Page 15 of My Ex’s Billionaire Brothers (Forbidden Hearts #5)

GAGE

Last night was unforgettable. My mind won’t settle the details into my memory like normal. Been ruminating on it all night long, staring at the cracked ceiling of the motel.

Anya is still asleep in the other bed—I’ve been watching her all night.

She seems to finally be at peace, and we did that for her.

Pride threatens to swell and make me want to take credit, but it was a group effort.

I might’ve sworn off emotional entanglements in this arrangement, but I can’t lie to myself.

She’s incredible, and I want more of her.

Still, I remind myself, we have a no-feelings rule.

Easier said than done. Part of me scoffs at the idea that I could keep emotions out of it when it comes to Anya.

She’s the kind of woman I’ve always wanted—someone who challenges me, someone I can protect, someone who softens my rough edges without even trying.

Fuck the rules.

As much as I’d like to throw myself into this headlong, it’s a terrible idea. Her breakup is barely official. She’s my brother’s ex-fiancée. She’s not as kinky as anyone I’ve ever played with. Those are all valid reasons to keep my head straight, and that’s not even taking my baggage into account.

I don’t date, not seriously anyway. I might run scenes with the same person a couple of times, but never more than that. It’s better for everyone involved. There are no hard feelings if you don’t develop feelings in the first place.

With a grunt, I rise from the bed, careful not to wake Anya. The morning light cuts a harsh angle across the motel carpet. Theo is still spooned behind her, his eyes flicking up to me when he sees me move. We exchange quick nods to say good morning, and then I head off for the bathroom.

Can’t say I’m not jealous of Theo’s sleeping position, but of the three of us, he’s the least likely to catch feelings, so that’s probably why he took it.

The man is a block of ice, and Theo is always trying to protect me and Hunter from making bad choices.

He thinks we’ll fall for someone and screw things up for the business.

I get why he thinks that about Hunter—the man might joke around, but he’s all heart.

But why Theo thinks that about me, I have no idea.

We’re only an hour into the drive when a notification pings on my phone. I glance at the screen and see a social media post from Mom. A photo of Calvin and Brenna appears, but there’s a sad face attached to the pic. I read the caption.

A pity the happy couple won’t be here for the holiday, but apparently Castle Beach is more fun than family. Happy Fourth, everyone!

A sour taste floods my mouth. Hunter has the middle seat, and Anya’s sitting in the back seat, fiddling with her phone. I exchange a glance with Theo, who’s behind the wheel, and then slide my phone into my pocket.

“News from home?” he asks, low enough that Anya won’t hear.

I follow his lead, speaking quietly. “Calvin is bringing his new girlfriend to Castle Beach.”

Theo’s knuckles go white on the steering wheel. “You telling her?”

I blow out a breath. I really do not want to do this. Everything’s been going so well. But there’s no point in hiding it from her. “I have to. Otherwise, she’ll be blindsided.”

He nods, gaze flicking to the rearview mirror, then back to me. The hum of the road grows louder in my ears as I turn to face Anya. She’s got her phone in her hand, but I recall that Hunter blocked any notifications from Calvin’s socials. She sees me watching and lifts a brow in curiosity.

“Everything okay?” she asks, pushing a strand of wavy brown hair behind her ear.

I clear my throat, heart sinking at the prospect of ruining her morning. “I just saw a post on our mom’s social media. Calvin’s apparently coming to Castle Beach. With his new girlfriend.”

Her face pales, the color draining as my heart sinks. “He’s—so soon?”

“I’m sorry. I know it’s the last thing you want to hear?—”

“Who?”

“What?”

“The girlfriend.”

This is going to sting. “Brenna.”

She blows out a long breath. “So, it’s official. They’re together.”

I’m not sure how to respond. There’s nothing I can say that will make this better. “Evidently.”

Her mind reels, and I can see it in her eyes.

The calculations, the anger, the pain. “People in Castle Beach already talk, especially about me running off to Boston like a fool. And if Calvin shows up with someone else…” She trails off, glancing out the window.

“I’m just afraid he’ll say or do something that hurts my parents or humiliates me in front of everyone. ”

Guilt twists in my gut. He’s done enough to humiliate her already. “He won’t,” I say firmly. “We won’t let him. If he tries anything, he’ll have to go through us.”

She gives me a wan smile. “Thank you.”

I face forward again, anger stewing in my veins.

Calvin’s actions always leave destruction in their wake.

The man might be my half brother, but that doesn’t mean I won’t kick his ass if he hurts Anya again.

The only reason he has for coming to Castle Beach is to upset her. I’m going to make him regret it.

A couple of hours later, we pull into a run-down gas station off the highway.

The air is thick with the smell of diesel and fried snacks.

Theo grabs the pump, Hunter stretches his legs, and Anya heads inside to use the restroom.

I linger by the SUV, phone in hand. Frustration gnaws at me—I need to know why Calvin isn’t going to the big Carver family gathering.

What excuse did he give everyone? How is he going to play this?

I dial my mother. She picks up on the third ring, her voice sliding into that polished tone only old-money socialites can muster. “Gage, darling, where on earth are you?”

