All Chapters of Forbidden Ties; stuck between two brothers : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

I waited in anticipation, my entire body was tingling with expectation. I parted my lips, waiting for the brush of his lips against mine but then he drew back.He patted my hand like I was a child. "You're too good for being stood up, Tara. And too good for settling for casual sex."Before I could process what was happening, he'd already signaled the bartender, paid for my drinks, and walked away. When my brain finally caught up with what he had done, Jeremiah had already disappeared, like he wasn’t there to begin with. I sat there feeling aroused and utterly confused, my body still humming with unfulfilled want."Tara!" Lolita appeared out of nowhere, grabbing my hand with drunk enthusiasm. "Come dance with us!"I forced excitement onto my face and let her drag me toward the dance floor, looking over my shoulder one last time. But Jeremiah was gone, swallowed by the crowd or maybe already out the door.The music pounded through me as I danced with Lolita, then with Tracy, their joy

Once we were inside my apartment, I clicked the door shut and started pacing the length of my living room, my heels clicking against the hardwood with each angry step."Someone's worked up," Jason said with that teasing lilt he probably thought was charming."Not now." I whirled on him, my finger jabbing the air between us. "You don't get to ditch me last night and then show up here with flowers like some romantic hero without even telling me you were coming.”I stormed forward, raising a finger at his face. “You especially don't get to charm my friends and make me look like the unreasonable one."He stepped closer, reaching for my waist. "Tara, sweetheart, I told you something came up at work. It was emergency.” His lips curled into a small smile. “I came here tonight to make it up to you and show you I'm sorry."I pulled away from his touch. "There's always something with you, Jason. Always an emergency, and a reason why I'm not the priority."His expression shifted, a flash of irri

Tara’s POVThe world narrowed down to those electric blue eyes. That was the only way to describe them up close, in full daylight, they were almost unreal, framed by dark lashes that had absolutely no right to exist on someone who was also that tall and that broad-shouldered."Excuse me." Someone snapped behind us. We scrambled apart like teenagers caught doing something wrong. A middle-aged man pushed his cart between us with pointed impatience, and Jeremiah and I both reached for words at the same time."I didn't mean to…""Sorry, I wasn't…"We both stopped. He recovered first, holding out the item he grabbed from the shelf. I had been stretching myself half to death for canned tomatoes.I caught the amusement pulling at the corner of his mouth. "Going to war with the shelf over canned tomatoes?"The laugh escaped before I could stop it, breaking the tension. "They were on sale and I have my priorities.""Clearly." He handed them over, and our fingers brushed during the transfer

TARA’S POVJason opened his mouth to respond, but before he could get a word out, Betty was already upon us like a perfumed hurricane."Jason Finch! I cannot believe you're sitting here and didn't even think to say hello!" She draped herself over his shoulder, her fingers trailing across his arm in obvious affection. "It's been ages since I've seen you around town. When did you get back?"Jason's discomfort was palpable as he gently tried to extract himself from her grip. "Betty, hi. I'm actually in the middle of a conversation right now."But I was barely listening. The name kept echoing in my head, bouncing around like a pinball. Finch. Finch. Finch."Your last name is Finch?" I asked, cutting through whatever Betty was saying.Jason laughed but it was a nervous sound. "Yeah. Jason Finch. I thought you knew?"My heart was pounding now, panic rising in my chest. "Like the Finch?"Betty turned to look at me properly for the first time, one perfectly sculpted eyebrow arched. "Honey, w

TARA’S POVI arrived at Coby's Bar with Lolita, the bass from inside already thrumming through the wooden doors. The place had that rustic charm of small-town bars with string lights hanging from the ceiling, a mix of booths and high-top tables, ans the warm glow of amber lighting that made everything feel slightly softer."There's my station," Lolita said, pointing to the bar where another girl was already working. "I'll catch up with you later, okay? Go find your people."I nodded, suddenly nervous now that I would be alone. The dress felt tighter now, and the makeup was like a mask I wasn't sure I could maintain all evening.I scanned the crowd, searching for my team members and finally spotted them in a corner booth near the back. Daniel's distinctive laugh carried over the music. Joshua was gesturing wildly with his hands, clearly in the middle of a story. And there, sitting with his back to the wall, eyes already tracking my approach…Jeremiah.My heart did that stupid skip