Total pages in book: 14
Estimated words: 12485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 62(@200wpm)___ 50(@250wpm)___ 42(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 12485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 62(@200wpm)___ 50(@250wpm)___ 42(@300wpm)
We hear the front door open at the same time, and we both freeze. Footsteps in the living room, then Brody's voice. "Anna? You home?"
Shit. Shit, shit, shit.
I look at Liam, and my panic is reflected right back at me in his face. "What do we do?" I whisper.
Liam sits up. "I'll just go out there. Tell him I stopped by to ask him a question or something."
"No!" I grab his arm. "He can't find you in here with me. He'll kill both of us."
Brody's footsteps are coming closer. "Anna?" he says again.
"What should I do, then? I'm not exactly dressed to leave." Liam motions to his lack of clothing.
"Get dressed!" I hiss, throwing his clothes at him. He scrambles to put them on, and I do the same.
We don't make it. Just as Liam pulls his pants on and I finish putting on my clothes, Brody opens the door. His eyes sweep over the room, taking in our half-dressed state, and I know I've been caught.
"What the fuck?" Brody says.
"Brody, I can explain," I say quickly.
Liam steps forward, putting his hand on my shoulder. "Hey, man. Calm down."
Brody looks from Liam to me, then back to Liam. "You're fucking my sister?" he demands.
"Brody, I'm an adult." I cross my arms. “So what if he is?”
"You're my fucking kid sister!" Brody shouts.
"It's not that big of a deal."
"Yes, it is!" He runs his fingers through his hair, turning away from us.
"Are you mad because it's me or because she was sleeping with someone at all?" Liam asks.
"Both," Brody yells, throwing up his hands. "Plus, it's my fucking apartment!"
"Brody, please calm down," I plead. "I know it's weird, but—"
"It's not fucking weird," Liam says. "We're two adults who are attracted to each other. I care about her."
"No," Brody says firmly. "No fucking way. It ends now."
I frown. "What does that mean?"
"It means you two are done."
"That's not your decision to make," Liam says.
This is flying off the handle. Is there even anything to end between Liam and me? We hooked up a couple of times. I didn't think it was that serious, but I sort of hoped it could be, in time. Did Liam think this time together was important beyond just sex? Even with Brody and Liam in the doorway arguing, I feel a warmth blooming in my chest at the thought of it.
The argument has gone down the hallway and into the kitchen, where Brody is cracking a beer open in the middle of the afternoon, and Liam is pulling his shirt over his head. I let them have at it, feeling better now that my brother's gaze isn't on me. It gives me a moment to think about what's really going on between Liam and me.
He likes me, that much is clear. And I like him.
But can we really do this? The fact that we live so far away from each other or my brother would probably murder us both if we tried to keep seeing each other. It’s all getting in the way already.
Is it worth it?
Liam and Brody are still arguing. Brody says that Liam has been his best friend for years and how much of a betrayal this is, while Liam argues that he's being unreasonable and that he needs to see me as an adult who can make adult decisions. I tune out the argument and instead try to figure out exactly how I feel about all of this.
I'm not sure I'm ready to give up on Liam and me yet. What happened between us felt real. It felt like we had something special, even if it was just starting. I don't want to lose that.
Liam and Brody have followed their argument into the living room, but they're not shouting anymore. The tone of their voices is subdued, and I'm glad I've tuned it out for the most part. Unfortunately, I can hear them now.
"Brody," I hear Liam say. "I'm sorry, okay? I really care about Anna. I didn't mean for it to happen, but it did."
Brody doesn't reply.
"I know it's weird," Liam continues. "And I know you're upset. But I promise you, I won't do anything to hurt her. She means the world to me."
I freeze when I hear that. I don't know if Liam's saying it just to get Brody to calm down, but it makes my heart swell. He cares about me. He doesn't want to let me go. I press my hands to my face and exhale slowly.
I need some space away from all this masculine nonsense.
Full of anxious energy, I grab my bag and make a break for it. Liam and Brody are too busy arguing to notice, and I get out of the apartment without having to deal with either of them. I can hear the arguing start again when the door closes behind me, but I leave them to it. I'm done.