Page 18 of Charming Cruel Boys

Nope. No way.The less I see the Ashbury twins, the better.

I’m repeating that to myself, like my own personal mantra, as I skip down the stairs and follow the scent of bacon to the kitchen. Turning the corner into the large, airy space, humming under my breath, I can almost pretend that my life hasn’t just been flipped upside down. Almost. Because the second I think that, Duke and Knight appear right behind me, shattering that little dream and sending my reality crashing down.

Knight shoves me out of his way as he moves into the kitchen, grabbing a pancake off a platter and eating it dry like a barbarian. A pancake without butter and syrup is just plain bread as far as I’m concerned.Gross.

Duke grabs my shoulders to steady me since his brother almost knocked me over in his rush to get food. I gasp as he pulls me into his chest, my body going completely still.

“Jesus Christ, Knight, be careful,” Duke growls while he tightens his hold on me. He looks down at me then, and his navy eyes hold so much longing and pain in them, making me swallow down a big ball of anxiety.He looks at me like he used to, like he owns my soul and I own his. He has no idea how quickly I’ll fold if he keeps looking at me like that. It’s impossible not to. He was my first everything.

My first heartbreak, too, I remind myself. As much as I miss Duke, I can’t let him hurt me again.

Taking a step back, I smooth out my shirt, refusing to meet Duke’s gaze. Instead, I turn around and pad softly to the table where an absurd array of breakfast foods are all laid out, with a note from Rose saying she left for work early, but hopes we all have a great day. I can’t even stop the eye roll that happens as I take in the excessive amount of food.There’s no way we can eat all of it.

Knight scoffs, catching my attention. “What’s wrong, Remi? Upset that you have to share your food now, or are you one of those stuck-up bitches who likes to starve themselves to death?”

I narrow my eyes at him as I sit down. “Just upset that I have to share anything with you,” I bite back while I pile a big heap of scrambled eggs onto my plate. It doesn’t escape my notice that Duke takes the seat next to me, directly across from Knight. He moves quietly as he grabs what he wants and then digs in without a word. All the same, though, I can feel him beside me. It doesn’t matter that he’s silent. Duke’s body radiates heat, and it’s as if I’m only just now realizing how fucking cold I’ve been for the past year. My body leans closer to him before my brain registers it.

Duke glances at me with a smirk that saysI know what you’re doingand it snaps me out of my daze. Clearing my throat, I straighten my spine and start eating.The eggs are tasteless now, my focus caught on the boy who shattered my heart and soul instead, but I chew through it anyway just to make time pass a bit faster.

“I didn’t see you around yesterday,” Knight comments to me as he chews. I shrug my shoulders noncommittally because I’m not going to speak with my mouth full. Some of us have manners. “I thought we could spend some time together again. Get to know each other better,” he says suggestively, flicking his eyes at Duke, who stiffens in his chair.

Duke opens his mouth, no doubt coming to my rescue, but I cut him off before he starts. I can handle myself, thank you very much. “Well, as delightful as that sounds, Knight,” I say with a sickly sweet smile and a voice to match. “I’d rather stick my hand down the garbage disposal and let that sucker run.”

Duke chuckles under his hand while Knight drops his fork with glare. He stares at me with his jaw tense and shoulders rigid for a long time, and I shift in my seat uncomfortably. “What’s so important to you that you hid away in your room without even coming out for food then? Unless you were purposefully avoiding me. Worried you won’t be able to keep your hands to yourself again, baby girl?”

“What the fuck does that mean?” Duke asks slowly. He’s glaring at his brother, nostrils flaring.

“Just that little Remi here gave me quite the warm welcome in my room on Saturday,” Knight says with a malicious smile.He wears it well, too, the deranged asswipe.

I bristle at his words, at the memory of Knight’s mouth on mine. His kiss was hot and demanding and rough. So opposite from all the ones I shared with Duke. Duke used to kiss me like I was home to him. Deep, long, passionate strokes of his tongue, gentle hands soothing away the ache building inside, knowing just where to touch to push my body to the breaking point.

Knight kissed me like he was on fire, and I was the one who lit the match but also his only hope for salvation. He grabbed at my body like he was unable to stop himself from tasting temptation no matter how damning it turned out to be.

My heart rate speeds and my stomach clenches as both of their touches, so opposing yet both delicious, swirl through my mind.

Until I focus on my surroundings again.

Duke is looking at me with betrayal burning in his eyes and Knight looks like he just won some battle I didn’t realize we were having. Like he wanted to tell his brother about that stupid kiss and was just waiting for the opportune moment. The kiss that meant absolutely nothing to either of us.

Licking my suddenly very dry lips, I push my chair back and leave the room. I don’t owe Duke any kind of explanation. And I’ll have a word with Knight later about not being such a dick all the time.Not that he’ll listen, but I can say I tried.

I make it all of five steps before a strong hand grabs my arm, pulling me to a stop. I swivel on my feet and glare up at Duke. “What?”

“Did you fuck him?” he asks, voice low and strained.

I scoff in his face. “Not that I need to explain myself to you, but no, Duke. I did not fuck your brother.”

Duke clenches his jaw and stares at me like he doesn’t believe a single word coming out of my mouth. Finally, he shakes his head with a bitter laugh. “But you did something with him. Do you want Knight? Is that it? That’s what ruined us?”

My eyebrows shoot up to my damn hairline and I rip my arm out of his hold. “What happened to us is on you! Knight has nothing to do with it. We kissed two days ago, that’s it. And it was nothing. I’m not like you, Duke! I haven’t—“ I bite my tongue before I can make a fool of myself. He doesn’t need to know that he’s the only guy I’ve ever been intimate with, that I’ve hardly even looked at another guy in the past year, besides Sawyer and the kiss he was dared to share with me. And now Knight, but I’m choosing to ignore that fact.

Just as some of that anger drains from Duke’s expression and he steps closer to me, the front door opens and my stomach drops.Sara walks in like it’s a regular Monday. Like she didn’t break the ultimate girl code Friday night. And of course, her outfit is somehow even more revealing than it usually is. As she closes the door behind her, she looks right past me and smiles warmly at Duke.“Oh! Remi, I totally forgot you told me they were moving in. How embarrassing,” she says with a manicured hand over her chest, batting her long lashes. She manages to flick her eyes down to me for all of three seconds before she zeros in on my ex once more.Quite the little actor, isn’t she?

Turning to face Duke again, I offer a cold smile. “Yeah, I kissed your brother,” I say, stepping closer to whisper in his ear. “I even liked it, Duke. Maybe I’ll go back for more. Because Knight might be an asshole, but at least I know where he stands, unlike you who just disappears when you decide you’re done.”

I give him a pat on the shoulder before looking at Sara. “You can drop the pretenses. I saw you two together at the party,” I say with as much strength in my voice as I can manage.Gold star to me for not breaking down in front of everyone!I walk past her, heading for the front door without another glance at any of them.

“Remi, wait! It’s not what you think,” Sara cries as she follows me outside, Duke and Knight tailing her to watch the show, I guess. “We were just talking, that’s all.” Sara’s brown eyes plead with me to believe her, her bottom lip pushed out in a pout and everything.

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