Page 178 of How to Lose at Love

But…

“Why do you think he’s here?”

He levels me with a stare, then pulls on his T-shirt. “Why doyouthink he’s here?”

I shrug. “Because he hasn’t seen you in a long time?”

Dallas makes a buzzer sound. “Wrong. Try again.”

I have no guesses and tell him so, my brain a mix of mush and horror—the last thing I want to do is go downstairs and meet the man.

“He’s here because of you.”

“He’s here because of me?Why?”

Dallas is stepping into a pair of gray sweatpants, his hard-on still semi…well, hard. If this were any other situation, I would be pulling them down and sinking to my knees because is there anything sexier than gray sweatpants with the bulge of a man’s dick?

Negative.

No.

“Everything that’s been blowing up lately is ’cause of what’s being reported in the media. I’m sure he wanted to come to the source instead of hearing it from our ma or watching it on the news.”

I mean, that’s smart, but still, who flies across the country at the drop of a hat to have a family meeting?

As we make our way to the lower level and my imminent doom, I count to ten several times over to calm my nerves. It’s one thing to be embarrassed on national television—it’s another to be embarrassed because your boyfriend’s brother caught you having sex…then come face to face with his other superstar brother who undoubtedly knows we were upstairs screwing when he arrived.

Awesome.

Great.

If I thought Dallas was larger than life, Duke Colter is more so, rising from the couch when we enter the living room, stepping forward to embrace his brother in a massive bear hug.

“Holy shit, I missed you,” the elder Colter says, actually burying his face in his younger brother’s shoulder, clapping him on the back as dudes do.

“I missed you, too.”

Duke isn’t much taller than Dallas, but he’s bulkier.

Darker.

More menacing and serious. I can see it in his eyes.

Bearded.

Over Dallas’s shoulder, those dark eyes meet mine, and he pulls back, stepping around Dallas and advancing toward me, extending his hand.

“You must be Ryann.”

I smooth my hair back before shaking his hand, nervous and terrified, face molten hot.

I want to press my hands against my cheeks to cool them, but instead, I muster the courage to tilt my chin up.

From the looks of it…it doesn’t appear as if Duke is here to chew anyone’s ass out or lecture us, but it’s only been a few minutes and time will tell.

forty-six

dallas

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