Second Chance with My Ex's Brother

The place was already bustling, and the drinks were flowing. I noticed Leo had added a keg, which I’d argued against, but I knew there would be a couple of bottles of wine in his parents' wine cabinet. I would find my way over there at some point. In the meantime, I braced myself against the onslaught of rowdy partiers.

“Dammit, I should not have had that big ass soda before we got here,” Mia squirmed next to me.

“There's a bathroom down the hall to the left,” I said, pointing toward the restroom.

She looked at me with uncertainty. “I don’t want to leave you here alone.”

I patted her on the shoulder. “I'm a big girl. Paige-fucking-Russell, remember? I'll be okay. Find me when you're done.”

She gave me a grateful smile as she leaned in to say, “Nine o'clock. One of those stud muffins is checking you out. You can thank me later,” she winked before rushing to the bathroom.

My gaze went in the direction she’d pointed and met a pair of intense, dark eyes watching me.

I felt the blush crawl down my body along with the man's eyes. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and shameless in how he looked at me.

I swallowed around the nervous lump in my throat. I’ve never had a man look at me like that before. He was unfamiliar—and older than everybody else there. I wondered who he was as I turned to walk away.

I wandered through the house, greeting people I recognized and congratulating those still sober enough to understand what I was saying.

As I slowly made my way to the wine cabinet off the side of the kitchen, I heard a playful giggling and a familiar voice.

I stopped in my tracks, following the sounds. It was coming from Leo's father's office. The door was ajar, and when I looked inside, I glimpsed an ass I recognized all too well—Leo's.

My eyes traveled upward, and I saw his ass drilling into a beautiful girl I recognized from one of his study groups. Her head was thrown back, and her hands clutched his shoulders as he fucked her over the desk.

Everything inside me went cold. Did they even realize the door was open, or did they just not care?

I sucked in a breath and got my feet to move, rushing away from the scene of the crime. Except it wasn't a crime, was it? Leo and I had broken up. What he did was none of my business anymore.

I made it to the wine cabinet and selected a Russian River Valley Pinot Noir with a decisive flourish. I poured myself a generous glass, took a large sip, and tried to erase the image replaying in my mind.

Leo had always wanted me to do something wild like that, but I didn't want to disrespect his parents' home, especially if I would be a part of the family.

We’d had plenty of sex, but we could never be too boisterous. There was always a roommate on the other side of the wall or his family down the hall.

He was always grooming me to be a lady—to conduct myself as a future lawyer's wife. I had to be put together at all times. I guess now I understood what he’d meant when he’d called me a “cold fish.” He wanted someone to bend over his father's desk. I didn't hate the idea, though now I hated the idea of it with him.

I looked up from behind the kitchen island, and once again, my mystery man’s eyes were on me. He was much closer now, though still a respectable distance away. He was close enough I could tell they were dark brown … and they were looking at me like I was naked.

Emboldened by heartbreak and anger, I held his gaze as I brought my wineglass to my mouth and took a healthy swallow. One side of his mouth quirked up, bringing my attention to his full lips. He had some stubble on his face, and I wondered what his stubble would feel like against my skin.

“Paige,” a whisper came next to me, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. Mia was next to me now. “I see you and stud muffin have progressed to eye fucking. I have to say I'm proud of you.”

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