“Talked to the new girl today,” Damon says, practically fuckin’ skipping into the house after school.

“Wonderful,” I mutter, throwing a piece of ham onto some bread and taking a huge bite. I didn’t even put butter on.

I don’t have fuckin’ time.

Lincoln and I are headed out to work soon.

“Her name is Ellie,” he grins, wiggling his brows.

Finn walks in the door a few minutes later, looks at Damon and rolls his eyes. “Is he still fucking talking about Ellie?”

I nod.

“Dude,” Damon says, throwing his hands up. “Did you get a look at her? Did you hear her soft, sing song voice? I’m in love. You would be too if you got up close. She’s like an angel. I can’t look away.”

Good lord.

The man is pussy struck for the first time in his life.

I fuckin’ hope I never looked that pathetic.

“Pull yourself together,” Finn grunts. “You look like a dick.”

“We’ll see who has the last laugh when she’s dating me, Finn!”

I exhale and turn just as Lincoln enters the room, his dark eyes scan over Damon and Finn, then move to me. “Still swooning over the girl next door?”

I nod. “Fuckin’ infatuated he is.”

“Well,” Damon says, huffily as he storms past. “You will be too when you meet her. Mark my words. Ellie will consume the rest of your life, Slater Knight.”

“Dramatic,” I mutter as he disappears down the hall.

“If I ever act that way over a female,” Finn says, rolling his eyes as he walks past, “Punch me in the balls, to remind me I’ve got some.”

I chuckle, Lincoln too, as he too disappears down the hall. I turn to Lincoln when I’m done, “You ready to get going?”

“Yeah, just put dad to sleep, hopefully be out until tomorrow now.”

Fuckin’ dad. Drunk himself stupid all day, and now he’s passed out. So Lincoln and I spent the day doin’ what we do best, cleanin’ up his fuckin’ mess. And to top it off, we then had to make sure the other two had dinner in the fridge, because we’re both doin’ the night shift. Be glad when Lincoln finally gets his garage up and running. He’s got the location, now he’s just spending his free time getting it ready.

It might take another year or so, but it’ll be fuckin’ good.

Then we’ll be able to set ourselves up for life, and not have to rely on anyone else, most importantly, dad.

Because he’s very fuckin’ good at lettin’ us down.

We let it be for a few years after we lost mom, but now...now it’s just taking its toll. It’s bringing us all down. It’s taking away the very essence of who we are.

“Meet me in the truck, forgot to grab a few things,” Lincoln mutters, pausing at the door and swiftly turning around and going back inside.

I walk out and over to the truck, about to open the door when I see her. She’s sitting by the garden, running her fingers over the flowers. She pauses when she notices me, and looks up. And my breath is nearly knocked from my chest. Damon is right, she’s a fuckin’ angel. Her eyes nearly glisten in the bright sun, as blue as the sky above. She parts her lips just slightly as she takes me in, eyes slowly dragging over my body, head to toe, until she meets my gaze and her cheeks grow pink.

Fuck me.

She’s lovely.

“You must be Damon’s older brother.”

Her voice.

Fuck.

For a second, I forget how to fuckin’ breathe. I stare at her and it takes me more than a minute to find my voice and answer her. “Yeah. Slater.”

She nods, giving me a small, shy smile. “I’m Ellie. Though I’m sure he’s already told you that.”

I nod. “He has. Pleased to meet you, Ellie.”

One thing we all took from mom, was good fuckin’ manners when it came to talkin’ to women. She made sure her boys were all raised to respect ladies. It was one lesson we’ll never forget.

Ellie’s cheeks grow even more pink and she smiles bigger. “Are you going to work?”

I nod. “Yeah, night shift.”

She frowns. “That sucks. Is your brother home?”

I suddenly feel the strong urge to tell her no, he’s not home and she needs to leave him be, and it throws me off.

I don’t know this girl.

Fuck me, she’s too young for a start.

Damon and her would be perfect.

So why the fuck don’t I want him near her?

Something about her delicate features, and the way she’s staring at me, has me wanting to know more, and I shouldn’t want that. Because, she’s younger than me.

I’ll remind myself of that a hundred times over, if I have to.

“Yeah,” I finally say, my voice gruff. Better if she doesn’t like me, perhaps. Then I’ll have absolutely no reason to talk to her.

I go to step away from her, and get into the truck when she says, “It was really nice to meet you, Slater Knight.”

And fucked if I’m not completely hooked in that single second.

But I don’t look back.

I get in the car and close the door.

Dammit.

Ellie.

How can one single person have such a huge impact in a matter of seconds?

~*~*~*~