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Change and moving on took time. But how did I move on when he was still out there?
He looked at Colt, who had been quiet during mine and Creed’s exchange. “Happy? I made up with our hot screaming neighbor.” Colt sighed as Creed turned to grab a tray for himself. “I was until you ruined it by putting your foot back into your mouth.”
Creed’s aquamarine’s eyes met mine. “That’s what it looks like when I don’t like someone.” “Noted,” I said.
A slow, bright smile stretched across Keelan’s mouth. “I think I’ve met my soulmate.”
He cut me off by saying, “One down. Only fifty more sweatshirts to go.” Then he handed me back my purse.
This is so sweet 😭
“Jealous you didn’t get a shake to share with Shiloh?” I heard Keelan ask Creed. I glanced over at Creed to see him glaring at his older brother. “Shut up,” he grumbled. Keelan just smirked.
“You blush all the time,” Creed said. “That’s because I’m shy,” I grumbled as my cheeks scorched. Creed gestured to my face, laughing harder. “You’re like an innocent cherry tomato.”
Keelan looked to Knox. “I have the sudden urge to binge watch all the Superman movies.”
💀
“Please tell me you didn’t ditch practice so one or both of you could try and get between Shiloh’s legs?”
Oof knox..
“You’re so beautiful when you laugh,” he said, and with a featherlike touch, he ran his finger from my temple to the corner of my mouth. “Your whole face lights up.” His eyes dropped to my mouth and he slowly trailed his finger along my bottom lip. “Your smile is the best part.” Butterflies went wild in my stomach. “Then we should make her laugh more often,” a voice said.
“Creed, you can’t take shit out of a girl’s underwear drawer and look at it like a creeper,” Colt admonished. Creed looked at his brother with a stupid grin. “Shiloh has a naughty collection of superhero lingerie.”
“Would you like some help?” His intense brown eyes met mine for a moment. “I just need you to be my sacrificial lamb.”
“Can you blame a girl for looking? Keelan is very pretty.” “Thanks, Shiloh,” Keelan said, his tone hinting that he was amused. My back was to him now and even though I was displaying fake bravado, there was no way I would’ve been able to look him in the eye right now without blushing like crazy. “You’re welcome,” I shot over my shoulder. Both Colt and Creed frowned. “I’ve tried to tell them that I’m the prettiest, but they’ve never believed me,” Keelan said.
“Don’t feel the need to put your clothes on because I’m here.”
“Thanks for the permission to be naked, Shiloh,”
“You’re wearing another man’s jersey, looking hot as hell, and we don’t like it,” Creed said bluntly.
An arm wrapped around my middle and jerked me in the opposite direction. I barely saw Creed’s body land in the water where I had just been as my back hit a muscular chest. I was shocked to hear Knox’s voice rumbling from behind me.
“How can you help when you can barely walk?” Knox challenged. My eyes narrowed. “My legs are sore, not broken.” “She’s a stubborn little thing, isn’t she?”
“You two should go.” They both looked stricken. “If you don’t go now, I’ll grow more attached.” Neither of them moved. “Please!” I cried. “I’m more trouble than I’m worth. I cry more than I smile. I have nightmares—” Creed grabbed my face with both hands and slammed his lips onto mine. At first, I was so taken aback that I was frozen like a statue. Creed pulled back a little to look me in the eye. “I’m already attached,” he said before returning his lips to mine.
“She was freaking out. I panicked.” Colt sighed behind me. “Did you not think for a moment that kissing her might freak her out more?” “Why?” Creed smirked. “Because you kissed her last night?” I desperately wanted to curse again. “Yes, because I kissed her last night,” Colt snapped. “She’s not ready—”
“Everyone is a mess. Some are just better at hiding it than others,”
I was halfway done with my second glass when something moving across my floor in front of the TV caught my attention. I had to do a double take to convince my brain I was indeed seeing an eight-legged arachnid monster.
🕷
“Will you please help me get the tarantula out of my house?” “Are you sure you don’t want to wait for one of your boyfriends to help?” “The twins and I are just friends,” I said quickly. He gave me the look, one that screamed sure.
He was quiet for a moment, processing everything. “It doesn’t make me uncomfortable,” he finally said. “It makes me wonder what happened to you that you think you need all of this to feel safe.”
“Because Knox graciously helped me get rid of the tarantula and I didn’t have to bribe him or anything.” My voice was chipper and my words dripped with sarcasm. “As a thank you, I offered to make him whatever he wanted for dinner.” One side of Knox’s mouth lifted. “I would have done it for free, but I was enjoying watching you squirm with having to ask me for help.”
Knox released my wrist, but Keelan just smiled at his brothers. “I think we’re about to get into trouble, Knox. We made their precious Shiloh cry.”
