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Grumbling, he yanked on his jeans from the pile on the floor, snatched the wrap, and took a big bite.
Less than a minute later, he’d laced up his boots and slammed the front door on his way out.
She sat there, on her knees, on the floor and tried not to crumble.
Deciding to go to her room, have her breakfast and then watch some mind-numbing television, she pushed up from the carpet. An upstairs door opened and closed, making her freeze.
Wondering if it was her mom or brother, or worse, one of her brother’s lazy-good-for-nothing friends, she peered around the wall into the front hall.
Her brother, Felix, came down the stairs, bare chested, with bare feet yawning as he walked. “What’s all the yelling and slamming about?”
“Dad was running late this morning.”
“Huh.” He eyed her. “You make coffee yet?”
“No.” Sighing, she trotted toward the kitchen.
He sniffed the air. “What’s that smell?”
She didn’t look him in the eyes. “I grabbed Dad a breakfast burrito.”
“Awesome. Did you get one for me?”
“No.”
“Yeah, you did.” Playfully, he shoved at her shoulder.
“No, I didn’t.”
She filled the carafe and locked it in place before grabbing the coffee pot and filling it at the sink. While occupied with the water, Felix unzipped her backpack and started rummaging. With her hands occupied, all she could do was shout, “Hey!”
But of course, that didn’t stop him. He had the burrito in his hand and unwrapped, before she could shut off the water. Gritting her teeth, she continued with her task, avoiding looking at her brother while he leaned against the counter, eating her breakfast.
“You know, Vee,” he said with his mouth full. “I’ve been thinking. You should mate Ben.”
Vivian froze. “Why?”
She looked back at her brother as he took another big bite, bits of sausage and egg falling to the floor. “Because…” he swallowed. “Ben likes you. He’s a good catch.”
Attempting not to shiver, she slapped the lid shut on the coffeemaker. “I’ll pass, thanks.”
Her brother came closer, nudging her with his shoulder. “Look, pretty soon Dad is going to mate you off. Wouldn’t you rather it be with someone like Ben, instead of one of Dad’s friends? Or do you want to run in the Curusm? Dad’s been talking about that a lot lately. I didn’t think you wanted to.” He shrugged. “Ben is a beta, a solid choice. He likes you. He’s always talking about you.”
As the water ran through the coffee grinds, she looked at her brother. “I’d rather eat dirt than spend my life tied to that cretin.”
Felix’s eyebrows rose. “You serious?”
“I don’t like Benjamin. He’s constantly trying to touch me, and I don’t like how he talks to me.”
“That’s just because he likes you.”
“That doesn’t make it right. I’ve told him to stop.”
“He didn’t hear you,” he said, making excuses, like he always did.
“Yes, he did. He laughs when I tell him to stop.”
“He does not.”
