Page 43 of Broken King

And I threw it all away for nothing.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Kate

After an hour of swimming,I climb out of the pool and head for the table to get a drink and dry off while Ava and Sabrina play with Theo. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the living room door open, but it’s Matthias, not Ronan.

I check my cell and see Jessie sent me a message after we got off the phone earlier. She wants to go out tonight, but her client is running late, so she isn’t sure she’ll be able to get off in time for us to keep our plans for dinner.

What a disappointment this day has been. First, Ronan barely talks to me and disappears while we’re all outside having a good time, and now my plans for the night are in jeopardy. Just wonderful.

“Where did you come from?” a deep voice asks.

I look up expecting to see Matthias since he was just walking out of the house, but to my surprise, it’s Marius, Ronan’s other older brother. I stare at him for a long moment, shocked I’ve never noticed that he and Matthias could pass for twins they look so similar.

“Katie Abbott as I live and breathe. You’re a blast from the past.”

The only person in the entire world who has ever called me Katie, Marius King has never liked me. At least that’s the way it seemed when I was dating his brother. If he wasn’t scowling and surly toward me, he said nothing and seemed to be silently judging me. No matter how many times I asked Ronan why this brother didn’t like me, he’d never admit Marius hated me, though.

I give him a tepid smile, unsure what to say since we’ve never been close. “Hi, Marius. I didn’t realize you were here too.”

He grins and strips his black t-shirt off to reveal a stunning muscular body. This King has always been more artistic than athletic, so I didn’t expect to see him look that good under his clothes.

“I came to see my brothers, but I had no idea you were around again. Are you and Ronan back together?”

His question sounds innocent enough, but I struggle to answer it. I’ve never considered him to be an advocate for Ronan and me together, so I don’t think letting him in on my desire to get back with his brother is a good idea.

So I go with a vague statement that says nothing about what he asked me.

“Ava invited me to come visit her.”

That only makes him more curious, and he says, “I didn’t know you two knew each other. Who’s the new girl?”

I follow his gaze to Sabrina walking along the edge of the pool to pick up Theo’s orange pool noodle. “The babysitter. Her name is Sabrina. That’s about all I know of her.”

That’s not true. I suspect she has her sights set on the same man I do. I’m not going to tell Marius that, though.

“Interesting. So where is that youngest brother of mine? Still avoiding the sun like a vampire?” he asks before waving to Avaand calling out, “He’s a natural. Just like the brother he’s named for!”

From the pool, she yells, “Marius! I didn’t know you were coming. Are you here for long?”

He stands up and walks over to the edge of the water. “As long as you’ll have me. I’m on a break from work.”

Giggling, she splashes him and says, “You need a break from taking pictures of beautiful women on gorgeous beaches? In my next life, I want to come back as you, Marius King.”

I watch as Sabrina can’t take her eyes off this King brother. Good. Keep eyeballing him, and stay away from Ronan.

Marius spreads his arms out and laughs. “It’s not bad work, if you can get it. Where’s the new little guy?”

“We were just going to get him up from his nap. Marius, this is Sabrina. She’s living here now and helping me,” Ava says as she hands Theo up to the babysitter.

Or maybe I should be calling her the nanny. Whatever she is, she’s entirely too hot in that black bikini, and I have a feeling Marius is thinking the same thing.

But as soon as Ava explains who she is, I notice a change in his body language. Suddenly, he doesn’t seem as interested and walks back to join me at the table.

“So, Katie, what’s new?” he asks before taking a drink of his sister-in-law’s iced tea.

“Not much. Just returned from a trip to Europe last week. Oh, I start my new job teaching at Rosemont School in the city starting this August.”

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