Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 69098 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69098 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
“Dude,” I say with a laugh. “You can’t sleep in your boots.”
Giving my back to him, I crawl into my bed, taking the spot by the wall. Soon, I can hear soft thuds as he removes his boots and clothes. He still won’t look at me as he slides into bed, which makes my chest squeeze painfully.
Something’s wrong with Ronan.
“You know you can talk to me,” I murmur, propping my body up on one elbow so I can look at him. “You don’t have to suffer in silence.”
Ronan’s lips thin out as if he’s trying to hold words inside his mouth. I want to pry them open with my fingers, freeing them for me to consume greedily. Playfully, I tug at his bottom lip with my fingers.
“Tell me,” I order, grinning at him.
He smiles back and then bites my finger. Fucker. I howl in exaggerated pain that has us both cracking up. When we settle down, he’s no longer being strange and smiles happily at me. My heart hammers in my chest with pride. I’m thankful I can make him feel better.
Since he doesn’t seem keen on speaking, I stretch out beside him, resting my head on the pillow beside his. He doesn’t push me away when I drape an arm over him. Something tells me he needs to feel like he’s loved and a part of this family. That’s something I can endlessly give him.
He’s my brother.
My best friend.
Mine.
Those fuckers—Logan and CJ and Jace—don’t get to steal my people from me.
Ronan sucks in a sharp breath when my fingers dance over his lower abs. He’s always been ticklish. I’m not going to terrorize him by pinning him down, but gently tickling him and listening to his breath hitch is amusing. Again, he doesn’t stop me.
“Do you ever feel like you want something you’re not allowed to have?” he asks, voice barely a whisper.
I think about Raegan. Beautiful and sassy and arousing and fucking off-limits.
“Maybe,” I say, allowing a little of my truth to bleed into the word.
Is he being weird because he really does like Logan, but he’s married?
“It’s okay to like a man.” My words are hot against the side of his face. “You know that, right?”
He makes a keening sound, swiftly flipping onto his side and giving me his back, no doubt trying to hide from me what I’ve guessed. That he likes Logan. Not letting him escape that easily, I curl around him, nuzzling his hair with my nose.
Loved and accepted.
That’s what I want him to feel.
“You can have that one day,” I promise, “just not with him.”
“Not with who?” he croaks out, playing dumb.
“Logan. I see how you look at him. Like you’re in love.”
“I’m not in love with some guy I just met,” he grumbles in a defensive tone. “You don’t know everything, Ry.”
I kiss his shoulder, again in an effort to make him feel loved and accepted, before whispering, “Good to know. You deserve someone better than Logan.”
“And who would that be, oh wise one?” he prods. “Who, Ry? Look around us. There’s no one like me. I’m all alone.”
Irritated by his words, I hug him closer. My body flickers with heat and I wonder if I made the fire too hot. The smart thing would be to stop cuddling Ronan so I don’t sweat my ass off, but I can’t find it in me to let go.
“You’ll never be alone,” I murmur. “You’ll always have me.”
“Are you volunteering yourself to get fucked?”
I snort out a laugh and playfully tease, “Maybe I’d be the one doing all the fucking.” To punctuate my words, I push my dick against his ass.
He elbows me hard in the gut. “I hate you. You’re such a dick sometimes.”
“Love you too, big bro.”
I drift off with a smile on my face. Our joking around about being lovers has put us both in a better mood. His soft breathing indicates he finally succumbed to sleep.
Ronan will find someone worthy one day.
Someone he can fuck since he’s clearly horrified by the idea of taking it.
And I will support him one hundred percent.
As long as it’s not Logan or any of those trespassers.
I’d volunteer myself if that meant saving him from that skeevy guy. My traitorous dick pressed against Ronan’s ass plumps, turning to stone as images of me being the one to bring him pleasure invade my mind.
Thank fuck he’s asleep because there’d be no way to explain my way out of that shit.
Maybe my dick really is broken since I can’t seem to keep it under control around Raegan and now Ronan.
Teenage Angst in the Wilderness sounds like a stupid book.
One star.
Do not recommend.
* * *
* * *
They’ve been here five days and Dad still hasn’t kicked them out. It’s a miracle, really. Especially since Dad hates everyone.
But he doesn’t hate them.