Outside of my closest circle, I don’t even mention my brother. It’s hard to talk about him. But when I look at Summer again, the desire to let her in on this very personal topic is all over her face.
My gaze shifts ahead, seemingly ignoring her question, like I’ve already decided not to answer. I don’t need to look at her to know how disappointed she must be that she gave me a precious piece of her past, and I refuse to do the same. But she doesn’t comment on it.
The periphery of my vision catches her shifting in her seat once more, turning her back to me, closing herself off. I can’t allow that. I don’t want to.
“Noah was nothing like me.” That’s what I admit. A simple truth to keep her from retreating back into her shell. The way she looks at me makes choosing to focus on the road rather than on her an impossible task. “He was a pure soul, so much so that every attempt my father made to corrupt him failed. Despite the monster we both grew up around, my brother always found ways to keep the good inside him alive, to hold onto his principles and face everything with a sense of humor. He was a lot like Carter in that sense. Always ready to use a joke, no matter if the situation was far from humorous. Noah... he was the ray of light in a house of darkness. Without him, my father got to mold only one monster. And if you ask him—”
I cut myself off in time, becauseI’m not even good enoughisn’t what she should ever hear.
Silence settles for as long as she’ll allow it, leaving me seething with regret for the path this conversation took.
“I don’t see a monster,” Summer states with so much conviction, breaking the suffocating quiet. “You became what you needed to survive, but you didn’t let your father corrupt you the way he wanted. That makes you stronger than him. And your brother sounds like he was a great guy. I wish I’d known him.”
“I’m sure I would’ve liked your brother, too.”
“Before or after him attempting to murder you?”
Summer makes me chuckle, lifting a bit of the heaviness from our conversation.
Resting my hand on her leg, I squeeze that soft skin before letting it glide up her thigh. She allows me, and for a second, her hand lands over mine. A single moment before she retreats, like she regrets her actions.
The purr of the engine and the hum of traffic fill the rest of the drive to her place. My hand on her leg, her glancing at me from time to time, and our conversation settling deep into my mind.
I park the car near her dorm, and I’m in no hurry to let go of her, nor is she to get away from me.
“Why are you doing all of this?” she asks, choosing to stare ahead instead of where I always want her gaze—on me.
I do want to toy with her, not let her in on my little secret that I find her fascinating.
“Maybe I’m bored. Maybe that’s my idea of having fun with you.”
She clutches the door handle, a second away from slipping out. But I don’t want her to get to her room thinking she’s a toy for my amusement.
“Or maybe”—I grab her arm to stop her from leaving the car—“just maybe... I like you.”
Her grip on the handle loosens, and she turns to face me with an expression on an entirely different plane of gloating.
“Really?! And what is it you mighthypotheticallylike about me?”
“Besides the fact you’re stunning and smart?”
“This kind of flattery will get you nowhere with me.” She turns to grab the handle once more when I decide to lay out everything else that pulls me to her.
“You don’t back down.” She stills, her attention returning to me, the faint curve at her lips urging me to continue. “You’re a vicious little viper who’s not afraid of me. Determined. Exciting and unpredictable. A little crazy. Or more like a lot, matching my owninsanity perfectly. And amidst all of this, you can always make me smile.”
“Careful, baby! Sounds like you like me a lot.”
Summer can take my soul with the playful look she offers.
“Yeah . . . sounds like it.”
She pries the truth out of me with effortlessness.
“All your sweet words won’t save you from my retaliation for tonight.”
And of course, it wouldn’t be her if she doesn’t threaten me.
“I’m not getting tied to your bed again. Not unless you wanna get kinky with me.”
