Beautiful Brute (Court University 3)

He received nothing but a growl from Royal’s direction for the hit, and December had to physically tug Royal back when he started to stalk the guy’s way.

She patted Royal’s chest. “Easy, babe.”

Still, Royal didn’t let up as his friend, LJ, winked at him before finding Billie. He too picked her up, but was a bit more civilized about it. He got her right around her waist, lifting her up in the air while he kissed her. This took her easily three feet off the ground, her petite body sliding down his as he returned her to her feet.

“Eew. Sweaty!” Billie groaned, all LJ’s glistening and muscled man-parts all over her. She smacked at his chest. “You don’t touch me until you have a shower.”

“That shit ain’t gonna happen.” He pretty much tongued her into submission after that, which got more than one towel thrown in their direction. They all hit his Fabio-like locks, which hung down on his shoulders today instead of being tied behind. He threw one or two towels back at the group.

“You deserve that shit, asshole.” Royal snarled, his teeth actually bared. Considering he wasn’t the biggest nor the tallest guy, he intimated the most out of all of them. It was just the way he carried himself, completely intense, but I watched the mold shatter at just a pinch at his clothes. He found December’s eyes then, his smile on her as he kissed her. He brushed her chin. “You girls ready to go? We just got done at the courts.”

“Yeah,” she said, but then panned. “Where’s Jax?”

“Pardon me, if I’m not as eager to get here as the rest of these fuck—”

A bounce of a basketball before I found my stepbrother’s eyes, his speech completely cut off. He’d been laughing… smiling when he said the words. I knew because all the joy, all his complete humor wiped away…

At seeing me.

It was like he’d completely transformed, the light completely evaporating from his eyes. It shifted to a deep internal darkness I’d always seen, but this time?

It made me sad.

I’d never seen my stepbrother, in all these weeks I’d known him, genuinely happy. When he put on smiles before it’d always been false, but this time, it was real. This time it was genuine because he was with his friends. He hadn’t expected to see me.

I guessed I’d crashed up his plans again.

Another bounce of the ball as he came over, his feathered curls tousled and damp. He too only wore a pair of sweats. Well, shorts as they cut off right below his knees, his toned calves shifting and flexing with every step and bounce of the basketball. He had a shirt, but he chose not to wear it, the thing hanging slack on his big shoulder. He had a mole on his right pec near his nipple, something I remembered as I stared at it while he slept.

I’d studied everything about him that night we were together, every beautiful flaw and tiny detail. I just remembered recalling how I couldn’t fathom being so close to something so wildly perfect.

And wild had been right.

My stepbrother was completely untamed, a fiery inferno concealed in the frame of a beautiful male. He’d studied me too when he came over, passing each and every one of his friends. He stopped right in front of me, his jaw stiff and temple pulsing. He jerked his chin at me. “What the fuck you doing here?”

Silence, absolute in that moment. Before those seconds, everyone had been laughing.

But no more.

His friends, LJ, Knight, and Royal finally realized I was standing there. I hadn’t been surprised. I mean, they’d been with their girls, so why would they have noticed me?

They sure did now, studying me. LJ and Knight’s eyes flashed open, but Royal, well, he looked away. He rubbed his jaw in the seconds and started to swing his gaze back t

o Jax.

Until December launched a towel at him.

She literally picked it up, throwing it right at Jax’s head. With Jax’s sight on me, he obviously wasn’t paying attention. It hit him right in the forehead, and when he ripped it away, he growled at her. “What the fuck was that for?”

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” she blazed, then shot a finger at me. “Apologize to my new friend.”

“You’re new friend?” If Jax could physically transform, he would. I mean, he honestly appeared to grow three sizes like right in front of me. “Fuck that. My stepsister isn’t your friend.”

“Your stepsister?” December’s eyes twitched wide. She passed a look to me. “Wait. Cleo? You’re that Cleo?”

That Cleo.

I wanted to be sick, feeling about a million sizes small. He’d obviously talked to them about me, all of them about me.