Chapter 6 #3
Halfway to my room, my throat felt like the Sahara Desert had relocated to my esophagus, and I made the questionable decision to detour to the kitchen.
As I approached, I heard the familiar sound of my brothers’ late-night chat session.
They were laughing about something, probably one of Colt’s terrible jokes or another story about Nico’s cooking disasters.
Why couldn’t I be that casual with Jaxson? Just hanging out without feeling like my heart was attempting to break the land speed record? Other people got to be normal around their crushes. I got to be a walking disaster with the emotional stability of a Jenga tower in an earthquake.
I shuffled into the kitchen with all the grace of a sleepy penguin. “Hey.”
The reaction was… interesting. Jaxson choked on his drink like he’d forgotten how swallowing worked.
Colt’s casual lean against the counter suddenly turned rigid, his eyes darkening as they traced the water droplets running down my chest with an intensity that made me acutely aware of my near-nakedness.
Wei’s grin turned positively feline—the kind that said he was about to have way too much fun at my expense.
Great. Just what I needed to cap off this stellar evening.
“Forget something?” Wei drawled, his eyes dancing between me and Jaxson’s frozen form. “Like, oh, I don’t know… clothes? Or perhaps the concept of towel-drying? You’re creating a small lake on our kitchen floor.”
Ignoring their weird behavior—because dealing with my brothers’ oddities required more energy than I currently possessed—I made my way to the fridge.
I grabbed the water jug and poured myself a glass, drinking like I’d just crossed that desert I’d been thinking about earlier.
I could feel three pairs of eyes tracking my every movement, which was about as comfortable as performing surgery on myself.
Colt cleared his throat, his voice rougher than usual. “You’ll catch a cold.” But his concerned words didn’t match the intensity of his stare, which felt like it could burn holes through my towel. Why was everyone being so weird tonight?
I was about to make my escape when Jaxson materialized in front of me like some sort of incredibly attractive roadblock. Shit!
My sleepiness evaporated faster than spilled coffee on a hot sidewalk.
I avoided looking at his face because, seriously universe?
Him with his shirt half-unbuttoned, sleeves rolled up, and hair doing that effortlessly messy thing?
That should be illegal. There should be laws against looking that good at—I glanced at the clock—one in the morning. Criminal. Absolutely criminal.
He stroked my wet hair, his fingers gently pushing it back from my face, and I briefly forgot how to breathe. Or think. Or exist as anything other than a bundle of nerve endings that all led directly to my racing heart.
“Dry your body and hair properly before going to sleep,” he murmured, his voice low enough that it felt like it was just for me, despite our audience. “You’ll get sick otherwise.”
From the corner, I heard Wei’s barely suppressed snicker and Colt’s sharp intake of breath. Great. Just what I needed. An audience for my humiliation.
My eyes betrayed me by dropping to his exposed chest. Bad eyes. Very bad eyes. But damn, those muscles were like a Renaissance sculpture come to life, and I just wanted to— No. Stop. Bad Lan. Do not think about licking your stepbrother’s chest.
I licked my suddenly dry lips, noticing how Jaxson’s eyes tracked the movement. “Yeah, I know,” I managed, looking anywhere else. When did the kitchen get so hot? Did someone break the AC? Or was I just spontaneously combusting from the inside out?
I set my glass down and turned to flee—I mean, exit strategically. “Good night,” I called to my brothers, trying not to sound like I was running away—which I totally was, at approximately the speed of light.
“Good night,” Jaxson said softly, while Colt’s “Night” came out more like a growl. What was his problem? Did someone replace his protein powder with sand?
But Wei, because he lived to torment me, called out, “Make sure to dress properly when you sleep, Shrine Maiden! Though I’m sure some people wouldn’t mind if you didn’t.” His meaningful glance between Jaxson and Colt could have lit up Times Square during a power outage.
“I know!” I shot back, already plotting how to replace his coffee with decaf tomorrow morning. Or maybe laxatives. Extreme times called for extreme measures.
As I made my room, I contemplated my life choices. Specifically, how I’d ended up hopelessly in love with my stepbrother while living in a house full of other stepbrothers who were being increasingly weird.
I should really move out. Like I planned to. Find a nice cardboard box somewhere. Adopt some pigeons. Start a new life as a hermit with no inappropriate feelings for family members.
Except… the thought of leaving—of not seeing Jaxson every day—sent a physical pain through my chest that made me gasp. It felt wrong on a level I couldn’t explain, like contemplating cutting off a limb.