But again, it worked for us. It worked fornow.
Brent was a few years older than me, and the type of relationship he wanted was one of convenience and fun. It was a relationship I knew I could easily give him, because in return he could give me the sense of stability I craved. I was a little wild, I knew it and owned it, and I needed a person in my life to ground me—balance me out. Most of the time, he gave me that.
It also didn’t help that Brent was pretty damn hot. But while he had the boy-next-door vibe, his brother was his polar opposite…the bad boy. Two years younger, rough around the edges, and devastatingly, ruggedly, gorgeous. Even his name was as sinful as he was—Cain.
He was covered in tattoos—which really matched my energy—and he didn’t give a fuck about anything or anyone.
Actually, the only thing he did give a fuck about was Brent.
Andme.
Which was a real bitch since I was technically with his brother.
Cain and I just connected better than Brent and I did, though we never crossedthatline. But man, if you could actually fuck someone with your eyes, there wouldn’t be a time or a place he hadn’t taken me. Many late nights were spent in each other's company, talking about anything you could imagine. Our guards had come fully down, and I honestly wasn’t sure anyone knew me better than he did. So many times I’d thought about telling Brent we were finished. I was hopeful I could leave him and one day move forward and be with Cain.
But Cain was never willing to let it happen.
Because I was his brother's girlfriend, I was off-limits completely. He’d never disrespect his older brother like that—which was wildly disappointing for me. I wasn’t a cheater, and I never would be, but if Cain asked me to leave Brent for him, I wouldn’t think twice.
Hell, if Cain asked me to leave Brent in general, I probably would.
I cared about Brent, I truly did. I loved him. I just wasn’t sure if I wasin lovewith him. How could I be when my heart beats for another man? Hisbrother.
“You think crawling into my brother’s bed is a threat? Cain is loyal to me, Rosie. He’d kick you out on your ass faster than you could blink,” Brent spat, dropping onto his bed and crossing his legs at his ankles. He locked his hands beneath his head, his elbows sprawled, looking as relaxed as could be.
“I’m not sure why I bother with you, Brent. But I’m over this bullshit. You asked me to move to this freaking city with you, knowing I wouldn’t have a job or a place to live. I’m done. Find yourself some other girl to fuck with.” Lucky for me, my suitcase had never been unpacked because the jackass didn’t have extra space for my shit in his dresser. All I had to grab was my phone charger and bathroom stuff.
Walking across the hall, I grabbed my makeup and hair care products, cradling them in my arms as I made sure I didn’t leave anything behind.
I wasn’t positive where I’d go tonight, but I’d figure it out. I always did.
Tossing everything into my suitcase, I zipped it up and expanded the handle to roll it out. “Last chance to be a gentleman, Brent.”
“Nah,” he said without looking at me, pulling out his phone.
My eyes narrowed into slits and my head bobbed as I watched him scroll mindlessly as though I wasn’t even in the room anymore. Tilting the suitcase, I rolled it behind me as I walked out of his bedroom.
The hallway was dark, the house quiet, as I moved through the small space toward the front door. When I reached for the knob, a deep voice sounded from the shadowed living room beside me.
“Rosie,” Cain called. He sat on the couch in the dark, his face illuminated by the soft moonlight flowing in through the window.
“What, Cain?” What was there to even say? His brother was in the next room, probably listening for the sound of the door closing. This wasn’t the first time we’d broken up, or the first time Cain had wanted to say something as I walked out the door after a fight with his brother. But like every other time, Cain said nothing and stared at me from his spot on the couch, his eyes blazing with unspoken words. The rigidness of his features told me he had heard mine and Brent’s exchange and he hadn’t liked what he heard.
Turning my head back to the door, I twisted the knob and walked out.
When it closed behind me, I didn’t bother looking back. Instead, I held my head high and walked down the path, using my key fob to pop open the trunk of my car. The sound of small rocks crunching beneath the wheels of my suitcase battled against my heartbeat that echoed in my ears.
I was so frustrated with Brent and how I let him toss me to the sideagain, and how Cain let his brother treat me like shit and didn’t speak up,again. I guess it wasn’t fair of me to act like Cain really had any authority to say anything, but what woman didn’t want a knight in shining armor on occasion? I guess I wouldn’t be getting that from either of the Michaels brothers.
“Rosie!”
Maybe I spoke too soon.
Cain’s voice cut through my inner battle with myself as I tossed my suitcase into the trunk of my blacked-out Honda Accord.
“What do you want, Cain?”
“Come back inside. Please.”
