Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 131271 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 656(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131271 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 656(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
There it is—the thing I’d been bracing for but still not ready to hear.
Shawn’s head jerks up, his eyes wide with disbelief. “He’s not ready for this.”
“Why not?” Jacob shrugs like it’s the most logical thing in the world. “We’ve shared everything else. Why not Riley?”
I stare at him, slumping under the weight of anger and confusion and something I don’t even want to name.
“This isn’t just some girl, Jacob. Riley’s not a puck bunny. She’s special,” I say quietly.
“I know that.” His voice is softer now. “That’s why it works. We have a shared history, and she has enough balls to take us all on. I think we’d be better off if we stopped pretending it’s some competition and just shared. We’ve spent our whole lives on the same team. Why should this be any different?”
I want to tell him he’s insane, and that the very idea of sharing Riley makes me want to punch him all over again. But then I think about her laugh, smile, and how she looked at me last night like I was the only person in the world.
And I realize maybe he’s not wrong. Already, the pull of loyalty to Riley is strong. I’d do pretty much anything to make her smile again, even lie to my brothers. The issues that are festering between us aren’t sustainable. And there’s something else that I haven’t wanted to admit to myself.
I suspect that Riley might be open to the idea. Last night, she volunteered to care for Jacob and didn’t seek me out when he was jerking off in front of her. She went on a date with Shawn and kissed him. And she didn’t rage like I expected when she caught him watching us.
Maybe she’s messing with us all, wanting us to get competitive and fight? Could she be hoping to break us apart?
Even as the thought crosses my mind, I discount it. Riley’s a straightforward person who wouldn’t bother with the effort it would take to be that manipulative.
A car full of girls honks us, and they wave as they pass. A week ago, Jacob would have followed them to get numbers. Shawn would work his magic, cracking a joke or sixteen, making everyone comfortable. But neither of them notices. Then Shawn lets out a low groan, dragging a hand over his face. “You two are gonna be the death of me, you know that?”
Sweeping my hand through my hair, I consider our options.
Tell Riley she’s out of our lives because she’s causing a fracture between us? No, absolutely not.
Tell Jacob that Riley’s mine and risk the current fracture becoming worse.
Or talk to Riley and see if she’d want to be a part of Jacob’s idea. It seems crazy, but maybe that’s the only way I’m going to get what I want: Riley in my life and a healthy, positive relationship with my brothers.
Unity. It’s what we promised to each other. After our dad died and our mom chose a new relationship over us, we committed to be family for each other forever. I can’t and won’t go back on that vow. I just hope Riley will understand.
19
RILEY
“Come over,” the text reads. “I need to see you.”
It’s the need that gets me. Hayes could have said ‘want’ or even ‘I’d like to see you’. There’s a demandingness in the order and a softness in the plea. Maybe I’m reading too much into it. Since Monday night, I’ve been a hot mess.
When I think of Hayes’ face between my legs, bringing me to the most delicious orgasm, it’s tangled up with Shawn’s smiling eyes watching and Jacob’s hand pumping. It’s mixed with Hayes’ greedy sounds, Shawn’s laughter, and Jacob’s hand in mine and the pained sounds he made while he was sleeping next to me.
I slept next to Jacob Drayton and he held my frickin’ hand. He kept a respectful distance and cradled my hand like it was precious, or maybe he needed the comfort. Either way, it’s hard to reconcile the gesture with the Jacob I know.
Between my legs, I’ve been a hot mess.
I don’t know how it’s possible to crave something you’ve never experienced as hard as I crave sex with Hayes. If I’m honest with myself, though, it’s hard to imagine sex with him without his brothers creeping into my thoughts, too. I’m an idiot—a twisted, crazy person. No rational woman would want one, let alone three of her asshole ex-stepbrothers.
“I have classes,” I reply.
“After?”
It’s the question mark that finally pushes me over the edge. It’s not just a request—it’s like an acknowledgment I have a choice in the matter. And technically, I do. But realistically? I don’t. The need to be in his company again is too overwhelming, drawing me like a magnetic force.
I have to find out what happened. What caused the on-ice scuffle Imani mentioned over pizza, the details relayed by her brother. The Draytons don’t fight. Ever. They’re like three parts of the same whole, perfectly synchronized even off the ice. They even chose different playing positions as if they were avoiding any chance of direct competition.