“On the road,” I reply, curt. “Are you aware that Calvin’s skipping the family’s Fourth of July plans in favor of Castle Beach?”

She lets out a tinkling laugh that makes my molars grind.

“Oh, yes. He has a rather important announcement to make, dear, and he wanted to make it in front of his three eldest brothers. You know how he values your opinion. But since you three are chauffeuring that girl around the country instead of spending time with your family, he had to adjust his travel arrangements.”

I grip the phone tighter. “The girl’s name is Anya. And maybe if Calvin hadn’t been such an ass to her, we wouldn’t be cleaning up his mess.”

“Now, Gage,” she chides, “that’s hardly a kind way to speak of your brother. And what about me? I had hoped we’d all be together for this momentous occasion.”

My patience frays. “You jet off to exotic locales every holiday. Why is this year so different?”

She sighs, like she’s disappointed I’m not catching on. “Don’t ruin the surprise by telling the others, but Calvin is announcing his Senate run, darling. He needs the family’s support. He was hoping for a charming little press piece, all the Carvers in one place.”

I bark a humorless laugh. “So that’s the real reason he dumped Anya? Some lousy government job?”

“It’s not lousy , Gage,” she says, her voice going cold and dropping her usual pretension. “We are a legacy family, and a Senate seat is quite a respectable step in the right direction. It takes an ambitious mind to pursue such a path.”

I roll my shoulders, forcing back a snarl. “Anya’s worth more than any fleeting power play. Any man would be lucky to have her on his arm.”

There’s a heartbeat of silence, then my mother’s voice dips back into that singsong tone. “You sound like you’re in love, darling. Perhaps there’s more behind this road trip than just pity for Calvin’s cast-off fiancée.”

“And you sound like you love your son’s ambition more than human beings.”

“Given our history, Gage, I would have thought that much was clear to you already.”

Our history. A childhood of neglect and nannies.

Teenage years filled with tutors and the best schools and social climbing.

She hated that I got into bodybuilding and that I just kept growing.

Said it made me look too much like my father.

But the gym was the only real connection I ever had with the man, so I kept at it.

She forbade me from lifting weights when I started hulking out of my school uniform.

But she couldn’t stop me from using the gym at school.

And when I turned eighteen, she couldn’t stop me from signing up for the Marines.

She did her level best to prevent me from shooting through the ranks as fast as I was.

She called in favors and nagged generals like they were no different from her maids.

It was embarrassing, to say the least. Mom hated everything about my military career, except the fact that it ended.

There are days I still wonder whether the accident that closed my career was an actual accident or if Mom paid off the kid behind the wheel of the Humvee.

When I think too hard about it, I can still see the look of concentration in his eyes right before that fated turn.

He jerked the wheel for no reason, and that was it.

The next thing I knew, we were rolling down a deep crevasse. The memory of rolling forever never left me, not even with the concussion. We’d been warned that the terrain had taken more people out than the enemy combatants had. I understood why. Going over and over, down, down, down?—

My stomach knots when I think about it. I imagine Vasquez thought the crevasse was shallower than it was. No money in the world was worth what happened to him—a broken neck and a mangled body. He barely survived.

My concussion was the least of my worries in the moments after the Humvee settled. I had to get my team out of the vehicle. We were sitting ducks if the enemy found us, so I radioed for help and started dragging them out, one by one, to get us moving again. That’s where my memory gets foggy.

I got Myers, Anderson, and Wallis out first, and they were beat up but whole, relatively speaking.

Mostly scrapes and concussions. I dragged Shepard out too, and she had blood streaming down her face from her broken nose.

I was going to tell her to pinch the bridge of her nose to staunch it, but she said, “Carver, your arm!”

I looked at my right arm and saw bone and meat. And then, I saw nothing at all.

Woke up in a trauma center a few days later and subsequently fell right back to sleep. Technically, it was a coma, or so they tell me. I didn’t really come around until I was back in Boston, with Mom standing next to me, giving her fake worried face to the doctors. It was a capital performance.

Eventually, I caught up with the team, but the driver did everything he could to avoid me. I heard from the team that he’d come into some kind of cash windfall and had moved to Panama. I never saw Vasquez again.

When I told Mom about it, she got that secret smile she always wears when she’s meddled in something, and then she said the story of the injured war veteran who saved his team was a perfect backstory for a future president. I flipped her off and walked away.

Right now, I want to do that again.

My jaw clenches. Heat scorches the back of my neck. “I have to go,” I say, ignoring the treacherous twist in my chest as I hang up. She might be right about my feelings for Anya, but I’m not admitting to a damn thing.

Hunter appears from around the side of the SUV, an uneasy look on his face. “Hey, we’ve got a problem.”

“Another one?”

“Hopefully, this one will be more fun than our other problems. Car trouble,” he says, grimly sardonic. “She won’t start, won’t even turn over.” He pointedly squints toward the small town. “Not sure we’ll find help here.”

I exhale, forcing myself to focus. So much for a smooth ride. “Alright. Let’s deal with it.” As much as I hate car bullshit, at least it’s a problem I can solve. When it comes to Anya, I’m lost.