FOR THE 20TH TIME since she got here, I pry Olivia’s talon-like nails from my arm. This girl has serious boundary issues, even more so than I remember. Just like every time before this, she loosens her grip, but keeps her hands on me. It’s as if she’s trying to announce her claim on me to every other woman here. Too bad for her, there isn’t a single part of me that doesn’t already belong to someone else.
“I cannot believe the two of you managed to work things out.” Leigh, another blast from college’s past, says to Olivia and me.
Nearly choking on my beer, I shake my head. “Oh, we’re not back together.”
Liv winces but then plasters a fake smile across her face. “Not yet, anyway. We just reunited today, but who knows what will happen.”
I do. Getting back with Olivia is not, and never will be, an option. If I didn’t think it would make Maverick suspicious as hell, I would’ve kicked her out the second she showed her face. There is nothing I want less than to be anywhere near this chick. I just need to wait for Rome to get here, then I’ll be able to go find McKenna – the only one who matters.
“Brooks!” Maverick shouts from where he stands behind the bar. “You need another?”
Glancing down at my cup, I notice it’s almost gone. I nod and down the rest of it. Mav brings me another full cup. I thank him and then quickly guzzle half. If I’m going to deal with another ten minutes of Olivia, I’ll need a lot more beer.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you’re trying to get drunk.” She teases and then brings her lips to my ear. “And I know how handsy you get when you’re wasted.”
Her words almost make me throw up in my mouth. I don’t miss the way Maverick chuckles next to me. Fucking asshole. He knows damn well how relieved I was when her and I broke up. She was never meant to be more than a little fun in the sack. His thought process is obvious though. She’s basically a guaranteed lay, but I’d rather fuck a cactus.
I’m just about to pull out my phone to text Rome when the word ‘surprise’ starts to echo throughout the backyard. Thank fuck. Now I can get out of here. I turn my head towards the noise but as soon as I do, the smile falls from my face. There, standing next to Rome, is McKenna – looking at me with nothing but hurt in her eyes.
Shit.
I can see her tears forming from here. She turns around and runs inside. Without a second thought, I pull Olivia off me and follow. Just before I get to the door, Roman steps in front of me.
“What the fuck are you doing with Olivia?!”
Rolling my eyes, I gesture toward Maverick. “Ask shithead over there. Now excuse me, I have a mess to clean up.”
The second I enter the kitchen, I find McKenna pacing back and forth. Her gaze meets mine and it’s like everything goes a few shades darker. Seeing her tear-stained cheeks breaks my heart.
“Mac, listen to me. It’s not what you think.”
A dry laugh emits from her mouth. “No? So, you aren’t at a party with your ex-girlfriend hanging all over you?”
“Nothing. Happened. I was waiting for Rome to get here so I could come find you. Why didn’t you tell me you’ve been staying at your parents’ place?”
She crosses her arms over her chest. “You didn’t give me a chance. Now I see why.”
“Oh stop. It’s not like that.” I reach out to touch her but she backs away. Groaning, I grit my teeth together. “Maverick saw her when he went to get the keg and brought her back here.”
“Why would he do that?”
I shake my head. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Why, Colton?!”
My eyes stare down at the floor. I know I’m not going to get away with not answering the question.
“Because he thinks I need to get laid.” It comes out as a mumble but I know she heard me by the pained noise that comes from her. “Mac, you have to believe me. I never wanted her here.”
She keeps her eyes on the ceiling, trying to blink away the tears and refusing to look at me. “It’s never going to change.”
“What’s not?”
“This! Us!” Her face is practically beet red. “I’m never going to be anything more than your dirty little secret.”
The pain in my chest is excruciating as I hear what she’s saying. “That’s not true. McKenna, don’t do this. You’re so much more than that.”
“Am I? Because Maverick brings home a girl for you and instead of telling him about us, or making her leave, you decide to indulge him by letting her think she has a chance with you!”
I throw my hands in the air. “I didn’t think you wanted me to tell him!”
She scoffs. “It would have been better than that!” Stopping for a second, she takes a breath. “Everything is exactly like it was four years ago, and I won’t put myself through that again.”
Words won’t formulate and my body won’t move as she walks back outside – leaving me the same way I once left her, broken and alone. This can’t be happening. I need her too much to let this be the end of us. There can’t be an end to us.
A newfound level of determination builds inside of me as I head out the door. McKenna is only ten feet away, talking to Tatum about something with her back to me. I swallow down the lump in my throat, but just as I’m about to go to her, Olivia grabs my hand.
“There you are. I’ve been looking for you.” She presses herself up against me. “I’m getting kinda bored. What do you say we go up to your room and make up for lost time?”
I peel her off me, pushing her away with both my hands on her shoulders. “I can’t.”
She giggles like she’s still the same flirty nineteen-year-old. “Of course, you can.”
“I’m dating someone.” I try to step around her but she doesn’t let me. My patience is hanging by a very thin, single thread.
“No, you’re not.” Her hand finds her hip and she looks so sure of herself. “Maverick said you’re single. I think he would know if you had a girlfriend.”
“He doesn’t know.”
