Текст книги "Shattered"

Автор книги: Skyla Madi

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SHATTERED: Round Four

* * * *

Copyright © 2015 by Skyla Madi

All rights reserved.

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This is a work of fiction. The names, characters, incidents, and places are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or actual events are entirely coincidental. The author acknowledges the trademark status and trademark owners of various products that may be referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

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Halfway, ladies and gentlemen.

Let’s do this!

One

****

Suffering

Jai

 

She shivers under the gentle brush of my lips as I glide them along her ribcage. The very tip of my cock slides in and out of her tight, wet pussy and a groan releases itself from my throat. It’s only the tip and I already want to fill her up. Being in her is my favorite part of the day. Together we are absolute perfection.

Yin and Yang.

Water and fire.

She pushes her fingers through my hair, gripping slightly every time her hips flex against mine. From the harsh, fast pace of her breathing to the slick sweat on her skin, I live for it now. I have my brother. I got him back from Skull just like I said I would and on the way, I found her.

Emily.

Kitten.

Mine.

I’m at peace with it now—our predicament with Skull. The thirst for his blood no longer rages in my veins and my pride is sated enough to leave the country where we have a better chance at surviving. We could be gone. We could be living in a distant country with no worries in the world…except Joel is hell bent on rescuing his woman—a woman he took from Skull in the first place. I’ve tried talking him out of it. I’ve reasoned with him until I turned blue in the face, but there’s no changing his mind. Stubbornness is a Stone family trait.

He claims he’s in love with Monique. He claims he’ll marry her and they’ll have children. The thought of it is enough to make me want to roll my eyes. It all seems a little “whirlwind” to me, but what can I do? If I say anything to him he flips it back on me, comparing my relationship with Emily to his relationship with Monique. They’re not even remotely the same. Emily didn’t belong to a powerful crime lord when we met—though I’m certain Skull begs to differ.

If I’m being honest, I don’t recognize my brother anymore. He’s covered in tattoos. They blacken every limb and paint every inch, leaving his face untouched. He admitted to murdering a lot of people—bad people—but people none-the-less. He drinks a fuck load, despite always being against alcohol, and he apparently has grown accustom to snorting cocaine. In retrospect, he’s a stranger with the same name as my brother.

“Hey...”

Her soft whisper and the touch of her warm hands as they glide over my jaw and onto my cheeks pulls me out of my head. It’s a place I haven’t been able to escape since the night we saved Joel…and I’m suffering because of it, drowning in an abyss of irrationality.

“What are you thinking about?” She asks, her pretty eyes shining with concern in the early morning light.

I watched her sleep last night since my brain refused to allow me a few minutes of peace of my own. It was the first time I regretted the mission I set myself on. Why? Because I’ve selfishly fucked a lot of lives and for what? Joel didn’t want to be saved. He hasn’t said it, but I see it in his face. All he cares about is Skull’s whore. A whore who is probably as fucked up as Skull is. I don’t want to save her. Is that selfish?

“Nothing.” I say.

I shake my head and lean closer, planting three soft kisses up her neck and onto her jaw.

With a defeated sigh, she pushes the palms of her hands against my chest, but I don’t budge.

Instead, I trail my hungry lips to her mouth and catch her bottom lip between my teeth. She pulls away with a wince, pushing hard against my chest.

“Jai.”

Sighing, I slip from her body and roll onto my back as Emily climbs off the bed and drags herself to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

Rubbing my tongue against the roof of my mouth, I follow a crack in the paint on the ceiling.

This is the fourth time in three days I’ve zoned out during sex and I do believe that was the last straw. Fuck, I can’t help it. I can’t get out of my own head. I’ve tried, but it’s like pushing a bicycle through wet, sticky tar.

What pisses me off the most is the fact Joel hasn’t asked about Jessica yet. He has no idea she’s in Italy. He has no idea she’s even alive and do you think I’ve received a thank you for saving his pathetic ass? No. I only ruined my career and risked my life in the process. Is that not worthy of a thank you?

I’m doing it again, aren’t I?  I’m drowning in my own thoughts.

Exhaling, I kick my sweatpants down the remainder of my legs and off the side of the bed before rolling on to my side. As I stare at the blaring, red numbers on the alarm clock sitting on my bedside table. Its eight a.m. already? Then the smells hit me and swirl around my nostrils, making my empty stomach clench. It’s yet another thing new Joel is addicted to that old Joel hated—greasy, fried breakfast foods. If you told me two years ago I’d be eating breakfast with a cocaine snorting, breakfast loving, tattoo enthusiast of a brother, I’d have laughed in your face. Oh, but how quickly the impossible becomes possible.

