Page 54 of My Fiancé's Brother 2

“I’m just finishing up,” I said, looking up at him, pretending not to notice the envelope that had fallen out of the box. The envelope that contained the journal that I had just read. The journal that stated he was Matt’s half-brother.

He walked towards me. He captured my face in his hands andthen my world was spinning with the kiss he planted on me. I felt myself melt against him, as his fingers pushed roughly through my hair, yanking my head back.

He lifted his head. “You still pissed?”

Not after that kiss. I swear my knees wobbled. I looked up at him through my eyelashes, unable to read the expression on his face.

“Are you?”

His eyes dropped to my mouth. “Let me finish up in here. Then we can go out for dinner.”

My mind raced. He didn’t want me to see the envelope that was now lying on top of the clothes I had just dumped out. This was proof that I had crossed a line that I shouldn't have crossed. I had broken Jackson’s trust. Guilt. I should just confess that I had read it. I should tell him right there. I took a deep breath but lost my nerve.

“Okay.”

An arm around my waist yanked me hard against him. “You need to learn to finish our conversations.”

“You need to learn to give me timeouts.”

“Why?”

“Sometimes I need time to think.”

A slow smile spread across his face. “That’s fair.”

His response stunned me. I was used to Matt, who came at me so fast and furious, my only way out had been to walk out. Matt would have never agreed to give me a timeout.

“Okay,” I said warily, not quite believing him.

He dropped another kiss on my mouth. “Why don’t you go hang out with Chloe in the backyard. It’s a beautiful afternoon. I’ll be down as soon as I’m done here.”

He would remove the journal away from my prying eyes. God. Why was I such a coward? If there was ever a moment that I should tell him I read his journal, it was right now.

“Sure,” I said easily. “See you down there.”

Jackson tookme to a seafood restaurant that had a big wooden balcony that overlooked the ocean.

“Tell me about private school.”

“What?” My eyes flew to his face.

“You told me once that you went to private school and you were miserable.”

“Why do you want to know?”

He tipped his beer bottle and took a sip. “Just curious.”

I looked out over the blue waves that crashed against the shore. “After my parents died, I went to live with my granny. Everything was a shock. Living in New York. Being taken away from my home, my friends, my school. My granny had a lot of connections. She got me into one of the most exclusive schools in New York.”

“What was that like?”

“Terrifying. These girls had been together since preschool. I was an outcast from the moment I arrived.”

“What happened?”

I started to shred my coaster. “It was just bad.”

He leaned forward, folding his arms on the table. Waiting for me to continue.

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