This isn’t how I wanted it.I was going to make tonight perfect and show her how good we could be together. I was going to ask her to stay and to be mine, forever.
This just isn’t how it was supposed to go.
Chapter 24: Bree
Oh. Shit.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Of all the ways this could’ve gone down, my half-naked, still-dripping-from-the-shower self, standing in front of my raging older brother, with the man I’ve been screwing standing beside me, was not what I had in mind.
Jake’s face is a mask of pure, simmering rage. “Are you fucking kidding me, Bree?” he growls. “I told him— I told you—”
“Jake, stop,” I cut him off, heart pounding. “It’s not that serious—”
The words come out before I can stop them. I see Scott stiffen next to me.
Shit. That’s not what I meant.
Jake snorts, crossing his arms. “Not that serious? What the hell is it, then? A fucking mountain fling? A quick screw before you go back to your life?”
I open my mouth to speak, but Scott beats me to it.
“No. It’s not like that at all.” His tells him. “It’s serious. I’m not playing games with your sister.”
Jake turns slowly to Scott, eyes narrowing. “What the hell does that mean?”
“It means I want her to stay.” Scott’s eyes flick to me, and everything else fades away. His voice softens, but his words hit me like a brick to the chest. “I want her here. With me. I want all of her.”
Oh.
Oh, my God.
My breath catches. “Scott. Are you serious?”
He steps closer, his hand reaching for mine. His thumb brushes over my knuckles. “Yeah, sweetheart. I’m serious. I’ve been serious since the first damn day.”
Tears prick at my eyes, and for a second, everything around us disappears, the cabin, the tension, my pissed-off brother. It’s just me and Scott, and that look in his eyes.
Raw. Honest. Mine.
I don’t think. I just move. I run to him, throwing my arms around his neck, pressing my lips to his. He catches me like he always does, and kisses me back with everything he has.
I don’t know how long we stay like that, wrapped up in each other, but Jake’s irritated voice cuts through the moment.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.”
I pull back, breathless, cheeks flushed. Scott’s hand stays firmly on my ass, like he’s not letting me go ever again.
I turn to my brother, half expecting him to explode all over again, but his arms are crossed, and there’s more exhaustion than fury on his face now.
“You’re really doing this?” Jake asks, his gaze bouncing between us.
I lift my chin, finally finding my voice. “Yeah. We are.”
Jake mutters something under his breath, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well… hell. If you’re happy, Bree, that’s all I care about. But I swear to God, Scott—if you hurt her, I’ll—”
“I won’t,” Scott cuts in firmly. “I swear.”
