Page 230 of Steamy Ever After

Kade was hot, in a big, tough, teddy bear sort of way. There was sheer power in every step he took. It was weird that Brodie reminded her so much of him, because describing the two, she realized he was so different.

Brodie was taller than Kade, probably six-foot-three to Kade’s straight up six. He held himself the same way, but Brodie sauntered across the room. Kade strode.

At first glance, Brodie didn’t appear as muscular as his older brother, but after brushing up against him more than once, she knew he was.

By the time she met him, Kade was already bald, and it hadn’t bothered her. Brodie, though, had a thick head of dark auburn hair she longed to run her fingers through. And while all the brothers shared the same piercing blue eyes, Brodie’s seemed more intense.

She probably would’ve described Kade as attractive. Brodie, on the other hand, was gorgeous enough that she didn’t doubt women stopped on the street and drooled after him when he passed by.

“Here’s the problem—I don’t know if I will ever stop comparing them.” Peyton shook her head. “Honestly, it doesn’t matter. I can’t see him again.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. What just happened?”

“It’s too much, Alex.”

“Peyton…”

“Can we change the subject?”

Alex burst out laughing. “To what?”

Peyton laughed too. “Shut up.”

Alex yawned and stretched her arms over her head. “Better call it a night, girlfriend.”

“Do you want to skip our run again tomorrow?” Peyton asked.

“No way, Peyton. I plan on grilling you the entire time, until I pry every last detail out of you.”

“It isn’t that interesting, I promise.”

Alex smirked. “Brodie-the-booty is very interesting. I assure you.”

“Good Lord, do people call him that?”

“Nope, not people. Women.”

Peyton cringed. “See? He’s a player. I don’t have any interest in guys who are.”

“Did he make you feel that way today? Like he was playing you?”

“No, but isn’t that what they do?”

“I think you know when you’re being played, and you make the conscious decision to go along.”

Peyton stood. “Okay, that’s enough dating philosophy for one night. See you tomorrow, Alex.”

“Get some rest, and I’ll see you around nine.” Alex hugged her and went out the door.

After turning the lights off in the rest of the house, Peyton closed her bedroom door and picked up the remote for the TV. She never went to sleep without it on. It was too quiet otherwise, and she’d spend too much time in her head. She also heard every noise the old house made, her imagination ran amok, and she couldn’t sleep. She hadn’t had a decent rest since the night before Kade left for the last time.

Alex had invited the boys over for a slumber party so she and Kade could be alone. They’d made dinner, which neither ate. Instead, they’d made love until Peyton fell into a coma-like sleep.

When she got into bed and closed her eyes, she expected to see Kade, like she usually did. She saw Brodie. It was the second time it had happened. Brodie-the-booty, that was what Alex had said women called him. Understandable, given how amazingly he rocked a pair of jeans.

The barn jacket he wore had covered his “booty” most of the day, but at Big Sky, he’d taken it off. When he left the table to use the restroom, her eyes had followed his behind the whole way. Between his saunter and perfect ass, Peyton’s mind wandered, wondering if the rest of him was as perfect. She’d never know, because she had no intention of seeing him again, let alone his naked body.

She drifted off, but woke when her phone vibrated. She looked at the clock near the television and saw it was after one in the morning. Worried it was something to do with her mom or dad, Peyton grabbed the phone. It was hard to focus, so she picked up the reading glasses that sat on the nightstand—Kade’s reading glasses.

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