Not Even Close (A New Generation) by Elizabeth Reyes (books to read in a lifetime txt) 📗

“This week? What day?”

Byron could hear the guy’s voice on the other end just couldn’tmake out what he was saying. Already the mental lecture was starting up again. Herefused to blow this, no matter how tempted he knew he’d be to hear about theplans she was clearly making with this dude whose call she had to takewhile she was out with Byron.

“Okay, well let me know. I’m sure I can tweak my schedule. I dohave school, but I’ll figure it out. Anything for you.”

She had two brothers. Byron rationalized in his head. She’d justtold him so. This could be as innocent as that. No need to get all worked upabout hearing her talk so syrupy sweet to another dude while on a fucking datewith Byron—and he wouldn’t. Even if she didn’t bother to explain.

“Okay, I’ll talk to you then. Miss you. Love you, too.” Byron hadjust turned to her nonverbally—because it’d be the only way he’d do it—demandingan explanation. “My brother.”

Everything she said after those first two words were a bit of ablur. Byron was too busy chastising himself about how easily he could lose hiscool over this girl he still knew so little about. Her brother was going to bein town in the next week, but Byron couldn’t even say for what or how long. It’show mentally distracted he’d been by the alarm of how inept he was at keepinghis shit together when it came to this.

“Speaking of brothers,” she paused from her comments about hers.“How’s it feel to have such a famous one?”

“Pretty cool.” He turned to her feeling the tension that’d built waytoo fast drain slowly. “I actually didn’t even know I had a brother until I wassixteen.” He almost didn’t add the next part, but it couldn’t be helped. “Did youknow that?”

As expected, seeing her face flush was enough to have him smilingand helped defuse his earlier concerns. Curse his inherited short fuse. Hecould do this, damn it.

“No, I didn’t,” she said biting her lower lip.

Keeping to himself about his other brother, so they could keepthe conversation on the positive, he stuck with telling her about Beastinstead.

“It’s a long story—”

“We have time.” She sat up straighter turning her body to him.“And this sounds interesting. If . . .” She paused suddenly. “If it’s not toopersonal that is.”

Well, maybe he would have to tell her more than he’d initiallyintended. But she looked so sweet and bright eyed, how could he refuse?

“No, not too personal. Just long and convoluted. I’ll give youthe short version. Basically, our mom married into trouble. She said she had noidea he was even involved in the Mexican cartel until after they married, and mybrother was born. She knew his family members were involved in some shady shit whenshe first fell in love with him, because he’d let her in on that much. But she hadno idea it was as bad as the cartel. By the time she knew the whole truth,leaving him or divorce was out of the question. Only way she’d be allowed toleave was without my brother and that wasn’t happening. She eventually did finallymanage to leave with my brother and disappeared for many years until her husbandhunted her down and punished her.”

Byron frowned looking out the window as he remembered the vaguestories his mother told him to protect him from the harshness, but he knew thereality. It wasn’t hard to decipher what little his mother had been willing toshare about what she’d gone through but needed him to know for his ownprotection.

Deciding he didn’t want to kill the mood, Byron gave Vannah awatered-down version of the rest. She listened intently even if thewatered-down version was pretty fucking gruesome. But he left out that as theyears passed, Byron was convinced the only thing he’d gotten from his piece-of-shitexcuse of a dad was his short fuse.

“Ultimately we were reunited with my brother. It’s when Beastconfirmed that not only was our father gone for good, Beast had killed him himself.We were finally free to live out and about in the open, without the fear ofbeing hunted down.”

Deciding this was as much as she needed to know about this, fornow anyway, he changed the subject. He offered to go through a drive thru and grabsomething to eat but she reminded him she’d brought snacks. “I made quesadillasand salsa. More than I initially anticipated so I think we should be fine. But wecan get drinks because I didn’t bring anything.”

They grabbed a couple of sodas through a drive thru and headed tothe beach. Pulling into the parking lot of the beach. Once he pulled out theblanket from his trunk, Byron instantly took her hand the moment he was closeenough. Like it was something they’d been doing forever, he smiled leaning inand pecked her again.

Grunion weren’t running yet but they started through the sandtoward the shore. Vannah winced as they got closer to the shore. “I’m good withwatching them from here.” Byron turned to her in time to see her wince. “I’venever liked getting close enough to where they might actually touch me.”

Chuckling, he dropped the blanket right where they were. “Just likemy niece Elsa. She makes those faces too. Lucy on the other hand,” he said asthey spread the blanket out. “And she’s the younger one, is the braver one. Sheactually wants to catch them.”

“Oh, no. They’re so slithery. I’m good at this distance.”

“Then here, it is.”

They sat down on the blanket and leaned in to kiss her justcouldn’t be helped. It was long and deep and before he knew it, they were lyingdown on the blanket as the marathon kissing continued. Feeling his heart speedup, Byron’s head raced with panicked thoughts. He hardly knew her and somehow, healready knew, he might be in trouble. He’d had his share of girls he just madeout with and even slept with but nothing more. This just didn’t feel like that.There was something too sweet about her. Something that felt