Lust For (The Crave Series Book 1) by J.L. Stray

Author:J.L. Stray [Stray, J.L. & Stray, J.L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-11-15T18:30:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY

It’s time for the band to leave.

All but Derek. It’s weird and I don’t get it, but somehow Brent and Aiden have agreed to go back to LA without him.

My parents have to head back to Cary too. Dad has some appointments coming up, and I think it’s harder for them to be here than they thought it might be. But we’ve spent some quality time together as a family. There have been bonfires, big family dinners, beach days, and reminiscing as we pack up—a nice final goodbye to the house.

The morning everyone is leaving, Brent comes out onto the deck, where Derek and I are finishing our coffees. Emma is on the phone with work, letting them know she, too, is on her way back.

“Hey, guys,” Brent says, joining us at the table.

My blood runs cold for an instant. I’ve been waiting for this, for him to tell us he knows.

“Hey,” we say in unison.

“See, here’s the thing…” Brent starts. “I know there’s something happening here, so don’t even try to deny it.” He holds his hands up, stopping all rebuttals before we could possibly give them. “And I don’t necessarily care. But I do know that this will end badly for both of you. Aiden won’t like it.”

“And what do you think?” Derek asks.

“I think it’s the end of the band.”

Brent is always direct. I’m almost glad he’s not beating around the bush with us. However, I hate that he thinks that. It could very well be the truth, but I’m sure it’ll spook Derek. It should spook me, but it doesn’t.

I watch Derek, waiting for his reply. Emma comes over, her phone call over.

“You think so?” Derek finally asks.

“Yeah, I kind of do. He’s not going to be very happy with this.” He gestures between the two of us. “This band is our life, man. So, you better be so fucking sure that you know what you’re doing here.” He points to me, turning his attention my way. “And you better be so fucking sure that he is what you want because this is going to hurt Aiden and it will hurt your relationship with him. You are the one thing he always works to protect. And he’ll beat the shit out of this man because of you. You better be ready for that.”

We let Brent’s dose of tough love sink in.

“I get what you’re saying,” I begin, “but don’t you think he’ll be a little understanding?”

“How naïve are you, Audrey? You can’t honestly think he would understand this. How are you going to explain it? I remember the first day I met you. Aiden told me he had one rule for me, and that rule was to not touch his sister.”

“But you won’t tell him?” I get he thinks this is a bad idea. There’s no way I’ll be able to change his mind, but I just need him to keep our secret.

Brent scrubs a hand down his face. “I won’t tell him, but Audrey, I’m not going to lie.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.