Consolation Prize (Forbidden Men #9)(105)

But she’d told me she loved me, dammit.

Then again, she’d also told me she loved Brandt the night of his wedding.

Jesus, I hated doubts.

My brother quirked a brow as if he knew I was lying. But I continued to stare at him steadily.

So he whirled toward Julianna, pointing threateningly. “Stay the f*ck away from my brother.”

Her lips parted in shock. I stepped in front of her, glaring him down. “Don’t f*cking talk to her like that.”

“And you.” He pointed a finger at my nose next. “You’re done with this. With her. With this whole…whatever you two are doing. You’re done. No more.”

I laughed in his face. “Yeah, you don’t tell me who I can and cannot date. Sorry, bro.”

“When it’s my leftovers you’re sniffing around, I sure the f*ck can.”

“Leftovers?” Juli and I cried in unison.

“As if,” I added. “You didn’t even finish a single date with her.”

“Yeah. Are you sure that’s all that ever happened between us?” he asked in the most taunting voice I’d ever heard him use.

“Hey!” Juli nudged me aside so she could get into Brandt’s face and glare. “Stop putting ideas in his head.” Turning to me, she stared beseechingly into my eyes. “Yes, half a date is all that ever happened between us. He’s being an ass.”

I swiveled my gaze to my brother. He stared at me a quarter of a second before folding.

“Okay, fine, dammit,” he admitted. “That half a date was it. But I still considered it. You cannot date someone I considered. It’s weird, so…you two…done.”

“No.” I shook my head. “No, we’re not.”

“Colton,” he muttered, gritting his teeth. “Stop being such a stubborn little shit. You owe me.”

As my face drained of color, Julianna gasped. “You f*cking prick,” she started in a low, calm rage. I glanced at her, worried she was pissed at me. But her glare was solely for Brandt. She shoved him hard in the chest.

He stumbled a step away from her, his mouth falling open with obvious shock.

“He doesn’t owe you shit,” she growled, making him blink and shake his head. But she kept advancing, getting right in his face. “He was eight f*cking years old. You can’t hold him accountable for that. If you want to blame someone, go talk to your goddamn mother. Not Colton.”

My mouth fell open. But seriously, what the hell?

Brandt gaped at her too before looking at me and saying, “What the f*ck is she talking about?”

“I…I don’t…” I turned my gaze to Julianna, right about the time her eyes grew wide and she slapped her hands over her mouth.

“Oh my God, I’m sorry.” The muffled words came through her fingers as she begged me with big brown eyes to forgive her.

Finally, Brandt rasped, “Did you tell her?”

“What? No!” I stared at him earnestly, hoping he believed me, before turning back to Julianna, and trying to figure out how she knew.

“I guessed,” she admitted, creeping her hands away from her mouth long enough to confess.

I shook my head, unable to believe it. But how…? “Holy shit,” I whispered. Brandt was never going to forgive me for this. “I didn’t…” I started insistently, turning back to him, but he just held up his hands before turning away and leaving the apartment.

I stepped after him to chase him down and convince him I hadn’t been telling anyone what had happened to him, but Julianna grabbed my arm.

“Colton, oh my God. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t…I didn’t mean to—”

“How did you know?”

“I…” She shook her head. “I figured it out.”

I shook my head. “How?”

“Because you said the night of his wedding that your mom had caused your nightmares, but then the night you told me about the boy you saw molested, you said that had caused them, so I just put the pieces together. And Brandt is five years older than you, which made sense—”

“Holy shit,” I uttered, slapping my hands to my face. “Holy shit. I didn’t realize I’d told you so much. Oh, f*ck. He’s never going to forgive me. I need to…dammit, I need to talk to him.”

I started for the door again, but Julianna’s small voice stopped me. “Colton?” was all she said.

When I glanced back, the worry on her face had me turning to her fully. “Jesus, baby doll. Don’t worry. It’ll be okay.”

She gripped my wrists when I cupped her cheeks in my hands. “You didn’t believe him, did you? That I’m only with you because of him?”

“Of course I know that.” I pressed our foreheads together. “I didn’t believe him.” I sent her a smile, hoping she’d smile back. But she still looked worried. So I sighed and lamented, “I guess your crush on him is really over.”

Her lips trembled into a smile. “Baby, I’ve been over him since the moment you walked into the Forbidden Nightclub and flirted with me. I just didn’t realize it until you offered to be my consolation prize.”

“Damn.” My chest heaved with emotion. Hoping for something to be true was a hell of a lot different than hearing it said aloud straight from the source. I decided I liked hearing it straight from the source so much better.