“Two chai teas?” she said, hoping Bastion would join her. “How much will it be?” she asked, knowing she really should pay when he has been kind enough to give her a ride. It wasn't like they were on a date, and she had never been one to let others pay her way.
Bastion pulled into the drive-thru and gave their order. “Pumpkin?” he said to her while they were waiting.
Sneakers was barking up a storm ever since they got close to the drive-thru window. He could see the workers, watching them like a cat followed a bird flitting around a cage.
“Yeah?” she said distractedly, turning in her seat to try to snag Sneakers leash. She better have a hold of him before the drive-thru worker opened up and tried to hand them their drinks.
“I'm filthy rich so keep your pennies, Cinderella. Fact of life. I was born with a silver spoon and you were not.”
She tried to sputter a response, finally grabbing Sneakers’ leash desperately before she heard the drive-thru window opening.
“You’re so modest about it,” she finally muttered.
“I’m honest and I don't play games. Have enough of those at home,” he said as he closed his window.
That was a loaded response. It would have to wait for her to unpack once she got to know him better. She let Sneakers go again, so he could bark out the back and let the drive-thru guy know that he would get him next time if she let the leash slip.
The trademark Starbucks cup was sitting in the cup holder on her side with splash stick still inside it. Bastion must have already taken a sip of his own, a bit of foam on the other drink’s lid sitting next to hers.
She sighed.
“It’s delicious and I can't drink two, so please, at least try it,” Bastion said. He pulled out of the parking lot and headed the car in the direction of her new home.
“Is this high-handed thing going to happen a lot with you? ‘Cause I'm warning you now, it's going to start a lot of fights and you can't win them all,” she said, playing on his words.
She picked up the cup, pulled out the splash stick and took a sip. It was comfort in a cup, warmth sliding down to her chest and sitting there, pleasantly. Why did he have to be such a fucking Prince Charming? Like he seemed like a spoiled jerk, talked like an asshole, but deep inside was this warmth you couldn’t deny.
He didn’t say anything to her, not mocking or looking for credit when she took another sip.
“This isn't really a simple favour to replicate at home, you know? Now you have me hooked on the expensive drugs. I was doing fine with my fifty cent diesel fuel,” she teased. It was almost an acceptance and a bit of a thanks.
“Pumpkin, I will definitely let you run up a tab,” he said.
Starbucks wasn't far from her house. He turned the car onto her street, slowing down as they reached the shared driveway to the complex.
“Nothing is really free,” she mocked. She figured he had been joking about keeping a tab. They had just gotten finished arguing about him paying for everything.
“I’m trying to avoid getting myself into fights I can't win. There are plenty of ways you can pay me back.”
“There are plenty of ways you can get yourself in trouble with the next thing you say,” she warned him.
He parked in visitors. Sneakers barked with excitement, realizing where they were. She probably should walk him a bit more. It would give her a few more minutes to discuss things with Bastion while they waited for the other guys to arrive.
She had to talk to her sister and brother as well to let them know that she was having the others over. It wouldn't be fair, not giving a little warning, especially as she had moved back in, and technically, it was still their home first and she was the guest.
“Do you want to go for a walk with me and Sneakers at that park you were talking about?” she asked.
“Absolutely,” he replied.
“Okay. Let's drop our bags off at the house and I’ll let the kids know about everyone that's coming over.”
“Kids?” Bastion said. He looked at her weird.
“Uh, my younger brother and sister. They're twins and they go to our school in the 9th grade. You probably don't know them.”
“I’m sure they love being called kids.”
“Not really. Even though the years between us aren't that much, I kind of act like a mom around them. It's probably weird, right?”
Bastion smiled at her. “I think it's kind of sweet.”
She blushed.
“Uh, yeah, tell that to my 14-year-old brother. He has another name for it, that is when he's talking to me.”
She busied herself grabbing Sneakers leash and getting out of the car, bending over very carefully to grab her mostly full cup of tea. Bastion had been looking at her hot face. She hated that she blushed so easily, but it was hard to hide with her pale skin.
Bastion moved quickly to meet her on the other side, both backpacks slung over one of his shoulders. He probably would have opened the door for her, if she had given him the chance.
“You need a new kilt,” Bastion commented.
He kept his blues on her face but she wondered if he had gotten a glimpse of something he shouldn’t, despite her caution when she had been bent over in his car getting her drink out.
“No silver spoon, remember?” she said. “I already let this kilt out as far as it can go. I’ll just have to get used to wearing a sweater tied around my waist all the time.”
“That is an invitation,” Bastion said, motioning for her to step away from the car door he was holding open. He closed it.
“An invitation to what?” she said, determined not to jump to conclusions. Look how that had embarrassed her in front of War.
“To spend my filthy money making sure your modesty is protected, Pumpkin. Why, what did you think I meant?” Bastion said not sounding at all as innocent as War had been about biology.
“An invitation to try to charm your way under my harlot skirt,” she said, challenge in her tone.
Sneakers barked, breaking the look that had gotten her from Bastion.
“Okay, okay. We’re going,” she told the dog, heading in the direction of her house.
