Page 32 of Risky Taste
“Hey, Bunny, you’re alright,” Logan whispers against my air.
I grimace as I lean into Logan’s chest, drinking in his scent as I continue to relax. “How many times?” I ask.
“Hmm?” Declan asks as he squeezes my shoulder.
“How many times did I wake up?”
I know from experience that when I get stressed out, the nightmares take over, not that I can remember most of them. I just wake up tired and panicky. Logan sighs, running a hand up and down my arm. “A few times. Nothing major. You’ll be alright.”
I hope so as I climb from my bed and stumble into the bathroom, not at all surprised to see my chest covered in sweat. I wash my face, sagging against the sink as heavy footsteps on the stairs catch my attention.Sebastian.
Not soon enough, he pulls me into his wide chest, the man smothering me in his hold. Silence wraps around us as I snuggle closer, relaxing even further with all three of my men close by. “We’ll figure this shit out,” he says. I nod, knowing if anyone can, they will but now I need something a little different than sleep. I am too scared to return to the nightmares, even with my men holding me. “What do you need, Noah?” he asks.
“Coffee?” I suggest, despite that it’s some god awful evening hour. Some part of me knows that we’ll be facing Kurt at some point when he stumbles in but I also don’t like avoiding my own goddamn house because of his sorry ass.
They all chuckle as Declan comes to lean against the doorway. “If anything, we should be having dinner. I could go for some pizza or something,” he says. It isn’t really a question but I also know that I am not going to be able to eat much with the chaos in my head. “Should we eat here or take it back to the hotel?”
I manage a shrug as I pull away from Sebastian and head for the hallway, my gaze snagging on the third bedroom that doubles as an office, one that we rarely venture into. It holds a lot of old documents and shit that will come in handy if we ever sell the place or need to procure new official forms of ID, documents from our parents, among other things. The only reason it catches my attention is that the door is ajar. I haven’t touched that room in years, which means Kurt has.
But for what?
Curiosity gets the better of me as I push inside, coughing as a wave of dust explodes in my face. Memories of happier times take over the darkness as I flip the switch, a smile forming on mylips. My men crowd around the doorway as I step in further, eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary.
I haven’t remembered this place being such a mess, papers strewn along the desk and floor, dust having been kicked up at some point. Something doesn’t sit right with me as I follow the paper trail, a drawer that has all but been ripped off the hinges. I gather some of the loose papers, frowning as one folder says my brother’s name and his date of birth. I finger through a few of the documents, finding his birth certificate among other things.
Why was he in here?
It’s like he was looking for something, frantic but our birth certificates and the house deed doesn’t scream ‘emergency’. I continue as I pick up my own folder, frowning when I stare at my birth certificate, or what’s left of it.
“What’s wrong, Noah?” Sebastian asks.
I shriek, forgetting that my men are watching, Sebastian now pressed up against my back. I bend down to gather a few more slivers of paper, trying to fit them together. “I don’t know. He ripped up my birth certificate but I don’t-”
My words die off as I gather enough of the strips to see something that doesn’t make sense. I have never actually looked at our documents closely before because it never mattered or maybe I just never really focused on it. I just always handed it to whoever needed it for processing.
I shift to have a seat on the floor, drawing Kurt’s birth certificate back out and holding it up next to the slivers of paper left from mine. Our last name, Strong, is written on them in identical big beautiful letters. The problem is the first names of our parents. They’re different.
My mother and father’s names sit proudly in golden cursive on my birth certificate. However, Kurt’s…
Logan sits beside me, whispering for me to breathe. A gasp falls from my lips as Declan cups my face in his hands, Sebastianterribly confused as he pulls away slightly. “What’s going on, Noah?” he asks.
“My… he, we’re not brothers,” I say. They frown, waiting for me to reveal just a little more. “We’re cousins.” My heart breaks as I sit there, my gaze unfocusing. I’ve never met my aunt and uncle, well, Kurt’s parents, but I heard enough stories to know how amazing they were. I don’t understand why no one ever said anything but apparently Kurt found out at some point.
The eerie feeling that his sudden distaste for me revolves around this, that there is an actual reason behind his cruelty, doesn’t make me feel any better.
Chapter twenty-four
NOAH
I find my way to the kitchen, numb from all the shit that keeps getting thrown at me. Coffee appears in front of me as I settle at the table but I don’t touch it, content to stare at the steam rising off the hot beverage. I lost one of my best friends earlier this week. My previous addiction edges at the outskirts of my thoughts, trying to tempt me back into the darkness. My ex won’t sign the goddamn divorce papers. My brother threatens the men I’m starting to fall in love with. I am due to report for duty in a few days.
And the icing on the cake—Kurt isn’t actually my brother.
“Noah,” Logan’s voice cuts through my thoughts.
I blink, eyes wide as I twist around to look at Logan. My gaze wanders the table, realizing that all three of my men are staring at me, worried about where my head is. “I’m okay,” I mumble, taking a sip of my coffee. “I just… It’s a lot to think about.” Especially because Kurt is due home any minute and I’d ratherbeanywherethan here. “Are we ordering pizza?” I’m not sure why I ask because I’m not really hungry.
Logan nods as he throws an arm around my shoulder. “Yes, but not here. You kind of zoned out on us, Bunny. Granted, I’m not entirely sure how I’d be feeling if I found out my brother was my cousin.”
