Forgotten Rules: A Brother's Best Friend Romance

by Eliah Greenwood

  Holy shit.

  I was so wounded by Zoey sleeping with Blake, it never once occurred to me that she’d been cheating on her own boyfriend this whole time, too. No surprise that she let Sean’s indiscretions slip through the cracks.

  “I made sure to tell her to keep her mouth shut about us if she didn’t want her boyfriend finding out about Blake.”

  “I see.” I scoff. “Good old blackmail.”

  He smiles, moving forward to press a kiss on my temple.

  “What happened?” I’m reminded of most important matters. “Why couldn’t you text me? And where the hell is everybody? I haven’t seen anyone all week.”

  Will heaves a sigh, his eyes zapping to the large window by the front door. I follow his stare to see the curtain waving back into place as Morgan and Ethan duck for cover.

  I bite back a grin.

  Creeps.

  “Not here.” His hand circles my hip. “Let me take you somewhere, all right?”

  “Are you telling me you want to go on a date, Willy?” I tease, winding my arm around his neck.

  He inches forward, his mouth perched near my ear as he rasps, “I’m telling you I missed you so fucking much if we don’t get out of here in the next five minutes, I’m going to really give your friends something to watch.”

  I think I just fainted.

  I swallow hard. “Oh, hm, okay, I… I’m just going to go inside the house and grab my stuff and…” Get a grip. “I’ll… I’ll be right back.”

  He grins at my jumbled speech, smacking my ass when I turn to walk away. Rushing inside, I grab my phone off the couch, call Morgan and Ethan stalkers in passing, and head back out to find Will inside his started car.

  I slide into the passenger seat. “So… when are you going to tell me who almost died for you not to text me back?”

  I expect him to smile.

  Laugh it off.

  But he doesn’t.

  Instead, he reverses out of Morgan’s drive, and says, “Soon.”

  What the hell?

  Kassidy

  “Winter got what?” I screech with such volume my own ears ring at the sound. Will drove us up a hill, then killed the engine near an isolated hiking trail. The area is completely deserted—crazy considering the view from up here. I might actually enjoy this moment if it wasn’t for what my boyfriend just told me.

  Winter got taken. His words loom in my mind.

  Will exhales, giving my brain a second to compute the piece of information it’s been fed. Too bad I’d need a whole damn month to even begin wrapping my head around it.

  “She got taken. I know… it’s fucked-up.” He seems just as overwhelmed as I am. “It happened at the fight. But she’s fine now. She’s safe.”

  My shoulders shed the heaviest of weights.

  “Thank God.” I smack my palm to my racing heart. “What happened? Who would do that?”

  “Haze’s brother, Tanner. That fucking psycho.” He clenches a white-knuckled fist around the steering wheel.

  “But… why?”

  “Something about Haze going soft because of her. He said he wanted his brother back. Whatever the fuck that means.”

  While a part of me feels trapped in a real-life nightmare, the other has no trouble believing what he’s telling me. Haze did get soft. He fell for Winter. I knew it from the second he laid eyes on her when he crashed Kendrick’s dinner last week.

  “How long was she gone?” They disappeared for four days. Was Winter locked away this whole time?

  “You don’t need to know that.”

  “How long?” I insist.

  He caves. “Two days.”

  Tears scrape at the backs of my eyes before coating my cheeks. Poor Winter. She must’ve been terrified. Here I was, blowing up her phone like an idiot, asking her where she was, while she was held somewhere, suffering and alone. No wonder she never replied.

  “How is she? Is she hurt? Is she—”

  “She’s fine.” Will’s warm hand envelops mine. I relax at his touch. “She cut her leg open when we were escaping, but she’s okay. And trust me, she’s lucky. Haze’s brother wanted her dead. It’s a wonder a fracture is all she got away with. She can’t walk right now, but she should be good to go in six weeks or so.”

  I release a huge sigh of relief.

  She’ll be fine. She’s alive. Breathe, Kass.