“Don’t call yourself that,” Bastion grumbled beside her. “The maturity level of the Rob Balors in the school shouldn’t dictate how you feel about your own clothing. If you want my opinion, I’m worried you’re much too innocent for all the naughty things I would like to do your sexy legs.”
She stumbled a little. Damn it. How could he say that so calmly?
“No hanky-panky,” she repeated, feeling like a broken record.
“A massage is hardly sex, Pumpkin. I’ve got this vanilla scented oil that warms up the more you rub it. We could start with your calves and I’ll work my way up to the cute little dimple behind your left knee and count the freckles-”
“Okay, stop,” she said, doing just that as she decided they needed to finish this conversation before they got into the house and risked an audience.
“Do you really think of yourself as a slut?” he asked, rounding on her. It sounded vulgar on his tongue; had felt dirty even on hers.
“No. I’m not a virgin though if you’re asking.”
Bastion smiled. “I wasn’t asking but thank you for trusting me enough to let me know. None of us think of you in that way, Tess. No judgement on your sexuality at all. Although, some of us might hope...”
“Why are you guys so hard up?” she asked bluntly.
“Somebody hurt you,” Bastion said, coming closer. He cupped her cheek and she sucked in a breath. “Prickly little kitten, so cute and soft looking but with sharp claws. You tense up whenever someone gets too close.”
Holy hell. Bastion was insightful. He also had kissable lips. She had missed that earlier, distracted by all the insults he had spoken.
“How about you?” she asked, wondering if that was why he figured out what had happened to her so quickly by her reactions. “Who hurt you?”
Bastion let her go, stepping bac
k, although he held her gaze. “Trust has to be earned, Kitten. We’ll show you that we won’t hurt you.”
Kitten wasn’t any better than Pumpkin but she didn’t say anything. When Bastion called her Kitten, she couldn’t help but like it, knowing he was referring to her sharp claws as well as softness now.
Chapter 9
THE FIRST GUY SHE BROUGHT home and mom wasn’t even here to meet him. It made Tess a bit sad, although the thought of her mother talking to the guys also made those butterflies beat their wings. Who knew what her mother would say or do? She wasn’t worried about upsetting the guys but rather them misunderstanding her mother. The fact that she even thought about introducing any of the guys to her mother was a big step.
Maybe someday.
“Tessa?”
Ashley was standing at the front door. Hopefully, her sister hadn’t overheard anything Bastion and Tess had been talking about earlier.
“I’m coming,” Tess called back to her sister. “Come on,” she told Bastion, walking around him to the front steps of the townhouse.
“We’re just dropping off our bags and then I’ll take Sneaks for a walk. A few guys I promised to tutor are coming over this afternoon. Can you let Jason know?” Tess said to her sister as she got closer.
Ashley stepped back. She wasn’t looking at Tess but over her shoulder. Guess Bastion did make a bigger impression.
“No fucking way,” Ashley whispered loud enough for Tess to hear.
Okay, she thought the twins might have some mild objections but that was overboard. This was a mistake. “If you want, we can go to the library,” Tess said, feeling worried. She should have checked with her younger siblings first. With everything going on, she didn’t want to add to their stress by forcing them to interact with people they didn't know in their own home. This should be a safe place for the twins.
Ashley looked anxious but she still smiled. "It's okay."
“Are you sure?” Tess said, quietly. Bastion was probably wondering about the hold-up.
Ashley nodded. Okay then. She would talk to her younger sister later on when everyone was gone.
"Hi, I'm Bastion."
Tess moved into the house and out of the way so Bastion could properly greet her sister. "Hey, Jason, come down here for a second," she called upstairs.
Sneakers started jumping excitedly. She had trouble getting his leash undone, partly because she was well aware that Bastion was behind her and she still was dressed in her too short kilt, but also because the dog was going bonkers to finally be home.
She knew that feeling, although she had hidden it well enough when she first arrived over the weekend.
Her sister cleared her throat behind her. "Are those pink kitten boxers?" Ashley asked.
Damn it. And she thought she was being careful. This time it was all Sneakers’ fault, making her twist and bend to finally get him undone before he ended up tangled and choked himself in the leash.
As soon as he was free, he bounded up the stairs.
She straightened up, patting down her kilt. She was going to end up wearing down the material of the skirt at the back if she kept doing that all the time. Hand ‘tread’ marks.
"Sneakers, you're back," her brother shouted joyfully as he came down the stairs. Jason had caught Sneakers half-way down and carried him, getting sloppy doggie kisses all over his face and clearly not caring.
"He needs a bath," Tess said. "Bastion and I are going to take him for a walk, but do you think you could give him a bath afterwards?"
Jason looked up from Sneakers and over to Bastion, still behind her. The goofy smile on his face was gone in a sobering instant. She felt even more like she was doing something that made the twins uncomfortable by bringing guys over. Heck, Jason wasn’t even talking to her yet and she was his blood-related sister. She may as well be a stranger, too.
"Hey," Bastion greeted, hopefully, unaware of the tension.
It sounded more like a guy thing as Bastion spoke with a deep voice and kept it casual. If they shook hands it was probably going to be a bit of a hardass grip.
Men.
"Hey," Jason greeted back.
