Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 102929 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102929 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Zeroing in on him, I placed my hand on my chest. “I forgot that? Why do you think I bust my ass for you? I’m trying to make things better for you because of all the trauma we went through.”
“I never asked you to do that!”
“You didn’t have to!”
I stepped away, trying to control my temper. My brother could always get the best and worst of me in a matter of seconds.
“I didn’t come out here to fight with you.”
I faced him. “Could’ve fooled me.”
His expression hardened as he stated, “Whatever, man. We’re good, right?”
“What about Isla?”
He shrugged. “What about her?”
“What happened there?”
“We hung out,” he simply stated when it wasn’t so simple.
“Is that it?”
“She told me the truth you’ve been too big of a pussy to ask her about. If that’s what you’re referring to.”
“And what truth is that?”
He shook his head. “I’m not going to play telephone. You want to know, grow some balls… and just ask her. It’s really that simple, Julius.”
My jaw clenched, and his hands shot to the air in surrender. “Don’t shoot the messenger, Prince Charming.”
He turned and left.
That night, I slept on the couch. I sat for only a minute before I passed the hell out and didn’t wake up until the smell of bacon and coffee the following morning. I quickly showered, then found Isla sitting at the table with my breakfast in front of her. We ate like this every morning.
Right when I sat down, she beamed.
Her hair was flowing across her face from the window being open, the wind softly blowing it through the room. The scent of her shampoo assaulted my senses, stirring my reaction to her. She was barely wearing any makeup, letting me see the real her.
I knew she did that on purpose for me.
This was where I surrendered, but only with her.
My brother was another story.
She was mine.
* * *
No matter how hard he tried.
Chapter
Twenty-Six
Isla
Certainty is the calm before the storm. -Stewart Stafford
* * *
Six months later.
* * *
“You don’t have to work today?” I asked, sitting at Julius’s desk. “You’re usually gone all weekend.”
Julius grinned. “You trying to get rid of me?”
“I mean,” I teased, cocking my head to the side. “I am really busy these days. My calendar is just scheduled to the max.”
“Oh yeah? What’s it filled with?”
“Let’s see, I have to finish this homework and then I have to start dinner. I was thinking of maybe trying out that new grill you bought. What do you think about shish kebabs?”
With a playful expression, he implied, “You know how to handle a kebab?”
I giggled, blushing. I felt the heat instantly sweep my skin.
This was definitely one of the biggest things that changed between us over the past year since we met.
We’d openly flirt.
Play around.
Cuddle.
His favorite spot to fall asleep was with his head on me as I scratched his back.
We acted like we were dating, but we weren’t even kissing.
At all.
Despite all of that, we were still best friends. It felt natural to behave this way around one another after I began talking. His hands were always on me in one way or another, or trying to be. Whether it was to tickle me, touch my skin, or even hold my hand.
When he wasn’t working, we did everything together. I experienced so many firsts with him over the past couple of months. He took me to the movies, the beach, and the parks all over New York. We rode the Staten Island Ferry and visited Grand Central Station. The list went on and on. It was his first time going to most of these places too.
I started to enjoy life with him, and it was very much mutual.
He wasn’t working nearly as much as he was before, but he was making more money. Not that I paid any attention to that. He still performed with his brother whenever they could get together. I think it was more about bonding than the money these days.
However, it was hard not to notice that Julius seemed less stressed and was smiling much more.
He seemed really happy, and I loved that I was part of the reason. It was like that for me, too.
We laughed.
We joked.
We busted each other’s balls.
I was at peace…
For the first time in my life, I was truly safe.
I hope this calm will last forever, but I felt a storm was brewing. Julius grinned with a mischievous gaze as if he could read my thoughts. I swallowed the saliva that had suddenly pooled in my mouth. My skin was feeling flushed all over, and he wasn’t even touching me.
“Care to elaborate on what you’re talking about?” I asked, smirking like a fool.
The intensity that radiated from his demeanor had me weak in the knees, and I found it hard to breathe. He slowly licked his lips with his predatory regard as he eyed me up and down.