  “And where is she now? Why isn’t she home? Does my mom know about this? She’s been acting so weird.”

  “Slow down.” He gives my fingers a squeeze. “Yes, your mom knows about this. She’s the reason Winter didn’t bleed to death after she cut her leg. She called a friend of hers. He’s a doctor. Then she sent Winter to stay at a friend’s penthouse out of town.”

  So, my mother does know about my brother’s secret. That explains why she asked me to stay at Morgan’s a while longer. She was buying herself more time, trying to come up with a believable explanation as to why Winter disappeared overnight. She wanted to keep me out of it. To keep me out of trouble.

  Little does she know I’m dating trouble.

  “Winter’s never coming home, is she?” I figure. “Not until she goes back to Canada?”

  “No, she isn’t,” he confirms.

  To think I had no idea the day I comforted her in the kitchen was the last time I’d see her in a very long time.

  “It’s not safe here anymore, and we can’t protect her,” he adds. “Especially now that we’re a member short because of…” He stops, his eyes growing as though he’s just remembered something. “Oh.”

  My sadness gives way to fear.

  “What? What is it?”

  “It’s… Blake.”

  “What’s wrong? What about Blake?”

  “He’s a traitor.”

  Of course he is.

  “He helped Haze’s brother set the whole thing up. He’s been working on both sides for months. Something about knowing things would go to shit when Winter got involved and looking out for himself.” Will heaves a bitter scoff, disgust prominent on his face.

  I know I should be shocked, hurt that my ex-boyfriend was not only a backstabbing piece of shit toward me, but he also betrayed his best friends. But somehow, I’m not even remotely surprised to hear the bastard who cheated on me with my own best friend had his own agenda.

  “He took a bullet in the leg when we rescued your cousin. Kendrick also beat the shit out of him. Safe to say he won’t show his face anytime soon.”

  “So, to recap, Winter will be living in another town from now on.” I recall the story out loud in the hopes that it will feel real. “She’s not there alone, is she?”

  “No, Kendrick is staying with her. They’ll both be graduating online. It took a shit ton of arguing with the school, and Maria feeding them a bunch of BS, but it was nothing doctor’s notes from her friend couldn’t fix.”

  I can’t believe Winter won’t be at prom. That she’ll flee Florida and move right back to Canada as soon as the school year is over and her parents return from their work trip.

  “I-I could’ve stopped this. I could’ve done more. Warned her more often. I—”

  “Don’t.” Will’s blue eyes flicker to mine. “Don’t do this to yourself. It’s not your fault. It’s Blake’s, and Tanner’s. End of story.” The authority in his tone puts out my guilt before it soars out of control.

  “And Haze? What’s up with him?”

  “Kendrick said he’s out of Winter’s life.”

  Like hell he is.

  “Although if I’m being honest, I don’t buy it for a second.” He speaks what’s on my mind.

  “Why not?”

  “Well, for starters, you’re never going to believe what Haze told Winter when she was passing out after she cut her leg.”

  “What?”

  He laughs quietly. “He told her he loved her.”

  No way.

  “I know. Haze fucking Adams said he loved someone other than himself. Can you believe it?”
/>   The answer comes to me.

  Actually, I think I can believe it.

  “And that’s not even the end of it. He betrayed his fighters and worked with us to find her after the fight. Kendrick would rather cut his dick off than admit it, but Haze is not the monster he makes him out to be.”

  “So, you disagree with my brother, then? You think Haze is good for her?”

  Will snorts. “Fuck no. But I think Kendrick has no business telling people who they can and can’t love.”

  A thick silence descends over us.

  He’s not talking about Haze and Winter anymore, is he?

  “Anyway. That’s why I didn’t text you. I’m sorry, we spent every waking moment looking for Winter, I couldn’t—”

  “Will, stop. Don’t apologize. You were trying to save my cousin’s life. I couldn’t be mad at you if I tried. I was just afraid that you… ” I shut myself up.

  “That I was what?” he presses, searching my eyes. “Running after we slept together?”

