Anti-Stepbrother(55)

I tucked it behind me. “Why are you mad at me?”

“I’m not.”

He was. I could hear it in his voice.

“Fucking hell.” He gripped the back of his neck. “I am.”

“Because I said I’d stay at my friend’s place if the house gets too full?”

“Yeah.” He shot me a dark look. “I don’t want you staying somewhere else. We’re all coming because of you. You should be where we are.”

“Well.” I lifted a finger in the air. “I don’t really think I’m the reason everyone’s coming. I think I’m the excuse for a road trip.”

“Exactly.” His jaw clenched.

I waited for him to elaborate, but he didn’t. I leaned forward. “Exactly…what?”

“Why are all these stupid fucks coming? I thought this was going to be small. You. Me. Avery. Marcus, maybe a few of his friends. Now it’s thirty plus idiots joining in.”

“Most of those idiots are your fraternity brothers.”

He bit out a curse, adjusting his hold on the back of his neck. “And how the hell did they even get invited? I didn’t say anything to them.”

“Wait.” I sat back. “You don’t want your fraternity brothers to come? I thought you invited them.”

“I didn’t.”

“What?” My mouth was on the floor. I remembered the first night I met Caden. He’d sounded irritated that he was in a fraternity, but since then I’d realized he did everything they asked. He was present when the fraternity had events, and if they had a party, he went, but he called me later. We’d watch movies in his shed while music blared from the house.

I was stunned to hear he didn’t want his brothers on the road trip.

“I didn’t invite them,” I said. “So who did?”

“Fuck if I know.” He grabbed another beer from the fridge, sinking back down on the couch.

I pulled a pillow into my lap and hugged it to my chest. He stretched his legs out, placing them on the coffee table right next to mine. I gulped, feeling his leg graze against mine. My fingers sank further into the pillow, and I struggled to keep from moving my legs on top of his, nestled between them.

I could’ve. Caden wouldn’t have cared, but I held back. I’d want more. That small touch wouldn’t be enough.

I felt my body warming so I spoke hurriedly. “Can I ask you something?”

“Since when do you ask to ask something?” He grinned at me over the top of his beer.

I ignored that. “Do you like being in a fraternity?”

I held my breath, expecting him to show some sort of surprise at the question. I got none.

“No. I don’t, but not because of them. They’re okay. This just wasn’t my first choice. I don’t like belonging to anyone.”

“Then why are you here?”

He hesitated, studying me intently before his gaze slipped away. “Because my dad is a big deal with this fraternity, and someone had to join to make him happy.”

I wasn’t expecting that. “You joined because of your dad?”

“And for someone else.”

He didn’t say any more, and this was one of those moments when I should have read the signals. I should’ve held my tongue.

“Who?” My curiosity was killing me. “We can pretend we’re in a trust tree. I love those things. Go ahead. Ask me anything, and I’ll give you an honest answer. But I have to know. Who are you doing this for?”

Please don’t say a girl you loved from high school.

“My brother.”

“Marcus?”

“No.” He laughed softly at my disbelief. “Marcus’s twin, Colton.”

“You fought Marcus that one night about him, didn’t you? The night you beat Kevin up.”

“Kevin thought we were fighting about him. He had nothing to do with it, but he walked in and said the wrong shit. My patience was already gone, so he got the hit I really wanted to land on my brother.”

“On Marcus?”

“Yeah.” He grimaced. “I’d never hit Colton.”

He softened his tone and a far-off look came over his face. I knew he was thinking about his brother, but I was on a mission. I wanted more information. Caden wasn’t the sharing type. He’d stop talking, think everything through in his head, and forget we were having a conversation. He’d leave me hanging and start talking about something else, or just go back to watching the game.

I scooted to the edge of my seat and leaned forward. “Why not?”

“Why wouldn’t I hit my other brother?”

I nodded. “Does he go to school somewhere else?”