More Than Her (43 page)

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t want to be in your way,” I tell him, cutting him off.

“Is it cos all of that shit your mother said about me? You don’t think that you’re safe here?” he asks me, his voice mocking, but his eyes shine with hurt. My whole life my mother has been telling me my brother is a low life. A thug, a criminal, a waste of space. I’ve heard it all. She tried her best to turn me against Xander and my father, tried to instil it into me from the beginning. I had no idea that he knew about the things she told me. I don’t think he cares what she thinks, but from the look in his hazel eyes I can see that he does care about what I think.

“If I listened to everything my mother said I wouldn’t be here right now, Xander,” I tell him truthfully. He shakes his head, staring down at his feet in annoyance. Dash is watching him, a thoughtful look on his face.

“She told me you were a biker. Is it true?” I blurt out. The two of them eye each other, almost like they are having a silent conversation. I shrug, grab a beer and head to the couch, turning on the TV.

“How old are you, baby?” Dash asks me. Baby?

I take a slow sip of my beer before I reply. “What’s it to you?”

“Xander is eighteen, so you must be, what, nineteen?”

“And how old are you?” I ask.

“Older,” is all he says. I give him a once over. I’d say he’s about twenty five.

“You must be, what, thirty?” I ask, pursing my lips so I don’t laugh when I see his reaction.

He narrows his eyes. “I don’t look that old.”

“Of course not,” I say, dragging the words out.

He opens his mouth to say something else, when two men walk into the house.

Does no one even knock? Or believe in locking doors?

I peer up at them, surprised to see that they are twins. Identical twins. Both have blonde hair, and bright blue eyes. The only difference I can spot between them is the scar one of them has, marring the right side of his cheek. It looks like it might have been made by a knife, and runs deep along his jaw line. His hair is shaved on both sides, and a little longer on the top, while the other has his hair longer and messier, falling charmingly over his forehead.

“Anyone ever tell you it’s rude to stare?” the scarred twin says with a growl.

“Reid,” the other twin says, a warning in his tone.

“Summer, this is Reid and Ryan,” Xander introduces as he sits down on the couch opposite me.

“This is your sister? Holy fuck,” Ryan says with a smile. Reid just glares at me, brooding. He seems… charming.

“Yeah, and she’s off limits,” Xander says, his eyes on the TV.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Ryan says, sitting down next to me. He nudges me playfully with his elbow, and I can’t help it when my lips curve into a smile. I turn to look at Dash, currently staring daggers at Ryan, his fists clenched. Having no clue what his deal is, I turn back to Ryan.

“Nice to meet you, Ryan,” I tell him. And I mean it. Ryan may seem flirty but I can tell he's harmless. Reid, on the other hand - let’s just say I wouldn’t wanna meet him in a dark alley any time soon.

“Jack said we all gotta be at the warehouse in an hour,” Reid says, still standing, his arms crossed against his muscular chest.

“Warehouse?” I repeat, looking at Xander for answers. I eye all four men warily.

And they all ignore me.

“Alright, we’ll be there, don’t worry,” Xander says, looking at Reid.

“He wants us all there,” Reid says, looking straight at me.

“I’m not going anywhere.” I cross my arms over my chest in protest.

“Just fucking great,” Reid mutters, his eyes darting to Xander.

“What?” I ask.

“Of course you'd be an uptight princess,” he says, looking pissed off.

I blink once. “Fuck you.” I draw out each word.

“No, thanks,” he replies, standing there with his feet shoulder width apart, his arms crossed.

My eyes widen at his response. “I'll take you up on that offer,” Ryan says, scowling at Reid before flashing me a charming smile. A charming smile that I can imagine has worked on many before me.

“Can you guys not chase her away, please?” Xander says, rubbing his hand down his face.

Something works behind Reid’s eyes. “Let’s get ready to head out.”

Taking that as my cue to leave, I stand up and head to my room. I close the door quietly, although I want nothing more than to slam it with all my might. I lie down on my bed, pulling out my e-reader.

Time to tune out the world.

Reid

Jack’s daughter is hot.

No, she’s beautiful. Of course she’s fucking beautiful.

Jack’s told us we needa treat her like she’s family. Protect her.

And sure as hell not fuck her.

I think my dick needs to get the memo, because as soon as I saw her, it was standing to attention.

Full attention.

Big brown eyes and pouty lips begging to be kissed. She is a stunner. And her body - holy shit.

She has a body made for sin, huge tits, a tiny waist and hips that flare out. Her ass is round and heart shaped, with a lot to grab onto.

“Stop being a dick to her,” Xander warns, causing my lip to twitch.

“Jack wants to see her,” I tell Xander. I glance towards what I assume is the door to her room. I see Ryan eyeing me curiously, and I hate that he knows me so well. I don’t normally give a fuck what others think of me, of my scar. But when Summer was looking at me, I couldn’t help but lose my temper. When there are two exact versions of a person, and one is scarred, who do you think the women go for? Don’t get me wrong, I get my fair share of those who want to take a ride on the wild side. Summer doesn’t seem like that type, though. I don’t think she’s anything like the women I’m used to.

