Page 8 of Discord
A familiar sensation tingled my senses. My pupil slanted toward the source—his thumb idly stroking my pulse. My skin heated where he gripped me, blood pumping at an alarmingly increased rate. Even as I told myself it was the after-effect of coffee, it felt different from the usual caffeine high.
“What are you doing?” I asked with bated breath, distracted by the small waves of electricity.
His hand closed around the base of my throat, yanking me closer. He pulled on my hair roughly with the other hand before burying his face in it and inhaling, shuddering like he was about to fall apart. He moved his face from my hair to my throat.
My chest rose and fell at the feel of his nose on my skin. Before I could form a rational thought, Brandon dragged his tongue slowly up the column of my neck, tasting me reverently slowly.
“Mia.” My name fell out of his mouth like a distressed plea.
My teenage libido went haywire, and I couldn’t stop picturing the weight of his impressive size covering me. The images blurred my vision. Harsh breaths intensified from both accounts.
However, a voice in my mind reminded me of the harsh reality. Milo was in that other room. If he saw us in this position… I shook my head. Just the thought was like a bucket of cold water dousing my desire. I pushed against his chest.
“Stop,” I breathed.
My request was only met with Brandon stroking my pulse with his thumb, the tender touch differing from his angry words. “This is all your fault. You did this; forced me to feel this way.”
Everything about this scene tickled the memories I had worked hard to smother. This was the man who had broken my heart over and over, then made me out to be the scapegoat. He was still deflecting the part he played.
“Let go,” I said tersely, grabbing a handful of his hair to yank him off me. “I’m not doing this with you again.”
Brandon squeezed my hand painfully until I let go of his hair.
“You don’t get to do this after burning my book,” I hissed. I had that one locked and loaded. Guess I was still sour over it.
Brandon’s hold on my nape tightened in response, lips trailing my neck that was still wet where he had licked me. My breath hitched at the feather-light kisses, eyes fluttering shut.
“Mia! Where are you?” Raven’s voice drifted from the hallway.
As if he had burnt me, I pulled back just in time for Raven to enter the kitchen. Heart pounding, I kept my expression thoroughly neutral.
“Oh, hello.” Raven’s gaze fell on the table, shifting between Brandon and me. Two people seated at the kitchen table appeared innocent enough, but Raven’s slightly higher than normal pitch suggested differently. “Am I interrupting?”
The way Brandon frowned at Raven, I expected him to say yes. Instead, he cleared his throat. “I was just showing Mia how to use the new coffee machine.” One might argue thatshowing me how to use the new coffee machinewas a vast exaggeration of his efforts.
Raven’s lips tipped up nervously. “Brandon, I have no idea why you bought that monster of a machine. No one in the house can figure out how to use it.”
My head whipped in Brandon’s direction. But of course. Why wouldn’t he have orchestrated the coffee debacle?
Brandon willfully ignored my bewildered expression and stood. “I need real coffee to put up with you Sinclair bunch.”
Raven mumbled a retort, forcing me to redirect my attention. Now that my nerves had soothed, I had the opportunity to study Raven closely. She was dressed fashionably in a knee-length sun dress. A few strands of loose hair framed her face with the rest in a high ponytail. Outwardly, she appeared put together, though there was an odd quality about her. She lacked her usual glow, and for the first time in my life, I didn’t find Raven to be gob-smacking beautiful. This physical outlook contrasted heavily with Raven’s current personal life.
On the day he returned home, Milo texted me to gather the entire family. He had been dismissing me for months after my last “blunder.” Elated that he had finally forgiven me, I did as he asked without question. We went to Milo’s room, only to catch Raven indecently exiting his bedroom. She was naked, wrapped in nothing but a bedsheet. It became clear what they had been up to when Milo appeared at the doorframe next to her.
Milo instantly declared his love for her in front of everyone. It was a sticky situation. Raven was our foster sister, our families were intertwined, and a relationship between them was a huge no-no. However—after some initial resistance—our parents hopped on board, and Milo and Raven have been dating ever since.
I deduced Milo had set up the scene to out their relationship. He pretended to have forgotten all about the text, claiming it was a mistake they got caught. Nonetheless, I decided to let go of the deception. I was relieved to no longer be stuck in the middle, and they seemed genuinely happy.
Love won, and that should have been the end to the matter. So, why didn’t Raven reflect more happiness to finally be reunited with Milo? Instead, something dark hovered over her. She had been looking deathlier with each passing day—weight loss, restlessness, dark circles.
I wondered if others saw these changes as well. Unfortunately, Brandon didn’t stick around long enough to speculate alongside me. He uttered an excuse about work and left without a backward glance, leaving me with a concern I couldn’t shake.
Brandon
“You can have the beach house.”
“What? Why?” Carmen demanded over the phone. “Are you dying?”
