SARAH I’m glaring at Ronan, a deep scowl etched into all the corners of my face. And guess what he does? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I feel so silly even standing there and confronting him about it. What am I? Seventeen? Who cares if he wants to flirt with the entire female population of Durmont? Certainly not me. After all, he’s a single man. They are all single men. The three of them are free to do whatever they want with whoever they want. They know it too. That’s why they do not hesitate to shove it in my face the second they get the chance. I mean, flirting in my party? Really? It’s a battle between the lump in my throat, the tears lingering–scorching–the corners of both my eyes, and me. And I’m terribly losing both. Ronan still doesn’t speak, but Jaxon steps forward and holds his hands out to me. Perhaps for a “friendly” hug, which I certainly do not take. I’m not crazy. The last thing I need is to feel the warmth of his body, or any of their bodies at all. That is my achilles heel. I won’t be able to stop myself after that. Jaxon fakes this hurt face that makes him look really cute. His eyes are warm, and there’s something about the way his lips are pouty that… Get a grip of yourself, Sarah Wellspring! “Come on, Sarah. It’s nothing like that, alright? It was just a joke Kevin made, and…” “I don’t care,” I raise my right hand to stop him in the middle of his sentence. It folds itself around my left hand again, just below my chest. “You can do whatever you like. You should go talk to pretty women. Take them home if you want to. It’s a free world. You’re free men. It’s not like we were dating or anything,” Stop, Sarah. “And even if we were dating, we will be exes now. I mean, we did break up when I left Mykonos, didn’t we? It’s not like you guys tried to stop me or anything,” A bitter chuckle escapes my lips. I know I should stop rambling, but I can’t. There are so many things I’ve wanted to say to them since I left, so many questions I wanted to ask. And now that they’re here, right in front of me, I can’t help it. “I mean, why didn’t you guys try to stop me? It’s almost like you were so happy to see me leave? When did you guys come back? Did you go to another…” I clear my throat. “…party?” “It wouldn’t have been fun without you.” Malachi says. But it’s just his lips that move. Nothing in his eyes or his stance tells me he means that. Mr poker face. I roll my eyes and shake my head. “You don’t mean that. You’re only saying it to make me feel better. Frankly, I don’t even care if you mean it or not. We’re over, alright? And it was really cruel of the three of you to be here without telling me.” “You have us blocked everywhere, Sarah. How were we supposed to contact you?” Jaxon responds. There’s a plea in his voice that makes me feel slightly better about myself. See why I like him? He’s so different from Mr. Poker face and Mr. I-don’t-feel-shit who’s currently staring down at me with a blank look on his face, reaffirming the fact that I am indeed going crazy. “You’re the HawkThornes, are you not? If you really wanted to reach out, you would have.” I reply to Jaxon. “But it’s a good thing you didn’t. I’m better for it.” “How are you doing?” Malachi asks, completely ignoring my semi-mental breakdown. I’m torn between relief and embarrassment as I suck in a deep breath. “I’m fine now that I’m not sucked up in whatever drama you three have going on.” The lie is heavy on my tongue, but I let it slip out regardless. Yes. That’s code for “I miss you three so fucking much it hurts.” I don’t care if they realize it or not. I mean, I came with their names in my mouth and cried after. I might have blocked them, but it’s impossible to block the HawkThornes from the news, isn’t it? They’re everywhere I go. On TV, on radio, on tabloids, on fucking billboards on the goddamn road! How can I…how can I not miss them? I’m not okay. I wasn’t okay before them, and it’s tearing me apart that I have to live through an “after them” phase. The few weeks I spent with them in my life were the best weeks I’ve had in six years. Ronan is still silent. Why won’t he say something? Anything. “Hey, berry.” Kevin’s voice startles me. I sniff in the tears about to rush down my eyes and turn to face him. He’s standing in front of me with a smile on his face, and beside him, is one of the last people on earth I want to be looking at right now. After Aaron and the HawkThorne brothers, he’s next. No one else but THE Julian Cross. He’s no longer in his prim and proper suit. Nope. He’s casual. A black