Page 37 of Collateral Damage
“He won’t tell me what happened,” I say with a frustrated growl.
She closes the front door behind me, resignation set into every soft line of her body. “At least my family isn’t here.” She sighs. “I’m not ready to tell them. I keep thinking Ethan will change his mind, so why create drama? I… I might be in denial. I never thought he’d break up with me.” Her mouth trembles, and I want to deck my brother.
If the man had two brain-cells, he’d be here instead of me. The girl deserves the world, and Ethan was going to give it to her. This shit doesn’t make sense.
I swallow hard. “You don’t have to tell me why, but if you know…” My voice trails off. This isn’t my place, but she leads me into the living room.
The Laurences own property all over, but their Manhattan penthouse is by far my favorite. It’s the top two stories and rooftop of a historic building. Massive and ornate, this is the kind of real estate that is only found passed down for generations. You can’t really find available places like this in New York City anymore, at least not this close to Central Park. It’s large enough for the family of five and then some, has two kitchens, two offices, two family rooms, and of course, it’s expertly renovated and decorated.
It’s not their main residence, but they use it all the time, so they keep it staffed. But right now? Right now, it’s only me and Sybil, and I’m painfully aware of that fact. We’re rarely alone together… and never like this.
“Come on,” she says, “can we just hang out?”
I nod and follow her to the tv room where she tucks into the corner of the sofa and flips on the television to a home improvement show. She’s really into home design, so I’m not surprised. She pats the spot next to her, and instead of continuing to stand around, I let myself sit. We’re a foot apart, but it feels like we’re closer, the space between us buzzing. Eventually, she shifts her weight and leans into me, curling up like a kitten. My body betrays me, cock thickening and muscles tensing at how much I want this woman.
Fuck. I should leave.
But I can’t seem to bring myself to do the honorable thing.
“Are you going to tell me what happened?” I finally ask, no longer able to pretend I’m here to watch television and cuddle.
She mutes the show and lets out a long-suffering sigh. “He thinks I’m not sure about him.”
She doesn’t look me in the eye; she’s still curled next to me, and I stare at the outline of her face, blinking in shock. Is my brother a complete idiot? I’ve never seen a girl look at a boy the way this girl looks at Ethan. It’s so clear the two are obsessed with each other, and he’s questioning her?
“Why would he think that?” My tone is too raw, and I cringe internally. I can’t let her know what this conversation is doing to me, how it’s tearing me up inside.
“Because I pretty much told him I wasn’t sure about him.” The world tilts off its axis. “I didn’t mean it the way he took it, but still, I was trying to be honest about my feelings.”
Every nerve ending in my body fires with warning. If she’s not sure about him, then what the fuck have they been doing for four years?
She turns to gaze up at me, those bright green eyes making me forget my own name, and I know I’m in trouble. Her hair is a red halo around her pale face, making her my damning angel in this moment.
I didn’t know there was a world in which Sybil wasn’t madly in love with Ethan. What is she even saying? Does she mean it?
“You’re… not sure about Ethan?”
Her eyebrows furrow with regret, and it tells me everything I need to know.
“Last night he ended things, and I was so mad at first, but now I’m starting to think he was right. I need to figure out what I really want, and maybe it’s not actually our relationship.”
My gaze flicks toward her lips, and I’m such a fucking asshole for it. Those lips are like candy, cherry-colored and shiny and full and kissable. I often fantasized about their taste. I’ve dreamed of them in so many ways, of feeling them over every inch of my body.
Don’t go there.
This is so fucked up. Ethan is mytwinbrother and best friend. He didn’t break up with her because he didn’t want her; he did it because she’s confused. He’s probably still planning to propose once she realizes how much she loves him and is sure about their future. But what if that doesn’t happen? If she doesn’t want to marry him, if loving him doesn’t reach all the way to her core, then she shouldn’t do it, and having second thoughts before they’re even engaged is a red flag.
“Ethan thinks being single for a while is going to help you figure it out how you feel about him?” I ask hoarsely.
I’m still looking at her lips. I can’t seem to stop myself. I’m a dying man in the desert who’s been searching for water for years, and it’s finally right in front of me.
Fuck. What is wrong with me?
She shrugs. “Maybe he’s right.”
Maybe, but he’s also an idiot. There’s no way I would ever let this girl go if she were mine. Being single means she can do whatever the hell she wants, and he can’t have a say in it. She can kiss other people. Sleep with other people. She can move on.
He could lose her forever, and the fact that he’s willing to take that risk makes me want to scream.
