Beautiful Sacrifice (The Maddox Brothers 3)

“Whatever.”

He slumped his shoulders as he let his arms fall to his sides. “I want you to come. I want you to meet my brother.”

“Why?”

He frowned. “What is the big deal? You’re going to meet him eventually.”

“Exactly.”

“He’s my roommate in Estes Park.”

“So?”

“So … nothing,” he growled, exasperated. “Never mind.” He opened the door, but he didn’t leave. He slammed it shut and flipped around, a scowl on his face. “Quit it.”

“Quit what? I’m just trying to take a shower!”

“Being so … impervious.”

“Impervious? That’s a big word for you.”

“Fuck off.” He opened the door and slammed it behind him.

Not two seconds later, it opened again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”

“Get out of my bathroom.”

“Okay,” he said. He was comically overwhelmed, looking back at me and at the same time reaching for the knob, missing a few times.

“Get out,” I snapped.

“I’m … going.” He finally opened the door and closed it behind him.

I heard the front door slam.

I touched my fingers to my mouth, suppressing the giggle that was desperately attempting to bubble to the surface. I hadn’t giggled in a very long time.

Chapter Ten

The hair dryer made a high-pitched whine loud enough to cover the sounds of Kirby letting herself in. When I saw her standing in the bathroom doorway, I yelped.

She lifted her leg and cowered, her hair and hands covering her face. Once she recovered, she stood up, her fingers balled into fists at her sides. “Why are you screaming at me?”

I switched off the hair dryer. “Why are you sneaking into my bathroom?”

She rolled her eyes, smoothing her hair back. “I knocked.”

“What are you doing here?” I said, exasperated.

She pointed to her apron. “I just got off work. I came to check on you.”

“Phaedra checked on me half an hour ago. I’m fine,” I said, turning to brush out the tangles in my hair. From the mirror, I watched her cross her arms, pouting.

“Gunnar’s late again. You don’t think he’s messing around, do you?”

I turned to her, the brush still in my hand. “No. No way. He worships you.”

She leaned against the doorjamb. “I know, but we all have our moments. And he’s a guy.” Her eyes widened with her last word.

“That’s no excuse. But Gunnar doesn’t need one. He’s not cheating.”

She looked at me from under her brow, accepting what she already knew. “Then why doesn’t he call? Why doesn’t he answer his phone?”

“Because he’s driving.”

“He can’t even text?”

“No! Do you want him to come home, alive? You’re being ridiculous,” I said, turning back to the mirror. “When does he get his truck back?”

“Tomorrow.”

“It’s about time.”

Kirby eyed my small makeup bag. “You going out?”

“I don’t know. Taylor’s brother is in town, and he wants me to go to Cowboys to meet them.”

Her eyes lit up. “That’s a good sign! I guess today went well then?”

“Mostly. We saw your mom at the top. She was picking up Kostas.”

Kirby made a face. “He is obsessed with that trail. He thinks he’s going to Macho Pikachu or whatever in Peru.”

“Machu Picchu?” I asked.

She nodded.

“Maybe he will,” I said.

“He needs to climb something bigger than Pikes Peak.”

“Machu Picchu is almost half the size of Pikes Peak, Kirby.”

“Stop acting like Phaedra! Did Mom give you a lift into town?”

“To the trail head. Taylor’s truck was there. She doesn’t like him.”

“He’s a hotshot. Of course not.”

“She Greeked at me.”

“Oh. She must have really not liked him.”

“Why do you like him?” I asked.

Kirby shrugged. “Just because he’s a hotshot doesn’t mean he’s like my father. Besides, it’s hard to dislike someone because he chose a job to save things.”

“Things,” I said, amused.

“Trees. Homes. People.”

“Should I worry that’s what’s going on here?”

Kirby wrinkled her nose. “He’s, like, in his mid-twenties. You think he hasn’t come across a damsel in distress before? That’s not it. He just likes you.”

I opened the cosmetic bag but only stared at the contents.

Blurring lines with Taylor was dangerous. He’d agreed to take me to Illinois. But when? So many things could go wrong between his promise and Eakins. He didn’t want my truth now, but what if he required it later? What if there were more conditions?

What if I want more conditions?

Kirby smiled. “Are you wondering if he’s worth putting on makeup for?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Get out of my head. I don’t understand why he wants me to meet his brother. What purpose would it serve? What would it mean if I did?”

“You need to get out of your own head.”

I considered that for a moment. Taylor had been behaving the opposite of what I’d expected from a hotshot, especially one who looked like him. He was all badassery and confidence until I threw him a curveball, and then he’d turned into Jim Carrey.

I had to cover my mouth to stop myself from laughing.

“What’s so funny?”

I shook my head. “Taylor, earlier. It’s nothing.”

Anything more than a chuckle felt foreign in my throat, and Taylor had been the reason for two emotional outbursts. He had held me, made sure I was okay, made plans, and asked me to meet his brother.

For the first time in years, a guy hinting that he was interested in me didn’t feel like a violation.

I rubbed on foundation and then ran the mascara wand over my lashes.

After some quick blush and lip gloss, I halfheartedly modeled for Kirby. “Good enough?”

I had made a decent effort at fixing my hair and makeup with the limited tools I had at my disposal, but I still seemed to look the same.