Holding Out for You by Anna Paige

My big brother was my favorite person in the world.
He was my friend, my ally, my protector all my life.
Everyone loved him, looked up to him almost as much as me.
My big brother’s best friend, though?
He was my nemesis, my tormentor, my least favorite person on earth.
Ashton Hunter was a complete jerk.
And yet, like my brother, everyone loved him.
Not me, though.
No way.
Not after a lifetime of his snide comments and not-so-subtle jabs.
Years of treating me like the bratty little sister he barely tolerated.
But I refused to let him deter me from seeing my brother.
I’d just have to ignore him.
Like I always had.
Or—more accurately—like I always pretended to.
I was used to pretending when it came to Ash.
But some feelings refuse to stay hidden forever.

***

My best friend was better than all the other friends on earth.
Hands down.
My partner in crime, my ride or die, my brother in every way that counted.
His little sister, though?
She was an entirely different story.
Blair Martell was…complicated.
Where her brother acted like she was made of glass,
I tried to make her shatter.
When others bowed to her wishes,
I challenged every word out of her pouty little mouth.
She wasn’t meant to be on some pedestal.
And I made sure she knew it.
Maybe she hated me for the way I treated her,
But I knew exactly what she needed.
Even when she didn’t know.
And after so many years of biding my time,
I was finally going to be the man to give it to her.