The Wrong Brother's Temptation novel Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Sienna

“Aaron, calm down,” I tried, tugging at my arm, but his grip didn’t loosen.

“Calm down?” He whirled on me, and I actually took a step back at the fury in his eyes. “You want me to down? Sienna, what were you thinking?”

“I wasn’t. I mean, nothing happened….”

I wasn’t entirely sure of that because I didn’t remember when and how I got in Connor’s bed to begin with But the way I had been gawking at him just a few seconds ago….

“Nothing happened,” he repeated flatly. “You’re standing in my brother’s bedroom, wearing a dress that loo like you slept in it, and you expect me to believe nothing happened?”

His gaze flicked back to the bed, to the messy sheets and displaced pillows, and his eyes widened even furth “Did you…” He broke off, looking like he couldn’t even finish the sentence. “For the Goddess sake, Sienna.”

“It’s not what it looks like,” I said quickly, even though I had no idea what it actually looked like because I couldn’t remember half of last night.

“Really?” Aaron’s voice was climbing in volume now. “Because it looks like you spent the night with Connor. In his bed. After wearing that…that…” He gestured wildly at my dress, falling short of adjectives to describe it.

“What the hell were you thinking, going out dressed like that?”

Something hot and uncomfortable twisted in my chest.

“Dressed like what, exactly?” I asked, my voice dangerously quiet.

Aaron blinked, clearly not expecting pushback. “Like…like that! You’re practically falling out of it!”

“I’m wearing a dress,” I said flatly. “A perfectly normal dress that lots of people wear.”

Nothing about the dress was normal or this conversation.

“Not you!” he shot back. “You don’t dress like this. You don’t go to clubs. You don’t…” He gestured between me and Connor. “You don’t do this!”

“Do what?” I demanded. “Live my life? Make my own choices? Exist without your permission?”

“That’s not what I meant!” His ears were growing red.

“That’s exactly what you meant,” I cut him off, yanking my arm tree from his grip. “Do you think I need your approval for what I wear and where I go? Or for who I spend time with?”

Aaron looked genuinely shocked, like I’d just slapped him which, considering our history, was fair. I’d never

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Chapter 20

talked to him like this before.

We never had fights or disagreements. I couldn’t even remember when we had raised our voices agains other.

I’d always just agreed to his opinion without a doubt and listened to him. I had always followed his lead the lovesick puppy Connor had accused me of being.

But right now, with him glaring at me like I’d committed some unforgivable sin, I felt something snap in

1. me.

“You don’t get to do this,” I said, my voice shaking slightly. “You don’t get to ignore me for days while you off with Sandra, and then show up here acting like I owe you an explanation for my life.”

I shouldn’t have said that but the words were out already.

“This is different,” Aaron insisted. “This is Connor.”

“So?”

“So?” He looked at me like I’d lost my mind. “So you hate Connor! We both hate Connor! He’s a manipulative bastard who’s probably just using you for some sick game!”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Connor said mildly from where he was now sitting on the edge of his dresser, rolling up his shirt sleeves. “Really feeling the brotherly love here.”

“Stay out of this!” Aaron snapped without looking at him.

“Kind of hard to do it when you’re in my bedroom, yelling at my guest,” Connor pointed out.

Aaron’s face was turning an interesting shade of red.

“Your guest,” he repeated indignantly. “Is that what we’re calling it?”

“Aaron,” I said, trying one more time to inject some reason into this conversation. “Nothing happened. Connor was just…”

“Just what?” Aaron demanded, turning back to me. “Being a good Samaritan? Give me a break, Sia. This is Connor we’re talking about. He doesn’t do anything without an ulterior motive.”

“Maybe you don’t know him as well as you think you do,” I found myself saying.

Aaron stared at me like I had said there were two suns in the sky.

“Are you fucking defending him right now?”

“I’m just saying.”

“You spent the night with him.” Aaron interrupted, his voice sounding ugly. “Didn’t you?”

I hesitated because technically, yes. I had spent the night in Connor’s bed but I was about 87% sure nothing

-? THU, Jul 23

Chapter 20

had happened.

Okay, maybe 75%.

But Aaron was looking at me with something that might have been hurt underneath all that anger, an was a petty, vindictive part of me that wanted him to feel even a fraction of what I’d felt watching him disappear into a room with Sandra.

So I lifted my chin and said, “Yes.”

Aaron’s eyes widened, disbelief evident in them. “Yes?”

“Yes,” I repeated, more firmly this time. “I spent the night with Connor.”

Technically true. Just… missing some context like the fact that I’d been unconscious for most of it.

Aaron looked utterly baffled like I’d just told him Connor was my husband. About that deal..it didn’t soun too bad right now.

“I can’t believe this,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “I can’t believe you would do this. With him. you have any idea how stupid this is?”

“Excuse me?” I folded my hands on my chest

“He’s Connor, Sia. Connor! The same guy who spent our entire childhood tormenting you. The same guy wh made you cry more times than I can count.”

His gaze flicked to Connor who still was unbothered by his half–brother’s meltdown.

“Or…did he force you to?”

“What?”

Aaron lowered his voice, whispering to me.

“Did he drug you? Did he put something in your drink?”

“I don’t need to spike her drink or anyone’s to get them in my bed. Just putting it out there” Connor replied just as casually like Aaron hadn’t accused him of being a creep molester

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