Page 47 of My Ex's Brothers

Don’t get me wrong, I love Lyla with all my heart, but I don’t think I was ready for her.

But I was too swept up in howgoodDexter Rose made me feel. His lies, his sweet nothings, his illusions. And when he told me he wanted me to come with him, I thought…

I thought I’d finally found my happily ever after.

But it wasn’t real.

I don’t regret getting pregnant, but I do regret letting Dex lure me into false security.

Sometimes, the lies are easier to believe than the truth. The truth I didn’t want to see. And now it feels like I’ve fallen so far from the top of the mountain, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to make my way back to the top.

But I have to try, right? Not just for myself, but for my daughter.

So I hit the button, and I let the phone ring. I hold my breath and I wait for Richard to pick up.

“Hey, baby girl,” he says, his voice deep and gravelly. I don’t even want to acknowledge the shiver that runs down my spine at his words, or the way my pussy legitimatelytwitchesat the tone of his voice.

Fuck, this is such a bad idea…

But what choice do I have?

“Hey,” I say softly. “I was thinking about your offer…”

“Ahhh, you’re done fuming, I take it?” he says. His tone is cocky and arrogant, which only pisses me off and makes me want to hang the damn phone up.

My gaze settles on the blank screen in front of me, my reflection in the shadowed pane of the television.

“I have every right to be irritated with you, Richard. With the situation.”

“Of course you do.”

His acknowledgment should make me feel better, but it doesn’t. It feels condescending, in a way, and I want to argue with him. Banter. Bitch. Richard Rose draws out a side of me that I’ve never known, and I’m not sure how I feel about that.

I let out a heavy sigh. “I’ll do it under one condition.”

The silence that falls on the other line is palpable. My heartbeat quickens as I try to maintain my courage.

“What’s that?” he finally asks, the rasp in his voice making my loins quiver again.

Seriously, is the sexy audiobook voice a genetic trait with these men? Lord have mercy on my fucking pussy.

“I’ll do it if the others are on board. I’m not trying to upset the pecking order. And there will be rules.”

Richard laughs and the sound is like pure, melted butter.

“You ain’t upsetting shit, baby girl, I promise you that,” he says through a dark chuckle. “As for rules, well, I have no problem following any rules you set when it comes to Lyla, but?—”

“But what?” I ask, breathless. I press my thighs together, trying to quell the burgeoning ache forming. Something about the digital static, the rasp of his voice, the way he saysbaby girl…it’s making me all hot and bothered and I know it shouldn’t be that way.

My pussy spasms, wetness blooming between my thighs, and I know there’s only one way to quiet this damn desire. But I will be damned if I dothatwhile on the phone with the man responsible for it.

“But I can’t promise you I’ll follow the rules when it comes to you.” His voice is dark, serious.

If I had wondered whether or not there was something between us, his adamant confession is telling enough. In person, I could easily dismiss that moment—the one where I was sure he wanted to kiss me—as a heat of the moment reaction due to all the stress of my insane day.

But now, on the phone, listening to him breathe those deep, masculine breaths, calling mebaby girl, and all but confessing that he would not shy away from me, from whateverthisis that’s between us…I can’t help the faintest whimper that escapes my throat.

Dex was a whirlwind, sweeping me up with charms and sweet talk and illusions of grandeur, but I have the feeling Richard is the real hurricane. Swift yet terrifying the closer you get, and once you’ve become one with its path, there’s no way out.

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