Page 123 of Merciless

I’d propped my phone on the nightstand to record it all, intending to send it to Derrick as proof that I got my stepsister to sleep with not only me, but with Asher as well. It’s the whole point of me being with her.

Or at least, it was. Maybe not for Asher since he’s obsessed with her and refuses to fully admit it.

I click the video, and options pop up. I tap the send-in-text option and bring up Derrick’s name. The video attaches in the message. My thumb hovers over the send button, and I stare at it for what feels like hours.

Glancing up from the phone, I look at the hallway leading to the bedroom where Asher and Eden are sound asleep. I’ve sat out here, watching the video and debating if I should do this for two hours. It’s the third time I’ve attached the video in a message. Every time, I’ve deleted it and stewed.

Once I hit send, that will be the end of everything between Eden and me. She’ll close me out for good. I could beg for forgiveness, but that’s beneath me.

As for Asher . . .

He’d never forgive me if Eden closes him out, too. I see that happening, and I won’t have my brother if I do this.

I want to win the bet, but I’m loyal to my brother first.

But Eden . . . She’s crawled beneath my skin and is right there next to Asher with my loyalty. I don’t know when the hell this happened, but I don’t want to lose her either.

Then there’s the jealousy to consider. Do I really want Derrick seeing Eden naked as she takes our cocks? The sick fuck would probably get off to it.

Footsteps break through my thoughts. I turn my phone over, then click the lock button on the side as I turn my head.

Asher, dressed in nothing but boxers, crosses the room and sits beside me on the couch. He stretches his legs, digs into the crease of the sofa, and pulls out a hidden sucker. He unravels the wrapper before popping it into his mouth.

“You didn’t do it, did you?” he asks softly. He peeks at me from the corner of his eye. His muscles tighten, and he clenches his hands in his lap.

He’s already worked up about the idea of me sending the video to Derrick.

“No,” I say.

He nods, silent and likely on the same train of thought that I’ve been on for the last few hours.

What will happen if and when I send the proof to Derrick?

What will come out of it, and how will my relationship with Asher end up?

I fold my arms against my bare chest, then stretch my legs, mirroring Asher.

“You won’t forgive me,” I say, meaning to make it into a question, but it comes out as a statement.

I already know the answer.

“No.” He turns his head, eyes narrowed and jaw clenched.

“I figured,” I mumble.

“Are you going to do it anyway?”

“I never lose a bet.”

Asher scowls at me. “So your pride means more than your feelings for her and me? What happened to the plan to get her pregnant?”

I drag my palm over my face and drop my head back against the cushion. “We can still get her pregnant.”

“By force,” Asher growls. “But I don’t want my little ghost being forced. I prefer her willing.”

“You realize that what we’re doing is fucked up, right?” I peek at him. “And we don’t know if the plan will work, or if our father is vindictive enough to withhold the money from all of us.”

He shrugs and rolls his eyes. “I don’t give a single shit if it’s right or wrong. She’s mine.”