Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
The chair lift reaches the top and we hop off.
“I’m just saying, brother… be careful. Let’s not get carried away,” he says.
“And I’m saying we’re not like other men. We’re built differently. Societal norms don’t apply to us, and we certainly don’t fall head-over-heels for every woman we share. That’s why I’m telling you—without a shadow of doubt—Makayla is different.”
“Maybe I don’t like hearing you talk this much sense,” Kellan grumbles.
We approach the top of the slope again, having nothing more to say on the subject. We’re about to start our descent when someone calls out to us. A familiar voice makes my stomach sink, and when I turn, it knots with repulsion.
Melanie glides closer—close enough that my first instinct is to raise a hand to keep her away.
“What do you want?” Kellan snaps.
“Hello to you, too,” Melanie says, as though we’re the rude ones. “Figured I’d get a few runs in since Callie’s off getting her nails done and Makayla’s MIA.”
“You need to stay away from Makayla,” I say. “Keep your bullshit to yourself.”
“Ah, so you don’t want me telling her what you did to me?” Melanie says sweetly.
Her smile doesn’t falter—proof of how easily she lies and how much she enjoys turning our lives into hell. It’s all a joke to her.
“We didn’t do anything to you that you didn’t consent to,” Kellan snarls. “And the fact that you told a judge we forced you is unforgivable.”
“Maybe for you,” Melanie says, flicking her hair. “But I’m trying to move past it. We’re all here together, so why not make the best of it?”
“You’re not fooling us,” I say. “Whatever you’re planning, don’t. It won’t end well for you.”
“Is that a threat?”
“It’s a promise,” I reply.
Melanie’s pout is theatrical. “You’re no fun. I do have something planned, but I guarantee that you’ll enjoy it if you just give it a chance.”
“Last I checked, your idea of fun involved lying to the police and suing us for something we didn’t do, Melanie,” I warn. “Stay away from Makayla. I won’t say it again.”
She glides closer on her poles. Her ski suit is shamelessly tight, and her cherry-red lips gleam with fresh gloss. Everything about Melanie screams premeditation. To any other man she’d be bait—attractive, sensual—the whole nine yards with every twist of her hips.
To my brothers and me, she is purely a source of disgust.
“Be careful,” Melanie says, shooting Kellan a look to be sure he hears her, too. “I don’t respond well to threats—or promises.”
I clamp my mouth shut. I have to remember that not only is she a bitch, but she’s also litigious. One wrong word could land me in the middle of another lawsuit, and this one might not go away so easily. Deep breaths.
Melanie smiles, having made her point. She pulls the ski goggles down over her eyes and flips her hair again. Skiing away from us, she drops deftly over the edge of the slope to begin her descent.
For a while her body kept us warm and sated. It was fun—until she twisted it into a nightmare.
I glance at Kellan; the same mix of frustration and mistrust clouds his face. “Give her a few seconds,” I say.
“No rush whatsoever.”
“Give her a minute, then.”
“And hope she misses that tight turn.”
I chuckle dryly. “That’s morbid as hell, Kellan.”
“She’s trouble, Alex. The worst kind.”
“I know…”
I push off, letting the wind scour my thoughts clean as I carve down the slope.
22
KELLAN
Ilet Alex handle most of the conversation with Melanie.
She’s trying to bait us into something that might burn everything to the ground. And our ecosystem is fragile enough as it is. I watch my brother carve down the slope while my thoughts stall for a heartbeat.
When I finally push off, this run isn’t nearly as satisfying as the first. Instead of enjoying the burn in my legs, I worry about whatever scheme Melanie’s cooking up.
At the bottom, I catch Alex tugging a water bottle from the strap at his hip.
“We good?” I ask, sidling up and reaching for the bottle myself. He passes it over, and we take long pulls before deciding if we want another run.
“Yes.”
“Where’s Melanie?” I ask, scanning the crowd.
She’s nowhere to be seen, but that doesn’t mean she’s not lurking near the ski shop or waiting at the base of the chair lift for us. I almost throw in the towel and suggest we hit a different slope.
“I haven’t seen her,” Alex grumbles. That brief but unsettling conversation got the better of him. Chances are, he’ll be in a foul mood for the rest of the day.
“Good. Let’s hope it stays that way…” My voice trails off.
As if conjured, Melanie swoops in from our left. “There you are!”
“Stay the fuck away. This is harassment.” I roll my eyes and briefly consider a strategic retreat.
But the closest exit is the chairlift, so I set my sights on reaching it as fast as I can. If Alex and I can hop on, we’ll leave Melanie in the dust and tune out the rest of her toxic bullshit.