ONE WEEK 1 Read Online Free

I’ll rip your nads off.”
    I nod once, not meeting her eyes, and follow her to the kitchen, where Mill and Brand Slade are greeting imp with hugs and effusive kisses before pulling me into the fold.
    We eat an early dinner, conversation flowing freely around the table as the five of us get caught up and listen to the hundred things that still need doing before the wedding next Saturday.
    “You sitting for the bar soon?”
    I see imp flinch before turning to Brand and shrugging, a sure sign that she’s uncomfortable with the line of conversation.
    “Not yet. I’ve been busy working for the Dark Lord. She’s keeping me on my toes and enjoying every drop of blood she can get.”
    The answer does little to satisfy her father, and I see him take a deep breath, his lungs no doubt ready to blast her to kingdom come for the non-answer.
    “Mum asked me to get you to ring her some time during the week. She loved those jerseys you sent her last autumn and wanted to talk to you about the stitch or pattern or something,” I interject, looking as serious as I can without laughing at Brand’s frown.
    I adore the man as much as my own father but he’s too much sometimes, something Grey and I both agree on, and way too hard on imp. If she goes left he shoves her right and vice versa.
    According to Brand Slade, anything that imp gets into her head is the exact opposite of what’s safe or right for her.
    “Oh! Uh,yeah, sure. She called me two months ago and we spoke about those quilts she was making, but I — ”
    She’s saved from the outright lie on her lips when a commotion in the hall heralds the arrival of the prodigal son, and everyone but she and me leaves the table.
    “Phew! That was close one. Thanks.”
    It’s stuttered and barely audible, but I hear what she’s saying and smile, dipping my head in acknowledgement.
    “That’s all right, imp, no harm. The old man still riding your arse about being the next best thing in law?”
    “Eternally.”
    “And that’s not what you want from life.”
    It’s no question but a statement of fact. Imp is not cut out to be a lawyer. While she’s insanely intelligent and focused, the woman enjoys crocheting doilies, bleeding hell.
    I can picture her in a courtroom about as well as I see myself wearing pink fishnets beneath a dress. Not at all. Ever.
    “Tell him, imp.”
    “And then what? He’ll have a fit and start the freeze out like he did with poor Logan. No, I’m jus t — ”
    “Putting off the inevitable.”
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter Four
    Becky
    Yeah, I know this shit is inevitable, I think, staring down at my half-eaten chicken and the potato I’d been about to go Terminator on, suddenly not even a little hungry anymore.
    I always feel this way when I think about Dad and his unreasonable expectations. Too bad I’m not always capable of staying without an appetite, hence my big butt.
    “Look, Devon, give me a goddamned break, okay? My dad’s like a Nazi when it comes to what he expects. You know what happened when Logan went into the Marines instead of taking that football scholarship and going pro-ball. They haven’t spoken in years. The only reason we’re seeing him next week is because Lila threatened to cancel the wedding if he didn’t keep his yap shut.”
    Logan is by far my favorite brother. He’s three years my senior, but he’s always been there for me, even in girly situations like that time I got my period and needed him to bring me tampons.
    We used to be inseparable, but due to the ‘banishment’ I haven’t spoken to him in about eight months, when he was deployed. Dad’s a great guy, but he has these goals for each of his kids and if we don’t conform he gets stone cold about that shit: what I am currently trying to avoid.
    “You’re talking to me,” he says, and I frown, before it hits me.
    I haven’t stammered or stuttered or blushed once, not once, because I’m angry and irritated by his nosy interference.