Page 166 of Chaos

“Gladly.”

“Make him wear a condom!”

I wink at Luna before ducking out the front door. “No promises.”

Jackson groans so loud, the noise follows me across the yard.

I’m still chuckling to myself when I reach the barn. I move to slip through the ajar door only to pause, to lean against the wooden frame, to hold my damn breath, a little fucking fearful that the slightest disturbance will ruin the sight I greedily soak up.

Finn’s got my sweet girl, my Daphne, tied up in the aisle. Hunched over by her flank, he mumbles soothingly as he carefully inspects the hoof trapped between his thighs. He works meticulously, gently, and I just… watch.Admire, if I’m being completely, embarrassingly honest.

I wait until he’s finished, until Daphne’s stall door is shut and secure before making my presence known. “Didn’t take you for a coward, Akello.”

Finn doesn’t so much as twitch, like he knew I was there all along “It’s called self-preservation, baby.”

I saunter towards him, eyeing the bulge of his biceps as he unties the knot around his neck and slips off his apron. Overwhelmed by some odd, affectionate urge, I hook my fingers through the belt loops of his jeans, my thumbs grazing the lower stomach exposed by another one of his damn too-short shirts. “Oh?”

“My boss caught me doing very dirty things to his little sister.”

“Hisleast favoritelittle sister.”

That handsome face frowns. “Don't say that.”

“It’s called self-awareness, baby.” I dance one set of fingers up his torso and pat his chest. “Trust me. He doesn’t care. Yesterday was a joke.”

He doesn't believe me. But it’s not just doubt lurking in his gaze as he peers down at me. There’s something else too—something sad. Something to match whatever’s about to come out of his opening mouth, and though I’m not one-hundred-percent-sure what that might be, I do know that I don’t want to hear it.

Or more like I don’t want to hear my reaction to it.

“Fine.” I step back abruptly, feigning a dramatic sigh as I cross my arms over my chest. “We can stay out here.”

Finn lifts a brow—what’s the catch?

“But just so you know, they definitely think you’re railing me right now.”

Spluttering a noise that’s part laugh, part groan, Finn shakes his head as he grabs my hand and starts tugging me towards the main house. “C’mon, trouble.”

“That was quick,” Luna greets as we re-enter the house—as I drag an uncharacteristically shy Finn in my wake.

It does occur to me, vaguely and at some point, that I should be feeling as uncomfortable as he does. That walking into my family home holding the hand of a man my siblings know and like—holding the hand of a man, full fucking stop—is not a regular occurrence. So it shouldn’t feel like one.

Pondering that, on the other hand, does make me uncomfortable. Makes me drop his hand and tuck mine into my back pocket. It doesn’t, however, stop me from quipping, “Yeah, well. I’m very good.”

Two male groans echo off the walls. And a feminine one too as Lux pulls a face. “That was too much, kid.”

I jerk a thumb in Luna’s direction. “TellTeen Momover there.”

She shrieks. “I was almost twenty-four when Izzy was born!”

I snort, but I put a stopper on my wit because Luna’s starting to get that devious glint in her eyes and I don’t want to poke the bear more than I already have. Not when six-feet-something worth of ammunition is lurking at my back.

In case I needed another reason to love him, Alex steals everyone’s attention as he clamors for Finn’s. And as my boyfriend rushes to oblige, daring to peck the top of my head as he passes by, I turn to my brother where he’s acting like the simmering pot on the stove requires his full, unrelenting attention.

Leaning against the counter beside him, I mutter, “Don’t scare him off.”

“Funny.” He looks at me sideways. “I was gonna say the same thing to you.”

“Ha ha,” I drawl, but it’s not all that humorous because, as we lock eyes, it strikes me that there’s a different kind of talk we need to have. And I think it strikes Jackson at the exact same moment because his slightly amused expression fades, tightens, and I sigh. “Lux told you everything?”

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