The Wrong Brother's Temptation novel Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Sienna

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1 stared at Sandra’s text for a full thirty seconds still wondering if I should call her back and decline politely but firmly.

But I also sensed she was doing this in front of Aaron to show that she was the unproblematic one. And I wasn’t going to let that slide.

Even if I hated Aaron for that quickie with another random girl, I would talk to him, put some sense into him and sort it out.

That’s what my whole life had been either way- sorting his mess and imagining him to finally realize one day that he needed no other girl except me.

My eyes glazed through her text message without reading a single word about her detailed plans then put the phone face down.

I stared at my ceiling and had a serious internal debate about whether I was the kind of person who threw away an olive branch just because the person extending it had called me a pick–me girl in front of witnesses, fake–cried on Aaron twice, and pushed an innocent florist to the ground.

Sighing, I picked the phone back up and called Jane.

She answered on the second ring. “Tell me everything about Connor, don’t you dare skip anything!”

“How are you already on Connor?”

“Because you went radiosilent after the last message. You didn’t tell me anything and I’ve been waiting for days so you better start talking.”

“Fine. I apologized and he accepted. Now I need to talk to you about something else,” I said.

“Is it Connor–related?”

“It’s Sandra–related.”

She took a long pause that communicated considerable disappointment. “Go ahead.”

I told her about the entire fiasco with Sandra minus the making out with Connor last night or literally just anything related to him and jumped to her invitation to hang out and my stupid dilemma. Jane was quiet for a moment that managed to be extremely loud.

“She called you desperate, pushed a poor girl and said you’d pay for slapping Aaron” she counted out all the reasons for reminding me why it was a terrible idea.

“I have her full CV memorized, Jane.”

“And she wants a fresh start by inviting you to some girl’s day out. And here you are actively considering it?”

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15:16 Thu, Jul 23

Chapter 54

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“I don’t want her to turn me into the villain which I know is her plan,” I said, which sounded mature out loud and felt, internally, like approximately forty percent of the truth.

The other sixty percent was that Connor lived in that house and I hadn’t seen him since he’d dropped me home last night with my hand over his in the dark of the car, and I didn’t know what to do with any of the feelings I’d woken up with this morning, and going to the house was the only plan I currently had.

I wasn’t telling Jane that part.

What had happened last night with his mom belonged to Connor. He’d let me see it, and that was different from it being a story to tell especially because it wasn’t mine.

He had not said a word and I hadn’t mentioned it either but maybe this would give me a perfect excuse to go talk to him in person.

“Okay, so you are going to just sit there and pretend to be BFFs with that lying bitch?” Jane asked haughtily. “Who even said I was going alone?” I replied hopefully and I could hear her gasp.

“You want me to come with you?” Jane asked.

“If you still think of me as a friend.”

“Ouch, low blow. But I wouldn’t say no either way.”

“Really?” My voice perked up.

“You think I’m letting you walk into a room full of Sandra’s friends alone? Your social survival instincts are genuinely terrible. Remember the pub incident with that stupid asshole?”

“I really don’t want to talk about it.”

“We should talk about it more actually, because you would have saved yourself a lot of trouble if you had said ‘No‘ and slapped the shit out of him.”

“Jane. Save the lecture for when we meet in person. Will you come or not?”

“Send me the details, baby. If Sandra tries anything, we have a plan.” I heard her chuckle like an evil villain.

“We don’t have a plan.”

“We will by the time I get there.” She reassured me.

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1 barely showered and changed into something comfortable and by that time Jane was already knocking at my door.

I opened it to see her holding a tote bag she’d curated specifically for the occasion. “I came with a foolproof plan and the number one priority is snacks,” she said, pulling things out as she catalogued them, ‘in case the food is pretentious. Portable charger. And…” she produced a small notebook. “I’ve also compiled comeback

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15:16 Thu Jul 23

Chapter 54

categories. Subtle insults, open insults, and what I’m calling the nuclear option.”

I stared at her. “You made a list.”

“I’ve been through a breakup. I have energy to redirect.”

“You broke up with Nate?”

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“Obviously, well it wasn’t even a relationship to be honest, just a date. But he vouched for someone who tried to assault you. That’s not a minor thing.” She said it without drama, and tucked the notebook back into the bag. “Now. Are we doing this?”

I pulled her into a hug and we both took a cab to Ashford mansion because neither of us was in the mood to drive.

Jane and Olivia were my friends but they hadn’t actively interacted with Aaron much because I’d met them much later in life.

“Wish Olivia was here” I said and Jane replied. “Don’t worry, she is having the time of her life hooking up with frat boys in her city. She is doing fine…”

She was speaking but stopped speaking abruptly when she came face to face with the enormous gates of the Ashford mansion.

The Ashford gates did the same thing they always did–that particular thing to my stomach that hadn’t changed since I was eight years old. Jane pressed her face toward the window as we came up the drive. “Damn,” she said reverently. “This isn’t a mansion but a fucking palace. The photos you showed me don’t do justice to the actual thing.”

The security guards let me walk in without a second glance, making Jane squeal again.

“Oh my Goddess, you are a VIP here with unrestricted entry!”

“Close your mouth,” I said, grabbing her by the arm.

“Do I have to bow to the alpha and luna if they are inside? Holy mother of wolf, they are definitely home, aren’t they?”

“No, they only visit this mansion from time to time for special events or meetings. It’s mostly Aaron who lives here.”

“Ooh Connor is there too?” She chirped and I ignored her question because I wasn’t sure if he was indeed here. My heart did that odd flip on hearing his name either way.

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