Page 46 of Shattered Rhythm

I feel a pang of jealousy. They look adorable together, and if anyone deserves her, it would be River. Ryder barges into the room and pulls Liv out of his twin’s embrace and into his own, nearly crushing her.

“Finally,” he exclaims.

“Can’t breathe,” Liv responds, her voice muffled. He lets her go and licks her cheek. Liv makes a grossed-out noise while swiping at her cheek with her sleeve.

“I licked it. It’s mine,” Ryder says. River glares at him over Liv’s head, and Ryder laughs. “Chill out, little brother, it’s just for tonight. I call dibs on her sitting with me.”

Liv narrows her eyes at him. “She’s right here, and she’s not something you can call dibs on.”

“Tell ’em, girl,” I say with a chuckle, throwing my arm around Liv’s shoulder. She glances up at my outfit—dark wash jeans, a black shirt, and a leather jacket.

“You’re not joining us?” she asks, her voice tinged with disappointment, and I shake my head.

“He’s got a hot date tonight,” Ryder interjects, and Liv steps away from me.

“Oh, good for you. Have fun,” she says, but I can hear the hurt in her voice, and it makes me feel sick.

“His loss,” River chimes in with a grin. “Now you can sit between Ryder and me.” He waggles his eyebrows, and Liv laughs, the tension in the air momentarily easing.

“You guys are worse than kids, and because of that, I’ll sit next to Jaxon,” she says just as he enters the room, arms full of treats. He smirks at us as he sets the bowls on the coffee table.

“Perfect,” he says, sitting down and pulling Liv into his lap. She laughs, and he whispers in her ear, “Hey, sunshine.” I chuckle at their teasing and take a step back.

“I’ll catch up with you guys later, enjoy the movie,” I say before turning to leave. I feel a pang of guilt in my chest as I walk away, knowing that I’ve hurt Liv’s feelings, but I can’t let myself get too caught up in this. I have a date tonight, and I need to focus on that. Hoping it’s just what I need to get her out of my head.

* * *

Jaxon

She looks stunning tonight. We had suggested that she dress casually and comfortably, since we were only planning to relax and watch movies. We’re all in sweats or basketball shorts, while she’s wearing a light green lounge set with flowy shorts and a long-sleeved sweatshirt. Her hair is in a messy bun, and she’s only wearing a hint of makeup. She smells like vanilla, and I take a deep breath to savor the scent. It seems that she’s becoming more comfortable around us because the scar on her sexy, toned leg is on full display, and I love that she doesn’t feel the need to conceal it from us anymore.

I guide her off me so she’s sitting on the couch with her legs draped over my lap, then take one of the new blankets and pull it over us. Her head rests on my shoulder, and I can feel her warm breath against my neck. I begin to stroke her bare thigh under the blanket and am fascinated by the goose bumps that form in the wake of my touch. She shivers slightly, and I try to keep myself from getting hard.Fuck.

“What are we watching? Chase told me he discovered yesterday that our Liv is a little Star Wars geek,” Ryder says, breaking the silence. My eyebrows rise as I look down at Liv’s beautiful face, since we do a Star Wars marathon at least twice a year as a family. She’s blushing, and having a front row seat to that reaction from her makes it even harder for me not to sport a semi. I can’t help but wonder if that blush extends to the rest of her body. I let my fingers wander from the safe zone of the outside of her thighs, grazing the inside of her right thigh, close to the seam of her shorts. Her breath hitches, and I can’t help but think about how much I want to let my fingers wander higher and feel if she can’t help but react to me too.

I bet she tastes like heaven and vanilla.

“What do you want to watch Ryder?” Liv blurts out, her voice a bit shaky, and I smirk.

“I don’t know, what are we in the mood for? Something funny? A classic? Action? Or do you just enjoy chick flicks?” he teases her.

“I like chick flicks,” she says, and his face falls. I laugh into her hair.

Little minx.

“How about an action movie?” Liv suggests. “LikeJohn WickorBourne Identity?” I squeeze her thigh, and she looks up at me with questions in her eyes.

“The Bourne films are my favorite,” I explain.

“Really?” she asks. “I like them too, but I’ve only seen the first two.”

“We have all of them.” Ryder suggests. “We can do another movie night soon to finish them all.”

Liv nods with a smile, then adds, “But not tomorrow, because tomorrow is your gig.” Ryder smiles. “What kind of bar is it? Is there any dress code?” she asks.

“Nope, come however you want to.”

“Are you playing the acoustic guitar or is it more like electric guitars and drums?” she asks, while River smiles at her.

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