I don’t know how to feel about that.

“I’m not gonna force her to go, she just got here,” Xander narrows his eyes at me. He loves his sister, that much is clear. I know they've never met before, but Jack told me Xander had managed to write and call her over the years. Her mum was some vindictive bitch that wouldn’t let them near her, ever since Jack cheated on her. Not only did Jack cheat but the woman, Daria, got pregnant with Xander. Summer’s mother was pissed and took Summer away for good. There’s probably more to the story, but that’s all that I know.

“Tell Jack I'll bring her when she’s ready, he’ll understand,” Xander says.

“Fine, you explain,” My eyes dart to her door once again.

“Someone’s gonna need to stay here with her, I don’t wanna leave her alone,” Xander says.

“Reid can stay, he’s already seen Jack,” Ryan offers, a smile playing on his lips. Xander looks at me warily, but then gives a slight nod.

“Fine, let’s go. I’ll go and say bye to her,” Xander says, standing up and walking over to her room.

“How long have we got?” Dash asks the room.

“Two weeks,” I reply. Dash nods and stands up, heading out the front door.

“Two weeks, huh,” Ryan says.

“Yeah, I don’t know how Jack is gonna keep Summer away from this shit,” I say, looking down at my feet.

“We’ll make it work,” my brother says, forever the optimist.

“We’re gonna have to.”

Summer

I walk out of my room after unpacking everything in my suitcase. I freeze when I see Reid sitting on the beat up leather couch, slowly sipping on a beer.

“Why are you here?” I ask bluntly, walking to the fridge to get a bottle of water.

“Xander wanted someone to stay and keep you company,” he replies, eyes still on the TV.

“So he chose you?” I scoff.

“You got a problem with that?” he grates out, sounding irritated.

“No, sir,” I say sarcastically, closing the fridge with a push of my hip. Reid instantly turns his head, staring at me blatantly.

“What?” I ask, walking over to the couch and taking a seat opposite him. Reid rubs his temple, like I’m giving him a migraine, and doesn’t answer. My gaze roams lower, down to his muscular arms. He looks so strong, so masculine. I almost sigh in appreciation when I see how his T-shirt dips into a v, showing off a hint of his toned chest. Yum.

“Yes, we all know I have a fucked up face, you don’t need to stare,” he snaps, averting his eyes to the TV. A muscle ticks in his jaw, his posture stiff.

“Actually, I was thinking how sexy you are,” I say honestly, giving him another once over. He turns to look at me, surprise evident on his face. His eyes widen, and then narrow, as if he finally gets what I said.

“But even your sexiness doesn’t cover for your personality, or lack thereof,” I say in a saccharine sweet tone.

He studies me for a second. “You’re gonna be trouble, I can tell,” he mutters under his breath.

“Me? I keep to myself, how can I be trouble?” I ask, scowling.

His lip quirks into a crooked smile. “We’ll see.”

“Cryptic much?” I say, narrowing my eyes a little.

He changes the subject. “Your brother and father love you, a lot. Don’t hurt them, Summer.”

I gape. “You’re kidding me, right?”

He gives me a look that says he’s anything but kidding. “If you leave all of a sudden, they’re gonna be heartbroken. They’ve been talking about you ever since I’ve known them.”

“Right, so they are the victims in all of this.” My voice sounds bitter even to my own ears.

His eyes soften. “No one’s gotta be a victim. I’m just saying, they are good men, and you are their weakness.”

“I highly doubt that,” I say. “I’ve wanted to meet Xander my whole life. He’s the reason I’m here.”

“And Jack?” he asks, studying me.

“You’re nosy, you know that?”

He shrugs, and tilts his head to the side. “I protect those I care about.”

“No one needs protecting from me,” I say defensively.

“Maybe so,” he says, turning his head. “They seem to think you’re the sweetest thing, but I know there's some fire in you.”

“You’re making assumptions based on what, the whole thirty seconds you’ve known me?”

His expression doesn’t change, but he stands up. “Do you want something to drink?”

I blink once. “Umm, sure.” I watch as he goes into the kitchen, and opens the fridge.

“What would you like?”

“Apple juice, please.” He pours me some juice and brings it over to me, handing me the glass. Our fingers touch as I take it, and my body instantly reacts, my fingers tingling. As soon as I grasp the glass he pulls his hand away, frowning slightly.

“Thanks,” I say, sipping the drink.

He looks at me once more, his blue eyes not missing a thing. I suck in a breath, feeling those eyes penetrate my defences. He opens his mouth to say something, but stops himself. Instead, he gives me a half shrug and returns his gaze to the TV. When he doesn’t attempt any more conversation, I mumble a goodnight and head to my room.

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