Page 34 of Crushing On My Brothers BFF

He spins on me, a vein bulging in his neck, his temples pulsing as he glares at me. There’s so much anger in him, so much disbelief. He’s glaring like he’s ready to tear my head off.

“I don’t understand,” he says.

“It’s not complicated.” I raise my voice, then quickly lower it. As far as Paul, Riley, or any other nurses know, I’ve got no reason to argue passionately with Kaleb Kennison. “Yousawthe video, Kaleb. Don’t make me explain the obvious.”

“You have a crush on me,” he says.

“Ihada crush.” I jump to my feet and walk over to him, but stop before I go too far and cross a line as if we haven’t crossed several already. “I’m a little too old for that now. Anyway, that isn’t why I showed you the video. I need to know?—”

“A crush,” he cuts in, seemingly not hearing anything I’m saying. He shakes his head slowly. “Jesus Christ, how old were you in that video?”

“Thirteen.”

“And when did the crush end?”

Never. “Why does it matter?”

He steps forward, barely inches from me, making me want to throw myself at him, cling onto him just like I did at the beach. Okay, maybe notjustlike that. We can’t go to that steamy, tantalizing place here in the house.

“Because it changes everything between us,” he snarls. “You’re not going to think clearly when it comes to me and you.”

“There shouldn’t be ame and youanyway,” I point out.

He grits his teeth. Something like agony flits across his steely blues. “Fair point,” he says after a pause. “But you can’t expect me just to be okay with this. You can’t expect me to?—”

“All Iexpectis for you to help me. I think we can both agree it would be bad if Paul saw this.”

I say this last part in almost a whisper, knowing there’s always the danger of Paul overhearing us, telling us to stop,orderingus to.

“Obviously,” he says, looking at me like I’m a different person, as if we haven’t kissed and shared steamy moments. “I’m goingto put some discreet security on this address. Two strange letters in as many days… It’s too damn suspicious. Maybe we can catch them the next time they decide to visit.”

“Okay,” I nod. “That sounds like a plan.”

I fall silent, and he frowns at me with his eyes narrowed.

“You don’t have to look at me like that,” I tell him.

“Like what?”

“Like you feel sick just being near me.”

“If I am,” he snaps, “it’s not sick with you.”

“What, with yourself, then?”

“Can you blame me?” he says fiercely. “I’m twice your age. You’re Paul’s kid sister, and now…”

“Nowwhat?” I hiss.

He tilts his head and almost smirks. I see the twitch in his lips like he’s going to let himself do it, but then his face gets serious. “Now I know I’vereallytaken advantage of you. It’s not just the age. It’s this… thiscrush.” He says it like it’s an illness. “You don’t want me for me. You want me because you always have. It’s because I make up all those little moments in your childhood and all those girlish dreams. It’s wrong.”

“It would’ve been wrong if you wanted me backthen,” I say, apparently forgetting why I told him this in the first place—to stop him from wanting me. “But?—”

“There’s no but,” he replies, his voice lowering. He leans down, looking like he’s in pain. I get myself ready for a kiss. It’s whathappens when he leans in like this usually, but then he stops, staring at me. “We have to pretend none of this ever happened.”

“Is that what you want?”

“It’s not about what Iwant,” he says. “It’s about what’s right. I won’t take advantage of you anymore.”

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