Page 5 of Splintered Desire

I turn to look at my dad over Diane’s head, but he won’t meet my gaze, instead keeping his focus on the pool.

I knew Diane had kids. Dad had mentioned them a few times, but I never realized they were still living here! I thought they were older than me, like grown and moved away, but now I’m thinking I might be wrong. Hell, even if they are, why would they move away when their house probably has ninety-eight bedrooms?

Damn it, Dad!

I turn to the pool and have to actively work to keep my mouth closed as three very attractive, soaking wet, and half-naked ‘boys’ make their way out of the pool.

Ican’t believe he kept this from me… Actually, I can.

He knew there was no way in hell I would have agreed to move in with them had I known. I was already on the fence about it. I could have gotten my own place. I had every intention of renting out a shitty apartment until I finished up my degree. Then I could get a job and a new place, and he wouldn’t be so suspicious. As it was, I could get a nice place and car with what I’ve saved up fighting the last few years, but I wasn’t trying to draw attention to myself.

I needed to blend in, which is why when Dad all but begged me to move in and save up my money at least until I finished my degree, I caved.

This is what I get for being such a bleeding heart when it comes to Dad…

Stuck in a house with three would-be Greek gods that will soon be my stepbrothers.

I swear ‌they move in slow motion as they head toward us. It’s easy to miss their similarities at a glance, but as I look closer, I see it. Subtle things that let me know they’re related, like the slope of their noses, the cut of their jaws, above-average height, and the curve of their lips. Two of the three have blue eyes, while the third has all dark features. It’s as if their features go from light to dark.

All three of them are in good shape, with golden skin and muscles covered in tattoos that quickly have my mind going to the gutter. The one closest to me has shockingly blond hair that borders on white, and I have to fight the urge to ask if he bleaches it. Everything about his face screams leave me the fuck alone, but something about him tickles the back of my brain; he almost seems familiar.

It takes me a second before it dawns on me.

He looks like Draco from Harry Potter, but not like the one in the movies. No, he looks like the hotter version that I always see plastered all over the internet for fanfictions.

Unfortunately, the scowl on his face is much the same. He looks at me as if I’m the dirt under his feet, and honestly, I just might be with our social differences.

The middle one is the in-between; his hair is still blond, but it looks much more natural. His sides are cut short and the top longer, slicked back from the water. His skin is tan, and while his eyes are also blue, they're a deeper shade. He doesn’t look at me like I’m below him, but he could still believe that; it’s hard to know for sure when his face is damn near impassive.

The last one is all dark features, dark hair, deeply tanned skin, with tattoos all the way up his neck. He has piercings in his ears and a hoop in his nose, and his eyes might be brown or maybe hazel; it’s hard to tell with his hair hanging down wet in his face, but he makes no move to push it back the way the other two have. Unlike his brothers, he doesn’t disregard me or look at me with disgust, but I almost wish he would.

The smile that turns his lips up is… wicked. His tongue darts out to run over his bottom lip as he looks me over from head to toe, and it takes everything in me not to cringe away from his gaze.

Something tells me I don’t want to be on the receiving end of his attention, or any of theirs, for that matter.

Fuck me.

Why couldn’t they be ugly?

They stand only a few feet away, close enough that I have to fight the urge to take a step away from them and their piercing gazes.

“Zela, these are my boys, Kolson, Isaac, and Jace.” She gestures to each of them as she says their names, and my eyes track the movement. “Boys, this is Zela.”

Kolson is the Malfoy wannabe, Isaac the blank slate, and Jace the unhinged one.

Got it.

Jace takes a step toward me, close enough that I have to crane my neck back in order to continue to hold his gaze. The gleam in his eyes promises danger, and I fight against the urge to shiver, though I’m unsure if it’s from fear or something else…

With my focus on his face, I miss him reaching out to snag my hand. He pulls my hand up to his lips, pressing a kiss to my knuckles, lingering there for just long enough that I start to squirm. My reaction seems to be what he was looking for. His lips twist in a smirk against my hand before he lets it drop, his face once again impassive, as if it was never there to begin with.

“We’ve heard so much about you,” Jace says, and it takes everything in me not to snap at him. It’s not his fault, after all.

“Must be nice,” I say, glaring at my dad, who still doesn’t look my way. All three of the guys follow my gaze, and I watch as understanding lights their eyes.

At least they have brains to go with their good looks.

And they’ll also be my brothers soon. Ew, no.