But what would I do if Kade did offer me something? Would I take it? Hurting Blane in the process and losing him from my life? Or could I spend my life with Blane and hope my feelings for Kade would fade over time? No matter what I did, I’d be that person who came between two brothers. I didn’t know if I could live with that, but neither could I live without them.

I was too tired to think anymore, so I got off the couch and crawled into bed. The apartment was sweltering as the sun climbed into the sky. My head hit the pillow and I sighed, closing my eyes.

In the end, the only thing I might have to show for falling in love with Blane and Kade was a lonely bed and a broken heart.

I woke when it was late afternoon. Shadows were long in my room as I opened my eyes. I was cool and comfortable, and it took a moment for me to realize I was mostly lying on top of someone, my leg nestled between his. I jerked my head up in surprise, and green eyes met mine.

Blane.

The gentle affection in his gaze made words die on my tongue.

My heart ached at the warm strength of him and I rested my head on his chest with a sigh. One arm was curved around me, holding me in place. The other lifted to touch my hair, his fingers combing slowly through the strands.

“How long have you been here?” I asked quietly. I slid my hand over his shoulder, savoring the opportunity I’d just been handed to nestle more closely to him.

“Since shortly after you left the hospital,” he said. His voice rumbled in his chest. “Why did you leave?”

I gave a little shrug. “I didn’t belong. Don’t belong.”

Blane’s hand stilled, then moved to my chin, turning my face up to his.

“You belong with me.”

The absolute certainty in his voice made my insides warm. I opened my mouth to reply but didn’t get the chance.

Blane started kissing me, his tongue stroking mine. There was no urgency in his kiss, it was languid and sweet, as though nothing had broken between us. And just when my thoughts caught up with my actions and I was about to pull away, he did.

I stared at him in confusion, but he just smiled and brushed the hair back from my face.

“What are you doing?” I managed.

“Kissing you,” he said simply.

I was utterly confused. I’d told Blane I was in love with his brother. He should be yelling at me, looking at me in loathing and disgust, not holding me, gazing at me as if I were the most precious thing in the world.

“Why?” I asked.

“Because I wanted to.”

I couldn’t think what to say, still bemused by his actions.

“I’m not giving you up without a fight, Kat,” he said. “Until you make your choice, I’m not going anywhere.”

My eyebrows flew up at that and I scrambled off him and out of the bed. “Choice?” I asked as he sat up. “What do you mean, ‘your choice’?”

“Me or Kade,” Blane answered, looking at me as though this were obvious.

I was already shaking my head. “No, I’m not doing that.” I backed up rapidly, hit the wall, turned, and hurried into the kitchen. Blane was right behind me.

“What do you mean?” he asked, latching onto my wrist and pulling me to a stop.

“I’m not doing that!” I exclaimed, horrified at the thought. “You make it sound like I’m picking which pair of shoes to wear or what movie I should go see. You and Kade are brothers. I am not choosing one of you.” Though the thought had occurred to me just hours ago, hearing Blane spell it out made me cringe in mortification.

Blane’s expression was unreadable as he stared at me. He let go of my wrist, pushing his hands into the pockets of his slacks as he leaned back against the wall.

“You have to,” he said with a shrug.

“Forget it,” I shot back. My mind was already playing the scenario in my head, me choosing a brother, forever alienating the one who remained. The one I chose resenting me for coming between them. Losing them both from my life, forever.

“I’m not . . . I can’t . . .” Suddenly, it was hard to breathe, anxiety swelling in my chest.

Blane was next to me in an instant, his hands wrapped around my arms to hold me steady. Worry and concern now creased his features.

My voice was a choked whisper. “I can’t . . . lose . . . both of you. I just . . . I can’t.” I shook my head, trying to dislodge the images in my mind. I stared up at him, willing him to understand.

It was the best I could do to explain it, the terror and despair that loomed at the mere thought of Kade and Blane no longer being in my life. I’d be alone, having lost the men I loved—the men who’d come to be my whole world. What I’d felt when Blane and I had split up four months ago would be a mere shadow compared to the agony I’d feel now if I lost them.

“What do you think is going to happen, Kat?” Blane asked with a frown. “It’s not like we can share you.” He seemed genuinely confused.

“I know it’s not fair,” I admitted, “but I’m not going to be what breaks you and Kade. Not now. Not after all that’s happened. We can be . . . friends.” A laughable goal, but it was all I could come up with.

“Do you need more time?” Blane asked, completely ignoring my friends comment. “Of course. It’s too soon. Kade’s still recovering and you’ve been pushed to the edge of your endurance.” He looked vaguely relieved, brushing the back of his knuckles down my cheek. The sweet touch made me ache inside.

Time. That sounded good. I latched onto that. “Yeah. I just need . . . some time.” I ignored that it’d be borrowed time. I was sure it wouldn’t take long before they’d tire of waiting for me to make a choice that my conscience wouldn’t allow me to make.

Blane studied me intently, as though seeing through my pathetic desperation. “You should know I won’t just walk away, Kat. And I know my brother. Neither will he.”

I swallowed, my stomach clenching into a hard knot. I didn’t believe him, not really. Eventually I’d lose them both, and all I wanted right now was to put that moment off for as long as possible. It made me incredibly selfish, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself. Holding on to Blane and Kade felt like an act of self-preservation.

“Are you going back?” I asked, anxious to change the subject. “To the hospital?”

“Yes.”

I eased out of Blane’s hold and he let me step away. “Tell him . . . tell him I said hi, would you?”

“You’re not coming?”

“I have to go to work,” I explained, glancing at the clock. I had to get moving if I wanted to shower first. “Did you turn on the air-conditioning?”

“Yes,” Blane said, snagging me around the waist as I made to pass by. I looked up at him in surprise. “Don’t turn it off,” he ordered. “I’ll pay the fucking bill. Just leave it on.”

“I can’t—”

“Leave it,” he ordered again, interrupting me. He seemed pretty adamant about this, and considering the conversation we’d just had, I wasn’t anxious to test his patience further. I nodded.

“Okay.”

Before I could say anything more, Blane had me pressed against the wall, his body hard against mine, his mouth pressing my lips apart. I sucked in a breath, my pulse kicking into high gear as Blane proceeded to remind me of just how well he did this sort of thing.

It was several minutes before we came up for air and I found my fingers pressing hard into Blane’s shoulders.

“Sooner or later, you’ll choose,” he whispered. “You’ll want one of us more than you don’t want to hurt the other. And you’ll choose. I want to be the one you can’t live without.”

I stared up into his eyes, a brilliant green boring into mine. Then he was out the door and gone, leaving me trying to figure out what the hell had just happened.

Work was slow, which made it hard to stay awake. Even my nap today hadn’t been enough to curb how tired I was. I ate a little, not really having a choice when Jeff set a plate down in front of me and glared until I took a bite. Nothing seemed to taste good. I chalked it up to too much stress.