The sound of shower jets blasting water against tiles forces me to push my naked ass off the bed and onto my feet. As I walk, I feel my body pull itself into a negative posture—shoulders slumped, chin dropped, feet dragging. I can’t kick it. I’ve punched, fucked, and ran for my life, but it’s still inside me—the bitterness, the anger—it lurks like cancer, growing as rapid and as aggressive as a tumor.

And I can’t talk to him about it because talking to him about this whole situation is like standing too close to a lit firecracker and knowing it can go off at any second.

I slide the base of my feet against the plush carpet and approach the bathroom door. As I slip the curved, stainless steel handle into my hand, I pause. What will I say? She’s never walked out on me before so I’m guessing “sorry about that” won’t fix anything this time.

I don’t want to tell her I’m embarrassed. I worked up the reunion with Joel in my head for so long...it was supposed to be different. It wasn’t supposed to leave me wondering why I even bothered saving him in the first place.

I push on the handle and open the door. Steam rushes out to meet my naked body and it clings to my skin, sending a rush of goosebumps across my torso. She turns her back to me, smoothing her hands over her dark, wet hair as I slip inside the room and close the door.

I hate fighting with Emily. I mean, she’s not exactly the easiest woman to deal with and the girl can hold a grudge for days. If I don’t fix this now, she’ll ignore me until the end of time.

As I pull open the shower door, puffs of thick steam billow out and Emily turns her back to me. Shivering, I slip inside and close the door behind me. Inside, heat engulfs me, eradicating my goosebumps one by one, until I’m as warm as asphalt under the morning sun.

“You’re ignoring me?” I ask as I reach for the pink exfoliating sponge she requested I have Ted pick up from the store two days ago. Apparently, she could still feel the grime from the tunnels on her skin and needed to clean it from her pores.

Emily slips out from underneath the jet of water and runs her soapy hands along her stomach.

No response.

I reach for the berry body wash, pour it on to the rough sponge, and soap it up in my hands as she pulls her long, dark hair to the side, exposing the soft curve of her shoulder.

I hold the sponge in my hand, refusing to press it against her skin. “Emily?”

She glances over her shoulder, her dark eyes thinning into that sexy glare I liked so much when I met her.

“Yes. I’m ignoring you.”

Unexpectedly, she whips around on her heel, making me paint soap over her bare breasts. Her eyes are wide and the tip of her pointy, slender nose is as red as her rosy cheeks.

“Is it me?”

I pull the sponge from her chest and clench it in my hand. From the pressure, bubbles spill over and drop onto my foot.

I almost laugh. “What?”

She avoids my eyes, her worried expression now directed at the tiles. “Is it me?”

“I thought you were ignoring me?”

Emily exhales, annoyed. “Jai...”

I drop the sponge and reach out to her with my soapy hands. I glide my palms up her slim forearms and grip her small biceps in my hand.

“Is what you?”

She slips away from me, pulling her biceps from my grasp. If someone became homeless every time this girl confused the shit out of me, just about every house in the world would be empty.

“What are you talking about?”

She gestures to me. “You! You’re a ten, pushing eleven and I’m what? A four at best?”

I frown, confused. If she answered my question directly we’d be on the same page right now and since when did people rate the appearance of others on a scale of one to ten? It’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard, considering everyone has different tastes. I might be a ten to Emily, but a three to someone else. The same goes for her. She might be a four to one guy, but she’s a million to me. Easy.

“A four? What—”

She purses her lips and chews the inside of her lip. “Is it something I’m doing? Is it me?”

“No. No. It’s not you.”

Fuck, she’s cute—even when her hair is slicked back against her head like that. A smile pulls at the corners of my mouth and I can’t stop it. I like the balloon of happiness that inflates in my chest at the thought of her giving a shit.

“Kitten—baby—relax.” I step closer to her as she swipes at a drop of water that runs down the slope of her nose.

“Am I too aggressive? Too plain?” She glances down at her body. “Maybe I’m too skinny?”

She looks at me, her eyes wide. “Or maybe I’m too fat—assuming you’ve dated tiny models in the past. Or may—why are you smiling at me?”

“Because you’re being crazy.”

“Crazy?”

I nod. “Yes. Crazy.”

