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Needing her and needing to put an end to this threat.

Only I nearly came out of my skin when a soft hand curled around the top of my thigh and squeezed, and she peered over at me and whispered, “Don’t you think?”

“Delicious,” I told her, not able to help myself, probably staring down at her for far too long.

Caught on those hazel eyes that saw me in a way that no one else did. In a way that no one else could.

“Silas really knows his way around a grill…and the bedroom.” My eyes jerked away from Elena’s at the sound of Brinley’s needling.

I wondered if she did it for my benefit.

The way Silas’s full attention slid to her when I’d been an idiot and let myself get wrapped up in his sister.

Entranced in a beat.

Brinley had gone all seductress, and Silas leaned over and buried his face in her neck.

No restraint.

Not that he needed any, the lucky motherfucker.

He rumbled something that the rest of us couldn’t hear, and a sultry giggle rolled out of Brinley.

“Only Brinley could bring my hard-ass brother to his knees,” Brody razzed. “Dude’s soft as Dole Whip.”

Silas pulled his face up with a harsh scowl. “And your hard-ass brother would be happy to kick your ass.”

Brody only laughed. “We bringing cage fighting to the club? Sounds fun.”

Silas shook his head. “Don’t get any ideas into your head.”

“Hey, just trying to keep things interesting around here. I bet Phoenix would be the first to sign up.”

He smacked Phoenix on the back.

Phoenix grunted. “Little too tame for me.”

A laugh jumped out of me.

“You terrify me, man. Terrify me.” Except there was zero terror in Brody’s voice. Simply because he knew Phoenix’s venom would never truly be directed at him.

“Fighting is bad.” Elena basically scolded it as she leaned across the front of me like she was trying to teach Brody and Phoenix a lesson.

Only she let her dainty little hand wander up the inside of my thigh.

My cock strained, and I stuffed the last mound of my mashed potatoes into my mouth before I flew off the bench.

“Gotta pee,” I grumbled.

“Working on getting the plumbing redone in your place while you’re away,” Silas said. “Use the main house.”

“Got it.” I turned on my heel and made a beeline for the house. I took the steps and porch in two long strides.

I rushed inside.

The place was cozy and had Meems written all over it. A quilt tossed over the couch and a bunch of figurines and old pictures on the shelves and tacked to the wall.

Warmth and belief bleeding out.