Page 41 of That Moment
“Nothing happened,” I say defensively.
He just grins wider. “We’re triplets, Adrienne. You can’t lie to me. I know that look.”
I sigh, defeated. “Fine. We kissed, okay? Happy now? Is that what you really want to hear about your sister?”
Axel doesn’t even blink. He just laughs, loudly, like I just confessed to peeing my pants in public.
“Oh, come on,” I say, frowning. “That’s your reaction? Not outrage? Not, ‘stay away from my sister or else’?”
He shakes his head, still grinning. “Adrienne, it’s Scotty. You and every other woman in this town have kissed Scotty at some point. I’m pretty sure it’s a local rite of passage.”
My jaw drops. “Excuse me?”
“Relax,” he says, chuckling. “He’s always been like that. A flirt. A player. I thought you knew.”
I narrow my eyes. “I thought brothers were supposed to be pissed about this kind of thing.”
“If I tried to police Scotty’s love life, I’d be at it full-time.” He leans back, hands behind his head. “And if I ever tried to tell you what to do?” He laughs and shakes his head, “We both know how well that would go over.”
“Well, either way, it’s none of your business where it’s been or how far it’s gone or might go.” I sound like I’m ten years old again, arguing with him over something trivial.
“Trust me, don’t take him too seriously.”
His words hit like a slap. I try to laugh it off, but something inside me pinches tight. “Right. Because it’s just a stupid crush, right?”
Axel’s grin softens a little, but he doesn’t back down. “Come on, sis. It’s not an insult. You’ve had a thing for him since forever. You get this look every time he’s around, like you’re about to fall straight into something you can’t handle.”
“That’s dramatic.”
“It’s accurate,” he says, leaning forward on his knees. “Look, Scotty’s a good guy, but he’s complicated. He doesn’t do the whole hearts-and-flowers thing. You already know this. You deserve more than being another chapter in his never-ending story of women.”
I stare at him, forcing a laugh. “Thanks for the pep talk, bro.”
He shrugs. “Just saying. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“Well, it was just a kiss, and like you said, apparently every other woman in town has kissed him too. You’re overreacting,” I say, trying to sound bored, but my voice cracks halfway through.
Axel tilts his head, watching me too closely. “Yeah?” He says it like a question, but I don’t offer an answer. I just let the unknown hang between us.
For a second, neither of us speaks. Then he pushes up from the chair and gives me a crooked grin. “Anyway, lunch later? I’ll bring something from the diner. You can tell me more about how this isn’t a big deal.”
“Get out,” I mutter again, but my lips twitch.
He laughs on his way to the door, tossing a wink over his shoulder. “You’re blushing again.”
Maybe he’s right, maybe everyone’s right. Maybe it’s just a crush. An itch I need to scratch. Something I’ll get out of my system and move on from… but the way Scotty looked at me in that hallway sure as hell didn’t feel like one.
The door clicks behind Axel, and I sag into my chair like someone’s pulled the air right out of the room.
The laughter fades down the hallway, but his words stay like sharp little splinters I can’t shake.“He’s always been like that. A flirt. A player. Don’t take him too seriously.”
Easier said than done.
I stare at the screen, the cursor blinking over some clause about liability, but the only image in my head is Scotty’s hand on my waist. The warmth. The way his thumb brushed my skin, slow and certain, like he’d done it a hundred times in his head before daring to do it in real life.
My heart flutters.
God, I hate how just thinking about him does this to me.
