Page 17 of Forbidden Love

Guilt curled through my chest because I’d taken advantage of his sister. When it happened, she was legally an adult, but Xander wouldn’t see it that way. He and his brothers would see it as a betrayal.

* * *

On Sunday night, I told Kylie I’d pick her up and drive her to my parents’ house. She gave me the address of one of the A-frame cabins on the resort’s property.

When I pulled up, she was already sitting on the front porch, waiting for me. She bounded down the steps and made her way over. Today she wore tight jeans, a black sweater, and boots. She looked like the Kylie I knew when we were younger.

I reached over to push the door open for her because she didn’t give me time to walk around and do it properly. Her hair fell loose around her face, and her freckles were visible. I wondered if she’d covered them with makeup at our lunch. I preferred this fresh-faced look.

Kylie buckled her seatbelt. “I could have driven.”

“What would be the fun of that?” I flashed her a smile before pulling out of the driveway. My heart beat hard in my chest because I didn’t want her to see what I’d never been able to hide around her—I liked her as more than friends.

When she didn’t respond, I asked, “Why are you staying in a cabin and not with your parents?”

Her nose scrunched. “I think you know the answer to that.”

“You need your space?” I guessed with a glance in the side mirror as I signaled to change lanes.

“My brothers would be popping in every day to check on me, and my father would be asking me what I intended to do next. As if there was never a time in your life you could press pause.”

“Is that what you’re doing?” I glanced over at her.

“What? Pressing pause?” she asked, and at my nod, she continued. “I needed a break after—you know, leaving my job.”

I wanted to ask about the circumstances surrounding it but wasn’t sure if she’d answer me. “Care to share?” I might have been friends with her brothers, but we’d shared things over the years. I felt like we had a connection. That I could trust her, and I hoped she felt the same about me.

She let out a long breath and looked out the window. “I dated the owner’s son. I think we all know how that turned out.”

“You lost your job, and he didn’t?”

She blew out a breath as she turned so that her knee was folded on the seat, and her body turned slightly toward mine. “That’s the long and short of it. The bitch of it was—I knew better.”

“We all make mistakes in relationships.” Not that I’d been in any serious ones, but I’d screwed up things with her.

She tipped her head to the side. “Have you?”

I felt her gaze on the side of my face. “You want to know about me?”

She laughed softly. “I’d love to hear about someone else’s mistakes for once.”

“I’ve never even been in a long-term relationship. I never really wanted to, or no one appealed to me. I didn’t like anyone enough to take that leap, I guess. There’s no story.”

Kylie shook her head in disgust. “Men. I should have known better than to get involved with Rick. He swore it wouldn’t make a difference, that I was special. If we were the real thing, then what did it matter where I worked or who his father was?”

“It always matters,” I said thinking of her brothers.

“Right?” She was quiet for a few seconds before she asked, “So, no one has ever caught your eye, huh?”

“Nope.” Just you.

“That’s interesting.”

“Sam knocked up a girl when we were young, and I saw how that worked out. Felicia left him here to raise Maggie by himself. He had plenty of help, and I love Maggie, but I wasn’t eager to follow in his footsteps. Then there’s Mac. We always called him the hopeless romantic. He always fell hard and fast. Every girl he dated was his girlfriend. He had two serious relationships, but both girls ended it when he was looking for more. It broke his heart, and I wanted no part of that.”

“And now he has Natalie.”

“Natalie and Alice are awesome. Perfect for my brothers. But I don’t see the same thing happening to me.”

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