Yep, they would thump their chests too, if the girls weren't watching.
"We can bath Sneaks," Ashley said. "Did you bring any food for him? Mom was almost out when she..."
The tension went to awkward. Yeah, she didn’t want to mention mom yet, either.
"Uh, Bastion's friends are going to bring dog food over and some treats so they can get to know Sneakers. He's such a toe-biter so I thought it wasn't a bad idea," Tess said.
"Yeah, okay," Jason said.
He talked to her, kind of. It was a response, not even a mumbled one, and two whole words more on top of what little she had gotten out of him all weekend.
The actual reply wasn’t what mattered because she could bath Sneakers later if the twins didn’t want to do it. Still, she would take what help she could get with all the homework on her plate right now, and four guys she had to figure out tutoring plans and needs for thanks to Kade.
She wasn’t sure if he had really done her a favour yet.
Jason was eyeing up Bastion warily. It was like her younger brother was the man of the house now, and he felt he had to make sure his older sister was safe. That made her feel strangely good. It was really nice to see Jason cared. Like it was a pain if he started pulling that man crap on her but at the same time, being protected the same way Jason would do for his twin, it was a statement of family.
Her younger brother hadn’t disowned her. It was only the awkwardness of too much change between them since they last saw each other.
Time to settle Jason’s spine before he started throwing quills at Bastion.
"We were going to do our homework together. I offered to tutor a few of them today," Tess explained. Bastion might think it was a bit stupid to be explaining herself to her younger brother, but hopefully, he also noticed Jason’s protective attitude towards his sister that made her proud.
"Where can we leave our bags?" Bastion asked, not giving it much of a reaction. Perhaps he hadn’t picked up on the undercurrent of emotion tugging at the rest of them.
She turned around. Bastion was still holding the backpacks over his shoulder and she knew how heavy her bag was and his bag probably wasn't that much lighter. "Oh, sorry. Just leave them here at the front by the side table and we can take them downstairs when we come back."
"Thanks," Bastion said with a soft smile, taking a big step inside to come up next to her. He used his free hand to brush over her upper arm, giving it a quick squeeze before letting go.
Oh, there was a wealth of words in that gesture that he had left unsaid in front of Jason. He walked a bit further into the house, closing the door behind himself. He toed his shoes off once he was inside, then he walked a little further in, putting both of their bags down near the entrance to the television room.
"Let's get Sneakers back on a leash so he can finish his walk," Tess said, the beginnings of an emotional tremor in her voice.
No. Nope, not crying. She was too happy to let the tears out. Jason wouldn’t understand the complex feelings she was having right now and then he might misunderstand Bastion.
“Gotta take a piss?” her brother said to Sneakers, demonstrating his emotional sensitivity.
Jason walked the rest of the way over to them and reluctantly let Sneakers down. The dog didn't seem like he really wanted to go, jumping up on Jason's knee and trying to lick his hands.
Tess picked up the leash, letting it jangle a bit. Sneakers’ ears perked up and he turned to her. "Walk boy?" she asked.
That got an excited yip.
"He really enjoys his walks," Bastion commented.
"Don't all dogs?" said Ashley. She was staring at Bastion with stars in her eyes. The question obviously hadn’t gotten her sister’s full attention before she spoke it.
"Bastion doesn't have a dog," Tess explained.
"Sneakers loves walks almost as
much as he likes to fetch, but we're not allowed to let him off the leash at the park," Jason said. He was rubbing their dog’s ears, looking as reluctant as Sneakers was to part now they were back together.
"Is there a leash-free park nearby?" Tess asked. It would be nice to let Sneakers have a better run this weekend if there was somewhere he could play fetch more freely.
"Yeah," Bastion answered instead of her brother. "I know a place. It's a bit far to go right now, though. The others will be here soon."
Butterflies started up in her stomach thinking about all four of them in her house. It had been hard already with just Bastion. Hopefully, bathing Sneakers could distract her younger siblings from breathing down her neck the whole time when they all were here. They could hide in her basement room for relative privacy.
Now, she was picturing all four of them lounging on her bed. War’s body was so big that he would probably have to sit on the floor. Maybe Bastion, too, and then it would just be her lying down between the twins.
“Want me to put the leash on for you?” Jason asked, interrupting her fantasy. It might not be that far from reality. Her room downstairs was pretty simple and they all had to sit somewhere.
“Uh, I can do it,” Tess said, fighting another telltale blush. She cleared her throat and looked down at Sneakers. "I meant a leash-free park for taking Sneakers out for a long walk this weekend," she added, trying to regain her focus.
"Saturday morning?" Bastion said.
Was he asking her out on a doggie date? "Uh, I guess?" she said, feeling as unsure as she sounded.
"Come on, Sneakers, we're on a schedule here. I've got work to do tonight," she said, jangling the leash again.
Sneakers bounced over to her and she quickly got him attached again. He promptly started trying to pull the leash out of her hand.
"Sneakers, heel," Jason said, using a deeper voice than she was used to hearing from him.
He had hit puberty while she had been away at her old school, and so while she was getting used to all of the changes, that gruffness was not something she had been ready for yet. He sounded exactly like their father.
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