Filed To Story: Craving The Wrong Brother Book PDF Free by Elysian Sparrow
“You’re welcome. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to-“
She loops her arm through mine.
“Be a dear, Knox, and find your mother a seat. These arthritic feet are being bitchy tonight.”
My suspicions are piling up. Is she up to something? At first I thought it was the excitement of me being in Asheville after months away, but there’s certainly a pattern emerging.
“What’s your plan here, Mom?” I ask.
“My plan?” she says sweetly.
“You’re acting suspicious.”
She doesn’t answer. Just pulls me toward the far side of the room and into a seat beside her.
“I’m not going to lie to you,” she says. “You’ve always been a smart one. I have waited for this day for months, and you’re not ruining it for me.”
“What are you talking about? Why are you even here?”
“Delilah’s parents invited me.”
“They’ve invited you to a dozen other events, and you never showed up.”
“I know you’ve got your eyes on your brother’s friend. I’m asking you, as your mother, to let it go. Finn deserves happiness, and I’m here to make sure he gets it-come rain or fire. Delilah will marry your friend. Finn will finally focus on what’s right in front of him. And Sloane will help him do that. If you distract her with your… seductive ways, she won’t be able to stop him from self-destructing. I won’t let that happen, Knox. You’re not leaving this seat. You’ll stay right here with me.”
I’m trying to wrap my head around the words coming out of her mouth.
“You want to use Sloane to distract Finn?”
“Is there a problem with that?”
You’ve Been Warned
The emcee taps the mic, and people begin to take their seats.
I lean in, whispering low. “They’ve been friends for years. If Finn had feelings for her, don’t you think they’d have dated already?”
“He just needs the right push. Once Delilah’s gone, Finn will see clearly*
“I have this gnawing feeling that you approached Sloane. Did you talk to her about this??
“I did. I even offered her money.”
“You did what?”
“Don’t look at me like that. You’re not a saint either.”
“Oh, yeah? You’re playing on her emotions, Mom. For what? Finn?”
“Isn’t that what you’re doing? You’re not genuinely interested in her. You just want to provoke Finn. I’m asking you to sta out of it.”
I glare at her, and she returns it.
“The only reason I’m still sitting here,” I say, “is because there is no empty seat beside Sloane. And you’re wrong. I want i because I want her. So whatever games you’re playing, leave me out of them. I’m done sacrificing anything for Finn. If yo try to keep me from her, I’ll ruin this wedding so fast the flames won’t have time to spread. And trust me, I’ll make absolutely sure Finn gets back with Delilah.”
She draws back, quiet.
In the background, the emcee is cracking jokes and causing the room to burst into laughter.
“You used to be a better son,” she says. “You enlisted in the army, came back, and now you’re someone else. Selfish. Heartless.”
“The boy Dad sent away didn’t come back. You got the upgraded version.”
She shakes her head. “Well, I’m sorry you want to ruin your brother’s happiness over something that happened years ago. But luck is not on your side this time. Sloane doesn’t want you. She wants Finn. It’s best you save yourself another heartbreak and stop now.”
Iglance toward Sloane.
She lifts her head, like she’s been waiting for me to look. She smiles. So soft. So beautiful.
I smile back. My chest beats faster, and, as is becoming a habit, my pants tighten at the groin.
“You’re wrong, Mom,” I say. “She wants me, and I intend to make her mine. Take this as a formal notice that you’ve been warned.”
Just Breathe, Sloane
~~SLOANE~~
***
I’m trying so hard not to steal glances at Knox from across the room. At first, everything was a blur-Myopia doing what she does best. I eventually caved and put my glasses back on. Squinting wasn’t doing me any favors, and I need a clear view of my target.
Knox is the only person not dressed like he’s about to attend a Gatsby-themed funeral. No tux. No tie. Just his signature black shirt, unbuttoned at the collar, sleeves rolled up to the elbows, paired with black pants that somehow make him the sexiest man in the room. He’s lounging in his chair, and his fingers are idly stroking his neatly trimmed beard. The movement makes me remember how the strands felt on a very sensitive place, one that’s currently tingling in anticipation of him turning on the device between my legs.
“She doesn’t look happy,” Finn says beside me.
I blink, forcing my eyes away from Knox. “What?”
“Delilah. She doesn’t look happy. Which can only mean she doesn’t want to get married, and therefore I can get her back. If only she’d just spare me a glance.”
Right. I’d totally forgotten why he came here.
My eyes drift back to Knox, who lifts his glass and drags his tongue slowly along the rim before taking a sip.
I bite my lip.
“Are you even listening to me, Sloane?”
“I am.”
I turn to him. He’s watching me, his gaze shifting from Knox to me with a tight-lipped frown.
“No, Sloane,” he says.
“No, what?”
“We’re not having this conversation again.”
“What conversation?”
“You know what.”
I exhale. “Finn, can you just focus on Delilah? Try to get her to look at you. I’m not in the mood.”
He doesn’t answer for a while, just sits there, jaw tight, fingers laced together in his lap. His knee bounces, and every now and then, his eyes move toward Delilah-then away, focusing on me again (or the side of my face at least). I know him enough to tell what this is. He’s seething. Delilah won’t look at him, but I also have a feeling it involves me as well. If there’s one thing Finn Hartley doesn’t handle well, it’s being ignored.
“I’m standing up. I need to talk to her right now,” he says.
“Talk to whom?
“Delilah.”
He starts to rise, and I grab his arm, yanking him back down.
“Have you gone mad?” I hiss. “You can’t go to her on her rehearsal dinner. What is wrong with you? Her fianc? is right there. Her entire family is here. Hunter knows she was cheating with you. Just being here is already a bad idea. Don’t make it worse.”
A slow smile spreads across his face, and he leans closer. “You’re right. I forgot myself. I’m supposed to be ignoring her. This is why I like having you around, Sloane. You make me think better.”
I stare at him.
Of course, he did all that to get a rise out of me.
I look away.
Eventually, time passes and the speeches begin Successfully unlocked! jokes. The person on the podium right now is a friend of Hunter’s, someone who introduced Casper esviously drunk and fumbling with his words, but the audience find him amusing enough to laugh.
I zone out most of the things he’s saying, half-listening as he slurs through compliments and toasts that clearly weren’t rehearsed. He’s swaying a little, gripping the mic like it might run away from him.
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.