Page 34 of Falling For My Best Friend's Brother

She angrily bent down to gather her clothes, and I sat up, hopelessly rubbing a hand down my face.

“It’s my fault. We should have talked about this before I touched you.” I tried to reason with her, but she was too busy searching for her bra around the room. “Are you even listening to me?”

“You’re not saying anything worth listening to.”

“Nina, you’re being childish.”

She swung her head to look at me with such force that I feared it would fall off.

“Fuck you, Knox Coleman,” she spat out, her eyes blazing with fury. “Fuck you so fucking hard. Since you’re so mature, why have you been sleeping with me and calling me princess?”

Underneath the anger, I heard the dejection in her voice, and I swear to God, something twisted in my chest. The last thing I wanted to do was give her any kind of hope because the truth was that nothing could happen between us. She knew it as much as I did. We might make magic in bed, but outside of it, we were like water and oil; we just didn’t match.

Even if we did, she was twenty-three-years-old, way too young for me. I had nine years on her, and the knowledge that I’d known her for so long filled me with a certain kind of guilt that wouldn’t just disappear with great sex.

And then there was my sister, and how she would feel about this whole thing. There just couldn’t be more. This was all there was.

Nina’s eyes swirled with hurt, and I knew she’d heard everything my silence had spoken. Nodding, she seemed to make peace with her missing bra because she suddenly started for the door, naked as the day she was born.

“Let me know the date of the event. Goodnight.”

The slamming of my door, as well as hers, drew out a deep sigh from me. There went the warmth of my bed. Goddamnit. It was going well. Almost too well, in fact. Good things barely happened to me, just like that. Why did she have to ask that, anyway?

I fell back on the bed, staring at the ceiling and wondering if Nina was regretting the past week. I wouldn’t blame her. She was still very young and things like relationships and love appealed to people of her age.

Life hadn’t happened to her. She’d lived under the umbrella of her parent’s wealth. It wasn’t her fault that she knew nothing of the real world.

At least she hadn’t refused to be my date at the event. Thank God for small favors, I supposed.

***

The event came quickly the following Friday.

I was of half a mind that Nina wouldn’t show up, but true to her word, she appeared in the living room at exactly 7:30 p.m., looking fucking spectacular.

The smell of lavender announced her presence, and I lifted my eyes from where I stood, the breath knocked out of my lungs. She stepped into the living room draped in a deep, crimson dress that sparkled with small gemstones under the light. One shoulder was bare, while a single strap swept across her chest, meeting another that crossed over to form a small, circular cutout, perfectly framing her impressive cleavage. The fabric hugged her curves, and a daring slit traced up her thigh, revealing just enough with each step. She carried a small silver clutch. The only jewelry she wore was silver studded earrings and two rings. Her feet were adorned in diamond-colored strap high heels that were no doubt designer.

She’d curled her hair and styled it to perfection. It fell around her shoulders and down her back like a veil. Her makeup was natural, and her lips were a black cherry. I tell you, for as long as I live, I will never forget how beautiful Nina looked that night.

“You look….” I licked my lips, trying to find the words. “Beautiful does not do you justice.”

She looked refined and dangerous.

But Nina didn’t smile. Her eyes were like those of a woman going to war when she replied, “Thank you. Shall we?”

The car ride was tense for me, because I quickly realized that Nina hadn’t looked at me since we got in. Her eyes remained glued to the window, and I couldn’t even see her expression to gauge what she was thinking. In the four weeks that we’d been living together, this week was the most unbearable.

Ever since that night she stormed out of my room, Nina had been ignoring me. The crazy part was that I knew it was my fault, and I didn’t like it. Usually, I wouldn’t have cared, but since we had sex, I couldn’t stop thinking about her.

Maybe I should say something.Apologize for hurting her with my words. But doing that would make it seem like I hadn’t meant them, and I did. Maybe I should have worded it better, but it was still true. Shehadacted immaturely by not listening to what I had to say.

If she’d listened, then I would have explained to her that whatever expectations she had toward me were misguided. Sex didn’t have to mean anything—I would have taught her that.

We got to the venue sooner than I expected. The event was being held at one of the most prestigious hotels in Manhattan. Sean texted earlier to tell me he was inside. I was sure the rest of the team was too.

I stopped the car in front of the doors and a valet hurried to collect the key from me. Buttoning my jacket, I rounded the car to open the door for Nina. Despite her grievances, I couldn’t help feeling proud and thankful that she’d made the effort. She trulylooked like a princess. And the best part was that I was the one whose arm she would hold all night.

It did a lot for my ego.

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