Chapter 11 She looked up to me too damn much to see me as anything other than her big brother. It was funny, honestly, knowing her attraction toward the other guys was so open and easy. She let it happen with them. Let herself feel things, try things. And with me? The wall came right back up. I saw it in the way she reacted the second I asked. She went still. Her breath caught, her body tensed like I'd pulled a knife instead of words. I hadn't meant to scare her. Hell, I hadn't even meant to say it out loud tonight. But it had been sitting on my chest for weeks. She stared at the ceiling instead of me. Then finally, she whispered, "I don't know why it's different with you...but I think I need time." I understood, but her own words didn't make sense to her. "Okay." She turned her face toward me slowly, eyes cautious. "You're not mad?" "Why would I be mad?" I asked gently. "I don't know. Because I've already done things with the others. Because you found out. Because it's...messed up." I let out a quiet breath and rubbed a hand across my chest. "Bliss, I'm not judging you. I'm not mad, and I'm not hurt that you've done things with them and not with me. I just wanted to understand." Her lips parted. She looked like she was ready to apologize. But I cut her off softly. "You don't have to explain if you don't want to. You owe me nothing." "But I do," she said, voice tight. "You've always been the one I looked up to. It just all happened so fast, and I never thought you'd find out." I shrugged. "I would've found out eventually. The guys haven't been very slick about it." "They haven't?" She looked at me surprised. "Not exactly," I said. "Ashby kept watching you like he was starving. Rhys...he couldn't stop licking his lips every time his eyes landed on you. And Dash? He's always looked at you like you meant something more to him." I paused, studying her face, careful with my next words. "Maybe you didn't see it then. But the way you looked back at them? It was the same." She furrowed her brows and looked away again, her fingers tangling nervously on her stomach. "And...do you think there's something wrong with us? With me?" "I think you're figuring things out in the most impossible situation imaginable." I paused, watching her swallow hard. "And I think they make you feel wanted in a way you've needed for a long time." She nodded once, eyes glassy but she didn't cry. "I don't think you're doing this because you're reckless," I added. "I think you're doing it because you feel safe with them." Her eyes lingered on mine. "But I feel safe with you, too. Why don't I want to be as close to you as I've gotten to them?" "That's something you'll have to figure out yourself, Bliss. I can't answer that question for you. Just know that I'm here if you ever need me." Her eyes lowered, and her fingers now toyed with the edge of the sheet. Then, her brows furrowed. Deeper than before. "Rhys punched Ashby in the face, and Dash in the stomach when he found out. Why didn't you have the same reaction?" I laughed and sat up straighter, still leaning against the headboard. "Because I'm not a violent person. You know I'd never hurt a damn fly." "Yeah, but...Rhys was angry when Ashby told him. It was like he wanted to get revenge." "Yet, he ended up wanting the same shit from you as they did. Hate to tell you this, but our brother is a huge fucking hypocrite." A smile tugged at her mouth, but she tried to hide her amusement. I could see her cheeks flush ever so slightly in the dim moonlight shining through the window. I reached over and placed my hand on her thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze before pulling her closer. Her body was rigid, but she relaxed once her body pressed against mine. "Just because you're not sure about me, doesn't mean we can't cuddle like we always do." "You're right," she whispered, letting me hold her in my arms as she buried her face into my chest. "Love you, Tripp." "I love you too, Lissy. And don't ever think you owe me anything. Ever." She didn't respond to that. Just breathed in deeply. As unbearably warm as it was in my room, I fell asleep surprisingly fast with her in body pressed against mine. The heat suddenly didn't bother me, and all I cared about was her being happy and at peace with her heart and mind. *** I woke up alone in the morning. Bliss was gone, and from the lack of warmth on my mattress next to me, I knew she left a while ago. I stretched and ran my hands through my hair, thinking about staying in bed now that I was able to since we closed The Old for the next six weeks. But as good as it sounded to lie here and not do shit, I got up to take a quick shower to get the stickiness of dried sweat off my body. My hair was damp as I walked out of my room, and I wore only boxers to head downstairs. As I passed Dash's room, I peeked inside to find Bliss cuddled up against him. I wasn't surprised, but the sight made my body tense. But not out of jealousy. Not exactly. It was more complicated than that, I figured. Something tight and sour twisted in my gut, and I moved along before I could read too much into it. Bliss needed time, and maybe she'd never let me in the way she had with the others. I'd survive that. I had to. But if it already felt this strange just thinking about her holding back from me, I wasn't sure I wanted to find out how it would feel if she never let me in at all. I pushed all of those thoughts aside at the sight of Rhys sitting at the kitchen counter, shoving a spoonful of cereal into his mouth. "Morning," I muttered. He looked up. "Morning. Did you sleep?" "Yeah. You?" He shrugged. "Took me a while. It's only getting warmer upstairs." I agreed with a nod. "Might need to start sleeping in the basement. Way cooler down there." "Yeah. That's a good idea." He put another spoonful in his mouth and lowered his gaze to his phone again. "We still going to that party tonight?" "That's the plan." I said, as I walked to the fridge and poured myself some juice, then leaned against the counter. "Bliss is coming too." That got his attention. He looked up at me through a narrow squint. "Did she tell you that?" "Yeah. She saw Emily at the gas station last night and got invited. I need you to watch her, too. We'll all be there, and I know you don't give two shits about anyone when we're at parties, but you better make sure Bliss is safe." He rolled his eyes and waved a hand. "She'll be fine. Dash won't leave her side anyway, and you don't ever drink too much. She's got too