Layers Off by Lacey Silks Read Free Book Online

for my brother and left me in the dust.”
    “Please.” I rolled my eyes. “You weren’t available.”
    I leaned into him the same way he let me every day. The comfort of his arm, his soothing embraces, and being near him had kept me grounded for the past three weeks, but we hadn’t been as close as I remembered – physically, at least. Perhaps that was a good thing. My body was still recovering, and my emotional state was in a limbo that I found difficult to control. There were moments when my mind went to those dark places, usually when Julian left to work and Clara stayed with me. He seemed to be the only one who could preoccupy my mind enough for me to stay focused on the now and on the future.
    With Julian around, I didn’t need to think about what had happened. The memories of being held captive began to vanish from my mind. Three more weeks and perhaps I would be able to pull off the role of a bridesmaid at my best friend’s wedding in Vienna. Sam was marrying Gabe; Julian’s and Tristan’s cousin and business partner. Julian had just received the invitation in mail that day. The news was the most exciting I’d heard in a long time. Going away to another country to witness Sam and Gabe get married would keep me busy. It would confine those dark moments to a minimum. And… Julian would be there too.
    “Why would you think I wasn’t available?” He wrapped his arm from behind me, allowing me to further mold into his safe body.
    “This is embarrassing.” I felt my cheeks heat up. “But I guess if I’m to make amends for my past, I should be honest. I overheard your conversation. I think her name was Cindy or something.” I rolled my eyes. I wasn’t sure why I did that. Just the sound of her name revived the old jealousy I recalled from that day. Six months after the train accident, I spent a week with the Cross brothers at their house. My foster parents had gone away on business to Europe. They’d been very good to me and lived fairly close to the Crosses, who had found this new home for me. John and Maggie, Julian and Tristan’s parents, also funded my private school, paid for my therapy so I could deal with the loss of my parents, and acted like my second family. I always thought I didn’t deserve everything they gave me, but they declined to touch my inheritance, insisting I’d need that for college and to get a good start afterwards.
    ~ . ~ . ~
    That night at the Cross’s, playing on their XBOX and watching Game of Thrones from the first season, Julian cut our fun short when he went upstairs to get ready to go out with Cindy. My world seemed to collapse because I could have sworn that until then we had a connection. I was certain I had a chance.
    As soon as Julian left the house, jealousy consumed me. All this time I had thought there was a special spark between us, yet here he was going out with someone else. Each weekend I’d spent with them, sailing, going to the movies, watching the brothers box, I’d thought Julian had overcome our age difference, but I didn’t want to overstep boundaries nor disrespect the courtesy the Cross family had shown me. So, I never made a move, patiently waiting for the right opportunity – perhaps even waiting for Julian to take that first step.
    In that single moment when I found he had a date, I vowed not to dwell, and I threw myself at Tristan: right on that couch in the family’s basement. And with one decision, the respect I’d tried to earn evaporated in the heat between me and the younger brother. As soon as my eager lips touched Tristan’s, I could get lost in something other than my pitter-pattering heart for the man who’d crushed it with one date. I kissed Tristan with ferocity I’d never thought I had, and he returned my full on tongue-attack. I couldn’t blame him; after all, he was a teen in his prime. So while Julian attended to Cindy, I fooled around with Tristan, and we sort of became an item. He helped me erase Julian from my mind,