Page 90 of Double Dare

“I’m sorry,” she says. “Ry talked some sense into me, and now that I know you…I’m just sorry.”

“I’m used to it.” I shrug.

People like to paint this perfect little picture of me just because of the way I look and the talents I have. Just because I’m good at boarding and biking, have a small body and blond hair, doesn’t mean I’m perfect. I smoke, which is a major turn-off. I can’t cook worth a shit, barely have any house and home skills, love to help others, but don’t know how I feel about being a mother, and I’m pretty shitty at school subjects. I graduated, obviously, but not with high grades. And when it comes to my body, well, people see what they want to see. They view me as their tiny little porn fantasy, but they don’t see the scars and the damage on my body, and they don’t know the fear and the shame I’ve lived through.

Dating two brothers isn’t going to help my image, but should I be controlled by the thoughts and judgments of others, or should I do what feels right to me? I’d rather do what’s right, even if it gets hard sometimes. It’ll be hard for all three of us. I’ll be the slut for cheating on Jed. Jed will be whipped for letting me wander. Kade will be the homewrecker because he came second. The rumors won’t be nice, but I’m hoping we’re strong enough and have the support of our families to get us through it.

“And to be honest, I don’t really know that many people here, so it’s weird they’ve heard of me. Just the Dares, Gar, Maeve and Remy. Well, and Gen, but she didn’t grow up here, and neither did Nina.” I leave Liam out of it because I don’t know how much Maddyn knows about Dom.

“Ry told me you’re the humblest person he’s ever met,” Maddyn laughs. “I’m glad he was right.” She smiles and then moves on. “I agree with what you said. Everything about the way it feels up there is the point of life. There’s something…magical about mountaintops.”

I nod. “I could never not live by the mountains.”

“You’re with Jed, right?” she asks, even though she already commented on that. Is she fishing? Just curious because she’s heard rumors about Kade?

I don’t get the chance to answer anyway. Rydan comes back out with drinks. “For my whiskey-drinking blond.” He hands me a tumbler. “And my rum-drinking beauty.”

I smile at that. The boys like to call Rydan lame and cheesy, but that’s because they don’t have half the game he has.

“To a fun fucking night.” I clink my glass with theirs.

Conversation comes easy with the two of them, and I get the impression that whatever this is between them is fairly new. They’re comfortable with each other, but they still have that excitement and the need to impress. Rydan is a damn catch, and I hope he’s happy. Nothing else really matters, and I’ll have his back all night as he gets teased about finally bringing a girl home. It’s not lame to look for an emotional connection before a sexual one. It’s who he is, and he’s perfect just like that.

My eyes track Jed and Kade walking across the snowy lawn from the resort to the house. Kade pushes Jed, and he basically disappears into a snowdrift, but Jed won’t let it go, so he gets up and tackles Kade. At least they’re laughing, and I’m not ashamed to admit it’s sexy to watch them battle it out for…everything. Their competitiveness is hot.

“Hey, Mads,” Jed greets her, brushing snow off his pants. “What’re you doing here?”

“Got invited,” she laughs.

“This fucker?” Kade scoffs, shoving Rydan. “Jesus, Mads. You can do better.”

“Fuck you, Kade. You wish you looked like me.” Rydan shoves Kade into the railing.

“I do look like you,” Kade laughs. “But hotter. And younger. And wiser.”

Jed grabs my whiskey and shoots the whole thing in one gulp. I glare at him, wondering if I have a right to anything of my own around here.

“Don’t even get me started on being wise,” Kolt says, catching the tail end of that conversation. “I take first place in that department.” He shoves his arms into a coat, gets himself all tangled, and then tries to look nonchalant about it.

“Pre-party fuck, Lakes. Let’s go.” Jed nods at me, his grin dangerous.

“Come on, Bossy.” Kade pulls me from my chair and Kolt steals it.

“Says something about you two if she needs both of you in order to keep up,” Rydan taunts, jumping into the banter like he knew what was up all along. He smirks at me, letting me know he’s cool with it. “Shoulda gone for the twins, Lake.”

Before Kolt can jump in with his input, Rydan shoves him from the side and his whole chair topples over.

Maddyn just watches everything, a bit of surprise on her face. I don’t know if she’s surprised by how freely they talk about sex, the fact that Kade and Jed are both taking me inside, or the fact that Rydan knew about it and didn’t tell her.

There’s still a part of me that worries about how I’ll be seen, but if she’s going to judge me for that, then she isn’t someone I want to be friends with anyway. Before Kade pulls me through the door, she smiles at me, and I feel better.

Time to snap out of this shit, Laken.

Chapter 35

The drunker I get, the less I care about being discreet. I just want to get it all out there, let the family know, and put any stupid comments in their place. Banter and taunts are fine, but cruelty isn’t. If someone wants to be a cunt, well…I’m drunk enough to be an asshole tonight.

Laken is the drunkest of us all. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this wasted, but she’s having a good time, so all the power to her. She’s sexy when she’s drunk, and that’s a win in my book. All that drunken sexiness is funny, too. She’s laying it on thick, not holding back with the banter tonight, and everyone is dishing it right back at her. To see her step up to my family makes my dick hard. Takes a special sort of someone to put up with their shit, and I love that Genny and Laken are dishing it out together. Laken with vulgarity and Genny with class, but the effect is perfect.

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