Page 74 of Cold and Broken (The Titans of Founder's Ridge 1)

“Sweet pea,” Michael frowns at Lilith, “should you be playing basketball with those burns?”

“Probably not.” She tosses the ball to her dad. “But I couldn’t resist the opportunity to swindle money out of these clowns,” referring to us.

“They thought they could beat us three on two,” Zion chuckles and sideways high fives Lilith.

Michael looks at Levi, Griff, and me with pity. “These two have been shooting hoops together since they were six. They’re pretty tough to beat, I think they have hive mind.” Then he shifts his attention back to Zion who he looks at with the same fatherly pride he gives Lilith. “Victor this Zion, Zion this is Victor Volkov, my employer.”

Victor shakes his hand. “We were thinking about taking you kids out for Lilith’s birthday.” He looks at all of us, ending on my face. After a round of affirmative answers he slaps his hands together. “Great, we’ll leave in an hour.”

I watch Lilith jump on Zion’s back for a piggy back ride and have to work seriously fucking hard to suppress my urge to rip her off and carry her to my room. Jealously sucks. Watching her fucking run and jump into his arms after school today felt like I was being stabbed in the chest with a hot poker.

I want to be the one she runs to. I want to be the one she turns to for help, for comfort, for affection. I haven’t missed the looks he keeps shooting over her head, either. It’s like he’s sending me a challenge and a warning every time he looks at me when she’s not paying attention. He even has her name tattooed on his chest, he scored a basket on me when I noticed that. It matches the one she has on her hip bone.

Fuck!

“Dude.” Lev wraps an arm around my shoulder. “You look like you want to murder someone right now.”

I don’t have anything to say so I just growl. How am I supposed to compete with 12 years of history and friendship?

“He’s gay,” Griff says. “I’d bet a grand on it right now.”

“What?” Lev looks at him like he’s grown a second head. “I’ll take that fucking bet.”

“I wish,” I mumble. “You guys can shower wherever.” They’ve had a room in the family wing of our house since we were ten, just like I have a room in both their houses. When your house is so big and so many rooms are empty it just makes sense to fill them however. “Let me know if you need anything.”

I jog up to my room, trying to work out this aggression I feel building. Part of me wants to make a pit stop to throw some punches at a bag in the gym but I don’t have time. I flip on the shower and step in after pulling my shorts off. I turn the water up to scalding hot, just enough to hurt without doing any serious damage. That’s when I notice the pink bottles sitting in my shower.

I pick one up and as soon as I open it it’s like Lilith is in the shower with me. My dick starts to harden as I sniff it greedily. Lilith had to have put this in here, I joked about it but haven’t time. I pour a little into my palm and begin to stroke myself. My thoughts wander to seeing my beautiful Lily on her knees today. The way her perfect lips wrapped around my cock while she gave me the hottest blow job I’ve ever had. I could tell she was nervous and a little inexperienced but fuck, she’s so beautiful. I’ll never forget the visual of her in that lace bustier, her school uniform skirt and tie, on her knees with my hand fisted in her hair. The way she swallowed all my cum and licked my dick clean. I groan as I cum all over my hand, her scent filling the shower and my soul, where she lives now. I lean my head against the cool marble of the shower wall while my pulse slows.

“The fuck you doing, dude?” Lev barges into my bathroom. “And why does it smell like hood rat in here?”

“Do you mind?” I start scrubbing my hair.

“Sure don’t.” He leans against the counter all nonchalant. The pitfall of your best friend being an athlete, walking through a locker room of swinging dicks doesn’t bother him so bugging me while I shower is nothing either. “Hurry up. I’m hungry.” He’s always fucking hungry. “And seriously, why does it smell like hood rat in here? You using her shampoo?”

I hate that he gets close enough to her that he knows how she smells, too. I really fucking do. My ugly, green demon of jealousy is hammering at the walls of my gut. I rip the towel the off the rack and tie it around my waist, cutting a glare in Lev’s direction. A weaker man would run away. Lev meets my glare head on.

“You need to calm the fuck down,” he pats my cheek.

“I know.” I clench my jaw so hard I swear I feel my teeth crack.

“Want me to grab Ives and bring her in for some yoga breathing exercises?”

Another death glare.

“Dude. Okay, remember that she’s known Zion since they were kids and if anything was ever going to happen between them it would have already.” He pushes away from the counter and slaps my ass. “Now. Hurry up and stop being all dark and broody. I want to have a fun dinner and learn all about how embarrassing hood rat was as a kid.”

Ten minutes later I’m down in Victor’s office.

“Can we use the chopper this weekend?” I ask from the doorway.

He looks up from some papers he’s shuffling around. “Of course. Why?”

“I’m thinking about taking everyone to the city for the weekend for Lilith’s birthday.”

“I’m fine with it. Staying at your penthouse at VI?”

“Yeah.”

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