Page 104 of Merciless

Or maybe it’s me.

Hi, I’m the problem, and I keep getting in my own way.

Saying I’m scared of the outcome isn’t working anymore. I can’t find a good enough reason why I shouldn’t sleep with my stepbrothers.

“Did you not get enough rest?” Shane asks, bringing me back to the topic.

I groan beneath my breath. “Not really.”

I didn’t realize how insatiable Elijah would be. He fucked my brains out as soon as we got back to campus, right before I left for the arcade. It would have been nice to have a nap, but no, he chose to make me scream until my throat became raw.

Then he disappeared afterward. No cuddling. No kissing and talking to me about literally anything.

I don’t get it. He wants sex, but he doesn’t stick around afterward. I thought he’d be the type to talk in bed.

I stand and stride away from Shane and the game. I’m too ashamed to admit to my friend that I’ve been doing things I promised myself I would never do.

I don’t date.

I don’t like men.

But here I am, getting tangled in Elijah’s web.

Shane follows and grabs my shoulder. I spin around and face him. “Easy there. What’s going on?”

“I have this friend⁠—”

“Whoa, hold on now.” He waves a hand. “You have other friends? I’m hurt. Truly.”

He grins, thinking it’ll make me laugh, but when all I do is blankly stare at him, he sighs and shoves his hands into his pockets.

“So you have a friend,” he says. “Go on.”

“She’s in a weird situation with a guy she really shouldn’t be with. He’s hard to trust and . . .”

Shit. I don’t know how much to tell him. If I say the guy is my friend’s stepbrother, he’ll know it’s about me. We’ve talked about our families and growing up.

Trauma dumping and all that.

Shane raises an eyebrow when I don’t say anything.

I let out a breath. “We’ll just say he’s off-limits because of how close their families are.”

He tilts his head. “Like stepsiblings close? Or a family friend close?”

I wince and avert my gaze. “Stepsiblings.”

“Okay, so she’s getting close to her stepsibling. Or is it more than one?”

“More than one.” I peek at him, trying to get a read on him, but he’s closed off, his expression blank as he listens.

“She’s talking to two of her stepsiblings,” he says with a nod. “Uh-huh. So I’m guessing she’s feeling a little guilty about that.”

“Yeah,” I say. “She asked me what she should do. If she goes all in with them, she’ll face backlash because of their relationship. But she also doesn’t want to not be with them because then she’ll get serious FOMO. I told her I’d get a second opinion. That’s where you come in.”

“And her stepbrothers are okay with sharing?” Shane rubs the back of his neck with an awkward smile. “Because sometimes guys can be territorial, but I think in this case, with them being brothers, they’re probably used to it and have done it before.”

I clench my teeth at the thought of Elijah and Asher sharing the same woman. I push that thought aside. No way am I going to get jealous over some nameless chick.