She snorts. “Why not? Why wouldn’t you tell your best friend who you’re dating?”
Like the crack of a whip, my self-control snaps. “Because I’m dating McKenna!”
My voice is loud enough to be heard over anything that could provide cover to my words. Everyone goes completely silent, telling me they all heard what I said. Still, I only have eyes for one person. McKenna spins around to face me, her eyes the widest I’ve ever seen them.
“What are you doing?” Her voice is practically a whisper.
I smirk as I walk toward her, placing my hand on her face as soon as I’m close enough. “What I should have done four years ago.”
My lips meet hers in a heated kiss that breathes the life into me. For the first time, I’m letting the whole world see what she means to me, and I couldn’t be happier. As our mouths move against one another’s, everyone around us seems to fade away. It’s just her and I, the only thing that matters.
I break the kiss and pull back, feeling like the weight of the world has been lifted from my shoulders. Her eyes blink open slowly and still, all I see is her – until a fist pummeling into the side of my face forces my attention away.
MCKENNA
Every ounce of anxiety dissipates as Colton holds me with such a gentle touch. However, it’s quickly replaced tenfold when I see him get hit. His head is moved by the impact and he immediately grasps his cheek.
“Maverick!” Tatum shrieks.
Colton stretches out his jaw, then turns to glare at my brother. “What the fuck?!”
“What the fuck is right! You’ve been banging my sister?!” He lunges again, punching Colton directly in the nose.
“Stop it!” I scream, but it only makes Mav glare at me.
“Stay out of this!”
Colton cracks his neck and pinches his nose. “Don’t speak to her that way.”
Maverick chuckles evilly. “Oh, that’s really fucking rich. How long has this been going on?!”
“Mav.”
“How long?!”
Colton’s eyes meet mine and I swallow, hard. His eyes soften before focusing back on Maverick.
“Since your birthday, but we had a thing before she left for NYU.”
Suddenly, Maverick turns a scary shade of red and trembles with anger. He throws himself at Colton, tackling him down onto the ground and punching him once again. It’s clear Colton is only trying to protect himself, but he manages to get a few hits in as well. Tatum holds me close as we scream for them to stop. Finally, Roman comes over – dropping his cup and grabbing Maverick. He pulls him off Colton and in the struggle to calm him down, they both go flying into the pool. Rome keeps his hold on Mav as the two of them emerge from the water.
“Get the fuck off me!”
“Why?! So, you can go hit your best friend some more?! Not a fucking chance.”
Maverick glares at Colton from the pool as he picks himself up off the ground. “You lying sack of shit. Pack your things and get the fuck out of my house!”
Colton spits the blood in his mouth out onto the patio. “Gladly.”
My chest physically hurts from watching two of the most important men in my life go at each other like animals. As soon as Maverick gets out of the pool, I slam my fists against his chest.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?! Are you fucking crazy?!” I yell in his face, but it’s no use. There is no getting through to him. I turn around and head into the house.
Going straight up the stairs, I find Colton in his room – shoving as much as he can into a large duffel bag. He’s actively bleeding from his forehead and wipes it with his shirt every time it starts to drip into his eye.
“Are you okay?”
It’s a stupid question, one I shouldn’t have asked, but I don’t know what else to say. He shakes his head but doesn’t answer. I go into the bathroom to get a washcloth and run it under some warm water. When I get back into the bedroom, I grab his shoulders and force him to sit down. Reluctantly, he stays put.
“Ow.” He hisses as I start to clean the wound. Thankfully, it doesn’t need stitches, but it looks like painful.
“I cannot believe he did this.”
He snorts. “I can. You’re his sister. He just wants to keep you safe.”
I roll my eyes. “Yeah, well, fighting you isn’t the way to do that.”
“He loves you.”
And I love you. The words are on the tip of my tongue, but just as I’m about to say them, the door opens. Tatum stands there, panting heavily with her clothes wet. She must have been trying to calm my brother down, and failed.
“Mac, we need you downstairs.”
The sound of Maverick breaking things radiates into the room. I look to Colton and he nods.
“Go. I have a couple things left to grab.”
I give him a sad smile and kiss him once more before leaving the room. I follow Tatum down the stairs to where Maverick stands in the middle of the living room. The coffee table is flipped and the lamp lies shattered on the floor. As soon as I get down there, he focuses all his anger on me.
“What the fuck were you doing up there?! Consoling your little fuck-boy?!”
“Okay, stop!” I shout, allowing myself to get in his face. He may be stupid and angry, but he would never lay a hand on me. “Stop throwing a temper tantrum like a child! That’s your best friend. You just fought your best fucking friend!”
He scoffs and shakes his head. “That is not my best friend. A best friend wouldn’t go behind my back like he did. He’s a fucking liar and I’m done with him!”
“You don’t mean that.”
“The fuck I don’t. He went behind my back and fucked my baby sister, and then lied about it for years! I don’t ever want to see his deceitful ass face again. He’s dead to me, and if you have anything to do with him, so are you!”
His words cause me to recoil slightly. “Maverick.”
“Don’t Maverick me. You’ve been cheating on your fiancé for months with the closest person to me!”