As if she has anything to worry about. She is everything I want in a woman. She is intelligent, strong, humorous, beautiful, and loyal. The shape and density of her body doesn’t matter to me. I smooth my hands over the subtle curve of her hips and onto her round ass, pulling her hard against me. She gasps as my naked body slides effortlessly against hers and I dance my fingers up her spine, unrelenting, until she shivers against me.

“Jai…” She sighs, relaxing into my fingers as I slip them into her hair and tug her head back.

“There’s absolutely nothing wrong with you.” I say, lowering my mouth to her jaw. “You drive me wild. I could come just looking at you.”

Pulling back, she cocks a brow. “There has to be something wrong with me if I can’t keep you interested during sex.”

I release my fingers from her hair. “It’s not you. I’m just...”

How do I tell her? How do I tell her that I’m a fucking idiot? That this was all for nothing and we’ll probably all die trying to save Joel’s woman? We’ve had too many close calls with Skull. We’ve pushed our luck too many times. He’s been in this game longer than we have. It’s only a matter of time before he outsmarts us and after snatching Joel out from underneath him, I can’t imagine him forgetting about us.

“When does it end?” I ask, planting a gentle kiss on her damp cheek.

Emily frowns. “Sex?”

“No. Not sex. Joel. Skull. When does it end?”

“It doesn’t end...” She says, brushing wet strands of hair from her cheek. “Until Skull is dead we’ll never be free.”

Emily speaks the truth and, if I’m being honest, the truth has never sounded so terrifying. I inhale, filling my lungs with heavy steam. I’m not scared of much…but being the reason someone else suffers is something I can’t handle. Exhaling, I slip my arms around her waist.

“What do you think I should do?”

Emily chews the inside of her lip, apparently contemplating my question. I want her to forbid me from helping Joel and to beg me not to go back for Monique. I want her to ask me to run away with her, like she did before we saved Joel. I refused then, but now…now I just might go for it.

“Well…” She clears her throat. “Would you go back for me?”

“Without a doubt.”

She bites a smile that tries to spread across her lips. “He loves her and, from what I can tell, he’d die for her. Whether or not that influences your decision, I don’t know.”

I tilt my head. “So, you’re saying I should to it for love?”

She shrugs her slender shoulders. “I’m saying your brother won’t feel complete unless he has her. Imagine how he feels right now? Knowing the love of his life is being held captive by another man—a man like Skull, no less. It makes me sick.”

I pull her in, pressing her cheek against my chest, resting my chin on the top of her head. I reflect back on Joel’s behavior the past few days. He doesn’t sleep, he spaces out, and has extreme bouts of anger. Twice I’ve walked in on him, his eyes red-rimmed and wet. He loves her. He loves her harder than I’ve seen him love anything and with or without me, he’s going back for the girl.

Two

****

Brothers

Emily

 

I finish running the towel over my hair and drop it to the floor. A spattering of droplets coat the bathroom mirror and I lean in close to check the skull tattoo on my collarbone. It has healed completely, its black ink marking my skin for the rest of my life. I scratch at it.

Yep. It’s real.

I don’t know why I keep expecting it to rub off. I suck air into my cheeks and blow it out. I fucking hate it. I hate that it’s a skull and what it represents.

Fear and possession.

It’s the symbol of a psychopath who suffered through a horrific, unspeakable tragedy and decided to do unto others as he had done unto him. It’s sick. To make others feel the pain he felt in the moment his wife and his unborn baby were ripped from his life is...is…not something I want to think about before breakfast. Anything Skull related usually has the power to turn my stomach and, since the smell of bacon hangs so deliciously in the air, I don’t want that to happen this morning.

Sighing, I pluck the purple hair brush from the basin and run it through my long hair. It catches on tangles and knots, but, with a little girl power, I manage to brush them free. I don’t usually put a lot of effort into my morning rituals, but since Jai’s brother ‘moved’ in I feel the need to try a little harder. It’s kind of stupid, but I want to be up to par with the standards he undoubtedly has for his baby brother.

Placing the brush on the basin, I stick my fingers in my hair and give it a little shake, adding just the right amount of ‘mess’. I don’t want to look like I spent too much time on my appearance intentionally. I lean in close to the mirror, checking the light touch of make-up I applied. I never thought I’d ever admit it, but the right mascara can do wonders for a plain face.

