She’s Knox’s sister. That line? It's thick and bold. Crossing it would screw everything up.
Brotherhood means something out here. In our world—in the dirt and through the pain—we don’t cross that line.You ride for each other. You bleed for each other. And being down bad for your best friend’s little sister?
That’s the kind of betrayal you don’t come back from.
No matter how much you want her.
No matter how bad she already feels like yours.
And yet—that kiss.
God, that fuckingkiss.
Her lips. The way she kissed me back like I wasn’t just Trouble—I was hers, too.
It still has my body on fire, like it branded something under my skin I can’t shake. It was reckless. Stupid. I’m one sick bastard for kissing her. I could’ve been caught—by my brothers, byher brother. And still, part of me liked the risk. Needed it.
And now? I’d give damn near anything to feel that again. To press my mouth to hers and make her forget who we are for a minute. To slam her back against that wall behind her right now, pin her hands up, and make her take every ounce of how bad I want her.
But I can’t. I know exactly who we both are.
Being around her, secretly wanting her, feels like balancing on the edge of a cliff with the wind in my face—and damn if I don’t want to fall.
"Trouble?" Her voice pulls me back from my thoughts.
I force out a breath, keeping myself steady like I'm facin' down an angry bull in the ring.
"Sawyer," I start, my tone even, betrayin' none of the turmoil writhin' beneath. "I care about your brother. That’s it. You're Knox's sister, and I’d do anything for him. Which means"—I lock my jaw, holding her gaze—"I'd do anything for you too."
It's the truth, but not the whole of it. Not by a long shot.But if she needs to know where she stands with me, then that's what I can give her.
"So how you feel about me is... that you would do anything for my brother, so I'm just thrown in there too?"
"What do you want me to say, Sawyer?" My voice is gravel, rough-hewn from all the things I'm holdin' back. My gaze never leaves hers, even as I feel this moment between us slipping away.
"I was just trying to see if you'd be honest with me. I’m just Knox’s little sister. Got it." She rises from beside me. The words hang there, suspended in the humid night, before she turns her back on me and strides inside, the screen door slamming shut behind her.
“You walked yourself right into that one,” I mutter, dragging a hand through my hair.
Another flash of lightning slices through the sky, lighting up the porch and the land beyond. And right now, I’m pretty damn sure that was granddaddy, who happens to be the only one who knows what I’m hiding.
“I know, Granddad,” I murmur. “I know.”
Thunder rumbles overhead like a laugh. I can almost see him—shaking his head, half disappointed, half amused. He always said women and trouble usually walked hand in hand. Guess I finally understand what he meant.
My eyes drift back to the door she disappeared behind, and something tight pulls in my chest. I take the last sip of my drink, then set the glass down with a quiet clink on the porch rail.
The truth is, I know better. Wanting her is a mistake I can’t afford. So I do what I’ve always done—bite down that feeling, and let her walk away like I haven’t already crossed the line in my head a hundred times.
eighteen
Sawyer
My head pounds in protest as sunlight peaks through the curtains, a cruel reminder of drinking too much sangria last night. The room spins as I fumble out of bed, and a sound claws at my senses—the unmistakable clatter of trashcan versus creature outside. That damn raccoon, back again to torture me.
Cursing under my breath, I stagger to the kitchen. I snatch a spatula from the drawer—the best weapon I can come up with under the circumstances.
I shove open the side door, squinting against the glare of the morning sun that paints the ranch in hues of gold and regret. "Don't make me turn you into a soup," I grumble, hoping the little beast will take the hint.
