Page 75 of Pucking Revenge

“Brooks?” I stop short.

He follows my lead and stops in front of me. “Yes, Pumpkin?”

“I don’t want him to change you.”

Green eyes darken as he studies me. “Who, Aiden? Please. He’s harmless. He’ll be fine.”

“No. I don’t wantSeb to change you. I don’t want what we’re doing to change you. His lies hurt. I get that. And I can understand that you might feel betrayed. But remember: he didn’t betray you. He betrayed me. He betrayed his wife.

“And he didn’t make you into the man you are. You did that all on your own. I don’t wanna see you change because of something that quite frankly doesn’t involve you.”

He lets out a bitter laugh and pinches the bridge of his nose. “Considering that he fucked with two of the most important people in my life, Sara, I’m going to disagree with you there. It does affect me.”

For a long moment, neither of us speaks. His jaw is like granite as he considers me, but his eyes are swimming with hurt. Finally, he lets out a brutal sigh of defeat. “I’m trying not to let it. I hear you, and I promise I’ll do better. The last thing I want is to hurt you.”

With a low groan, I drop my head to his chest. “It only hurts me because my Brooks, the one I’ve adored since the moment we met, is not this angry guy who’s been stomping around and snapping at his friends and relatives.”

“I’ll do better, Sar. I promise.”

I sigh, hoping he can hold himself to that. But I’m not sure he truly gets what I’m saying.

Maybe what I’m asking for is impossible. Maybe, after what he discovered about the man he always held on a pedestal, a piece of his happy-go-lucky innocence has been shattered. And maybe there’s no putting it back together. But I’d hate that to be true.

It doesn’t change how I feel about him, and it definitely doesn’t affect the respect I have for him. He’ll always be the best person in the room, hands down. But I want him to also be the happiest.

Brooks holds open the door, and I step out into the cold Denver air. It’s beautiful out here. The sky is filled with more stars than I’ve ever seen in Boston. They glitter against the dark sky, lighting up the mountains in the distance. The low rumble of the hot tub to one side of the pool calls to me with promises of soothing my achy muscles.

I tug on Brooks’s arm, ready to jump right in, but he’s rooted to the spot, his attention on the lit-up pool.

“Come on, big guy. I’m cold!” I abandon him and jog to the hot tub. I grab two towels as I pass a big stack of them, then toss them onto a chair nearby and kick off my shoes.

That’s all it takes to get the big brute moving. In an instant, he’s hovering behind me as I undress, standing so close I elbow him as I reach for my waistband.

“What are you doing?”

“I don’t want him to see you.”

I don’t even ask who the him is. Whether it’s a stranger or his uncle, my answer is the same. “Yours are the only eyes I want on me, Saint. Do you like the view?” I peek back at him and drop my sweats.

He groans, his eyes heating as they eat up every inch of my body.

I wink. “That’s what I thought.” Once my sweatshirt joins my pants on the lounge chair, I dip a toe in the hot water.

Now that I’m in nothing but a swimsuit, the cool air sends goose bumps rippling over every inch of my skin, so I make quick work of slipping into the water. I scoot along the bench until I’m centered over a jet, then settle back.

Brooks, who’s back to being broody, even after our discussion, finally shucks his shoes and rips his shirt over his head. He’s so tense, every one of his abs is like a solid rock, and I swear I can feel the stress rolling off him.

“If you don’t start smiling, I’m going to start removing more clothes until I make you smile.”

That makes him pause. With his hands fisted at his sides, he takes a slow breath. Then he raises his eyes and looks at me. “You’re playing with fire, Sar.”

“No, Brooks. I’m playing with you.” I kick one leg out, sending water splashing in his direction. “Now come in and play back.”

The man moves so fast I don’t have a moment to react before he catapults into the hot tub, completely soaking me. He goes all the way under, and when he surfaces, he’s wearing the easy smile I love.

I throw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist.

Squeezing my thighs, he shuffles back and drops into the seat so that he’s facing the mountains. In this position, I’ve got a clear view of the pool. Sure enough, Seb was the one doing laps. He’s now standing beside a lounger, toweling off, a scowl on his face.

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