I straighten my spine, flick my long, dark hair over my shoulders, and smooth my palms down the front of my worn, black Lynyrd Skynyrd tee. It’s my favorite. I stole it from a guy I slept with once when I was a slightly younger, slightly stupider, woman. To be honest, it was the highlight of my year—the shirt, not the sex. Everything about the sex was “mediocre”. If you know what I mean.

Leaving the bathroom, I follow the smell of breakfast foods all the way to the kitchen. I feel the tension in the air as soon as I enter the room. It’s thick. Suffocating. I didn’t expect to see so much hostility between the brothers. The way Jai described his relationship with his brother was a bond unlike any other. I assumed Joel was his best friend.

Not anymore, apparently.

Disappointment exudes from Jai in waves as he rest on his elbow, lightly stabbing his fork into a slice of banana. The mood in the room is depressing and awkward, dampening my joy of the breakfast foods laid out on the bench in front of me. Like Jai, Joel also has a knack for cooking. Since being here at the lake house I’ve put on weight. It’s not much, but my hip bones aren’t as sharp as they were weeks ago and my face is fuller. I kind of like the look. It’s the body of a woman who is well looked after and, dare I say it without jinxing myself, happy.

At the stove, Joel has his back to me as he fries up what smells a little something like salmon. Like Jai, Joel keeps himself in fantastic condition. His body is an orgy of muscle. He’s taller than Jai, but not by much and while Jai’s muscles are built wide, making him thick, Joel is lean.

I glance at the ink on Joel’s back. It’s a picture—a mixture of black ink and shadows with light smatterings of color.

Skulls and fire.

Men and women.

Vicious murder and total anarchy.

Joel glances over the curve of his shoulder from the stove. Dark circles surround his eyes. I guess he’s still not getting much sleep.

“Good morning.”

Immediately, I drop my stare to the bench, heat flaring into my cheeks.

“Good morning.” I say, making it my mission to sound extra chipper instead of disturbed as hell by the tattoos on his back.

I have one tattoo—one—and it hurt like hell. How’d he bring himself to cover his entire body? How long did it take? How much did it cost? I peer up at him and he tilts his head on the slightest angle, analyzing me with his dark blue eyes—eyes that match his brothers. Did he notice my gawking?

“You don’t like tattoos?” He asks, looking back to the pan.

He slips a long, metal spatula underneath a slice of salmon and flips it. While he’s preoccupied, I glance at Jai and he rolls his eyes. My lips pull at the corners as he takes a large mouthful of water out of his cup, and pulls out the stool beside him.

“Sure.” I reply, circling the bench and slipping on to the stool. “I like yours just fine.”

With a genuine smile, Joel pulls the pan off the heat and approaches us before dumping a heap of salmon on to a small plate. I glance over the bench. Does he expect the three of us to eat all of this food? There’s too much. Bacon, salmon, scrambled eggs, sausages, and pancakes. Where does he expect us to store it all?

“Good. Maybe you can convince my brother here that tattoos don’t make me a monster.”

Jai frowns, his jaw tightening. “I never said they make you a monster. I said—”

“It smells good.” I cut in, not wanting to be stuck in the middle of another one of their never-ending arguments.

Joel and Jai watch as I pluck four straps of bacon and five tablespoons of egg onto my plate. My stomach cramps in anticipation, desperate for me to scoop up a forkful and stuff it into my mouth.

“Hungry?” Jai asks, a sweet smile hinting at the corners of his lips.

I give him a smile of my own while I stab at the bacon and the scrambled egg with my fork, piling it on layer by layer. “Famished.”

I just love breakfast foods. I could eat them at every meal for the rest of my life. Joel gives Jai a look—a cocked eyebrow and a quirk in his lip—which Jai responds to with a single laugh.

“Breakfast foods are her favorite. Ice cream too.”

I stuff a forkful in my mouth and savor the taste. “Mm. You’re almost as good as Jai when it comes to cooking breakfast.”

Joel smiles, astonished. His white teeth are straight and beaming, surprisingly. He places the pan on the bench and tosses the towel over his shoulder. “I still can’t believe Jai cooks.”

I nod, a mouth full of food, and Jai pushes his bowl away.

“I had to learn.” He states, his tone gruff and forceful. “Someone had to cook for Jessica.”

The look on Joel’s face when Jai mentions their little sister tears my heart in two. Emotion after emotion plays over his features. I see fear first, followed by regret, anger, guilt, and finally, acceptance. I look down at my plate and swallow my food. So much for avoiding an argument.

“...she’s okay?” Joel asks.

