CHAPTER <b>0031 </b>
ric’s POV:
I didn’t want to get violent. Not in front of Meadow.
But my younger brother had a way of pushing me to do things I didn’t want to do. Like breaking his already crooked nose for the third time in two years.
I didn’t feel it. I never did–but the way Nn’s head had snapped to the side before his body had hit the ground, too fucking drunk to even get back up, the way he cursed loudly, curling into himself and cupping his bloody nose, told me everything I needed to know.
“Shut up, Nn,” I muttered. He groaned in response.
Out of all the things I already had going on in my life, my brother was thest person I wanted to see. We weren’t close, but every now and then, he’d pop in just to bother me or try to insert himself back into my
life by using our mother as an excuse.
Though I knew that the only thing driving him was his guilt.
“ric…” I heard Meadow gasp softly.
My shoulders tensed as I turned to face her, looking her straight in the eyes and expecting to see at least
a sliver of fear in her eyes.
And I did, alright. I saw the fear, but with the way her brows drew together in concern as her eyes dropped down to my hand, I was certain that it wasn’t directed at me.
I walked back to her, my gaze immediately shifting to her foot which had a cut underneath.
That was part of the reasons I hit Nn. Because if he hadn’te here and broken my bottle of scotch,
Meadow wouldn’t have slipped on it and hurt herself.
I reached for the first aid box beside her, pulling out a band aid. It wasn’t much, but it was enough. The
cut wasn’t deep at all.
“You’re bleeding,” Meadow finally whispered as I ced the band aid over the cut. I stood upright, curling my hand into a fist and inspecting my knuckles.
“It’s not mine,” I replied simply after running my thumb over the blood on my knuckle.
Meadow nodded, swallowing, but I could sense that she had other follow–up questions to ask.
The truth was that, even if it was my blood, I wouldn’t have known. And that was the worst part of all this. I could bleed out to the point where I was nearly dying, but I wouldn’t know.
It was why I needed someone like her.
Why <b>I </b>needed her.
<b>“</b>Your brother, is he…”
As if on cue, Nn let out a low groan, murmuring something that sounded a lot like gibberish.
My jaw clenched, and I looked at Meadow. “He’ll be fine.”
She peered at me over the rim of her sses and something about the serious expression on her face made my mouth twitch.
She opened her mouth to speak, but I beat her to it. “You’re sleeping in my room tonight<i>,</i>” I said inly.
Meadow’s eyes widened slightly, and I didn’t think I’d ever get over how easily flustered she got. Her cheeks were already burning red.
“Why<b>?</b><b>” </b>She asked, a slight tremor in her voice as she tucked her hair behind her ear, trying to distract herself. “What’s wrong with me sleeping in my room?”
I considered the perfect response to give her as I rubbed the scruff on my jaw with my palm. Nn was a sleepwalker, but I wasn’t going to tell her that.
Not that it was the main reason I wanted her to be with me. She could’ve just easily locked the door to her room from the inside.
I just… wanted her to be with me. Didn’t matter if she was touching me or not.
“Because I said so,” I finally replied.
Her teeth came down on her bottom lip, brows furrowed like she was considering my offer. And she had no idea… <b>no </b>idea how enthralled I was by her beauty and grace.
And apparently, her clumsiness.
She didn’t have to agree to it, but I wasn’t going to tell her that.
She let out a soft nervousugh. “ric, I–your brother-<b>” </b>
I lowered my voice, my mouth twitching at the way she pushed the sses up the bridge of her nose. “I’ll drop you upstairs ande back down to deal with him and this mess.”
Her eyes dropped to my mouth and I could hear her inhale deeply, preparing another protest. But again, I
beat her to it.
“You were already snooping around in my room earlier, Meadow. I’m surprised you haven’t jumped at the opportunity to continue from where you stopped.”
Her face reddened in embarrassment.
Meadow could snoop all she wanted, but the fact remained that there was nothing in my <b>room </b>that she would see that I wasn’t letting her see.
The drawers under my desk were locked.
And so was the Tether Room.
When she’d asked earlier about what was behind the door, it was all I could do not to shove her through it and show her exactly what was behind it.
But she wasn’t ready. Not yet.
She cleared her throat. “That wasn’t-<b>“</b>I narrowed my eyes at her and she stuttered. “You know what?
Fine, I’ll just-<b>” </b>
She started to jump down from the counter, but before she could, I hooked one arm under her knee and
another around her back.
“ric,” Meadow protested. “I can limp just fine.”
“I’m sure <b>you </b>can,” I muttered as I carried her toward the stairs. “But I can’t count on <b>you </b>to not tumble down the stairs because you didn’t limp right.”
She rolled her eyes behind her sses. And God help me–I wanted her to wear them forever. To look up at me through the rim while I fucked her smart mouth.
The thought of that alone made my pants tighten. Fuck. I never knew I had a fetish for women who wear
sses.
Her skin was warm against my chest as I walked into my room and dropped her directly on my bed.
“Wait-” she started as I turned to leave. “I think I need to get my clothes.”
My eyes raked over her body, over the tank top and shorts she had on.
And then I realized what a big fucking mistake I’d made by asking her to sleep in my bed when she
looked like that.
I cleared my throat. “You can wear something from my closet,” I said, even though I knew I could just get something from her room which was just down the hallway from mine.
I didn’t wait for a response before I shut the door behind me and headed down the stairs.
Nn was struggling to pull himself up from the floor when I strolled into the kitchen, sidestepping the shards of ss on the floor.
He rolled his eyeszily when he saw me lean against the wall with my arms crossed.
“You broke my fucking nose, Ric. Again,” he grunted, pressing his nose with his fingers.
4
My jaw ticked. “That’s what you get for hurting my wife and running your fucking mouth.”
His blue eyes widened slightly, then sprang back to their normal size because he was so drunk he
couldn’t keep his eyes open.
Nn never got drunk. Not like this. In the rare asion he did, it was because he was trying to take his
mind off something. Trying to avoid whatever he was going through.
I wondered what it was this time.
He huffed out augh, running his hand through his dark blond hair. “Your wife, huh?”
His eyes shifted to mine again. “That’s funny. Because two months ago, you damn near gave our mother a
heart attack because you told her you were never going to get married or have children.”
My nostrils red, muscles tensing.
What Meadow and I had wasn’t that kind of marriage, but I wasn’t going to tell him that.
I wasn’t going to tell anyone that.
I shrugged casually. “Well, ns change, don’t they<b>?</b><b>” </b>
My brother narrowed his eyes at me, blood running down his nostrils as his teeth scraped over his bottom lip.
And then he started to move–stagger–out of the kitchen, waving his hand dismissively.
“Too drunk to talk about this shit, man,” he drawled. “I’ll be in one of your big ass guestrooms.”
“I <b>want </b><b>you </b>gone by morning,” I said out loud before I could stop myself.
<b>Nn </b>froze for a second. “Yeah, that’s what you always say.”
“And I always mean it, Nn.”
This time, he turned, eyes sparkling with dark amusement. “Bullshit,” he scoffed. “<b>If </b>you wanted me out of
your life, you would’ve changed your ess code a long time ago.”
I gritted my teeth so hard that I probably chipped them.
But I didn’t deny it. Because I couldn’t.