“Your body is my favorite thing on this planet.” He takes a deep, earned breath.
“And wearing your hand around my throat like a necklace is my favorite piece of jewelry.”
His mouth slightly gapes. “Jesus Christ, I’m obsessed with you.” His hazel eyes admire.
Using my knees to push myself up, he slides out of me as his cum drips down my thigh. Zanders’ gaze is glued to it, watching it trail down my leg.
“You’re my personal version of heaven, Stevie girl.”
33
STEVIE
“Ry, let’s go! I’m starving.”
The morning sun beats down, warming my brother’s apartment as I wait for him on the couch.
“I need a few more minutes.” Ryan finally emerges from his room without a shirt on, a bag of ice wrapped to his shoulder. “I have five more minutes on this session.”
“How’s the shoulder?”
“Absolutely fucked. Utah’s center hammered into my arm last night.”
“Well, good thing you have the weekend off to rest it.”
“Finally, get some time with my sister.” He takes the couch opposite me. “I feel like we see each other even less now that we live in the same apartment than we did while you were still in North Carolina.” He shoots me one of those dopey, sad half-smiles.
“I miss you too, Ryan.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Can you tell me what happened with Brett?”
That causes me to pause, my stomach slightly hollowing. “We broke up. Not much more to the story.”
“That’s not what Zanders made it seem like.”
Shit. Zee wouldn’t share all the dirty details I wanted kept private, would he?
“What did he say?” I cautiously ask.
“Nothing more than he didn’t want me bringing Brett around you anymore. So, is that him just being a weird territorial boyfriend, or is there something bigger behind it? Because you’ve told me for years that it was a simple breakup, and now, I’m getting the impression that there’s more to the story, and that makes me feel like a real shitty brother for not knowing.”
Averting my eyes from him, heat rushes my cheeks. “It’s embarrassing, and he’s your friend. You’re so busy with basketball and your career that I don’t want to put you in the middle and make your life harder.”
“Vee, are you kidding me? I’m never too busy for you. You’re the most important person in my life. You’re my best friend, and if you think I’d even question having Brett’s back over yours, you’re out of your goddamn mind.” Kicking his foot up, he nudges my knee. “Please tell me what happened.”
Pulling my legs up, I cross them under my body before reaching for the gold ring on my thumb—a nervous habit of mine. But it’s currently sitting on Zanders’ pinky finger, so instead, I anxiously pull at the strings of my boyfriend’s hoodie that I’m wearing.
“Do you know that Brett and I broke up countless times over the three years we were together?”
Ryan’s brows crease. “What?”
“We did. I mean, he did. He broke up with me more times than I could count because there were other girls he wanted at any given moment. Then when he got bored, or I don’t know, lonely, he would come crawling back to me, and the constant need to be good enough for him beat down on my self-confidence like you wouldn’t believe. It got to the point I felt so shitty about myself that I was thankful to him each time he wanted me back. Thankful, Ryan.”
My twin’s freckled face is red with anger. “Why would you not tell me?”
I pull my gaze away from his, continuing to fiddle with the string of Zanders’ sweatshirt. “I think the first time it happened, I was just really sad. The three of us were such good friends, and I finally felt like I had a place in college. I didn’t want to ruin it. Then when the pattern began of him leaving and coming back, I didn’t want you to know because I knew you’d cut him out of our lives, and in a fucked-up way, I wanted him still.”
“Fuck yeah, I would’ve cut him out of our lives!” Ryan sits forward, his voice rising. “Just like I’m going to do right now. Fuck, Vee. You should’ve told me. I should’ve had your back on this. Fuck that guy.”
He stands from the sofa, pacing the living room. “I roomed with that motherfucker on every road trip in college. He looked me in the eye and told me he loved you all the while he was screwing you over. I trusted him. And now he’s using me. He thinks I’m going to help him get a job in this city?” A condescending laugh escapes him. “Fat fucking chance.”