The weak tone of his voice sends an arrow of emotion through my chest. Joel cares about his family. Surely Jai can see that.

“She’s fine. You should know she is in Italy…just in case you were going to take the time out of your busy schedule to wonder about her.”

“Jai...” I mumble, slipping my hand around his forearm as it lies against the benchtop.

The thick ropes of muscle that rest underneath his skin tighten and tense with the frustration he feels. Joel nods, running a tattooed hand over his face and pushing it through his black hair.

“Okay. I deserve that.”

“You deserve more than that.”

“Jai...” I try again, desperate for him to end it before it gets out of hand.

Both brothers are strong and both brothers aren’t afraid to fight. God knows if things were to ignite between them there’d be no lake house left. They’d destroy the place.

“I get it!” Joel booms, sending my heart into my throat. “I’m a shit brother. I abandoned my siblings when they needed me most and dumped all of my problems and responsibilities on to you. How many more times do you want me to apologize?”

Jai leaps to his feet, sending his wooden stool crashing to the ground. “That’s the thing, asshole. You haven’t apologized.”

Joel’s retort catches in his throat and realization flickers over his handsome features. Shocked, his lips part, expelling the shortest puff of air.

“Are you that messed up you don’t even know what the fuck you’re saying anymore?”

“I’m sure I’ve said it...” He looks to me for backup and I shrug.

“Well…technically you’ve said it once, but it was hardly apologetic.” I say, avoiding his eyes.

“I’m sorry. Shit. What else do you want me to say?” His laryngeal prominence bobs as he swallows his emotion. “I went in and I got distracted—so did you, Jai, so don’t give me that fucking look.”

Raising my hands, I slip off the stool and leave for the living room. “Don’t drag me into this.”

Every argument they pitch me against Monique and, quite frankly, it’s annoying. I drop onto the couch, a little depressed I abandoned my hot food on the bench.

“I got distracted?” Jai demands, slapping his palm against the wooden surface. “Bullshit. You’re here! I did what I fucking set out to do.”

“I have to do something!” Joel argues, his fierce glare fixated on Jai. “I can’t abandon her.”

“Why? You had no problem abandoning me and Jess.”

Disappointment smooths out Joel’s features. It’s in the furrow of his brow and the spasm of the muscles around his jaw. “I’d do it for you, little brother. I’d help you.”

“Don’t you put that shit on me. That’s not fair.”

Just as Joel turns away from Jai, there’s a knock at the door. Instinctively, my entire body tenses, my muscles burning with cramps. Jai and I exchange looks, the kind of look that says “Are you expecting anybody?”

I shake my head.

With an air of casualty, Joel pats up the hall toward the door. In the distance, I hear the deep murmur of voices and a distinct laugh. There’s only one person I knew that has a laugh so obnoxious and loud. The front door slams shut and the sound of heavy boots thump against the wooden floor boards. I lean forward as they file into the kitchen one by one. Ted’s in front carrying a football and wearing a light purple tee with black cargo shorts. Trailing miserably behind is Huss, draped in a pink polo and dark, denim jeans that bunch around his white shoes. Oh, fuck. I push myself to my feet.

“Kitten!” Ted cheers, stretching out his arm, pointing the end of his football at me.

I really hope he doesn’t expect me to catch that. Also, I’d really like the whole Kitten thing to stop now.

“It’s Emily.”

Huss waves. “Morning, Emma.”

I roll my eyes. It’s fucking pointless. They’re going to call me whatever the hell they like and there’s nothing I can do about it.

Unlike Ted, Huss doesn’t appear to be in the most cheerful mood. If he is, I sure as hell can’t tell underneath all the swelling. He’s covered in cuts, stitches, bruises and even has a shiny black cast for his broken arm. Poor guy. He’s been in better shape, that’s for sure.

“It’s Emil—” Forget it. It’s not like they give a shit anyway.

“Huss. Catch.” Ted lobs the football to Huss and it hits his broken arm before bouncing awkwardly into the kitchen.

“Ouch!” Huss growls, groaning so hard under his breath a vessel threatens to pop. “If you do that one more time asshole I’ll—”

His threat is cut off by a howl of laughter from Ted. “It’s just so funny. You should see your face.”

Stepping around them, Joel grabs the pan off the bench and slips it into the sink.

“Why are you in such a good mood?” I ask Ted, strolling back over to my plate.

He gives me a strange look as he reaches out and plucks a few straps of bacon from the pile. “Joel didn’t tell you?”