  Running after I told you I loved you.

  Twice.

  And you didn’t say it back.

  Ugh, I want to punch myself.

  I know he doesn’t owe me the L word. After all, it is still early in our relationship, but I can’t help the disappointment creeping into my heart whenever I think about his deflection.

  Does he not… feel the same?

  I nod halfheartedly, diverting my eyes to my feet. Silent, Will trace circles in the core of my palm with his thumb.

  “I’m not fucking running, Kass.”

  My eyes cut to his.

  He stares at my lips. “Not this time.”

  With that said, he unbuckles his seat belt. Then mine. I’m confused until he grabs my wrist and guides me over the center console onto his laps.

  Oh, it’s make-out time.

  I straddle him, my legs edging his body. His lips close over mine in an instant, his hands curving under my top. Heat finds us like it never left. My heart beats hard and fast. Will groans when I suck on his bottom lip. I never thought a kiss so intoxicating could come with such clarity.

  I’m not just in love with this man.

  I’m addicted to him.

  The tension keeps on risi—

  HONKKK!

  My ass accidentally crushes the steering wheel, and Will draws me back to his chest, nuzzling his nose in the crook of my neck to drown out his laughter. I don’t bother containing mine, whipping my head to glimpse at the horn.

  Only, it’s the last thing I see.

  The most colorful sunset catches my eye. A thousand shades of orange and pink blend across the sky.

  “Wow,” I breathe.

  Now that’s what I call a sunset.

  Will stretches his neck.

  “Shit,” he agrees. “Am I the king of picking secret sex spots or what?”

  “Secret sex spot, huh? Keep it up and I just might think you’re ashamed of me, Willy.” I crack a fake laugh—damn my fake laugh game is weak.

  We haven’t had the chance to discuss what would happen now that we’re officially together. We haven’t even talked about the Kendrick problem. Does he want us to keep this a secret forever?

  Will’s smile fades. “Kendrick may be out of town, but people still have eyes.”

  Hurt rips through me.

  “Gotcha.” I whisper, attempting to wiggle off his lap, but his thumbs skid farther under my clothes, digging into my hips to keep me in place.

  “Wait, that’s not what I meant, I just…” He pauses. “I don’t want him finding out from somebody else while he’s away.”

  “But… we are going to tell him, right?”

  He hesitates, and that silence alone sends me spiraling. I keep my eyes glued to him. It all comes down to this moment. To his answer. I refuse to be his dirty little secret.

  I need to hear him say it.

  “Yes.” He nods. “As soon as he comes back into town, I’ll tell him.”

  “Pinky promise?” I lift my finger, sounding vulnerable—like I’m begging him not to hurt me—and I hate it.

  He smiles.

  And laces his pinky around mine. “Promise.”

  It’s one in the morning when Will and I stumble through Morgan’s front door. Elbowing him in the stomach to remind him to keep his voice down, I muffle my own laughter at the stupid joke he just told me. Knowing Morgan, she’s already in bed. Ethan is here, too. His car is out front.

  He took the couch. Said he’d rather crash at Morgan’s than stay at his sister’s house where he’s reminded every five seconds that his parents kicked him out of the family home. Especially seeing as he recently decided to defer college a year and he’s got all this time on his hands now.

  Morgan’s parents will be coming back from their trip in a few days, which means Will is going to have to start sneaking in through my bedroom window to keep up pretenses. Highly doubt my mom will approve of us dating after the Winter fiasco.

  We spent the night up on the hill, laughing, looking at the stars on the hood of his car, driving around. Remember when Will said he’d missed me? Well, once the sun went down, he proceeded to show me how much—also on the hood of his car.

  Will spins me around two steps inside the kitchen, kissing me slow and making my stomach the victim of a herd of angry butterflies.

  “Are you staying for the night?” I wrap my arms around his neck, pecking the corner of his mouth. “Or… maybe we could go to your place?”

