Fractured (Black Hallows #6)

Lily

FIFTEEN MONTHS AGO

“Well damn, Lils, you look hot,” is how my twin greets me, pulling me in for a hug, and just like always his embrace calms me.

Logan has always been the better half of me, the person who knows me deeper than anyone else, but as his eyes sweep over the figure-hugging black dress I chose for tonight, I can see a note of confusion.

It doesn’t matter that this is an upscale restaurant, I am never usually one to conform to such things.

Don’t get me wrong, I like dressing up and looking nice, never leaving my apartment without being put together, but even I can admit I put a whole lot of extra effort into tonight’s outfit.

“Thanks,” I reply with a practiced smile, hoping it doesn’t betray me as my brother frowns at me, so I quickly turn the attention back to him. “You look tired,” I tell him, cocking my head, and he rolls his eyes at me, the same way he has always done since he was a child.

We’ve always been both inseparable and intertwined, hard not to be when you’re twins, but despite our similarities, there are plenty of differences too.

Logan is bright, outgoing, always the first to command a room, whereas I am more than comfortable blending into the shadows.

He’s my favorite person in the entire world, and he’s everyone else’s favorite too.

“Yeah, I had a busy weekend,” he grumbles, pulling out my chair for me, and I slide into it with a grateful smile, before he adds, “Why are you so dressed up anyway?” His question has my eyes widening in panic as he calls me out, because he may know me better than anyone, but there is one secret I have kept for myself.

Before I have a chance to respond, the secret in question rushes to my defense. “Ignore him, Lily, you look beautiful, sweetheart,” Zack tells me with a relaxed smile, and my heart starts to thunder in my chest.

Zack is also my brother, his adoptive parents choosing to also adopt Logan and I, after we lost our parents in a car crash when we were five. I love him, but not in the same way I love Logan.

I blush under his appraisal, fidgeting beneath the table as he nudges his best friend. “Doesn’t she?”

Max is already staring at me, eyes wide and jaw slightly open, as he takes me in and it strips me bare.

“Stunning,” he blurts without thinking, like he couldn’t help himself, before he coughs slightly to clear his throat.

“She looks stunning,” he repeats with a nod, his words sounding more casual this time, as he takes a deep swill of his whiskey, but still Zack glares at him slightly, assessing him closely.

It’s nothing new, I always catch Max looking at me that way lately.

We were never really close when I was younger, I was away too much, but after everything that happened with Elle, and graduating college a few months ago, we have found ourselves closer.

We get together for dinners like this, I meet up with both him and Zack for workouts, and I’ve started making a habit of dropping by their office to grab lunch.

It not only allowed me to start developing a more grown-up relationship with Zack, but also strike up my own friendship with Max.

Except now, Max Foster looks at me the same way all men look at me.

Well, all men except my brother.

I’m not stupid, I know what I look like, and I never considered my beauty to be an affliction, not even when it started capturing the attention of men who wanted things I wasn’t willing to give.

They look with want, with need, with desire, with a look that says they will do anything I want if I just ask, and sometimes I think I should.

After losing my virginity in freshman year to a boy who didn’t know my clit from my thigh, I haven’t bothered fucking anyone else since.

We only fucked a handful of times, and it was enough to let me know that most guys don’t have a clue, but something tells me that isn’t the case with my brother or his best friend.

I’ve tried to ignore it, fight it, but his eyes on me are addictive, sending a thrill through me every time I catch him staring.

To the point where, when I got dressed tonight, I wasn't sure if it was for my brother, or him. The only problem with that idea, is that Max looks at Zack the same way he looks at me, which makes sense considering he’s bisexual, not that Zack seems to care, or even notice for that matter.

No, only I recognize the longing look in his eyes when it comes to my brother, no doubt it’s the same look in mine, I just hope Max has been too busy with his own desires to notice mine.

Either way I blush under their attention, as I force myself to focus on the menu in front of me.

We make quick work of ordering dinner and more drinks, and settle in for our usual night of catching up.

Zack and Max talk business, while Logan talks animatedly about his surgical residency, and I listen to all three of them talk with a warm smile on my face.

