I chuckle through the tears, not believing my ears. He told her he was going to spank me?
He remains silent.
“She’s going to leave because of you and never come back, just like Mommy and Daddy,” she screams, the tears evident in her voice, the tone shattering my heart into millions of tiny pieces.
Her little footsteps pound on the stairs. She’s headed for her room.
“I’m sorry, Elena,” Colten apologizes loudly. “I’ll fix it—I’ll talk to her.”
But Elena doesn’t respond; there’s just another slam of a door—this one soft and innocent.
I close my eyes, resting my head against the door. My heart softens, wanting to wrap her in my arms and tell her I’m not going anywhere. It’s almost been a week of being trapped on the hill, and this kid is already getting to me.
Making me attached. And that’s a problem.
Because as badly as I need to get off this property after this morning, I think the tiny human upstairs needs me more.
TWENTY-ONE | COLTEN
Ifucked up.
I should’ve ignored my dick for one goddamn second and called the twins when I found out she ran—was running…whatever—and had them take care of Taryn since they already touched her once.
“Did seeing me fuck her make you wet? Did you crawl under those covers and finish what you started with your fingers?”
“Yep. And the entire time, I thought about your twin brothers.”
She raided my head with her manipulation and sharp tongue. She knew exactly what to say to shatter every ounce of my resolve. As if she knew the woman I saw writhing beneath me and taking my cock wasn’t Britt, but her instead.
Red flooded my vision when she said she was envisioning my brothers. Each word was a needle puncturing through my skin, the ink leaking through muscle, riding the current of my veins until the image of my brothers with her tattooed itself on my brain.
Dusk covers the hill with a clear navy and purple sky, the color reflecting off the wall of windows at the front of the house.I flip the steaks, watching as the smoke from the grill on the patio spirals up into the air. I’m so on edge and tense that the sizzling meat grates against my skin.
Elena hasn’t talked to me all day, and Taryn has been avoiding me and staying in her room. Jess scowls at me suspiciously every time I see her, suspecting something went wrong between Taryn and me. I’ve been fuming with myself, not wanting to discuss it with Jess after a five-year-old yelled at me.
Eventually, I drove all my anger into work, driving the ATV around to fertilize and burn piles. After that, I mowed the plots and moved irrigation, and as if that wasn’t enough to reduce the self-loathing, I went to my office to answer emails and check accounts, hopping on the occasional phone call. My evening ended with me releasing any energy and tension I had left in our gym in the shop.
When I got back to the house, it was nearly eight, and the sun was setting. I didn’t bother to shower. I just wanted to avoid the scrutinizing looks from my brothers, so I grabbed the steaks out of the fridge and found myself at the grill.
Grilling calms me. So here I am, chugging water, watching the sky darken with each passing minute as the meat hisses.
The screen door slams, and Cameron appears beside me with a beer. He lifts it to his lips, a drop of water from the condensation dripping down the glass and onto his hand. My mouth waters at the thought of feeling the hoppy carbonation on my tongue.
Five years sober, and I’ve never struggled as hard as I am now. I clench my fingers around the tongs, resisting the urge to snatch his beer from him and take a swig. But taking one drink to numb my issues could force me down a path I’d rather not explore.
His eyes bore into the side of my head as I flip a steak. I snap my eyes to his. “Why the fuck are you staring at me like that?”
“You want to tell me why all our girls are moody as hell? Bren and I haven’t gotten a word out of them. Tristan hasn’t spoken either, but that’s normal for him.”
Our girls.
The muscles in my back constrict. A wave of guilt washes over me, and at the same time, the breeze shifts the smoke in my direction.
He takes another drink and leans against the pillar. “We contemplated periods being the cause, but Elena iswaytoo young for that.”
I stay silent, my eyes fastened on the meat.
“There’s a letter from Dad for you on the counter.”
