Addicted(53)

“Miles isn’t like you,” I say after giving Ethan a minute to reassert his iron control on himself. “He isn’t strong enough to forge his own path. He’s way too locked inside his own head, way too caught up in the ideas he has, to worry about anything as practical as running a company or buying groceries. Besides, my parents didn’t give him a choice. They just did it—”

“Don’t make excuses for him.” Ethan pulls me in for a quick, hard kiss, one that has my head spinning and my heart pumping before he finally pulls away. “He’s weak, Chloe. And that weakness makes him dangerous. You need to be careful.”

“Miles would never hurt me. He’s my brother.”

He just looks at me for a minute. Then, “I used to say the same thing about Brandon.”

There’s nothing I can say to that, so I don’t even try.

“I mean it, Chloe. I know he’s your brother and I know you love him. But I don’t trust him—and neither should you.” He gives me another kiss, before clicking the locks on his car—the BMW this time—and opening the door. “Call me later, after he’s gone. Let me know how it goes.”

“It’s going to go fine.”

Ethan nods.

“You don’t look like you believe me.”

“I believe that you think it’s going to go fine.” One more kiss and then he’s climbing in his car. “Promise you’ll call me.”

“I promise.”

I step back, prepare to watch Ethan drive away. But he just points toward the elevator and waits. I roll my eyes, but he just shrugs and continues to wait for me to walk back to the elevator. It isn’t until the elevator doors are closing and he knows that I’m safe that I see him start to back his car up.

By the time I get back to Tori’s condo, I’ve replayed my conversations with both Miles and Ethan in my head and I’m pissed all over again. My brother acted like a maniac—hitting first and talking later—is there any wonder Ethan thinks he’s dangerous?

I open the front door prepared to let Miles have it, but Tori already is. She’s about six inches shorter than him and a million times more colorful, but she’s going toe-to-toe with him anyway, shouting at him about what a total douche he is and why he should have more faith in my judgment.

Neither seems to even notice that I’ve come back.

I slam the door hard, watch as Miles jumps guiltily. Good. He should be feeling guilty after the crap he pulled.

“What were you thinking?” I demand, crossing the room to him.

“He wasn’t thinking!”

“I was thinking that my sister would want to know that she was dating a total sociopath.”

“Just because his brother is one doesn’t mean he is, Miles.”

“Yeah, well, as far as I could tell five years ago, the whole family had serious issues. What makes you think big brother is the only one to escape them?”

“I don’t know. Maybe because I know him? And maybe because Mom and Dad have some pretty pathological behaviors, too, and somehow we managed to turn out all right.”

My brother snorts. “Yeah. We’re both the picture of mental health.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Tori grabbing her purse and slipping out the door. There are so many reasons she’s my best friend, and the fact that she’s choosing to leave her condo when sticking around would help her answer a lot of her questions, is just one of them.

“I’m pretty much socially paralyzed and you—you’re masochistic enough to think you’ve fallen in love with your rapist’s brother. You have to admit, Chloe, a shrink would have a field day with this one.”

“Well, then, I guess it’s a good thing I’m not going to one.”

I cross to the kitchen, start putting away the groceries that Ethan brought. I can’t believe it was only half an hour ago that the whole day stretched out so beautifully in front of me. I mean, sure, Ethan and I are still feeling our way with each other after those awful two weeks apart, but we’re both trying.

And we were getting somewhere, too, until Miles decided to show up and screw everything up.

“Do you want a cup of coffee?” I ask, pouring myself one from the pot I had made right before Ethan got here.

“I would love a cup.”

“Okay.” I fill one for him, as well, then grab a couple of bagels and slide them in the toaster.