All Chapters of Tempted by My Brother's Best Friend (Age Gap Romance): Chapter 301 - Chapter 310

42 - Twice the LikeKatieI hadn’t spoken to Dylan for three whole days.Three. Whole. Days.Which, apparently, was enough time for me to be a mess. I missed him so much it physically hurt, but I also knew I couldn’t just let myself slide back into his arms without sorting through the disaster at work. So, I did what I always did when I felt like a mess. I journaled. Pages and pages about my feelings, Justin being a dickhead, Dylan’s temper, and how all of it somehow tangled together until my brain felt like it was stuffed with marshmallows.Between journaling and working from home, I locked myself in my home studio. My workbench was littered with scraps of silver, half-set stones, and sketches of designs that had nothing to do with Opulence’s official projects.They were mine. Purely mine.The necklace I’d been piecing together was bold, and I could

Bonus SceneKatieThe drive to Dylan’s parents’ house had my stomach in knots. Meeting his parents as his girlfriend (that word made my chest tighten with warmth) felt nerve-wracking. They had wanted us to visit them for so long, and Dylan persuaded me with his puppy eyes. I clutched the bouquet, and Dylan held a bottle of wine I had bought for them, even though he insisted not to be so formal about it.But how could I not? They knew I was Amanda’s best-friend, and now I was dating their younger son. I wanted to be at my best.His mom hugged me so tight that I struggled to breathe, laughing that Dylan had “finally brought a girl home.” She had deep olive skin with bright green eyes, just like Dylan. His dad grinned, shaking my hand firmly before joking, “We were starting to think maybe he was gay, you know, with how secretive he is about his love l

PaigeThe giggling stopped me cold at the front door.It felt wrong.My hand froze on the doorknob of my apartment, keys dangling from fingers. It was barely past seven. I had left work early for once, so I could surprise Jack with his favorite takeout and maybe, just maybe, reclaim a shred of the marriage I had been watching crumble for months.The giggling came again. It was high-pitched and feminine. And most definitely not from the television.It was Lily’s nap-time, so Jack wouldn’t play something on his phone so loudly as to wake her up.My heart hammered against my ribs, and perspiration coated my temples. I took a deep breath and pushed the door open.The apartment was dark except for the hallway light I had left on that morning. Lily’s baby monitor sat on the console table, its green light steady. Our home was small and cozy with walls covered in framed photos of our weddin

DerekThe sound of the shower running just a few feet away was a sweet torture that did absolutely nothing to calm the rage that burned in my veins.I sat on the bed of the guest room, phone in hand, staring at Jack’s name lighting up my screen for the fifth time in ten minutes. My thumb hovered over the decline button before I finally just silenced the damn thing and tossed it onto the counter.Like hell I was talking to that bastard tonight.Lily made a soft, cooing sound from where I had propped her carrier in the middle of the bed. I turned my attention to her instead. She was awake now, her big eyes watching me with that intense baby focus that suggested she was judging my every move.“Your dad’s a complete waste of space,” I said, moving closer to unbuckle her from the carrier. “Just so you know. Complete and total idiot. But you, kid, you’re perfect.”She kicked her little leg

Paige“What?” I stared at Derek. “That’s ridiculous. You are his friend. You were his best man.”“Was I?” Derek laughed, but it was humorless. “Paige, Jack has spent years making sure I kept my distance from you. Why do you think he always scheduled things on the nights you and I used to hang out? Why would he get weird whenever you mentioned grabbing lunch with me?”I opened my mouth to argue and paused. All those times Derek and I had planned to catch up outside of the office, only for Jack to suddenly need me for something. He had stopped going out with Derek as well.The way Jack’s jaw would tighten whenever Derek’s name came up. How he had started calling his friend ‘Peterson’ instead of Derek.Why have I never noticed these things before?“He was jealous,” Derek said, pursing his lips. “Maybe from the beginning.&rdq