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Jaxon nodded and rubbed a hand over his face before turning to focus on me.
“We need to talk about Cain,”I said.
I shouldn’t have been surprised that Jaxon looked like he knew the conversation was coming. My brother was one of the most perceptive people I knew.
“He’s attracted to her.”His words were said simply, with no tension attached.
“How do we feel about that?”
“It’s not really for us to decide, is it?”
I thought about that. Would I easily accept another man in Brooklyn’s life if she wanted that? I knew I would do anything to make her happy and after what we had been through, it would take a lot for me to tell her no again.
“I guess not. What about Aiden and Gideon? They don’t know Cain like we do. How do you think they’ll react?”
“Pretty sure they both have noticed something, too. Neither of them has tried to kick Cain to the curb yet, so maybe they’re fine with the idea,”Jaxon said.
Remembering what Brooklyn and I did talk about before she fell asleep, I knew this wasn’t something we would have to deal with anytime soon. She was having a hard enough time coming back to us fully. Adding another man to the mix was not likely something she had on her mind. A piece of my mind disagreed with that, thinking a shake up was exactly what our girl needed now.
Chapter
Forty-Three
Brooklyn
It wasdark when I woke up and I was alone. I hadn’t really expected Oliver to stay with me while I slept away the day, but having him touching me, even in an innocent way, made me feel normal. I stretched and thought back to Cain, giving me a hard time about hiding away in my room. It was very presumptuousof him to think he could lecture me on anything, but that’s what he had done.
My mind flashed back to the first time I saw him, as he swept in to prevent Buzz from raping me. I couldn’t see what he had done to Buzz, but I knew he hadn’t been kind. The man didn’t know me personally, and yet he was willing to put himself at risk to rescue me. And I hadn’t even thought to thank him properly.
With my mind made up, I climbed out of bed and changed into bike shorts and an oversized sweatshirt. In the bathroom, I found my hair to be a complete disaster, so I took the time to comb through the knots, until the blonde length fell down my back in a silky wave. I was quiet as I left my room, afraid if I ran into any of the guys, I would lose the nerve I had built up.
Somehow, I made it to the backyard without seeing anyone. Lights were on in the pool house and I could see a figure move behind the curtains. I swallowed hard as I raised my hand to knock. Before I made contact with the wood, the door swung open and Cain stood there, surprising me and making me jump back a step.
It took me a long moment to register that he was wearing nothing but gray sweatpants that hung low on his hips, leaving his v on display. My guys had some tattoos, but Cain was covered and I couldn’t help but to stare. I had seen his sleeved arms and the skull on his throat, but I hadn’t imagined he had such intricate art all over his torso.
“Just let me know once you’ve had your fill, princess.”
His words jarred me from my silence and I snapped my mouth shut, which until that moment I hadn’t realized was hanging open. My eyes met his and there was humor there, even though his lips didn’t show the hint of a smile. He lifted an arm and leaned it over his head on the door jamb, leaning to one side, which only accentuated the muscles he had on view.
“Sorry, uh, to interrupt your night.”I was gripping the bottom of my sweatshirt in my fists, trying to control my nerves.
Cain didn’t seem to notice or care that I was nervous. He reached out and grabbed one of my wrists and pulled me into the pool house.
“Come in.”He said the words as if he had given me a choice, but I was already in the middle of the living area with him closing the door behind me.
I spun and came face to face with his chest as he approached me. Instincts screamed at me and I backed away until I was hitting the small kitchen counter on the other side of the room. That didn’t stop Cain, who continued to prowl toward me, until he was within arm’s reach. Again, his hand snapped out, and he pulled at my wrist, making me release my sweatshirt. He repeated the move with my other wrist until my hands were relaxed at my sides. His fingers were rough against my skin, but for a moment, his thumb swiped along the inside of my wrist and a shiver ran through me.
“Better?”He asked.
I knew my mouth was hanging open again as I searched for words. The man was imposing, and he had completely thrown all of my determination out the window by being so forward. Instead of trying to answer him, I just nodded my head.
“Good. Now, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”
His words snapped me into the present, making me remember why I had come down to the pool house in the first place. But now the words seemed to have escaped me and a long moment of silence spread between us again. Cain just cocked his head to one side as he studied me, waiting.
I forced my eyes to not linger on his naked body, but only on his face. That didn’t really help make me feel any more calm. There was something about the energy he exuded. Tough, electric, but also aloof, as if anything he did was without care. Iknew in the tough life he lived, there couldn’t be anything he did without complete purpose. That’s how he had to be to survive. But on the outside, you couldn’t tell that the wheels in his head were turning.
It also didn’t help that he was devastatingly handsome. My guys were the most beautiful men I had ever met or seen in my life. Each of them was so devilishly delicious without even trying. It was one of the things I found so alluring about them. Cain was a different beautiful, with rough edges and colorful swirls all over his body, a body that looked to be carved directly out of a slab of marble.