  I expect a reply along the lines of “Sure, I’ll introduce you to my mom.” I mean, we are officially together, aren’t we? But what I get instead… Is an uncomfortable smile and a quick “Here is fine.”

  “I just thought maybe you could show me your place. You know, since I’ve never seen where you live.”

  He clears his throat. “Yeah… I’d rather not. My mom’s a bit strict on guests, and the place is kind of a mess.”

  Okay…?

  “Your mom, what’s she like? I’d love to meet her.”

  His hands leave my waist. “She’s very busy. She’s actually out of town right now. I’d be surprised if you got to meet her anytime soon.”

  Red flag.

  Everything about this moment rubs me the wrong way, but I choose to drop it for the time being.

  “All right. We’ll take the guest room, then.” I spring to my tiptoes, smacking a kiss across his cheek. His shoulders sink with a relief I’m pretty sure I wasn’t meant to see. We end up making sandwiches, emptying Morgan’s pantry and chatting for another hour. We laugh, make out, do all the things I used to dream about. But something feels… off.

  I once asked him if his mom was okay. If she’d found a way to rebuild her life after Will’s father took everything and ran. He said yes, but… there has to be a reason he doesn’t want me to see his place. Why he acts differently at the mere mention of her. I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, but I can’t deny what’s right in front of me.

  Will is lying to me.

  And I’m going to figure out why.

  Will

  Getting into my car and slamming the door, I slump into the driver’s seat, eyes fixed on the texts Alex just sent me.

  Alex: Dude, why the fuck haven’t you been taking Kendrick’s calls?

  Alex: He said to call him ASAP. He needs to talk to you.

  I cringe. Kendrick’s been calling me since the day I came back into town, but I can’t bring myself to pick up. Why does he need to talk to me? Does he know? While I’d love to believe no one has been cruel enough to pull the rug from under me and tell Kendrick the truth, the odds aren’t in our favor.

  Blake, Luke, Zoey.

  All people that know about us.

  Also people that hate our guts—to help our case.

  Objectively, Blake is nothing to worry about. I don’t think Kendrick would ever believe anything he said after what he did, not to mention he’d kill him on sight if he showed his face. As for Mr. Football-Fucking-Scholarship, Lu
ke already tried to get Kass fired and failed. I don’t think he would go as far as to get involved in Kass’s family for a bruised ego. The most likely culprit is Zoey. Although I did threaten to sell her out to her trash boyfriend about screwing Blake if she exposed us. Kass and I haven’t even been together for a month yet. How do we already have so many loose ends to worry about?

  Conclusion: we fucking suck at keeping this a secret.

  We need to step up our game. Now. No more being careless. Going out in public. We got wrapped up in it. The second we step foot inside school today, we need to be strangers.

  There’s a good chance Kendrick will never forgive me for touching his sister. But what he would definitely never get over? Finding out from someone else. He’d never trust me again. I will tell him. Eventually. But it has to be in person.

  Only reason I haven’t done it yet.

  I start my car, firing Kass a brief text.

  Will: Leaving now.

  Her shitty car broke down again, which means she needs a ride to school. She said she’d take the bus, but I’m not letting her. I’ll just have to drop her off a few blocks early so no one sees us together.

  My phone rings.

  It’s Kendrick.

  Shit.

  You have to pick up. He’ll be suspicious if you don’t. I curse, press Answer, and guide the phone to my ear.

  “Hey, man.” I hold my breath.

  A beat of silence.

  “About fucking time. Thought you were dead for a second there.” Laughter erupts down the line.

  My body unwinds.

  “I know. Sorry. Just been busy.” I shift in my seat. “What’s up? How’s the penthouse treating you?

  “Can’t complain. I play video games all day, and Winter’s healing pretty good. But that’s not why I’m calling.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Listen, I know this is going to sound weird, but… I’ve heard a few things and I wanted to ask you about it.”

  My stomach drops.

  “Shoot.”

  “It’s Kass.”

  He knows.

  He so fucking knows.

  “What about Kass?”