Page 16 of Pin-up Girl

“The prints? Mine.” Already at her bedroom door, she paused.

“Odd choice of artwork,” I murmured as I walked closer to the fire picture.

She was silent behind me, until she reached my side. The sun hit the picture just right to highlight the effect of the fire. Elise studied the art like she was trying to see it through my eyes. She held up a hand, her fingers outstretched but she didn’t touch it. There were barely a few centimeters between her fingertips and the shiny glass.

She let her hand drop. “I like ambiguous things. This picture for example, shows you what isn’t really there. What do you see when you look at it?”

Clearly, a burning house wasn’t it. I studied the picture, looking for the truth behind the illusion. “I see a burning house.”

She nodded, seeming to expect it. “This is a ruin in Utah, built into the rock wall. Every day, when the sun hits it just right, it appears as if the ruin is on fire. In fact, it’s called House on Fire Ruin.” This time, she did touch the frame, sliding her fingers lovingly along the bottom of the matte black material. “Just because you see one thing, doesn’t mean it’s theonlything. Or the true thing. I’d like to think I’m a little like this ruin. To outsiders, I’m fierce and dangerous, but beneath, I’m as steady and calm as the rock.”

Was she fierce? Dangerous? My definition of how that applied to her was probably very different than hers.

“And the other one?” I moved across the room to study the snow picture. This had to be another picture of ambiguity. For the life of me, I had no idea what it could truly be.

“This one is a lesson. One I want to keep at the forefront my entire life. This picture is an up-close view of an iceberg. It looks harmless, but if you don’t pay attention to it, it will kill you. The danger in the iceberg, like in so many people, is below the surface.”

I couldn’t believe it, and would never admit it, but chills erupted over my arms. Who was this girl? And how the hell did she get stuck with us? All because she decided to walk up the back stairs? If any of Freddie’s people had seen her, they would have stopped her, disrupting the path that landed her right at our feet. I had no idea whether I should be glad to have her in our lives, no matter how brief, or scared for her safety as things were about to heat up around us.

She pulled her slightly fuller bottom lip between her teeth, nibbling on it as she gazed at the iceberg. This girl had to have seen some shit to want to hang this kind of artwork in her home. But that wasn’t for me to know. The sooner she left our circle, the better. For her and for us.

Chapter Five

Emmett

The living room was our domain on Sundays. The rest of the brothers might pass through and pay homage to the kings, but they never approached our space. Their space was the tables, we had the couches. Good thing for today.

I was the laidback one. The easy personality with a bit of mischief mixed in, because without it, I’d be fucking boring. But not today. My anger simmered under the surface of my skin. The gym was calling my name, or better yet, the sorority house. If I didn’t get a hold on the energy building inside me, I was going to go off, and now was not the time.

A deep breath expanded my chest, pushing the energy to my limbs, then my fingers and toes. Maybe I should count down the things I loved. I’d heard that worked.

Ten wild nights, nine bloody fights, eight strong shots, seven sweet squeals, six hot rides, five drunk girls, four sexy smirks, three sex games, two dildos, one pin-up.

Nope didn’t help. In fact, that went to the other extreme, and now my pants were a little snug. How did Pin-up even get in there?

A tap on my shoulder pulled me back to the present. Anything was better than thinking about how Pin-up had put the twins in their place. It was so hot. One minute, I was ready to deliver some justice for Jules, and the next, I was shocked.

She had actually stood up for him. A stranger. Not only that, she completely didn’t care if the brothers thought they had hooked up. I had an instant boner. Even Jules’ discomfort in the moment couldn’t ruin my insta-crush on this girl.

Jules showed me his phone, not willing to sign with a handful of guys passing through.

Where do you think they are?

I bent forward, too lazy to type my response into the phone. The guys that were here were less than harmless and half a room away.

“They’ve been gone for thirty minutes.” Which was the answer. I’d be surprised if she had finished packing. Depending on where she lived, they might not have even made it there.

Jules nodded and gazed off into the room, seemingly lost in thought.

“Are you okay?” This morning had been intense.Icould even appreciate how difficult this morning had been. Not only had he been stuck with Pin-up until Milo swooped in to save him, but then there had been the silent stares from the guys. The brothers knew the ladies loved him, especially since he had this young Jason Momoa thing going on. Add in the brooding and family money, he was practically irresistible. Still, it was something of a novelty for him to have a girl at the Shack. If I hadn’t been otherwise occupied myself, I might have heard the brothers gossiping like a bunch of desperate housewives.

Then the twins… My blood pressure took another hit thinking about those fuckers. They had always been cool with us. Even after we explained how it was, Jamie still took that shot. It probably increased my fury because it wasafterwe had explained. Even if the fraternity was a joke to us, we were still brothers. You didn’t cut your brothers.

At least I made sure it wouldn’t happen again. The twins had a nice new scar to remind them that just because they weren’t maimed now, didn’t mean it couldn’t change in the blink of an eye. It was also a good lesson for them to know they were alone. Not one brother offered an excuse for their behavior. It was the little things that gave me so much pleasure. Taking care of any threat to Jules while others looked on, too scared to step in, was at the top of that list.

Derek walked by, sending a two-finger greeting our way. Jules didn’t even acknowledge him, keeping his gaze on whatever held his attention, if anything at all. Eventually, he typed in another message.

How long do you think she’ll be with us?

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