Filed To Story: Craving The Wrong Brother Book PDF Free by Elysian Sparrow
Normal.
Boring.
“I’m not a child anymore, Mom,” I say over my shoulder.
“That’s the point, baby,” she replies. “You’re not. Now’s not the time to be developing some rebellious teenage spirit. You’re a full-grown woman. You should be making adult decisions. Exploring danger is for kids. Look at Serena. Nathan’s about to propose any day now.”
I glance at Serena.
She’s grinning like the damn Cheshire Cat, enjoying my slow meltdown way too much.
The worst part is…
They won’t stop.
Not until they get their way.
And if Dad joins in later, it’ll be an all-out emotional war zone.
Better to end this now.
Give them the illusion they’ve won.
“Fine,” I say, setting down the stack of napkins with a heavy sigh. “I’ll come to the barbecue. I’ll keep my mind open.”
Mom’s face brightens instantly.
“That’s all I’m asking for.”
We settle around my tiny dining table, eyes set on our pasta, breadsticks, and meatballs. The scent of tomato sauce and garlic fills the room.
Mom chats about her shop-about a new flower arrangement she’s trying to market to hipster wedding venues.
Serena gossips about her friend’s cheating boyfriend.
Me Myself. And My Desires
I smile.
I nod.
I sip from the glass of wine Serena unearthed from the kitchen shelf I hide my stash.
But deep down, I’m somewhere else.
With a man who keeps a gun in his glove box like it’s just another accessory.
With a man who changed the locks on my door without asking.
With a man who let my former best friend hide in my closet while he fucked me against it like the world was ending.
With a man who calls me Bunny in a voice that makes my bones turn to dust.
I swirl the wine in my glass, watching it catch the light, spinning pale gold.
Could I really ever meet someone else?
Someone safe?
Someone easy?
Someone who didn’t feel like a fuse ready to be lit every time he looked at me?
Could I pretend I haven’t already made my choice?
Because no matter how dangerous Knox Hartley might be…
No matter how many warnings and red flags come slapping me in the face-
Part of me already belongs to him.
And normal?
Normal sounds boring.
Normal sounds dead.
~~~
Later at night, I lie in bed, staring up at the ceiling fan as it turns slow, lazy circles above my head.
A week ago, this would have been the part where I called Finn.
Told him about my day.
Ranted about being ambushed by my mother and sister.
He’d give some half-assed advice that somehow always circled back to Delilah, because of course it did.
As much as I hate him right now-
I miss that.
I miss being able to call someone.
To unload without thinking about how my words might come back to burn me.
And I can’t exactly call Knox and say,
“Hey, babe, I agreed to go flirt with strangers this weekend because my family thinks you’re a gangster. Just keeping my mind open like my mom suggested. Hope you don’t mind!”
Yeah.
Not happening.
But Finn…
He caused this. He deserves a piece of my mind.
If nothing else.
He doesn’t get to sneak into my life anymore and pretend like it’s okay.
I grab my phone off the nightstand and dial.
The line barely rings before he picks up.
Like he’s been waiting.
“You son of a bitch,” I say, no preamble. “What the hell were you doing in my apartment today?”
“Sloane,” he breathes out. His voice cracks a little. “Oh my God. It’s so good to hear from you.”
“The feeling is not mutual, Finn. I’m calling to tell you to save yourself the trouble of sneaking in anymore. I’ve changed the locks. The next time I see you lurking around, I’m calling the cops.”
“Sloane,” he says again, and this time his voice is thick-like he’s holding back tears. “I’m sorry. I just… I miss you. I miss my
Me, Myself. And My Desires best friend.”
“Why? Did Delilah dump you already?”
“This has nothing to do with her,” he says, pained. “I just wanted to see you. Surprise you. I swear I didn’t mean to do anything wrong. And then you came home with… him. And I panicked.”
“And you hid in my closet like a psychopath.”
“I didn’t want to ruin it. You looked happy. I thought if I made noise, if I interrupted-“