Page 14 of Dirty Love

“Kade?” he asks, bouncing his eyes between mine, his brows pinched with worry.

“It’s nothing, Nicky,” I mutter, turning my head to spit the blood from my mouth.

“It’s not nothing,” he argues, guiding me back to the log to grab my t-shirt. “I think you smacked your head on a rock when you went down. Why the fuck would you let him hit you like that?”

“It just happened,” I lie, knowing the goddamn reason but refusing to admit it, fearing he’ll see me for what I really am if I say too much out loud.

I’m fully aware my obsession with my own brother isn’t normal or healthy, but I’ve been like this for years now and I can’t seem to stop it.

Nicky, Nicky, Nicky.

He’s all I fucking think about.

He presses my shirt to my temple and I grit my teeth at the sting, but I don’t pull away. Instead I look down at him and let him do his thing, watching the way his eyes drop to the mess on my chest, then down to my abs and the waistband of my sweats.

I like his eyes on me like this.

I shouldn’t, but I do.

His lips twitch like he knows it and he lifts his free hand to my mouth, carefully brushing his thumb over the bleeding cut there. Pushing his luck, he bumps his hips into mine and I almost groan at the contact, but then I remember where we are and snatch his waist with both hands. He makes a sound but I pretend not to hear it, discreetly telling him no with my eyes.

Not here.

He pouts a little bit and removes the shirt from my temple, his lean body crashing into me when fucking Jasper knocks into him from behind. I catch him before he falls and Jasper spins to face us, bravely reaching out to grab Nicky’s upper arm.

“Shit, man, I’m sorr—”

“Back the fuck up,” I growl, roughly shoving his ass with a single hand pressed to his chest.

He raises a brow at that, slowly stepping back with his hands up in mock surrender. He probably thinks I’m crazy, but I don’t give a shit. I can’t fucking stand this guy, and I swear to god if he winks at my little brother again I’ll choke him right here.

“Dude,” Nicky says, effectively pulling my attention back to him.

“What?”

“He said he was sorry.”

“I don’t give a fuck, Nicky.” I snatch his jaw, forcing his eyes up to mine. “No one touches you.”

“But you,” he adds, playfully rolling his eyes when he catches the confusion on my face. “No one touches me but you, right?”

I look away and run my tongue over my teeth, glaring at nothing while his words run riot through my head.

Right.

“Can we go home now, please?”

I nod and release my grip on his face, taking my shirt from his hand to throw it on over my head. “Did Skully give you the cash already?”

“Yep,” he says vaguely, laughing lightly when I turn my head to look at him.

“You gonna tell me how much?”

“Enough to buy me another hit for the ride back,” he jokes, pulling the bills from his hoodie to slap them into my open palm. “Maybe one for yourself, too.”

I snort at that, wrapping my arm around his neck to scrub a hand through his hair. “Fucker.”

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