“Joel didn’t tell us what?” Jai asks before I get the chance.

Ted stuffs the belts of bacon into his mouth, purposely making it impossible for him to answer, and points at Joel who narrows his dark eyes at Ted. With a heavy exhale, Joel turns on the tap and leaves the gushing water to fill the sink.

“I’m paying them each fifty grand to help me get Monique out of Skull’s compound.” Joel tells us, leaning his hip against the edge of the bench. He nervously runs his hands over the back of his head as silence rears its ugly head and Ted reaches out with his slender fingers for more bacon.

I clear my throat. “How—how’d you even contact them? There are no phones. No internet.”

Pushing off the bench, Joel reaches into the back pocket of his gray sweatpants. “Huss left his cell here. I found it in the couch.”

He holds out the slim smartphone for Huss who takes it and slips it into one of his front pockets.

“So let me get this straight...you’re going to risk their lives for your own gain?” The disgust and confusion in Jai’s tone is loud, too loud to ignore.

Joel shrugs. “Why not? You did.”

I cringe and hold my breath, waiting for Jai to explode.

It doesn’t come.

Surprisingly.

“I have the blueprints to Skull’s compound in the car. I have to get them back by seven p.m. tonight to avoid any suspicion from the Captain.”

Joel nods, the tiniest hint of victory curling his lips. He shuts off the tap and suddenly his aura feels different. What was despair and anger is now determination and hope. I’m both happy for him and sad at the same time. Imagine how Monique will be if he manages to get to her...Skull is a sick man. Joel will be lucky to find her with her sanity still intact.

“I’m gonna get some air.”

Jai turns on his heel and storms toward the back porch. With his powerful hands, he shoves the flimsy screen door so hard it flies open and slams against the wall, making me jump.

“You should go talk to him.”

I whip my head around to face Ted and follow a thin drip of oil as it rolls down his chin.

“Me? Why me?”

“Because you’re the love interest.” He swipes at the oil with his forearm, smearing it into his skin. “And you’re not in danger of being punched in the face.”

Huss nods and Joel continues to wash his stupid pan, pretending the annoying situation he created doesn’t exist. He should be the one fixing it, not me. Pulling Jai out of one of his moods isn’t an easy feat and I’m tired of being the one who has to do it.

“You’re a police officer and you’re afraid of getting punched in the face?” I ask Ted who shrugs his strong, broad shoulders.

“Say what you want. A fist to the face hurts and I don’t like blood in my breakfast.”

Huss drags his sorry ass up to the counter as Ted slips a white, porcelain plate in front of him.

I sigh. Who wants to eat breakfast while it’s fresh anyway? Fuck me, right?

“Fine. I’ll go talk to him since none of you have the balls.”

They murmur their thanks and I roll my eyes.

Pussies.

****

Dry bark crunches under the force of Jai’s fist as he slams it into the trunk of a large oak tree, four yards out from the lake. He curses under his breath, lifting his fist to his face to examine the damage.

“Aw.” I pout, stopping a few feet out, crossing my arms over my chest.

It’s a desperate attempt to hold as much of my rapidly evaporating body heat against me as I can.

“What’d that innocent tree do to you?”

Jai snaps his head in my direction, his grazed and bleeding hand clenching and relaxing at his side. Blowing out a heavy exhale, he turns and rests his back against the thick trunk of the browning tree, his feet buried in the fallen leaves on the damp ground. The cold breeze whips at my bare arms and I shiver. It’s sharp, like it’s carrying miniscule shards of ice. An obvious sign of impending doom. Or winter, as I like to call it.

Jai flicks his head at me. “Come here.”

His tone is light, but his eyes are the darkest kind of blue, still filled with the frustration put there by his brother. I walk towards him, the tips of my toes freezing against the damp ground. Even the bright morning sun isn’t enough to warm the green blades of grass chilled by nightfall.

The sea of dying leaves crunch and break underneath my feet as I close the distance between us. When I’m within arm’s reach he catches me by the shoulders and I stumble as he pulls me into him. He wraps his strong, heavy arms around my neck, pressing his hard chest against my cheek.  I hug him back, slipping my arms around his slim waist and burying my fingers in his black sweater to prevent frostbite. I love snuggling into his sweaters. His smell catches in the fibers of the material, adding to its warmth and comfort for when I bury my nose in it.

“Does he bug you as much as he bugs me or am I being dramatic?” He asks, planting a soft kiss on my head.