Page 108 of Prey Tell
I frown. “Fine. Not cuddled, exactly, but way too fucking close. I don’t think I’ve ever been that pissed off. But in the middle of talking, she got a text from Jackson.”
“And she assumed you told him behind her back.”
I nod. “Bingo.”
“And now you’re here with me.”
“Second smartest brother,” I murmur. “Obviously I am the smartest.” He hits my shoulder, and I laugh. “I don’t know. Jackson’s words kept rolling through my head. That I wasn’t good enough for her. And suddenly, I felt like a fucking idiot. Why was I there, staking a claim on her? Why did I think it could work between us when she’s perfect, and I’m… me.”
I stare down at my shoes as the words reverberate around our large seat cabins.
“Oh, buck the fuck up,” Miles growls. I snap my head up to glare at him. He takes a delicate sip ofmyscotch and turns to look at me with a disbelieving smirk. “If you think that girl hasn’t been in love with you for years, you’re fucking delusional.”
Something warm fills my chest at his words, and I suddenly want to hear all of his theories about this very subject.
“What makes you say that?” I ask, snatching my scotch back and shooting the rest of it.
Miles glowers at the empty glass before rubbing his chin with his index finger and thumb. His gold cufflinks—engraved with the exact same ‘R’ as my signet ring—catch the light of the morning sun out of the airplane window. I begin to fiddle with my ring, adjusting myself in my seat when I think of the very same letter as a purple bruise on the inside of Juliet’s thigh.Fuck.I was branding her as mine before I realized—or could admit—the extent of my feelings.
“Listen, I don’t know her very well. But I saw the way she was searching for you all night at her engagement party. And the eager way she asked about you at your apartment two weekends ago. Plus, it takes some massive balls to come to the office and ask me for an invite to your hunting thing. She’s been hard for your cock for a while.”
I stop fiddling with my ring, turning to face my brother. “So it was you who gave her the invitation.” He shrugs and opens his mouth, but I interrupt him. “That wasn’t a question, by the way. I know it was you, so don’t even try to fucking deny it,” I add, narrowing my eyes at him.
Miles smiles innocently. “She came looking for the push. An excuse. I saw a fire behind her eyes that I’ve only ever seen in yours. So I nudged her. Do you blame me?”
I smirk. “Must you meddle in my love life?”
He grins. “That’s what brothers are for. Especially brothers who can see what an idiot their younger brother is being. I’m still not sure what you’re worried about. You guys spent all weekend at the castle, if Luna’s reports are any indication. And yeah, she may be mad at you temporarily, but do you really think she’s going to walk away now? She won’t give up that easily. And if you think she will, you’re underestimating her.”
This isn’t going to work if you keep underestimating me.
I stare at the seat in front of me, scowling. I see Miles pick his book back up, flipping page after page as we head east. I don’t order another scotch, though I want one. Instead, I sip water and think about how I’m going to move forward. Last weekend changed everything for me—and I’m sick of fighting myself over something that feels right. But the thought of hurting her—or fucking up—is strong enough to make me want to rebuild my walls. The fear is potent enough to let her find someone else.
Anyone but me—isn’t that what I’d told her all those weeks ago?
I close my eyes, thinking of someone else touching her the way she lets me touch her. Of disregarding her pleasure in favor of their own. Of not knowing the nuances of her life, her history, that house, her brother…
I know her.
It hits me then that perhaps I’ve been right for her all along.
That pushing her away only delayed the inevitable. We were two sparks circling each other for years, waiting for the blaze to peter out. Instead, we became engulfed in the flames.
There was never any other option for us. Even if she ended up with someone else, I would’ve brooded about it for years, turning into a grumpy old man who letthe oneget away. Either that or I would’ve been alone with her again, waiting for that spark to catch, waiting to be consumed by her.
I was so worried about her ruining me that I didn’t realize the truth. She did ruin me but in the best way. She pulled my walls down, brick by brick with her tenacity, her insistence on learning about being a submissivefrom me.
Now that I’ve had her, there was no fucking way I’d ever let her go.
Why I thought a taste would be enough is beyond me.
I scroll through my phone, stopping when a picture pops up on my feed of Juliet hunched over her desk, smirking at the camera. I sit up and zoom in, noticingfuckingDylan posted it from his account a few minutes ago. The caption:Nearly done with this paper… almost time to celebrate.
I pinch the bridge of my nose and resist the urge to throw my phone.
Almost time to celebrate…
Juliet and her ex-fiancé. Celebrating together.