jean jacket, plain grey shirt, and black jeans. It makes him look three years younger. “Hi, Sarah.” He greets with a smile, holding up what I assume is a glass of wine he brought as a gift. I almost laugh at the sight. Wine is such a “Julian Cross” thing to bring to a party. “I didn’t know you'd be here.” I say aloud, turning to Kevin. What’s with him and inviting most of my least favorite men? “I thought you'd want to see a friendly work face,” Kevin replies. “So I called Julian. He was happy to come.” My fake smile is still plastered on my face as my gaze shifts to the devil. “Of course he was.” I mutter underneath my breath with my tongue tucked behind my teeth. “And now that you’re single,” Kevin slowly pushes Julian forward. I raise my right brow. “It wouldn’t hurt to start to mingle, would it?” “I’m not single.” I spit the words out. I do not know why or when I say that. Kevin narrows his eyes on me, and so does Julian. But my major concerns are the three men behind me, with stares so hot I can feel it burning into my neck. I have no doubt who they’re shooting bullets at. A nervous laugh tears through my throat. “What I’m trying to say is, technically, I’m not divorced yet. Aaron hasn’t signed the papers yet.” Julian frowns and steps forward. “Is he being a problem? I have contacts in the governor’s office that could be of help.” Of course he does. A firm hand rests on my waist, and Ronan’s voice rings in my ears. “She’s fine. If she needs any help, she knows the people to call.” What is he doing? Kevin is right here, looking at him. Well, not at him, but at the hand he has behind my waist. My brother is definitely not happy about that hand. Even Julian looks confused. But his touch… God. His touch. Heat creeps up from the skin of my waist where his hand is carefully–possessively–placed, to my spine, then my neck, and my cheeks. I let out a long breath, and return to smiling. Kevin looks away from Ronan to Julian, but Ronan still doesn’t take his hands off me. “Please do not mind his tone, Julian. You must know them. The HawkThorne brothers. They are my best friends, so they’re like Sarah’s brothers.” Brothers. “THERE WAS NOTHING BROTHERLY ABOUT HOW YOU TOOK MY COCK LAST NIGHT, KITTEN. OR HOW MANY TIMES YOU CAME IN MALACHI’S MOUTH.” I swallow hard. Yes. Definitely brothers. I fake a cough to clear my throat. The staring contest between the five men around me comes to an end. Thankfully. “Is anyone else parched? I’m also kind of tired.” “The party’s just started, berry.” My brother’s smile returns to his face. I watch as he calls everyone into the kitchen and suggests we play a game. When he’s asked what game, he suggests “spin the bottle” with a wide grin on his face. “We’re not seventeen, Kev.” Malachi says aloud, and everyone laughs. Kevin and Ronan are actually the same age, only three years away from forty, but my brother doesn’t seem to care. “Those were the best years of our lives, right?” Everyone agrees, and soon, we’re about fifteen standing around my kitchen island with an empty bottle of gin in the middle of the polished white wood. Kevin lays the rules. Head gets to dare the base. “No truth questions,” he says, holding his right index finger up as his eyes scan every face in the room. “We are not here to know each other’s deepest, darkest, secrets. We’re here to have fun.” Thank goodness. Julian stands by my left hand, and Ronan fixes himself by my right hand. They both exchange glances over my head, and I roll my eyes and lean forward. The game starts, and base lands on Hailey, while Jaxon gets the head. He dares her to kiss Kevin. Almost everyone in this room knows their history, so we clap and cheer. And from how they’re holding on to each other while kissing, it’s easy to see they’ve wanted to kiss all night. Well, watching my brother almost eat Hailey up is slightly uncomfortable, so I look away until they’re done. Kevin spins the bottle once he’s done, and I watch in horror as it turns, and turns, until the base of the glass bottle faces me, and the head faces him, my dearest brother. Blood drains from my face when his lips spread into an evil grin. “Now I normally wouldn’t do this cause you’re my baby sister, but you’ve been through a lot of shit lately, and I need you to have fun. So here is your dare. Kiss the man closest to you.” The room is so silent, you can hear a pin drop. Or maybe it’s just me. My knees buckle underneath my weight as I tilt my neck to get a glimpse of the two men beside me. On my left hand is Julian Cross. On my right hand is Ronan HawkThorne.