“I know. It was your primary goal. Just like it was the last time and the time before that.”
“As your brother—”
“I’ll give you that. As my brother, you don’t want me hurt or making mistakes or any of the many other things you’ll come up with.”
“The alternativeis—”
“That shipped sailed weeks ago.”
He took a step toward her, leery that she might throw another punch of kick or find something to lob at his head. But she didn’t, so he sat next to her and took her hand in his, kissing the back of it.
“I’m sorry,” he told her sincerely because she left him no choice.Fiaand those cunts left him no choice. “I’m jealous. I can’t…I can’t imagine anyone else touching you,” he told her, and flushed, ashamed of himself but so fucking tired of fighting. “No one except me.”
“Don’t imagine anyone else then. Even if you do, it’s no longer your concern. None of me or what I do with me should matter to you that way. I had Kaia, but I don’t anymore.”
She started to cry and he put an arm around her, hugging her close.
“Don’t cry. Please? Your tears tear me up, sweetheart.”
“Are you fucking sure about that? I think they get you off since you find every way possible to make me cry.”
Instead of agreeing, he told her, “I hate Kaia. I want him dead. Gone. The thought that you might give yourself to him—”
“I don’t plan to have sex any time soon, Diesel. I’m not ready for that. If I was, I’d expect you to be the type of big brother who’d help me sneak around.”
Diesel gave her an incredulous look. “That will never fucking happen, Rebel.”
“Unless it was with you, right?”
“Rebel—”
“I wish my lessons didn’t have to be so devastating. I can’t imagine the type of bitch I was in a former life.”
Diesel laughed and she smiled at him, the kind she once gave him where she giggled and blushed at everything he said.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. For everything.”
“Don’t hurt me again the way you did.”
“I swear I won’t.”
She nodded, then turned to him and pressed her lips against his cheek.
“You’re quite the adversary,” he told her.
“Yeah, well, you’re quite the asshole.”
This time when he laughed, she giggled, and he knew she’d truly forgiven him.
“How was dinner with the in-laws?” she asked.
He shoved aside whatever he felt at her calm question. It had no enmity, no jealousy. “Dinner was delicious. I missed you.”
He pretended she wasn’t so tragically beautiful that his heart sped up.
She got to her feet. “Have a good night, brother.”
Diesel should’ve been elated that Rebel didn’t want him any longer. He had Jana. He had to protect her. Kill her fucking parents. Spoil her. He didn’t need Rebel torturing and tormenting him, in his head and turning him into something gross and pathetic.
