Page 45 of Fumbling for Perfection

I step away from her. “Don’t fucking touch me,Margaret.”

“I can explain.”

“Really?” I bark a humorless laugh. “I can’t wait to hear the explanation.” I cross my arms over my chest and glare at her.

She licks her lips, and even though she doesn’t mean for it to be sexual, my dick betrays me by twitching behind my zipper.

We stand there in silence, and Riley doesn’t say a word. She takes a deep breath and lets it out. Takes another deep breath and opens her mouth like she’s about to say something but huffs out a sigh instead.

I clench my fists and force myself not to speak or move. I don’t trust myself not to say something I may regret. She lied to me from the first time I met her. I specifically asked her if she was single.

Every moment we were together, every touch, every kiss, every fuck, was a lie. She’s no different from all the other women. Gold diggers. Liars. Cheaters.

Fuck. Shebelongswith Jackson.

I have no idea what kind of man he is today, but he dismissed me as easily as our father did more than a decade ago. As the older brother, he should have looked out for me. He didn’t. I’m not sorry I fucked his fiancée, I only wish I hadn’t fallen for her first.

“You two fucking deserve each other.”

“Hey, girl. Ready for golf?”

I tilt my head to the side and see Riley’s friend, Kendall, step onto the patio. She glances up at me with a flirty smile and freezes when she recognizes me.

“Oh. Fuck.”

“At least your friend gave me an honest reaction.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Walker is Jackson’s brother.”

Kendall’s brows lift so high they practically kiss her hairline. “No. Fucking. Way.”

“Yeah. Nice job cheating on your fiancée with his brother,” I say to Riley. “Don’t worry about me spilling your dirty little secret. I’m getting the fuck out of here. You won’t see me at holiday dinners or at family reunions either. The fucking Bankeses can kiss my ass on their way to Hell.”

I shove past Kendall and stop when Jackson fills the doorway, not letting me pass.

“Leaving before golf? I was hoping we could catch up.”

“Catch up?” I scoff. “I haven’t seen you since we hit puberty.”

“Ihit puberty. You were still wearing Thomas the Tank Engine underwear.” The corner of his mouth lifts at his joke, completely oblivious to the tension on the patio behind me.

Much to our father’s dismay, I’m not an asshole. I don’t tell Jackson about his fiancée and I having dinner the other night, or the long make-out session we had in the parking lot. And I sure as hell don’t tell him how many times I’ve fucked her, or about all the positions I’ve had her in while I made her come.

I’ve always been jealous of my older brother, but never as badly as I am right now. I don’t give a shit about having our parents’ attention or any of the inheritance. Him having Riley is what eats at my gut.

“Can’t stay.”

“It would mean a lot to me if you did.” Jackson looks me in the eye and squeezes my shoulder. “I’m sorry I’ve been...absent from your life. Being with Riley has made me realize how much I’ve missed having a brother.”

I study my brother, who I haven’t seen since he left for college and I went to boarding school. He’s taller, as am I. His hair is the same blonde as our father’s, styled with precision. We’re both wearing golf shirts, but where I fill mine out with wide shoulders and muscle, his fits his lean, well-defined body.

The desk job hasn’t prevented him from staying in shape, but we’re polar opposites. He’s pretty-boy blond and sophisticated where I’m dark haired, muscled, and, according to our father, uncouth.

I unclench my fists and let out a deep breath. “Fine. But I’m not sticking around for a family dinner after.”

Jackson laughs. “Neither am I. Not that Sebastian and Lydia have extended an invitation to either of us. I reserved a table at the restaurant at the hotel. Just the five of us.”

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