Page 8 of Crave Me

She stops stirring the pasta on the stove and looks at me, her eyes squinting in speculation.

“Don’t cause any mayhem. He’s in the living room. No roughhousing, Dal.”

I feign shock, pulling back like she slapped me and placing my hand over my heart.

“Me? I would never.”

“Mhm. Go. Just don’t be destructive.”

I drop a kiss to the top of her head and walk through the house and into the living room. Lucky for me, he’s sitting nice and relaxed on our parents’ couch with his back to me. I slink up behind him and hook my arm around his throat, squeezing tightly and restricting his airflow. His hands immediately rise up, one grabbing my forearm, the other reaching behind my head to grasp the back of my neck. I lean down to his ear and whisper through my teeth, “Why the fuck is Blaire here, shithead?” I pull back, forcing him to arch on the couch as he grunts. He plants his heels on the cushion and kicks off hard, sending us both flying over the back of it and onto the ground. The force of the fall and his weight on top of me knocks the wind out of my lungs. I’m quick to recover and don’t lose my hold around his neck right away, but the moment he loosens my arm, he flips us. I take a punch to the stomach before I clock him in the ribs twice, my free arm blocking a punch to my cheek.We grapple on the ground, rolling around and bouncing into the wall.

“Holy shit, is this normal for them?” I hear Blaire ask from not too far away while I work to overtake my asshole twin.

“Yep. They’ve been going at it like this since they shared a womb. Their poor mother is a saint,” Ivy tells her.

I grab a fistful of Sawyer’s hair and yank him back, throwing a fist to his stomach.

“Grow the fuck up, Dallas!” Sawyer yells.

“You first, fucker!”

We roll once more, tossing punches wildly at each other before Liam and Carter pull us apart.

“You two are animals. Mom wants us to throw you outside. Pull yourselves together!” Liam shouts at us. I shove out of Carter’s hold and shake out my arms, adjusting my clothes and running my hands through my hair.

Sawyer reaches for Ivy, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her flush against him. He drops a kiss to her temple and takes a deep breath. It’s clear she settles him. I find myself strangely jealous watching the interaction. Not of him and Ivy specifically, but the connection between them. He makes eye contact with me and points with his finger. “You’re a dickhead, Dallas.”

I throw my arms out to the sides. “Yeah. You’ve all said it. I get it. I’m a dick.” I shoot a glance at Blaire and narrow my eyes at her before walking into the lounge where my parents keep their bar. I pour a heavy-handed whiskey neat, not wanting to dilute the burn as it goes down. Gripping the counter, I toss it back and pour another. If I’m going to be forced to endure Sunday dinner with Blaire in attendance, I need to get a good buzz going.

“Dallas?”

“What, Blaire?” I snap, not bothering to look her way.

She walks up next to me, her voice low, almost insecure.

“Look, I’m sorry if I crossed a line by being here. Sawyer and Ivy invited me. I declined at first but . . .” Her voice trails off and I’m forced to look at her. For the third time since we met, her composure has slipped. She’s unsure, hesitant, and wary. All traces of the headstrong, difficult, stubborn asshole are gone. I don’t understand it, but I don’t like what’s standing in front of me right now. I slide my glass of whiskey down the smooth grain of the bar, and she looks at it like she’s never seen one before.

“Just drink it, Blaire.”

She looks up at me with those big blue doe eyes, and I’m immediately lost in them. The dark blue of her irises is so stormy and uniquely her, it would be impossible to recreate the color. My anger dissipates, leaving nothing but frustration behind. She picks up the glass and takes a hesitant sip. I watch as she swallows and then immediately starts coughing.

“Holy shit. Fire,” she gasps. “How do you drink that?”

I shrug. “You get used to it.”

A beat of silence passes between us as Blaire shifts on her feet.

“I can leave if you want me to.”

I turn to face her and instantly regret it. She’s so fucking pretty.

“Don’t go soft on me now, princess. Let my family see what a feral creature you are.”

She nods, but at least she’s smiling again. She places my drink in front of me and walks back into the other room, leaving me alone for a few precious moments before dinner is served and I’m forced to embrace the chaos. I don’t know what it is about this girl that drives me fucking wild. Her sad eyes awaken a protective side that I have no control over. No matter how frustrated I am with her, I can’t fight these feelings she brings out of me.

“Dinner, heathens!” my mom’s voice bellows through the house. I grab the glass, studying the mark Blaire’s luscious lips left behind. I swipe my tongue over the spot before tossing the remainder back. After pouring another, I walk into the dining room and take a seat at the table as everyone else does the same.

“Here, Blaire, make yourself comfortable,” Sawyer says, taking a play out of my book, being the little shit-stirrer as he pulls out a chair for her directly across from me. I wait for her to look down before giving him the finger.

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