“Hold on. Are you two saying you saw Shiloh naked?” Keelan asked. The twins went quiet and my whole body flushed. Keelan frowned a little. “I think I’m jealous.” Knox rolled his eyes and smacked him on the back of his head. “You’re making her uncomfortable.” “Why do you care?” Creed asked. “Last night, you pissed her off so much, she almost tried to murder you with a spatula.”
“They probably didn’t think to invite you because it’s a given that you’d be there. You practically live with us,” he said. “I don’t live with you. I own my own home and I sleep in it every night,” I argued. Knox pulled a piece of paper off the stack and began reading it over. “How long will that last, I wonder?” he said distractedly.
“Why should someone have access to my home if they never intend to extend that same trust to me in return?” I interrupted him. “Is that what I need to do to fix this? Give you a fucking key?”
“Here you go. A key to our house.” I set my water next to the lone key. “I don’t want your pity house key.”
“Don’t cry,” he said tightly. I grit my teeth. “Then don’t make me cry.”
“Don’t do that. Don’t walk away,” he said, his livid eyes boring into me. “You talk about how you’re worried about us kicking you to the curb, but have you ever stopped to think that we feel you’ll do the same?
“You said I push people away? That’s because everyone is a threat to what we rebuilt. You’re a threat. You barreled your way into our lives and somehow made yourself important. I don’t want to care about you, but I do, and it pisses me off.”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but yes, I’ve kissed them,” I said bitterly. “It was a mistake and won’t happen again.” “Why?” “What do you mean why?” I asked, feeling exasperated. “If we go down that road, I’ll have to pick one of them, and that will hurt the other.” He scoffed. “They’d never make you choose.”
He closed most of the space between us and flattened his hands on the fridge above my head, trapping me. “Why do you want to know about Keelan and me, Shiloh?”
“Wow, what did I just walk into?”
Knox smiled at his brother. “Shiloh asked if you and I share like Colt and Creed do.” Keelan’s eyes only widened before he gave me the same stupid smirk Knox had given me. “Are you looking to upgrade from Colt and Creed?” That made Knox snort.
“Just because Colt and Creed like to share doesn’t mean Keelan and I would be into it,” Knox said. “Speak for yourself,” Keelan said.
“If we both loved the same woman and she loved both of us, would you really make her choose at the risk of tearing us apart?”
His gaze jumped to my ponytail. I cut him off before he could suggest what we would do next. “If you go for my hair, Keelan, I’ll have you face down on this floor and begging in less than five seconds.” My threat only made him grin. “Alright, baby girl. I won't pull your hair…this time.”
“One-on-one sessions with Keelan Stone, skilled MMA fighter and one of the owners of Desert Stone Fitness. Hmm, I don’t know. You sound expensive,” I joked. He chuckled. “I wouldn’t charge you.” I shook my head. “I was kidding, Keelan. Of course you’re going to charge me. I would feel guilty not paying.” He shrugged. “You’re getting the girlfriend discount.” “I’m not your girlfriend.” “Want to be?” he asked with a charming smile. All I could do was blink. He laughed, shaking his head. “So adorable.”
Colt and Creed weren’t happy. They’d become two glaring statues who appeared to be moments away from maiming Keelan. Keelan smirked. “You get her all the time. Learn to share.”
“I was going to serve Shiloh,” Creed deadpanned. “Well, you’ve serviced her enough tonight,” Keelan said in a put-off tone.
“If Shiloh is alright with it, whoever wins gets to take her on a date first.”
“Creed had accepted his suspension because at the end of the day it was his choice to pummel that little fucker. If I had been there, that punk would have gone home in a wheelchair because he should have never put his hands on you.”
“Why must you be a pushy jerk?” I snapped. “I’m only pushy when it comes to you,” he snapped back. “That makes me feel so special,” I said caustically.
“Every day I find something new that reminds me that I don’t have them anymore and it’s a living hell. So when the four of you try to do something for me or help me, it scares me sometimes. Not all the time but sometimes. And it’s not the stuff that you do, but how I feel when you do it. I feel happy and not alone. I honestly love it, but I know how easy it is to have all that ripped away. That fear overwhelms me.”
“My mom always said that if I had nothing nice to say, I shouldn’t say anything at all.” He chuckled. “You don’t have that kind of restraint when it comes to Knox.” “Knox is a special case.”
He surprised me a little when he grabbed me by the thighs and slid me around on the floor, getting us back in position. I fought to not smile and remain professional. I thought he noticed because the corner of his mouth twitched.
“I told you that there was nothing to talk about,” Knox said. I couldn’t help but feel hurt. “Glad to know that kissing me was nothing to you.” Knox’s expression turned angry. “That’s not what I said.” “That’s exactly what you said,” I snapped.
