Page 164 of Where Broken Wings Fly

“I might do.”

“You should,” Micah adds. “I know you bought a bikini.”

“How do you know that?”

He jabs a finger at his brother.

“It wasn’t me,” Zach defends. “I told no one.”

When I narrow my eyes on Micah, he shrugs. “Twin thing.”

Zach topples to the grass, his headful of messy hair landing in my lap. “I told you he has that weird mind reading thing going on. We should perform an exorcism.”

“I am not fucking possessed,” Micah snaps at him.

“Could’ve fooled me, little brother.”

Huffing under his breath, Micah drops his towel and tugs the t-shirt over his head. The words on my tongue dry up at the sight of his carved chest and defined biceps that are unveiled as he strips off in front of me.

“You’re blushing again,” Zach singongs.

“Your brother is stripping. I’m not sure where to look.”

He chuckles. “Bit late to start getting shy now. You weren’t so worried when you were fucking me in the back of Killian’s truck last week.”

Micah splutters. “Excuse me?”

Peeking an eye open, I find him staring at me, but there’s no judgement on his handsome face. It’s something darker, more primitive. A cloud of lust and raw need. The tension between us is at an all-time high.

I’m tired of kisses and stolen whispers. Coaxing Micah out of the depths of his depression has taken months of patience, but the person standing in front of me isn’t the silent, tormented man I once met.

We’ve both undergone our own metamorphosis. In the safety of pine trees and jagged mountains, our souls have emerged from their individual fires. We’ve pulled each other out of the burning pits to rise anew.

“That was a one-time thing,” I try to explain.

Zach looks at me pointedly. “I can’t wait to find out what other kinks you have besides getting laid in the back of a moving car.”

“Zach! Christ, do you ever shut up?”

“Famously, no. I do not.”

Shoving his head off my lap, I climb to my feet and wander over to the lake to dip my toes in. Several billowing willow trees frame the water, along with bright purple flowers that float on the surface amongst lily pads.

The lake runs clear because of a huge, cascading waterfall in the uppermost corner, ensuring a steady stream that flows from the nearby mountain peak. It supplies water to the whole town, fresher than any bottle you’d find on sale.

“Come on, giant. Hurry up!” Arianna yells.

“Alright, peanut. Go jump on Zach for a minute.”

I track the nearby voices to the back of the cabin where Arianna waits with a pink towel hanging over her swimming costume. Killian lets her run ahead. He’s too busy blowing up a pair of bright orange rubber arm bands.

When he meets my eyes, his mouth is pulled into a crooked smile. They’re determined to kill me, I swear. Wearing a pair of red swimming shorts, every inch of his heavily muscled chest and abdominals are on display.

He looks like a sexy Viking warrior with his blonde hair pulled back in a chaotic bun, highlighting the razor sharp lines of his distinct features, covered in the scruff of his beard.

Catching me gawking, he tosses his towel down next to the others and runs to join me at the lakeside. I scream in surprise as I’m swooped into his arms. Killian throws me over his shoulder, his hand cracking against my butt cheek.

“Let me down, Kill!”

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