Page 20 of Disorder (Elite of Elmwood 2)

“You're unbelievable. Don’t turn this into some kind of sex thing.” The fact that we’d been under the same roof for almost two days and hadn’t ripped each other’s clothes off deserved an award. Just looking at him now, I weighed the option of staying here and putting my hands on that damn glorious body or doing this important thing that had been on my mind since Friday.

Self-control. Find your self-control, Josie. Just because you’re a hormonal teenager, doesn’t mean you have to act on those urges every time you get one.

Right?

This was Brock Taylor.

He was not the type of guy to get mixed up with. Physically? Sure. Emotionally? Hell no.

“Look, I need to see Grayson,” I defended my choice to go see my brother, regardless that I shouldn’t have to explain it to Brock. What I did was my business.

Brock crossed his arms. “I figured. Do you want me to go with you?”

Was he actually offering moral support? What was happening? “This is something I need to do alone.”

His expression didn’t change, but his voice softened. “Just don’t expect too much too soon.”

I nodded. “Noted. I’ve had years of practice being careful with my emotions.”

Pulling a little plastic card from his back pocket, he held it out for me. “Here.”

“What’s this?” I asked, taking the white card from him.

“It will give you access to get back through the gate.”

Why did this feel equivalent to being given a house key? I blinked. “Thanks.” Where was the argument I anticipated? The,James, this is a bad idea?

Without another word from either of us, I walked out his front door, got into my car, and drove off.

* * *

The bell rang, chiming through the other side of the door. I shifted on my feet and glanced back at my car, second-guessing if this was a good idea or not. The autumn breeze kicked up as I waited, and I slipped my hands into the front pocket of my hoodie.

The door opened, and my gaze met Grayson’s, watching as his brown eyes went from mildly annoyed to surprise, which he quickly covered up with a mask of indifference, an Elite specialty. The four bad boys of Elmwood Academy had a way about them. Unapproachable. Respected. Feared. And somehow those traits made them the most attractive guys at school.

And this particular Elite was my brother.

I just stared at him, taking in his face. At least a few inches taller than me, he wore basketball shorts and a T-shirt, despite it being too cool outside for both. Beads of sweat gathered on his brow in a way that looked as if he’d just come back from a run. Perhaps I had caught him in the middle of a workout.

“We need to talk,” I stated. No point in beating around the bush.

Regarding me with wary eyes, he said nothing, only pushed the door open wider.

I walked past him into the foyer with vaulted ceilings that made the entryway feel enormous. I’d been in the house before, but this time, it had a different meaning. It wasn’t a party house, but the home I should have grown up in. An image of three little kids with the same shade of brown hair running up and down the hallway flashed through my head. I could see it all too clearly, and my heart squeezed for a childhood I’d never have the chance to know.

Grayson shut the door and turned to face me, crossing his arms in a protective stance. Who was he guarding himself against? Me? “I wondered when you’d show up.”

“This is weird,” I said, hoping we weren’t going to have this conversation standing around in his foyer. I needed to sit down or would be pacing the floors.

His shoulders relaxed. “Weird doesn’t begin to cover it.” Not waiting to see if I followed, Grayson sauntered down the hallway.

I trailed behind into the less formal family room, where a large television sputtered sounds of a football game. Grayson turned down the volume as he sat in one of the rocking recliners. I took the other one, twisting my fingers in my lap. For a moment, just the low hum of the TV filled the room, neither of us saying anything.

Considering Grayson had thrown a rager just two days ago, the Edwardses’ house looked halfway decent. No beer bottles in scattered in the yard. No bras swimming in the pool. No bodies lingering around, nursing a two-day hangover.

Color me impressed.

“Your parents still gone?” I asked, scrambling for some sort of normalcy, and wondering if I’d get a chance to see them. I hadn’t come to ambush them. I’d come only to talk to Grayson, but now that I was here…

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