Page 41 of Restrained

“I don’t know why I let him get to me.”

I hate being in the middle. I’m loyal to a fault. I would die for my two remaining brothers any day, but I consider Vivienne a little sister, and her sadness guts me. “What did he do?”

She sniffles and takes a drink of the white wine in her stemless glass. “He’s your brother. I won’t put you in the middle.”

This is why I love Viv. One of the many reasons really. She’s incredibly strong, but I want her to lean on me. “I’m not going to tell you again, you may as well be my little sister. Now tell me what happened.”

“Baz called him.” That’s nothing out of the ordinary. The kid already knows how to use technology better than most adults and frequently video calls Ash. She takes another drink. “A woman answered.”

That had to hurt like hell. “Oh, I’m sorry.” I pause a moment, then ask, “She wasn’t naked, was she?”

Knowing my little brother, it is entirely possible.

Vivienne shakes her head, but she isn’t laughing. “No, but she was wearing his shirt. Her hair all messy. He seemed pissed that she answered his phone, but who knows. I wouldn’t put it past him to ask her to answer it just to mess with me.”

Unfortunately, I wouldn’t either. I love Asher so damn much, but he has so much growing up to do. “I’m sorry, Viv. I’m sure that hurt.”

“It shouldn’t. I left. We weren’t ever together. So, none of it should matter.”

I see how badly she’s hurting, and it kills me. “I know you loved him. I’m sure it’s never easy to see someone you love move on or whatever the hell he’s doing.”

“Probably banging the entire female population at KU.”

“But...” I don’t know how to offer any comfort. Still I try. “You and Sawyer seem happy.”

Her smile is genuine but still sad. “I really care about Sawyer, but I haven’t been able to...” She swallows, her eyes meeting mine, and I know what she’s saying.

“You haven’t slept with him?”

She shakes her head. “Not yet.” She takes another sip. “We’ve gotten close. And I want to, but...” She looks away. “I don’t want to get hurt again. And Sawyer...” She puffs out a breath and meets my eyes again. “Sawyer doesn’t even trust himself not to hurt me. They’re so similar.”

“But there are differences. Like you’ve said, Sawyer at least admitted he has feelings for you.”

“Yes. At least he’s willing to try.” She takes another drink of the wine, finishing it off. “Your brother is a dick.”

I wonder how many glasses she’s had, and I stifle a laugh. “Yeah. They both are.”

She laughs, her shoulders shaking, but it almost sounds like she’s crying. “I just need to fuck Sawyer.” I try not to show my discomfort. And she continues, “I mean, he’s really, really good with his hands.” She touches her lips with her fingertips. “And his lips.”

I’m walking a fine line here. I don’t want to betray my brother, but I want her to be happy. “You don’t owe Asher anything. I think the distance is good, and it’s good for you to explore other...” What’s the right word? Not dick. “People?”

She laughs at that, clearly tipsier than I originally thought. “You mean dicks. And you’re right.”

“No. I really... I mean, you’re a strong, confident single woman, and you can sleep with whoever you want. Or not sleep with whoever you want. I never slut-shame.”

“Penelope recommends being a slut.”

I snort and roll my eyes with a smile. “Of course, she does.”

I’m have no idea how many people she or Linc slept with to try to move on from Colt’s death and each other before theyofficially got together. And she owned it. I’ve always envied her free spirit when it came to sex.

She shrugs. “It’s time to try something other than a Sterling cock.”

“Oh my God, Viv.” I blush and laugh. “How much wine have you had?”

She giggles and looks at the bottle. “Too much.”

She’s gonna regret that tomorrow when she has a four-year-old jumping on her early in the morning. “Well, don’t do anything with a clouded mind. If you’re sober and still want to sleep with Sawyer, go for it.”

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