my eyes at that thought.
Ominous. My dad. Pfft.
Then I heard a voice I knew.
“Hello!” That was Brinna and she was sounding all bright and cheery, but it wasn’t real. She was… I didn’t like how she was sounding. “This has been a long time coming, don’t you think? Brother-in-law.”
I froze on the stairs. Brother-in-law?
Why was Steele’s sister saying that to my dad?
I kinda regretted drugging Max now.
48
MASON
Sabrina Brickshire was a cocky little shit. Maybe there’s a better way to describe her, but I don’t care to expend that energy. I opened that door, took one look at her, and hated her on sight. She’s got Sam’s eyes, her chin, and her body type. And that is all. The rest of her is maniacal bullshit. I get why Axel said she was the mastermind. She was gloating when she got here.
This was always my dilemma.
I loathe when other girls messed with Sam because I couldn’t punish them. You hurt us. We hurt you back tenfold, except I never knew what to do with the female gender.
It was the same problem now, except what I really wanted to do, Sam would not be down for that. I’d wait. I’d hear it all, make my decision, and proceed from there.
She was almost skipping when I led her to the study. There was a bounce to her stride and she kept looking at me, giving me a fucking coy smile.
I gave her nothing.
It didn’t penetrate with her. If I hadn’t already been operating with the assumption the girl had legit mental instability, I would’ve thought she was on something. Her laugh was high and coarse. She was flushed. Some beads of sweat on her forehead. But her eyes were the kicker. They were not here. She was off in some other universe in her head.
I held open the door, and she went in first.
After Axel called her on my phone—and it should be noted that she answered, and agreed to coming without once asking about her brother—the guys had a heated discussion. A heated fight was a better word because all three threw down for their opinions.
Steele wanted them gone. This was family business, literally.
Axel and Beltraine vehemently disagreed.
Beltraine flat-out said, “Fuck no, dude. Your sister is the most cunning and unstable bitch I’ve ever met. I’m not fucking leaving.” He declared that and plopped down on a chair. Folding his arms over his chest, he gave Steele a pointed glare and smirked.
Steele’s mouth hung open. “I—you never said any of this shit to me before.”
Beltaine laughed before using his head to indicate the room. “And we’ve not heard any of this shit. You said you needed a place to stay and to tell people we’re cousins because you had family drama back home.”
“That’s the truth.”
Beltraine’s eyes flicked upward. “You lied to me, but whatever, dude. I love you and I’m not leaving. Next.” He jerked his chin toward Axel.
Steele cursed under his breath, his fingers dug into his temples before round two happened.
He started, “Axe—”
“No.” Axel dropped back on the couch where he’d been sitting before.
I liked both their arguments, but I liked Beltraine’s more. And I really liked it now after having met Sam’s little sister, but as we walked inside, I caught the look those two shared.
Neither were fans of Steele and Sam’s sister.
Sam, though, I studied her and a metal cage fell down around me, locking me in, because I was watching my wife fall in love all over again. This time it was with her sister.
Her eyes softened. Warmed. “Sabrina.” She started for her, her arms lifting for a hug when the girl in question started laughing.
Laughing.
And it was the same high-pitched unhinged laugh.
Sam stopped in her tracks.
Steele cursed. “Stop it, Brinna.”
The laughter died, and a hollowness lingered in an echo after.
I would never describe this girl as beautiful, because she wasn’t. On the outside, she might’ve passed for that description. She had wavy brown hair. It fell just past her shoulders. She was slender. I’m sure she was dressed as a normal college student would dress. Maybe one going to a party. A white crop-top. High-waisted jeans a lot of other girls wore. Sandals. Glowing, sun-kissed tan skin. Her face was what all the pretty girls looked like, but she couldn’t hold a candle against someone like her sister.
Sam was beautiful on the outside and inside. She surpassed this girl. Hands fucking down. Sam was better in every way, always would be better. The girl had no chance, but my wife, with the good heart she had, wasn’t thinking about any of that.