Page 23 of Fracture

“I did, it’s a real nice color.” Dylan leans around the bar to get a better look. “I need to get one, too. At least try and act like an adult.” He puffs out a breath. “Not that I think it’ll make much difference.”

The brief flash of sadness in his face and the heavy tone in his voice make my stomach twist, placing a strain on my lungs that makes me feel sick. I can’t act on this. Not with Dylan. Not with Stella. He wants her so badly, he loves her and I need to support them. I have to swallow all that down.

They’re not meant for me.

Thankfully, I don’t have much more time to dwell on those thoughts, as a truck engine roars up the street and dies right outside the house. Dylan pulls his white shirt on and gives me that crooked smile that makes my heart stop.

“Ready, Mr Boss Man?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” I reply, and we turn to meet the first of our new employees.

Within an hour, the garage is buzzing with conversation, liquor flowing freely and friendly pool games being played.

“You two, you’re alright.” Eric, one of the older mechanics, clinks his glass against mine, and I answer him with a smile.

“We just want to do right by you all and by Mario.”

“I appreciate that.” Eric nods, looking out over the garage. “Nice place you got here.”

“It’s my sis-” The word dies on my tongue, and that sick feeling from this afternoon comes back like a freight train straight through my gut. Eric eyes me questioningly. “It’s, uh, my step-sister’s place. She let us stay after we, well, we got out.”

“Oh yeah, I heard about that. You two, you, uh.” His eyes dart around the room, and he lowers his head towards me. “I heard you two killed your step-father.”

“It was an accident.” The lie. The well-rehearsed lie. “He attacked Dylan, and well, shit got out of hand.”

“Sorry about that man, that sucks.” Eric sighs heavily, taking a swig of his drink, his eyes wandering over my shoulder. And they nearly drop out of his head. “Holy shit.”

The garage goes strangely silent, only the low beat of music humming around us, and I turn to see what’s caught every man in the room’s attention.

Stella parades across the back porch in a scandalously small yellow bikini, martini glass in hand and a towel draped over her arm as she makes her way to the hot tub. Her hair is piled on top of her head and secured with a matching yellow scarf. She looks like she just wandered out of an old movie, or a high-class porno, I can’t decide which.

“I guess that’s your sister,” Eric says with a low laugh, and I think I’m going to throw up.

My sister. Yeah, sure, my little sister who looks good enough to fucking eat right now. My sister with tits to die for and an ass I could spend an entire night leaving teeth marks in.

Stella doesn’t look at us at all, merely sets her phone down in a dock on the small table beside the hot tub, and with a swipe of her fingers, music starts blaring, totally drowning out our own. A woman sings aboutI don’t need a man, and it’s so bratty and obvious I can’t help but laugh, while also being overcome with the urge to run up onto the porch and fuck the brat right out of her.

You’re not gay, and you’re not into incest. Back the fuck up.

Stella lowers herself into the hot tub, still ignoring us, and takes a sip of her martini. The men around me gradually start to move again, finally broken of the trance of watching this bronzed goddess of a woman parade her body right in front of their fucking eyeballs.

I need a drink.

I excuse myself from Eric and head to the bar, where Dylan is already pouring himself a shot. His face is warring between frustration and admiration, his eyes flickering up to where Stella is languishing in the water.

“Drink?” He holds the bottle up, and I nod. “She’s a fucking tease, man.” He pours me a shot of whiskey, and we both down them without another word.

“She sure is.” I cast a glance over my shoulder to see Stella’s head bopping back and forth gently in time with the music against the edge of the tub. “She’s just messing with us.”

“What’s that?”

I realize what I just said and turn back to Dylan with a smile. “I said she’s messing with you. Trying to make you see what you’re missing.” I’m going to lose my fucking mind. I decide then and there to try and get my own place as soon as possible andget as much distance between me and Stella and Dylan as I can, before this whole situation goes south.

Suddenly, the men around us whoop and laugh, and a few whistles go up. Dylan’s face is like fucking thunder.

“She just took her top off,” he growls through gritted teeth.

I whip around to see Stella’s naked back leaning over the edge of the tub as she selects another song on her phone. The yellow bikini top has been cast onto the porch beside the tub. Rage surges through me as I look at the men around me, ogling her as she’s up there basically naked.

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