Broderick: A Sabine Valley Novel by Katee Robert (e novels to read txt) 📕

like the way he fucks when I push him past the edge. And yes, I actually enjoy the act of shoving him right into recklessness. But I don’t like him.

Shiloh, on the other hand?

She’s a different story altogether. She was just a pretty girl when I first put my plan together, someone I was attracted to but nothing else. The past three weeks have changed that. Fuck, the past three days have changed that. I like Shiloh. I like her strength, the sense of humor she keeps locked down, how kick-ass she is.

I also like how sweet she tastes.

What I’m not too keen on is how she and Broderick are staring at me like I’ve sprouted a second head. “What?”

“You can’t just say stuff like that,” Shiloh finally manages. She’s bright red and trying her best not to fidget. It’s cute—or it would be if it didn’t signal that tonight isn’t going to go the way I’d like it to. “I know you like being outrageous but—”

“Shiloh.” I wait for her to look at me. “I like you. You like me. You like Broderick. Broderick likes you. I like to fuck Broderick, and he tells himself he just fucks me because he has to. One plus one plus one equals a triad.”

“That’s not how math works.” Her eyes are a little too wide.

Gods, I’ve traumatized my girl.

I take a breath. It’s okay. She’ll get over it once we wade through this first step. I turn my attention to Broderick. “What we have isn’t working right now.”

“That doesn’t mean we light the whole fucking thing on fire.” He’s trying to lock down his reaction, but he wants this just as badly as I do. The man exhausts me with his determination to deny himself the things he desires.

I frown at him. “What’s the holdup? Are you afraid you’re going to bruise little, innocent Shiloh? She can hold her own.”

“Monroe!” Shiloh slashes a hand through the air. “Broderick is my friend, and that means something. Maybe you fuck your friends—”

“Sometimes.” I shrug. “Depends on the friend and their preferences.”

“Oh gods, you’re serious.” Broderick drags his hand through his hair. He hasn’t managed to get it cut since Lammas, and it’s just long enough that it stands on end from the motion. “Not all friendships are like that.”

They’re both so damn stubborn, we could go around like this all night. It’s late, I’m tired and horny, and I need to have my game face back on in time to return to the Amazon faction in the morning. I sit up and cross my legs, barely managing not to roll my eyes when they both zero in on my hips where the T-shirt bunches. For such noble fools, they’re both so damn lusty. I really don’t understand how they haven’t had sex before now.

I sigh. “So, let me get this straight. The tension between you that’s so thick, you can cut it with a knife, but instead of fucking your way through it, you’d both rather keep fucking me, separately. And driving each other wild with jealousy while you do? How does that sound like a good time for anyone but me?”

“You underestimate yourself,” Broderick mutters.

“On that, we can agree,” Shiloh says.

I want to shake them. Instead, I just wait. Despite what everyone believes, I can be patient on occasion. In theory. Under normal circumstances, at least.

This situation has been stressing me the fuck out. Not just Broderick and Shiloh, but the whole Bride situation. No matter how intensely I try to distract myself, the truth is that even my mother is looking at me differently now that I’m a Bride to a Paine. To a Raider. She’s trying very hard not to, but she also hasn’t so much as attempted to plan something with me since I struck the deal to be able to return to working. That speaks volumes even more than the reassurances she’s given me.

My mother doesn’t trust me anymore.

Why am I thinking about this now, when I’m faced with two very gorgeous people who have both proven they know how to make me orgasm fast and hard?

I rub my face. I’m tired. That’s all it is. This has been an incredibly long day, and it’s wearing me down. “Okay, fine. If we’re not going to have a sexy triad, can we wrap this up? I need my beauty rest.”

Something flickers over Shiloh’s face, and if I were a romantic person, I’d accuse her of worrying about me. That’s silly, though. I’m bulletproof. Everyone knows it. Knock me down and I come back up swinging without hesitation, ready to do double the damage in half the time.

So why does my chest feel so tight?

I’m a shark. Keep swimming or drown.

Just have to keep moving.

“There’s something else.” Broderick’s tone has the small hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. The fact he won’t meet my gaze only has my internal alarms blaring louder. He curses. “We have to figure our shit out, and we have to do it now.”

“Why? We’re functioning just fine by avoiding each other.” Obviously I’m aware of the message that sends to people both inside and outside of the compound, but that’s Broderick’s problem, not mine.

“If we don’t find a happy medium, I don’t know if you’ll survive the month.”

I blink, letting the words roll over me. Letting my brain process. “You’re the one who’s been avoiding me.” But of course, that doesn’t matter what the cause is, only the perception of those around us. If I were in Abel’s position, I wouldn’t have let it go on this long. Broderick avoiding his Bride sends a clear message about the power dynamics between us—that they aren’t in his favor. The stunt Abel pulled on Lammas means all of Sabine Valley has its gaze turned in our direction. They can’t afford to falter now, to show the least bit of weakness, or the rest of the city will fall on them like rabid dogs.

My chest