Page 158 of Lush

“Wow,” he breathed, rolling his jaw. “So that’s how it is, little brother?”

Reese didn’t answer. His whole body was coiled, ready. His hands, clenched at his sides, twitched with barely controlled rage, his knuckles white.

“You’re pathetic,” Conrad sneered, stepping forward. “We really got fucked when Mom gave birth to you. You can’t lead. You don’t listen. You fly off the handle each and every time. Now, you’re slumming it with the woman they gave me? You think you get towin?” He let out a sharp breath, his eyes wide. “You’re just a fucking nobody, Reese. Do us a favor and get the fuck out this family. And once I get back up there, I’m turning this boat around, and we’re going home. Then I’m telling Mom and Dadeverything. Let’s see how long your little fantasy lasts then.”

“No,” I breathed, heart stopping in fear.

Conrad barely looked at me. He shoved past Reese and stormed up the stairs.

“Conrad,don’t,” I called out, but he was already gone, taking the steps two at a time.

I spun to Reese, breathless. “Stop him.”

Reese didn’t hesitate. He ran up the stairs after him, and I followed.

Conrad shoved past everyone to get to the helm where Nina was, totally unaware of the trouble brewing.

Reese lunged.

He grabbed Conrad’s shoulder, yanking him back just as he reached the helm. Nina screamed. Conrad spun around, swinging.But Reese dodged, catching his wrist midair and slamming him back. The yacht jerked from the sudden weight hitting the helm.

People gasped.

Heads turned.

“We don’t need to do this, Conrad,” Reese said.

“You want to know why you’ve always been a fucking disappointment?” Conrad sneered and stepped closer. “Because you neverlisten. You don’t shut up long enough to realize that no one—no one—cares what you think.”

Reese gritted his teeth.

“If you just listened instead of running your damn mouth all the time, then maybe Mom and Dad would have loved you. Maybe Dad would’ve trusted you with something real instead of justtoleratingyou.”

Reese’s eyes flashed dark, but he didn’t flinch. “That’s funny, because last time I checked, you don’t do shit without Daddy’s approval. Or have you convinced yourself you’re actually in charge?”

“You see everyone here?” Conrad whirled around to face the crowd. “They’re here for me. Me!Not you. Never you. That’s how it is and will always be.”

“You mean they’re here for Dad’s money. Same as you,” Reese said.

“You know why we were never close? Because I never wanted to be associated with a fucking disappointment.” Conrad leaned closer. “You always needed saving, Reese. From Dad, from school, from yourself. Pathetic.”

Reese’s jaw clenched. “Maybe if you weren’t such a selfish, spineless bastard, I wouldn’t have had to do italone. I wanted my brother to love me, was that wrong?”

“Save the sentimental bullshit, Reese. Because if you were in my spot, you wouldn’t do the same thing as me?” Conrad chuckled.

Reese moved forward. “And what does that make you?Scared? Dickless? You rather take the easy way.” His laugh was bitter. “You can steal my ideas, take my job, hell, you cantryto be me—but you’ll always be nothing more than a fucking fraud.”

Conrad lunged forward, yanking Reese’s shirt collar, the sound of ripping fabric tearing through the sudden silence. “Say that again.”

Reese shoved him back. “Fraud.”

Conradsnapped. With a merciless thud, he collided into Reese, the combined weight sending them both crashing into the wooden wheel with a splintering sound. Their weight yanked the wheel hard to port.

The yacht tilted, throwing everyone off-balance with a earsplitting creak of the hull.

Screams.

The second punch landed, Reese’s fist meeting Conrad’s jaw, sending a spray of blood arcing through the air as Conrad’s head snapped violently to the side. Conrad stumbled, recovering in a flash, and connected with a vicious right, his knuckles cracking sharply against Reese’s ribs. Reese grunted in pain.

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