Page 94 of Until It Was Real

“Spoilsport. I was merely going to draw a little bird on her face.”

Rhett crosses his arms over his chest and glares at his younger brother. “A bird? Or the bird?”

Zane shrugs. “Does it matter?”

I open my drawer and throw all of my colored markers in it. Fun is one thing. Having someone draw on your face with permanent marker is another.

The door opens and Kai sticks his head inside. “Are we going or are you going to babble like a bunch of old women all day?”

“We’re waiting for Dakota,” Miles says.

“Waiting for me?” I’m confused. The brothers don’t usually invite me on their escapades.

“You’re one of the family now, sis.”

My heart doesn’t just skip a beat at Miles’s explanation. It goes completely bananas, thumping away. I’ve never had a family before. I thought Adam would be my family. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Am I wrong now? Am I making a mistake? Should I not trust Rhett and his brothers?

Rhett kneels in front of me. “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to, Havoc. I know my brothers are a bit much to handle.”

“Hey!” Kai shouts. “I resemble that remark.”

I bite my lip as I study his brothers – Miles, Kai, and Zane. Should I go? Or should I keep my heart safe from this family?

Miles presses his hands together. “Please, Dakota. Please come with.”

“Yea.” Zane nods. “Big brother will be all grumpy if you don’t join us.”

“You want me to come with?” I need to be sure.

Kai rolls his eyes. “Of course, we do. You’re our little sister. We haven’t had one of those before.”

“Hey!” Paisley strolls out of Eli’s office. “What am I?”

“Smart enough to stay away from these yahoos,” Eli says as he follows her.

Kai skips to Paisley. “You’re our big sister. Dakota is our little sister.”

Eli pushes Kai away from Paisley, and Kai chuckles in response. “You’re whipped.”

“It’s going to be fun watching you fall in love,” Eli mutters.

Kai wags a finger at him. “Not my turn.” He motions to Rhett and me. “Theirs.”

Rhett’s hand on my thigh tightens. “Do not scare, Dakota.”

I pat his shoulder. “They’re not scaring me.” They’re terrifying me. But in a good way. I stand. “Let’s go smuggle some illegal booze.”

Paisley giggles. “You fit right in.”

“We don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” Rhett insists. “We can spend a quiet evening watching a movie or having a nice dinner.”

I kiss his cheek. “I…” I snap my mouth shut. I nearly told Rhett I love him for worrying about me. But I don’t love him. I couldn’t possibly love him. I know better than to fall for the first man to give me attention after Adam died.

Rhett smiles down at me. “You what?”

My breath gets caught in my throat as those piercing blue eyes concentrate on me. Apparently, I don’t know better than to fall in love. Because this man – this controlling man who I swore would never control me – owns my heart.

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