“Wouldn’t dream of it. Me and Fierro always joke around,” he lies smiling.
My stomach twitches. Though my brain knows he’s a colossal jackass and not worth a good jerk over, my body doesn’t recognize those logical symbols and only reacts to the hot guy in front of me.
I want to punch my face.
“Let’s go,” I tell her, scooping up my stuff and I about yank Bunny’s arm out of her socket.
“Hey, jerko!” she turns on me as only a Fierro can and she shoves my shoulder before rubbing her arm. “I can walk on my own without a leash.”
“Then get a move on.”
She huffs but gets into step with me.
Finn’s deep voice behind us stops me in my tracks.
“Don’t forget the party, baby Fierro.” He dares wink at her and then turns his smug grin on me as though he can sense the level my raging temper has risen to.
I rush Bunny out of the common room, past gaping people and into the hallway.
“Whatever he said, ignore him. You are not going to any party of his, got it?”
“It’s at his friend Bates’ house.”
“I don’t give a fuck whose party it is, Bunny. You’re not going, you hearing me?”
It’s the wrong thing to say to her. My sister takes direction and orders as well as a deaf dog does. Her eyes narrow and color hits the upper part of her cheeks. For good measure, she puts her hands on her skinny girl hips and glares at me.
“You’re not the boss of me, Sage Fierro.”
There’s only one way to handle the youngest of our crew without locking her up, and that’s being a bigger diva than she is. I tower over her, she’s all five foot nothing. “You listen to me right now, little girl. If you want us to fall out, then you go to that fucking party.”
I’m a shit because I know she values our close relationship. Angry tears pool her eyes.
“Maverick is bad news.” I won’t tell her details, I haven’t even told my brothers what Maverick has done in the past to me. I’ve never wanted them to think I can’t fight my own battles.
This is between him and me.
“Stay away from him.”
“Why, what’s he done?” She questions.
“Trust me on this. He wasn’t inviting you to be nice, Bunny.”
Nah, he was doing it to wind me up and he’s won.
Look at me now, wanting to drag my darling sister away just because he smiled at her.
I’m pathetic as they come.
If he tries to take his regret about kissing me out on my family, he’s in for a rude awakening.
I won’t let that happen.
Over my dead body, Maverick.
If nothing else, my anger unlocks my brain that day and I have a minor breakthrough with what was blocking me. I stay up half the night in the garage at home, tinkering as I always do.
I try not to think of a pair of lips and hot gray eyes that belong to a monster.
A monster I wouldn’t mind living under my bed.
Fuck.
I’m pitiful.
It doesn’t take me long to realize how far Finn Maverick has crossed over a line even I won’t ignore.
People assume I’m aloof and in a world of my own.
If that’s true, then it takes Finn attempting to use my sister to get me the fuck out of my world and pushing into his.
I’ll break him, like he’s trying to do to me, before I let him win.
C H A P T E R 6
Sage
I’m going to snap her scrawny neck. I swear I am.
Raene forgets I follow all her social fucking media.
I hate the things, it’s all about popularity, but it’s a great way to monitor my troublemaker sister.
She thinks she’s being sly and clever, but I decoded her stupid party messages to her gang of friends in seconds.
I will kill her and bury her under the tree in the backyard.
We’re only a year apart in age, but I’ve always felt responsible for Bunny. She’s an atom bomb of energy and often goes into things half-cocked with no fail-safe. Because she knows her brothers will be there as her safety net.
We always will be. But it doesn’t stop me feeling pissed off as I drive across Manhattan to Bates’ house.
I was right in the middle of doing some epic nerd shit, so she better have a groveling apology ready.
I’m spitting nails by the time I pull up outside. Leaving the car, I head up the porch steps to the white brick townhouse.
The door is open. The music is loud. It’s wall to wall bodies inside and it stinks of weed and sex.
My anger intensifies.
I spot one of her girl gang first and grab her arm. Her eyes widen when she sees it’s me. “Where is she?”
“W-what, who?”
“Don’t be fucking funny, where is Raene?”
The girl shrugs and I drop her arm to push my way through the crowd. I swear, if she’s upstairs I will murder these pricks.
Couples are making out wherever my eyes land. One moaning chick is being fingered for all to see.
A body bumps into me, and I turn my snarl to see it’s the house owner. Bates’ smile drops, confusion colors his face. Not a surprise, because even if I got invited to these things, I wouldn’t go.
Well aware I’m anti people. Socially awkward. I never know what to talk about, and everything I want to talk about isn’t an interest to anyone else.
“Well, well, look who it is. Didn’t think you’d have the balls to gate crash, Fierro.”
“I stole your mom’s balls.” I slap back with. My eyes searching out the cramped spaces, hoping to see familiar blonde hair so I can drag her out of here.
The jock laughs suddenly. “Good one. Get a drink, relax, you might enjoy it.”
He disappears into the crowd, followed by three girls who are hanging off him.
I can’t find Raene, but my eyes search out Finn and find him no problem. Denim hoodie jacket and backward cap on top of his dark head, legs outstretched in front of him. He’s holding court for his gaggle of females. One pushes her face into the side of his neck and he smiles while he holds a red cup in one hand and a joint in the other.
His head lifts, and he sees me through the sea of people. The smile eases.
Finn has always assumed I’m a fly he can swat.
Fuck that. And fuck him.
He speaks to the girl with her hands all over his chest. He does it without breaking eye contact with me. It feels intimate and I hate him for that. For dragging me into his world. Even with his blatant show of heterosexuality and his circle of idiots, all I feel is possessiveness.
Fuck’s sake. I really am the Fierro’s weakest link.
No way would my brothers let themselves get led around by the dick like this.
I break eye contact and push my way through to another room.
Thank god, I spy blonde hair and too tight clothes.
She immediately flushes.
“Swear to god, if you don’t want me to wring your neck in front of your girls, you get outside to my car right now.” I threaten through my teeth.
“But… Sage…”
“Don’t care. It’s me or I call dad.”
“Butthole,” she hisses, but she dumps the red cup of beer and shoves me aside so she can storm through the crowd. I follow at a slower pace, trying to calm myself.