Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 76759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
“Yeah, what is it with him and weed? I never could stand the stuff.”
“Don’t know, man.”
The truth of the matter is, I do know. Dragon hasn’t had an easy life. He keeps to himself, but one night—one of the only times I’ve ever gotten high because I actually don’t like the stuff—he confided in me. I understand our drummer a lot better now, but I’m sworn to secrecy. And I get why he smokes after a performance. It numbs him a little bit, relaxes him. I’ve got no problem with it, as long as it doesn’t affect his performance, and so far it hasn’t.
There are reasons why Dragon shouldn’t smoke or drink, but so far he’s kept clean from the harder stuff.
“Ah…there they all are.” Cage gestures to the pool house in the giant Steel backyard.
The members of Emerald Phoenix stand there, flanked by pretty much every woman here, including the awesome foursome.
“Guess I can’t blame them,” I say. “Emerald Phoenix is an amazing band.”
“Except one of them seems to be missing…” Cage looks around. “Brianna. Where’s Brianna?”
I shrug. “How the hell should I know?”
“Those four are usually inseparable.”
Brianna Steel is the most beautiful of the awesome foursome. She looks the most like her father, Talon Steel. Of course, her older brothers, Dale and Donny, are adopted, so they couldn’t look anything like him. But Diana favors their mother, Jade. Brianna, though… She’s taller than her older sister, taller than her mother. Nearly as tall as her father when she wears those sexy cowboy boots of hers. The original Steel Brothers are all ranchers, cowboys. Most of their kids, though? They chose different paths. All except for Dale and Brock Steel…and Brianna.
Brianna Steel is temptation on a stick. I’ve known her a long time because Donny and I went to high school together. We’ve had this idiotic rivalry since then because he was chosen most valuable player for the football team our senior year. It should’ve gone to me. Well…that’s not exactly true. We were both equally valuable players. He got it because of his name. It’s no secret. We all knew it.
I wasn’t happy when he started dating my sister Callie, but she made us shake hands and make up. So we put up with each other now.
Begrudgingly.
Silly, I suppose. It’s been fifteen years.
But yeah. When Donny and I were eighteen, his little sister Brianna was eight.
That’s how I remember her. A really pretty kid with a spray of freckles across her nose, long dark hair in pigtails, and jeans and cowboy boots, a cowboy hat on her head. Always a cowgirl, that one. She used to follow her daddy around like a puppy. Whenever I saw her at that age, she was either with Talon or on a horse.
She still has that light spray of freckles across her nose. But now that cute little kid—after two years of braces and a lot of filling out—is a damned beautiful woman.
She’s got legs that go on for fucking ever, and a luscious rack she inherited from her mother, who’s the daughter of Brooke Bailey, a supermodel who was famous back in the day.
Brianna Steel could sure be a supermodel. She’s got the height, the perfect facial features, the silky-smooth hair.
Like I said, temptation on a stick.
Until I remember my rivalry with Donny—and his eight-year-old sister with her hair in pigtails in the stands cheering our team on.
Good thing I’ll be leaving after the holidays, off to the UK and then the rest of Europe. I haven’t been in a relationship for a while, and I’m not the casual sex type, but…with a smorgasbord of European lovelies at my fingertips…
Yeah, I’m rethinking that.
Cage and I plan to fuck our way through Europe.
I’m looking forward to it.
Chapter Three
Brianna
Jesse’s talking to Cage. The rest of the awesome foursome plus Jesse’s youngest sister, Maddie Pike, are fawning all over the members of Emerald Phoenix.
It is kind of a cool thing, having a famous rock band at my house. Even my mom is getting a little twitterpated.
Aunt Melanie and Aunt Ruby are sitting on the deck with my brand-new aunt, Lauren Wingdam, who has gorgeous blue eyes and medium-brown hair that she wears stylishly short.
It’s a long story.
Apparently my uncle Ryan has a different mother than my father, Uncle Joe, and Aunt Marjorie. We had a big family meeting two weeks ago about it.
It took a while to digest everything. I haven’t spent much time with Lauren yet, and since Jesse isn’t giving me any attention at all, I walk toward my three aunts.
“Hi, Aunt Ruby, Aunt Mel.”
“Brianna.” Aunt Melanie smiles. “Come sit down with us for a moment.”
I take a seat next to my new aunt. “Hi, Lauren. Did you enjoy the concert?”
Lauren fans herself with her hand. “I did. I’ve always been a rock and roll enthusiast. I’m sure Jack loved it as well.”