Filed To Story: Craving The Wrong Brother Book PDF Free by Elysian Sparrow
But then I hear it.
That engine. That unmistakable growl of muscle and menace that sounds like it eats weaker cars for breakfast.
Oh, no, no, no, no.
Please don’t let it be him.
Let it be a random drug dealer neighbor who’s here to say hello to the Hartleys.
Finn hears it too.
“Is that who I think it is?” he asks his mom.
She doesn’t even hesitate. “Yeah. Someone spotted your brother in town and told me. I had to drag his ass over here to come see his mother.”
Finn groans. “Mom, we wanted this weekend to be nice.”
“Then be nice to your brother. It’s easy”
“Ugh. You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Finn..”
“Fine. I’ll be nice.”
My fork stills over the toast as the front door opens.
And there he is.
Knox-fucking-Hartley.
A vision in black, with tattoos peeking from beneath his rolled sleeves and a pair of sunglasses he definitely doesn’t need indoors. In one hand is a plastic bag, one that somehow makes him more appealing. His swagger is the same, annoying and sexy, as he takes off his glasses.
Seeing him makes me think about things I shouldn’t.
The grip of his hands on my waist as he rocked my world and made me see blue. The bruising kiss. The mirror fogging. His voice deepening as he instructed me to let go.
His mom gets up and meets him halfway, arms wrapping around him. “My boy! They don’t feed you over there in New York?”
“I’ll take that as a compliment, Mom.”
She pulls back, eyes narrowing. “What’s this bruise?”
Her fingers brush the faded mark on his cheek. The one Finn’s fist left.
“It’s nothing, Mom.”
“This doesn’t look like nothing. It’s that job of yours, isn’t it? It’s going to get you killed.”
“I know.”
Then, finally, his gaze drifts past her. Past Finn. Past the awkward silence and directly to me.
Our eyes lock.
“Hello, Kitten,” he says.
May !?
May I?
My heart skips several beats at once. And not in the cutesy, butterflies-in-the-stomach way. No, this is the kind of beat- skipping that punches you square in the chest and makes your lungs forget how to breathe.
Every memory from last night comes flooding back like a filthy little slideshow behind my eyelids. My thighs clench on instinct. My mouth is dry. My pulse is chaos.
“You know Sloane?” Victoria asks, reminding me that there are, in fact, other people in the room.
Knox doesn’t look away. “I do.”
“From New York?”
He moves away from his mother and drops into the nearest couch with that lazy grace he always carries. At least his eyes are no longer on me, and I can finally exhale.
“Actually,” he replies, “we met for the first time yesterday.”
I swear I hear Finn inhaling deeply and holding that breath. Although I can’t get a good look at his face from this angle, the stillness of his posture confirms it.
Victoria turns to look at me. I try my best to seem innocent, hoping she doesn’t read everything that went on last night from my face. After a few seconds, she shifts her gaze to Knox, who’s smirking on that couch. Then to Finn. With the way she goes back and forth staring, you’d think she’s trying to solve a Rubik’s cube.
She eventually returns to her seat, not saying a word.
Knox, of course, must be feeling uncomfortable with the tension, as we all are. So he breaks it by addressing Finn.
“Hello, little brother,” he says.
Finn doesn’t respond.
But Knox goes on anyway. “You look refreshed this morning. What’s the secret? Threw one or two punches?”
“Shouldn’t you be helping Hunter prepare for his rehearsal dinner?” Finn replies, not hiding the irritation in his voice.
“Delilah’s more than happy to take charge.”
“And the bachelor party? You should be planning that.”
“Are you chasing me away?”
“Just an observation.”
“Right. Because planning a bachelor party is so hard. All you need is a venue with overpriced drinks, deafening music, and women who are willing to take off their clothes for money. Isn’t that right, Sloane?”
My fork clinks against the plate. I’d managed to eat my breakfast in peace so far.
“What?” I croak.
“A bachelor party. Don’t those sound like the essentials?”
“Leave her alone, Knox,” Finn says.
“I’ve never been to one,” I mumble, gripping my fork like it can shield me from this moment. “So I wouldn’t know.”
“That’s sad,” Knox says. “You should come to Hunter’s.”
“She’s not coming,” Finn snaps.
My face is on fire. I can feel Victoria’s gaze sliding over to me, then to Knox, then back again like she’s watching a ping-pong match.
Her voice is gentle but pointed. “Is there something I should know about last night?”
“Like what?” Knox says, tone innocent enough to win an Oscar.
“I don’t know,” she says. “You tell me. Did something happen while I and your father were away?”
“It’s fine, Mom,” Finn says quickly, tapping her knee.
She nods, but her eyes turn to find mine. The way they linger a second too long on my face tells me she doesn’t believe anything they said. Mercifully, she changes the topic.
“How are you holding up with this sudden charge Find your destined and all?” she says. “You and Delilah were
Successfully unlocked! together for so long.”
Finn smiles, but it’s all teeth and no warmth. “I’m here, aren’t I? Gracing the wedding. It’s really okay, Mom.”
“Knowing Delilah,” Knox adds, “she’ll probably call it off and crawl back to Finn. Why should he be worried?”
“Don’t say that, Knox. I’m happy she no longer has a hold on your brother. You have to make sure she marries your friend
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