“I can’t lose you,” I confessed, needing her to hear it.
All in one breath, she reminded, “You don’t have me now.”
“You’re in my arms,” I coaxed, “so I’ll take you any way I can.”
Touching her was like drinking the sweetest poison and not caring in the least about the result. It was only about the beginning.
“What do you need from me?” I questioned, gently stroking the tips of my fingers across her skin, letting myself believe that she was mine to touch, mine to keep.
Ignoring the mass disappointment that would take place in the next few minutes, I got lost in her. In seconds, we’d be back to our respective sides of the house, raging a war with our hearts and conscience.
She glanced up at me through her lashes, replying, “I don’t know.”
“Isla…”God, even saying her name hurt like hell, no matter the situation.
I knew what weighed on her mind. It was constantly there, breaking through her thoughts. Especially in moments like these, when we were too close to each other.
“You’re going to be a wonderful mom. I’m sure of it.” In a moment of pure insanity, I wrapped my arms around her, resting my chin on the top of her head. “You’re good, Kitty, genuinely good. Your ability to love is endless, and you’ll be a great mom because you’re a great person. It’s as simple as that.”
She sighed, smirking. “I hate it when you’re nice.”
I smiled back. “Me too. Makes me sound like a total pussy.”
She chuckled.
Settling back into our typical dynamic was too easy. The verbal sparring, the teasing, the tension that always built whenever we were silent, realizing how good it’d be between us.
“It almost makes me hate you a little less.”
“Well, you know what they say: there’s a thin line between love and hate.”
As soon as the last word left my mouth, a familiar voice roared, “I guess that’s one way you can put it, motherfucker.”
His icy tone sliced through the air, triggering her to shudder in my arms before I dropped them to my sides. Slowly, I turned, locking stares with my brother.
The jealousy.
The rage.
The betrayal.
I saw it all.
In the blink of an eye, I went from brother to enemy.
Although we’d done nothing wrong, it didn’t matter to him. It never would. Not after what I did. By the expression on his face, he knew it was me who made the call that landed him in jail for the past month.
Sometimes things were better left broken. You could only fix things so many times before it was suddenly impossible to fix what wasn’t yours to begin with.
He was ready to wage war with me…
And I’d prepared for it.
CHAPTER
THIRTEEN
JULIUS
