Total pages in book: 186
Estimated words: 176552 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 883(@200wpm)___ 706(@250wpm)___ 589(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 176552 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 883(@200wpm)___ 706(@250wpm)___ 589(@300wpm)
Not tonight, anyway.
I popped the cap on my lotion, ignoring the rest of the room. A locker slammed. Someone laughed too loudly. Cade was saying something to Xander that I didn’t catch. “You look like you’re about to kill someone,” he leaned over and warned.
“Do I?” I glanced at him with an easy grin, smoothly correcting my expression.
“Sure do, kiddo,” he quipped, closing his own locker.
“Kiddo?” I laughed.
“Which one of you is older again?” Stu, one of our defense players and a dead ringer for Shaggy from Scooby-Doo, asked as he came around the corner, ass naked and still dripping wet because someone didn’t teach him how to use a fucking towel.
“This fool,” I replied affectionately, motioning toward my brother.
“A whole four minutes,” Cade boasted.
Xander laughed, well aware of our true family dynamic. Cade was months older than me, not minutes, but hood-twins were frowned upon in the uppity town of Hemlock Heights.
Legacy tended to be everything, and our father didn’t want anything to tarnish ours, so we ran with us being twins. Fraternal, of course. It was a necessary compromise. Better than explaining how we were both blood brothers and cousins since our dad was fucking two sisters. My mother lovingly raised us both. We were close as brothers could be, cut from two different molds. My hair was black as night; Cade’s was between dirty blonde and brown depending on the time of year. My eyes were light, and his were dark. Where I thrived on control, Cade chose chaos. I was calculated and strategic; he was impulsive, always looking for the next adrenaline rush.
We balanced each other out, and the world only saw what we wanted them to. He might have been off the rails at times, but he had his own kind of brilliance, too, a way of navigating life by breaking the rules, while I made sure things fell into place. Above all else, he was fiercely loyal to those he loved. Especially me. We didn’t always see eye to eye, but I knew Cade would get his hands dirty on my behalf in a heartbeat, no questions asked. I would do the same for him.
He turned and leaned against our row of lockers, arms crossed, his expression casual. There was a knowing look in his eyes that told me he already knew where my mind had gone. My brother could read me better than anyone and had a way of seeing straight through whatever mask I wore.
“I will never understand why you chose this route to get our girl.”
“In case you missed a few chapters, I didn’t exactly have a choice.”
“That piece of—.” He stopped himself, remembering where we were.
I covered him with a laugh no one would question.
“Just relax. Everything’s gonna work out.” His voice was calm again. The same tone he always used when he was trying to ensure I remained level-headed. Usually, it was the other way around, though I wasn’t sure if it was me he was telling that to right now or himself. Likely both. There was only one part of my life where I had started slipping up. One person who fucked with my head without even trying. I shot him a look of gratitude. He had just reminded me that no matter how shifty shit got, I had control.
“I’m good,” I assured him, running a hand through my hair, still damp from the shower. “Let’s get out of here.”
The three of us said bye to a few of the guys and then left the locker room, making our way to the parking lot. It felt good outside. The cool air was a nice reprieve from the heated steam. I immediately caught sight of Brooke standing by my truck. A smile spread across her face when she spotted us.
“I’ll meet you guys at the house,” Xander said, splitting off to go to his car.
I acknowledged him with a nod and crossed to my ride. “Have you been out here alone this whole time?”
“No, Roxxi and the others just left.” She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around me.
I gave her a quick kiss, smothering my agitation.
I caught a whiff of her signature body spray and looked down at her. Appearance-wise, she was a cheerleader cliché through and through. In reality, she was extremely down-to-earth. Unlike in high school, none of the girls on the Crowsfell squad carried themselves like self-absorbed, higher-than-thou bitches. That wasn’t to say some hadn’t tried. They just didn’t make it past the final boss, Roxxanne Sterling.
Roxxi had a zero-tolerance policy for bullshit. Was she rich as hell like the rest of us? Absolutely. The golden apple of her parents’ eye? Without question. They would raze this entire town if it meant protecting her. She had us, too, and that in itself was a statement. She never allowed any of that to inflate her ego or be a reason to treat others badly.