Total pages in book: 195
Estimated words: 185573 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 928(@200wpm)___ 742(@250wpm)___ 619(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 185573 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 928(@200wpm)___ 742(@250wpm)___ 619(@300wpm)
I glance up at him, the vicious truth on the tip of my tongue. I could tell him right now. I could inform him he’s the one who broke the fucking code because I had Bianca first. He has no right to lecture me about loyalty. Except he doesn’t know that.
“If I did something to piss you off, just tell me,” he says. “Lay it on the table, and let’s hash this shit out. You’ve been acting like I pissed in your Cheerios from the moment you came home. And I can’t fix the problem if you won’t tell me what the fuck it is.”
I swing my legs over the edge of the chair and force myself upright. “You didn’t do anything to piss me off.”
It’s a half truth. Technically, it isn’t Adam’s fault I want to rip his fucking throat out every time I see him with Bianca.
“Things are changing soon,” he says. “We don’t have a lot of time left before I’ll be busy at TCA, and you’ll be off doing whatever you decide to do. I thought we should spend some time together before all that happens. You’ve already been gone for almost two years. But it seems like you don’t even fucking care.”
I meet his gaze reluctantly, feeling like an asshole all over again. “I’m sorry I’ve been a dick. It’s not you. It’s just… shit I’m dealing with.”
“Okay.” He nods. “Then get out of your head and pull yourself together. Mom and Dad are out of town for a few days. They took Bianca’s parents to Houston to give them a rundown of the club there, so we have the house to ourselves. Bianca’s going to be around, and it would be nice if you could at least mumble a hello to her. Can you do that?”
I swallow, and it feels like there’s acid in my throat when I reply. “Yeah, sure.”
“And no more cock-blocking me,” Adam grunts as he walks to the door. “That wasn’t cool. If you’re going to use the pool house to fuck, at least send them on their way so I can have it when you’re done.”
My jaw works, and I have to bite my tongue so I don’t tell my brother to get fucked. Because he doesn’t know. I have to keep reminding myself of that. And if he did, he’d probably never want to talk to me again.
“Get your ass cleaned up,” he says. “I’ve got people coming over in an hour. It’s time to fucking party.”
Adam might be the so-called straitlaced son between the two of us, but all that really means is he pulls shit and gets away with it. Like this monster fucking party on a Sunday night.
Stefan’s behemoth six-bedroom house sits on eighteen acres adjacent to a lot of agricultural land. The neighbors are spread out enough that they either don’t care about the noise or they are too enamored with the Nichols name to say anything. Whatever the case may be, the yard is full of booze and drunken teenagers, and there’s not a cop in sight.
I’m used to Adam’s hedonistic ways, but even this is overkill for him. Apparently, he wasn’t kidding around about making the most of the time he has left before he becomes the next corporate puppet for the Tranquility Club Association. One glance around the place, and you can tell there isn’t a soul who doesn’t worship him. He’s established himself as the alpha of his friend group. The life of the party. He doesn’t just love the attention. He needs it. And I’ve never given two shits about it before but watching him parade Bianca around makes me irrationally fucking angry.
It’s not just him, though. She chose this. And if I thought I knew her at all, seeing her through this new lens shatters that idea. Everything is different here. The way she dresses, the way she does her hair. Her makeup. Her fake smile. Her forced laughter. If I needed a reminder that she’s a good actress, this is it.
Tonight, she’s wearing a tan dress that matches her skin so perfectly it almost looks like she’s naked. It wraps around her every curve, showing them off, and I fucking hate it. I hate it even more every time Adam grabs her ass, and his friends laugh like a bunch of goddamn morons.
I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing here. But I know I’m bitter over the fact that she’s barely even glanced at me tonight, and she looks fucking miserable. She should be. Because I’m not too cowardly to admit I want her to be miserable with her choice. I want her to regret it as much as I regret ever meeting her.
So in my alcohol-induced haze, I decide to take the low road and make it my new mission to convince her I’m fucking every single one of her friends. Starting with the curvy brunette who could almost pass for her. I don’t know her name, and I don’t fucking care. I’ve seen Bianca whispering with her throughout the night, and I know if she confides in her, this will hit her where it hurts.