At the worst possible time, Colton comes down the stairs and stops at the bottom. Maverick glares at him but with Roman only an arm’s length away, he doesn’t move. Colton doesn’t even look at him, instead focusing all his attention on me.
“Are you coming?”
I take a step in his direction when my brother speaks again. “If you leave with him, you’re no better than dad – and we both know how my relationship with him is.”
He’s trying to hurt me, and he hits his target dead on. Before my dad’s cheating came to light, him and Maverick were as close as can be. They did everything together – fishing, working on cars, even talking about girls. Afterward, however, things were never the same again. It’s been over four years, and Mav still can’t stand being in a room with him for longer than a couple of hours. Is that really what he thinks? That I’m just like dad? Even the idea makes me sick to my stomach.
My movements halt and I realize now the choice is no longer Parker or Colton, it’s Maverick or Colton. I can either have my boyfriend or my brother, but not both. Mav might be an asshole right now, but the man knows how to hold a grudge. I’m not sure I can handle a life without my brother.
“McKenna?” Colton’s voice is soft but I can’t look at him as I shake my head and take a step back. “That’s great. Just fucking great.”
After a few footsteps, the sound of the front door slamming shut causes me to jump. He’s gone. He left. We’re over. The dread that washes over me is the same as what I felt that night I broke into pieces. Sobs rack over my entire body as I wrap my arms around myself.
“You made the right choice, Squid.” Maverick goes to hug me.
I step away and glare at him. “Don’t!”
The engine from Colton’s car roars outside and his tires squeal when he rips out of the driveway. The only thing I can do is throw myself into Tatum’s arms, breaking down as she catches me. All the pain I was trying to avoid, I feel it anyway. This time might even be worse.
24
MCKENNA
How many times in your life are you really sure of what you want? At eighteen years old, I never thought I would be, but lying here with Colton, I’ve never been so sure of anything. I want him, bad. I don’t think there was ever a time where I didn’t, but I never allowed myself to think too far into it. Now, even the idea of him pushing himself inside of me has me squirming in anticipated ecstasy.
“Colton?” I whisper. His thumb rubs gently over my hip, telling me he’s listening. “I want you.”
The movement stops and his eyes snap open. “As in…”
“I want…” I stop and take a deep breath. If I’m going to be mature enough to do it, I have to be mature enough to say it. “I want you to fuck me.”
He studies my face, looking for any indication of being unsure. “Have you ever…” I shake my head. “And you want that with me? You trust me enough for that?”
“I trust you with my life.”
His lips part in a smile and then seal over my own. The kiss isn’t rushed or heated, it’s patient – like he’s making sure to savor every moment of this. I can feel him hardening in his jeans as he pulls me into him. It’s not the first time he’s gotten turned on around me, but it’s the first time I get have it stretching me open. Colton’s big, though it’s not like I have much to compare to. He’s thick enough for my jaw to hurt after blowing him for a few minutes, and there isn’t a chance in hell of him fitting entirely in my mouth. Imagining how the pain will feel is a bit intimidating, but there isn’t anything that could deter me now.
“Do you have a condom?” I murmur against his mouth.
He breaks the kiss and shakes his head. “I didn’t think I’d need one. You caught me a little off guard here, Princess.” I’m just about to pull my shirt back down when he perks up. “Give me one second.”
Colton gets up and heads out into the hallway. No one is home. My parents are at some work party, and Maverick is at his girlfriend’s for
the night. We have the house to ourselves, but the idea of him being anywhere but my room still makes me nervous. If we got caught…
He comes back in and pulls me from my anxious thoughts. The condom he holds up and the grin on his face, make me laugh. He comes closer and tosses it down on the nightstand, then climbs back onto the bed.
“You just stole that from Maverick’s room, didn’t you?”
“Yup.” He answers, popping the p.
I chuckle. “He would kill you if he found out why you took one.”
His shoulders shrug. “There isn’t anything about this that he wouldn’t kill me for.” He moves his lips to my neck and kisses softly. “Now, enough talking about your brother.”
I moan, breathless, as his hand slides under my waistband and grazes my clit. My hips arch up in search of his touch. I need it. I need him.
Colton removes my clothes the same way he kisses me, slowly and delicately, like too strong of a touch may break me. My hands shake as I unbutton his jeans. He takes them into his own and presses light a light kiss to one palm.
“Relax, baby.” He whispers.
The term of endearment causes butterflies to come to life in my belly. He slides his pants and boxers down his legs, leaving us both naked at last. I watch as he rips the condom open with his teeth and slips it over his cock. Just as I feel him at my entrance, he lifts my chin and forces me to look at him.
“You’re so beautiful, McKenna.”
I jolt awake and sit up instantly, tears soaking my cheeks. My hand covers my mouth in an attempt to mask the sobs, but it’s no use. I can already hear Parker stirring beside me. The hand he places on my back is meant to be comforting but it only makes things worse.
“Are you alright?” He questions tiredly.
“Fine.” I tell him, but the crack in my voice gives me away.
He sighs. “It was only a dream, love. Go back to sleep.”
A pain shoots through my chest and I find it hard to breathe. It wasn’t just a dream – it was a memory.
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