Sin: A Brother's Best Friend College Romance by Skyler Mason

Author:Skyler Mason [Mason, Skyler]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Skyler Mason Publishing
Published: 2024-07-27T00:00:00+00:00

I’m nestled in the corner of the couch as Ethan moves around the table at the edge of his room. The electric kettle clicks on, and its soft hum fills the silence between us.

“Who’d you steal the kettle from?”

His face is grim. Poor guy has been vibrating with tension since our walk home from campus.

“I bought it last night,” he says. “For your chamomile tea. The old one in our kitchen is grimy and nasty.”

This man is so thoughtful. How is it that just weeks ago I still thought he was a high-handed prick who judges me for my messiness?

Ethan’s movements are jerky as he steeps the teabag, which is at odds with his athletic grace. I can’t help but smile.

“Let me do that. You’re anxious, big guy. I guess I can’t blame you after my crying fit.”

He frowns as he hands me the teacup. “I wish you didn’t minimize what you’re going through. And don’t worry about me, damn it. I’ll be just fine. I’m worried about you.”

His words make my chest grow tight. When tears start welling behind my eyes, I take a deep breath through my nose.

No more crying. It’s time to confront reality head-on, to embrace the emotions I’ve long suppressed.

I take a sip of the tea, the taste somehow bland and bitter at the same time. “Ethan, I don’t even like chamomile tea. This isn’t bedtime, so I’m not sure why you made it for me.”

He sits down on the couch beside me, his expression growing grave. “I’m sorry. When I’m feeling this…wound up, I have to take action, and I guess I was trying to help you relax. I’m losing my mind right now. Are you ready to talk to me?

My chest squeezes tightly. I don’t want him to be so anxious. It’s difficult to see.

“Yes,” I say.

Time for the truth, no matter how little I want to face it.

I can do this. If crying was a relief, telling the whole ugly story might be too.

When I open my lips, a wave of cold, sick shame washes over me suddenly. Where does this feeling come from? It’s completely irrational. It wasn’t my fault that Mason raped me.

“About six months ago,” I say. “Mason and I were out at the bars. I was on the verge of breaking up with him. He was becoming sort of…pushy. He wanted things his way, especially when it came to…” I swallow. “Sex.”

Ethan shuts his eyes tightly, looking so anguished I want to reach out and touch him.

It’s going to be hard for him to hear the ugly details—as protective as he is of me—but I can’t think about that.

What happened to me was ugly, and I had to live through it. His discomfort in hearing it is nothing compared to what I endured. I deserve to speak my truth.

“Anyway.” I tug at a loose thread on the seam of my jeans. “I let him walk me home, even though I was over his shit. When we got to my sorority house, he wanted to come inside.

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