many eyes on her already." There was no point in arguing with him. He'd be drunk the minute we got to the party, and I'd end up being the one hauling him home once his system was flooded with alcohol. I changed the subject before the conversation turned bitter but kept Bliss in the center of it. "She's in Dash's bed." He froze, but only for a split second. He watched me for a while, and I knew he was trying to understand if the way I said it meant something more. His gaze lingered on mine as he asked, "You know?" I gave one tight nod. "Shit." He didn't look nervous. He wasn't scared of my reaction. Of the consequences this had. Instead, he started to fucking grin. "How did you find out? Did you..." "No," I cut him off. "She came into my room last night and we talked. That's it." Rhys leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly. "Huh." "You sound surprised." "I just..." he scratched the back of his neck. "Didn't expect you to be that cool about it." I stared at him. "What'd you expect me to do? Punch Dash in the stomach or break Ashby's nose?" That shut him up. A little shame flashed across his face. "I'm not mad at her," I said quietly. "I'm not mad at any of you, actually." Rhys looked down, tapping the edge of his spoon against the bowl. "And you're not gonna tell Dad?" I blinked at him. "Are you?" His eyes flicked up to me. "Hell no." "Then why would you think I would?" He shrugged. "You've always been the one who does the right thing. Who keeps everything and everyone in place. Even when it sucks. Thought maybe you'd...I don't know, think this whole thing needed to be brought to Dad and Odin." I snorted, but I wasn't amused. "Yeah, because that'd go over well." He leaned back in his chair, letting out a breath. "They'd both lose their shit." "So we better stop talking about it before they hear us." I took another sip of my juice, and after lowering the glass, I added, "We're blurring lines here. And the second Bliss tells us to stop, we stop." Rhys agreed with a nod, then we were both silent for a moment. He continued to eat and poured himself another load of cereal. Then he asked, "You ever wish we didn't grow up this close to each other?" I frowned. "What do you mean?" "I mean...if we didn't grow up in this house together, without seeing each other every single day and being around each other for hours on end...maybe none of this would've ever happened." "Maybe." I drank the last sip of juice and put the glass on the counter. "Or maybe we'd still end up here. We'll never know." Rhys looked over at me, and for once, there wasn't sarcasm or amusement in his expression. "As long as she's safe and happy." I nodded slowly, agreeing with him wholeheartedly. Whatever we did, no matter if she was involved or not, we made sure that the outcome never affected her negatively. We were responsible for her. To keep her protected from anything and anyone who could possibly harm her. We always had everything under control. But this? This was new to all of us, and one wrong step could pull all of us under. *** I walked downstairs around nine that evening, knowing the others were already waiting outside. The lake where the party was being held was only a few minutes away by car, and we were all taking one vehicle. With just five of us, we'd fit fine. As I hit the last step of the staircase, Bliss came out of the kitchen wearing a short denim skirt and an off-the-shoulder white top. The old cowboy boots she had on matched her aesthetic perfectly, and her blonde, pale hair was straight, halfway pulled back with a hair clip. I smiled at her, already reaching for the door. "You coming?" She nodded but didn't step closer. Her eyes dropped to her outfit, lips pursed in uncertainty. "You think I'll be cold tonight? Should I bring a sweater?" My gaze slid to her bare shoulders, then down to her legs. "There's a bonfire, but it's always better to bring a sweater. Just in case." She looked up again, then glanced at the coat rack beside me where we kept jackets and random clothes we were usually too lazy to take upstairs. I followed her gaze, then grabbed the first sweater I saw. It was Rhys's. Or maybe Ashby's. Who knew. Clothes didn't really have owners in this house. "I'll take this for you," I offered, draping the sweater over my arm. "Come on now." I was already turning toward the door when her voice stopped me. "Tripp?" "Yeah?" I looked at her again, raising a brow. She hesitated, shifting on her feet. "Does everyone know now?" My body tensed, then quickly relaxed. I glanced up the stairs and around the hallway behind her to make sure we were alone. "Other than Dad and Odin...yeah. And I talked to the others, too. Why?" "Just...wondering." I watched her for a long moment, and my expression softened when I noticed how shy she'd gotten. Usually, our sweet Bliss was a force of nature. Confident, strong, never afraid to speak her mind. But since everything happened between her and the others, something had shifted. Not in a bad way. Just...different. "We'll be fine," I assured her. She nodded and gave me a soft smile. "And, Tripp?" "Hmm?" She looked at me with eyes that held so much unsaid. But then she let out a quiet laugh and shook her head. "Nothing. Let's go." I didn't push. Just opened the door and let her walk out first. I followed her and spotted the guys standing around the truck. They all looked up as she stepped outside, their eyes sweeping over her outfit with visible disapproval. Of course, none of them would ever tell her to go back inside and change, but their expressions said enough. I shot them a look. A silent warning to cut it out. They got the message and quickly adjusted their faces. "You look beautiful, Lissy," Dash said with a warm smile. "Is that a new skirt?" Rhys asked, genuinely curious. I stopped beside her, watching from the side as her cheeks flushed and she looked down. "Uh, not really. I just never wore it before." "Looks good on you," Ashby added, his tone slightly more amused than the others', his gaze lingering on her legs a little too long. "Thanks, guys," Bliss said, her face lighting up. That's what I wanted. For her to feel special. Always. Especially now, in the middle of all this complicated thing we'd found ourselves tangled in. She deserved it. And now, more than ever, we needed to make sure she never felt anything less. "We ready?" I asked, raising my brows. They nodded, and we all climbed into the truck to drive to the lake. Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!