Brothers of Paradise Series

And that’s when it hits me that he’s not just angry for Lily’s sake, although that’s undoubtedly there too.

“I know, man.”Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

“Asshole. You’re not even trying to defend yourself. Fight, damn it.”

Fuck this.

I twist around, throwing my leg over his. I’ve never fought in only boxers before, but it does give me a lot of room to maneuver.

I flip him over, hard, and grasp his arms in a lock. He tries to throw me off, but I’m stronger than him.

“I had just crashed a damn car with her in it,” I hiss. “You think I wanted to leave like that? Even your own dad told me to go. I was trying to do the right thing.”

Rhys stills, but his face is still etched in anger. “Fuck you,” he says.

“I know.”

“If you hurt her again…”

“I know,” I repeat. “I won’t.”

He shakes his head in resignation, before he bucks up and hits my head with his. It hurts like hell, my skull ringing with pain.

“Shit.”

Rhys pushes me away and crawls back. He grabs his forehead, doubtlessly hurting too. “What made you brave enough to come back?”

I wipe blood away from the corner of my mouth. “It hurt too much to stay away.”

He nods, like he understands perfectly. For a long moment, we just stare at each other. The hot anger in his gaze lessens to something more like simmering resentment.

When he finally speaks, his voice is full of resignation. “Welcome back, asshole.”

“Thanks.”

Lily approaches us slowly. She has her hands on her hips, her expression dazed. “You’re both idiots,” she says. “Rhys, you should know better.”

“Yes, I should have kicked his ass years ago.”

Lily turns to me. Her hand smooths over my shoulder, eyes scanning me from head to toe. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

She ignores her brother-who is staunchly ignoring us too-and leans down to press a kiss to my lips. “I’m sorry about my family.”

“Don’t be.”

Lily shakes her head at me again and goes to the bathroom. I hear the sound of water running and rummaging in drawers. No doubt she’s looking for things to patch us up with.

Rhys stares at me, and I stare at him.

Finally, he shakes his head. “You should be happy it wasn’t Henry or Parker who came in and saw you half-naked in here. They would have killed you.”

“I’m not easy to kill,” I say. “Plus, I’m a better fighter than all three of you. Always was.”

He shoots me a wry smile. “So we’d have to be three-on-one. Good to know.”

“Think the others will object?”

“Maybe at first,” he says, but then he shakes his head. “I don’t know, man. There’s no telling.”

“Did you just get back?”

“Yes. Came here first.”

I nod, running a hand through my hair. There’s a lot of stuff to work out with her brothers. I left them too, ten years ago-not just Lily. And even if she claims the opposite, I know Lily could never bear to have her family disapprove of us.

So I take a chance.

“Let me just put on some clothes and let’s head to the marina. I know Parker was going to sail today. Want to hit the waves?”

There’s a flicker of hunger in Rhys’s eyes. It’s something I recognize easily: the call of the sea. It lives in Rhys as surely as it lives in me, drawing all of us back here, like driftwood caught in a current.

“Let’s,” he says.

Rhys accepts a Band-Aid from his sister, kisses her forehead, promises to be back for dinner, and heads to his car. He throws out a dark “I’ll only wait five minutes!” to me before shutting the front door behind him.

I accept some fussing from Lily-she pads my busted front lip-before gently pushing her away.

“I have to get dressed, baby.”

She puts a slim hand on my shoulder to stop me. “What did you mean earlier, about my dad telling you to leave?”

Damn.

I rub my neck. “Well, there was a conversation after the accident. We both agreed that it would be best if I left.”

“You both agreed, huh.” She’s quiet for a beat, and when she speaks again, there’s anger in her voice. “I love my father, but he’s a bastard. I can’t imagine he’d change that, especially not with his kid in the intensive care unit.”

“It was a long time ago.”

She shakes her head. “Doesn’t matter. He shouldn’t have ordered you away. Because that’s what he did, right?”

I sigh. The conversation I’d had with Mr. Marchand feels light years away. “He told me to leave, yes,” I say gently. “But I agreed. It was my decision, and it was a terrible one. One I’m sorry for.”

Lily runs a hand through my hair, her touch soft despite the steel in her tone. “I know. But you were eighteen, and you were injured in that car crash too. He had no right.”

“It was a long time ago,” I repeat, catching her hand and pressing a kiss to the palm before releasing it. “I have to get dressed.”