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I shake my head to get the thought out.
“Would you stop moving?” he grunts, his strokes fast and angry on the canvas.
I mouth an apology and sit there for another hour until he finally puts down his palette and paintbrush.
“You’re done?” I ask excitedly. I get up from the couch in a rush, my robe spilling open in front of me. Embarrassed, I pull it back together, but when I look up, Parker’s looking at me like I’m… prey. There’s that look again. Madness. I rush toward the easel, but he steps in front of it protectively.
“It needs to dry,” his stern voice explains.
“So?” I squirm, trying to look over his shoulder, but he won’t let me. “Let me see,” I beg.
“No.”
His answer is final, and I just look at him in confusion as he puts away his things, always blocking me from seeing the painting. This is so freaking weird. I look into his eyes, and that strange gaze he had when he painted me is gone. He’s just Parker again—my sweet, overprotective brother.
“Let’s eat!” he exclaims, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the stairs that lead down, his other hand holding the bags of our food. I guess it was just a slant of light, I tell myself to calm my worried nerves.
We proceed to get drunk.
I’m not an experienced drinker, and the wine hits my head quickly, so in about an hour, I’m rolling on the floor in the living room, laughing my head off. And Parker’s with me, and though he’s had much more to drink than me, he’s still okay, dying of laughter just like I am.
“And then he said, not on my watch, missy!” I manage to stay before erupting in a fit of giggles while Parker roars with laughter. I never thought we’d be able to do this again. Never thought we’d laugh together, share family stories like we’re doing right now. But as funny as it all is, I can’t help but look for the missing piece. The other twin. My stepbrother, my forbidden love…
Kade.
I pout, and I look at Parker with sadness. He stares back into my eyes, but his gaze quickly falls to my lips. I’m trembling.
But before I can say how I feel, Parker’s lips crush against mine, his body pinning mine to the floor. He’s on top of me, and he’s kissing me hard, the stiffness between his legs demanding more, right now. I lay there in shock, my mouth partially open, my eyes boring into his. But he doesn’t even notice. He’s too caught up in the moment, groaning against my lips as he steals more kisses from my lips.
I lie on the floor. Parker’s lips are hot, his tongue exploring my mouth.
And I feel …
Nothing.
It’s just as crazy. Just as forbidden. Just as wrong.
They’re both my brothers. But I only love one of them.
I let Parker kiss me until he’s had enough, and he rolls on his back next to me, his hand finding mine. I let him murmur sweet nothings into my ear, and I nod and smile in all the right places. But on the inside, I’m more broken than ever before. I may have let Parker kiss me… I may have let him touch me… But there wasn’t one second, one moment while we kissed, that I didn’t wish those hands he touched me with were his brother’s.I’m rushing to work the next day. My driver stopped a few blocks away because the traffic was insane, and at this exact moment, I’m cursing every driver in the city as I stumble toward the building in my too-high heels. Damn appearances and having to look perfect every damn second of the day.
“June.”
One word. One name. It stops me in my tracks, and I turn around, wobbling on my shaky feet. He comes out of a side alley, his hands deep in the pockets of that navy peacoat he always wears. His head is down, his eyes hooded with tiredness, sadness, and God knows what else. But I see right past all of that. I see my Kade.
The man who loved me like a sister, and like a woman as well. The man who made love to me. The man who fucked me over. I whimper and cover it up with a cough because he’s everything, and I am nothing, and I can’t form coherent sentences in his presence.
“Can we talk?” Kade asks in a husky voice. And even though all my senses yell at me to say no, even though I know it’s a bad idea, I find myself nodding.
We settle in a booth at a coffee place not far away from my workplace, and we order some drinks. I'm missing work, but I find it hard to care about anything except the man sitting at the table with me. I order a chai latte because I can’t picture eating anything in his presence. Even opening my mouth to order the drink seems to be giving me trouble. Kade is silent as he drinks his tea, and my glass just sits steaming in front of me. All I can do is stare at him in wonder. I don’t know why he even wants to talk—he hasn’t said a word since we got here.