I love all my family, even the new members I didn’t choose, despite never showing it, but these three take the top spots.

I got worried when Logan and I graduated that we may grow apart, but we’re still as close as ever, and even though I know how lucky I am to have a great extended family, it doesn’t compare to the bond I have with my twin.

Once Zack settles the check, he eyes us all with a smirk. “Dakota’s anyone?” he asks, name dropping his favorite bar, and Max groans.

“You love that place too much, man.”

Zack only rolls his eyes. “Do you know how hard it is to try and find a quiet place to drink without being bothered by someone?”

Max laughs, as he grabs my coat and helps me into it, and I hide my shudder when his fingers brush along the back of my neck. “Oh, poor little billionaire baby, it must be so hard being you,” he mocks, and I bite back my smirk, as my brother glares at him once more.

“Count me out, I’ve got to be up for rounds at 4 a.m.,” Logan complains, and I cringe a little at the thought. “But don’t have too much fun without me,” he warns, pulling me in for a tight hug.

“As if we could, when the life of the party is going home for an early night,” I tease, and he pulls back and ruffles my hair.

“We both know I’m still your favorite brother,” he winks, keeping one of his arms around me, while he baits our brother.

“Hey now,” Zack complains, pulling me from beneath Logan’s arm and throwing his own around my shoulder. “We all know I’m the better, richer, and hotter brother.”

I’m glad he can’t see me right now, because my blush is instant, but unfortunately Max notices, narrowing his gaze on me, but I ignore him in favor of Logan.

“Just look after our sweet little storm cloud here,” he tells him, as we all head out into the cold air of the city, and Zack nods.

“Don’t I always?”

Logan smiles, ruffling my hair one more time. “Sweet dreams, Lilypad, I love you,” he beams, repeating the same words he has said to me since the first night we spent in the Royton's house after they adopted us.

“I love you too, text me when you get home, okay?” I demand, and he nods, his focus already on his phone, as Zack leads me toward the black car idling at the curb.

“Now let’s go have some fun,” he teases, opening the car door for me, and I can’t help but smile.

The drive to Dakota’s isn’t far, and it isn’t long before we are pulling up outside and Zack is helping me out of the car.

Dakota’s is a members only bar and nightclub that we frequent often, and with the price they charge for their memberships, it’s considered very elite.

Once inside, we check our coats and the hostess leads us to one of the VIP booths, before a server rushes over to take our order.

We’re a few drinks in when I finally start to relax and take stock of the room, just as a familiar face appears by the bar.

Zack’s ex-girlfriend, Rosie, is standing there glancing back and forth, and when her eyes land on our table, she smirks.

Before I can even say anything Zack is excusing himself and walking over to her.

I never liked her, mostly because she had what I wanted, but still, I hate the way she always used his status to try and get ahead.

I pretend the sight of him greeting her warmly doesn’t sting, and pull my gaze back to the table.

“I guess your brother has found the fun he was looking for,” Max drawls, and I can’t help the scoff of disgust that leaves me.

“Green really isn’t your color, princess,” he adds, and my stare snaps to him, finding him watching me with a smirk.

“What? You think your crush on your brother is a secret? Come on, Lils, I thought you were smarter than that.”

I try to keep the surprise off my face as I reply, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I smooth down the lines of my dress, grateful when the server drops another round of drinks down on the table, and I immediately reach out and take a sip of my Manhattan.

Max isn’t deterred though, no, instead he moves deeper into the booth, until his body is aligned with mine, as my stare dances back across the room to where Zack is smiling at Rosie.

The two of them have already scooted closer to one another, no doubt using the excuse of the music and people talking, and I watch as her hand lands on his arm.

“He’ll probably fuck her tonight. It will be familiar for him, and attainable without much work,” he says casually, and when I turn to glare at him, I find him once again still watching me.

“I don’t care, but you clearly do,” I tell him firmly, and he huffs a laugh, watching me over the rim of his glass as he takes a sip of his whiskey.

He doesn’t bother denying his attraction to my brother, it’s clear he knows I know his secret, just like he knows mine.