Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 138775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 694(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 463(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 694(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 463(@300wpm)
Before his words could fully settle in my mind, I was striding across the kitchen toward him.
Jayden inserted himself between us at the last second. He looked angry, too, but all he said was, “Let’s take this out on the front porch.”
Kyle smirked. “Are you going to make me? Because if so, firstly, it’s not going to work. Secondly, you’d have to find the balls you lost years ago.”
Jayden didn’t rise to the bait, but then again, he didn’t have the same history with my loser stepbrother as I did.
“I think Tori has seen enough pointless displays of testosterone for one morning.” Jayden’s voice hardened. “Out on the porch, both of you.”
Tori’s eyes were wide as she stared at us.
Kyle shot her a smug look. “See you soon.”
I managed to keep my temper in check until we were out on the porch. Then I shoved Kyle hard, my hands on his chest, and watched with a certain amount of satisfaction as he had to slam his hand against the front wall of the house to keep his balance.
But that didn’t wipe the arrogant look from his face.
“You been working out?” he taunted.
“Enough to beat your ass.”
He gave me a mocking look, clearly not scared, and I struggled to get my anger in check.
Jayden stepped between us once again. “Just say what you need to say and then get the hell out of here, Kyle.”
Kyle shook his head. “I live here. You two are supposed to be smart—seems like you could remember that.”
I glared at him, but I forced myself to take a deep breath. Anger hadn’t ever been my best weapon against him. “We all know you only came here to piss me off.”
“He pissed both of us off,” Jayden said, still in just his boxers. “He’s that good.”
“Is it possible that I might like this girl?” Kyle asked. “You sure do.” That last part was aimed at me.
“You don’t know anything about me anymore.”
“Bullshit. You look at her in the same pathetic way you used to look at Natalie.”
I saw red and slammed my chest into his like a goddamn ape—something I’d never done in my entire life. “Don’t you ever mention her name again. Ever.”
Jayden gave a low whistle as he stared at Kyle. “That was low, dude. Even for you.”
Kyle held up his hands like it didn’t matter. Like Natalie hadn’t mattered. And she hadn’t—to him, anyway. “That’s ancient history, bro.”
“It happened a year and a half ago,” Jayden pointed out.
Kyle ran a hand through his hair. “So what, you two are going to protect Tori’s virtue like nerdy guard dogs?”
“She’s had a rough time of it,” Jayden said. “She need somewhere she could feel safe. That’s what we gave her—until you showed up.”
“Are you sure that’s what she needs? Maybe she’s not the delicate flower you think she is. Maybe she needs a real man, not two little old ladies coddling her.”
Jayden shook his head, and this time, I refused to rise to the bait. “Go back to Frat Row.”
“It’s too noisy there,” Kyle said flippantly. “I do homework and shit now, or hadn’t you heard? You should respect that. Don’t forget, her grade is tied to mine.”
“What?” I exchanged a shocked look with Jayden, but I’d digest that information later. “You wouldn’t have set foot back here all semester if you hadn’t found out she was here.”
Kyle shrugged with an easy smile I wanted to knock from his face. “This house is half mine. And that’s my room, so it’s time for me to reclaim it. I already let the boy wonder stay in it for months.”
Jayden gave him a look filled with dislike. “You were fine with taking my rent money.”
“That’s right,” Kyle said, a gleam in his eye. “Watch how you speak to your landlord, son.”
“It’s half my house too,” I reminded him.
“You can have as many people as you want in your room, but mine belongs to me, and I get to say who stays there.” He slammed his shoulder into mine as he strode past me to the front door. “So you’re just going to have to deal with that, bro. And so will she.”
Jayden and I stared at each other after he went back inside, both of us glum. This was the last thing either of us needed, but that wasn’t what concerned me the most.
It was Tori. One way or another, I was going to keep my stepbrother from making her life as miserable as he did everyone else’s.
13
TORI
I frowned as I ran a finger along a dusty shelf. “Can I get rid of these?”
Jayden glanced over as he picked his way through stacks of boxes. He shrugged, because it was Lucas’s call. He was in charge of what stayed and went in this extremely cluttered basement. “Yo, Lucas!”
Lucas appeared from the back room, looking like he’d rolled around in dirt. Everything down here was old and dusty. “What’s up?”