Page 17 of Through the Flames
But me? I was chaos.
Loud and awkward, always saying the wrong thing, always tripping over my own feet or my own damn jokes. I’d rather laugh than sulk, rather dance like an idiot than stand on the sidelines looking mysterious.
We were opposites. Not in a cute rom-com kind of way, but in a he-would-never-go-for-me way.
Which made my little crush feel even more ridiculous. Embarrassing, really.
Still, I noticed him. Noticed how no one touched him, and how muchIwanted to do just that.
Not even in a sexual way — not entirely — but out of curiosity mixed with a little longing.
Somebody please come punch me in the fucking face.
It didn’t matter, though, because he’d never look atmethat way. Guys like him didn’t. He’d never be interested in me the way I wanted him to be.
I was too messy, too loud, and too much.Always too much.
So yeah, maybe Sierra was right. Maybe I was paying more attention. Maybe I needed tostop.
But it wasn’t going to happen tonight.
Because tonight, I’d be in his house.
And even if nothing happened (and let’s be real, nothingwould) I’d at least get to watch him in his natural habitat.
Quiet, brooding, and totally unaware that the loudest girl in the room had already taken more notice of him than anyone else ever would.
Sometimes, though, I could swear I caught him looking, too. Not long enough to be sure, not long enough to be safe. Just long enough to make me wonder who was really watching who.
By the time we pulled up to the house, the air in the truck was practically sizzling. I didn’t expect Dom tomanhandleher out of the vehicle, though.Jesus.
I would’ve said something, but Sierra didn’t exactly look hurt. More like she was … deeply overwhelmed and pissed off in equal measure.
Which, honestly, was a fairly normal reaction to my brother.
Still, the moment he disappeared inside, and I got her alone, I couldn’t help myself, I cracked. I teased her, I admit it. The look on her face had beentoogood.
She looked like someone had just pulled the rug out from under her and then lit it on fire. She thought I’d be mad. Thought I’d flip about her and Dom having some kind of past.
Instead, I threw my head back and laughed. Now that I’d made the connection and saw them together, I realizedexactlyhow far in over her head she was — and how doomed she might be.
I mean, sure, she didn’t know Dom was my brother when she slept with him, but the way they looked at each other? This wasn’t just a random hookup from the past.
This was something else. Something messier. Somethingreal.
I had no idea how this was going to play out, but one thing was clear: Sierra was absolutely, completely screwed.
Six
Hunter
This house wasn’t built for noise. But tonight, it made an exception.Imade an exception. For Ella. Everything was set up perfectly. Perfect wasn’t for them; it was for her.
Every detail was tailored to the fantasy I’d been fucking my fist to for months.
The lights were dimmed, casting a recessed and gold-tinted glow. I knew she hated the overhead lights, or “big lights,” as she called them, so I made sure to arrange the lighting like this.
A clean scent was permeating the rooms, cedar and leather, a far cry from the parties these fuckers usually attended. There would be no stench of cheap body spray in my fucking house.
