Filed To Story: Craving The Wrong Brother Book PDF Free by Elysian Sparrow
Her smile is soft. Grateful. She leans in and hugs me, arms sliding around my waist, cheek pressed against my chest. I keep my hands at my sides because if I touch her, I’m going to lift her, and then we’re not going anywhere.
That’s when I spot the bag sitting beside the couch.
“Going somewhere?” I ask.
She pulls back. “What?”
“The bag.”
“Oh.” She grins sheepishly. “That. I’m spending the weekend at your place.”
(+20)
I smile, finally letting my hands touch her waist. “You should have led with that. Come on, then. We’ll go to all your nerdy high school places.”
She squeals and runs into the bedroom. I hear the sound of zippers and drawers, and then she emerges with a pair of flats and a purse.
“Let’s go,” she says, like she’s taking me to prom.
I grab her hand and lead her out, down the stairs, and out to my car. I open the passenger-side door for her because, apparently, I’m a gentleman now. She rolls her eyes but gets in. I walk around to the driver’s side, start the car, and we pull out of the lot.
We’re barely five minutes into the drive when she says, “One more thing.”
“Hmm?”
“We can’t have sex this weekend.”
I nearly brake. “I beg your pardon?”
“It’s part of the relationship-building process. We have to be able to bond this weekend without touching each other.”
I glance at her like she’s lost her mind. “At what point are you going to start laughing, declaring this as a joke? Because I know you, Bunny. You can barely keep your eyes and hands off me. And you want to stay in the same house with me and not have sex?”
“We can do it.”
“It’s not about whether we can. It’s why.”
“To bond.”
“Traditionally, people have sex to consummate things. That’s the biggest form of bonding.”
“You’re just being difficult.”
“And you’re not telling me what this is about. No sex? The last time you said that, you took your clothes off and lay on me while I was asleep.”
“Well, this time it’s different.”
“Enlighten me.”
She’s quiet for a few seconds, then she says, “This is what I want. I want to understand my feelings for you beyond lust. And you’re going to help me, Knox, because we’re in a relationship. Helping me is part of your duties.”
I turn my head slowly. “I’m supposed to help you not have sex with me?”
“With this kind of bond, we can get to a point where we ask each other for anything without fear of the other person saying no.”
“What has sex got to do with making demands? Are you setting me up, Bunny? If you want to ask me something, just ask away. Don’t try to sneak around by starving me.”
“I do want to make a request. And I don’t want you to say no.”
“When have I ever said no to you?”
“You will in this case.”
“Try me.”
She goes quiet again. Then, just above a whisper, she says, “I saw your mother today.”
SLOANE
I don’t know what I’m doing right now, but I’m absolutely sure I care about this man. And I know that finding out his sister, the same one whose death tore him and Finn apart, is actually alive won’t go down easy.
It didn’t go down easy for me either.
I was mad at Victoria after she told me. I called her evil and told her to get lost. Then I got into the car and drove off with my foot pushing hard against the gas.
But the truth is, I haven’t stopped thinking about it. All evening, it’s been bouncing around inside me, twisting up my insides. Should I tell him? Should I not? Is it better to leave the past where it lies, or does Knox deserve to know?
He grips the wheel tighter at the mention of his mother, and even though his words are calm, I can feel the shift in him.
“She got to you, didn’t she?” he asks.
“Yeah. She did.”
His jaw flexes as he exhales.
“That woman is very determined. All you have to do is put Finn in a desperate situation, and she starts her campaign. Did she offer you money this time? She loves handing out checks.”
I let out a soft laugh. “Unfortunately, no.” www
“Would you have taken it? I remember her saying back in Asheville that she offered you money to date Finn.” He shakes his head and chuckles. “From the look of things, you turned her down. People don’t often turn my mother down. You spent ten years chasing someone, and then his mother offers you money to date him, and you say no. That’s when I knew. That was the moment I became convinced I wanted you.”
I glance at him.
“She told you that?”
“Yup. Right after warning me to leave you alone. Said I should prioritize my brother’s happiness.
“Why didn’t you?” I ask. “Why didn’t you leave me alone, Knox?”
He doesn’t look at me, but his right hand moves off the wheel and rests gently on my lap. His fingers are warm, heavy in that comforting way that lets me know he’s present even when he doesn’t have the words.
“Do you have any idea how many times I prioritized my brother’s happiness?” he says, voice steady. “Never again. I liked you, and there was no stopping me, especially not from a speech about Finn’s happiness that I’ve heard a million times. By the way, where are we even going, Bunny? This part of the city looks like where people get kidnapped and sold into sex trafficking.”
I point. “Turn right there. We’re almost there.”
“You’re not going to tell me what’s there?”
“You’ll see soon enough”
He goes quiet, obeying without question, but I can tell he’s wary. The streets grow narrower. A quietness settles between us, broken only by the sound of the engine and the faraway echo of a siren.
We roll into a neighborhood with old brick buildings and ivy-covered walls. The streetlamps here are dim, in the far corner, fucked behind a rusted iron gate, stands a cathedral that looks like it belongs to a forgotten century.
The Cathedral of Saint Aurelia. Abandoned now.
“Is that a church?” Knox says, squinting.
“An abandoned cathedral,” I reply.
“And we’re going in?”
“Yeah.”
“Should I bring a gun?”
“Don’t you dare.”
He groans. “It wouldn’t matter anyway. Guns won’t kill whatever ghosts live in there.”
We step out, and I wrap my arms around myself. Knox comes to stand beside me, taking off his jacket and placing it across my shoulders. One hand then slips around my waist.
The gate creaks when I push it open. I pull out my phone, turn on the flashlight, and guide him through the musty entrance.
“Is this where you made out with boys in high school?” he says behind me.
“In a church? I wasn’t making out with anyone.”
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.