by E. L. Todd
Stella was the obvious beauty in the group because her body was so perfect, but I still didn’t think she could outshine Pepper.
Finn looked over his shoulder and watched the girls walk inside. He’d never met Stella and Tatum before, so hopefully, he would make a better first impression than he did with Zach.
When Pepper spotted us, the three of them walked over. “You got the best booth. Perfect.”
Finn rose to his feet and stared down at Pepper, that same weirdly intense look on his face. He didn’t greet her with a hello like a regular person. He seemed to think his tense energy was welcoming enough. “Why is it the best booth?”
She nodded to the TVs. “No matter where you sit, you have a prime view. Plus, it’s equal distance between the kitchen and the bathroom. The two things that dictate my life are eating and peeing.”
He didn’t introduce himself to the girls. Instead, he kept looking at Pepper. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“Uh, sure,” Pepper said, caught slightly off guard. “I’ll have what you’re having.”
He turned to the other two. “What about you?”
Tatum reacted to Finn the way all other women did, with wide eyes and a gaping mouth that practically drooled.
Stella immediately straightened, making her already tight body even tighter. She wore a wide smile that was highlighted by her red lipstick. “Cosmo.”
Finn turned back to Tatum, who hadn’t given him a selection.
Stella nudged Tatum in the side. “What do you want, girl?”
Tatum finally recovered from my brother’s handsome good looks. “Uh, cosmo is fine.”
“You got it.” His eyes shifted back to Pepper before he walked away and headed to the bar.
“Uh, I’ll take a beer too, asshole,” I called after him.
“Make it two,” Zach called out too.
All three women had their necks craned as they stared at Finn’s hard ass.
I wasn’t the least bit surprised by Tatum and Stella, but Pepper’s reaction surprised me. We weren’t married anymore, but he was my brother. My family was still her family.
Stella turned to me, accusation heavy in her eyes. “How did you not mention that you have a hot piece of ass for a brother?”
“Yeah,” Tatum said. “We’re both single over here, and you’ve been holding out.”
“He’s a player, so don’t bother,” I said honestly.
Stella still wore the same dumbfounded look. “Who cares? I’m a player too. Not all men have asses that chiseled, alright? He’s one hell of a hunk.” She scooted into the booth. “I’m going for it.”
Tatum scooted in after her. “Uh, what about me?”
“You can go when I’m finished,” Stella said.
“Ew,” Tatum said. “That would just be weird. We need to flip a coin or something.”
I was grateful Pepper wasn’t taking part in this. “He’s just a guy.”
“He’s, like, the sexiest guy I’ve ever seen,” Stella said. “I mean, look at him.”
“Ouch,” Zach said. “I’m man candy too, aren’t I?”
Stella patted his hand like it was the snout of a dog. “Of course, sweetie. He doesn’t make you any less beautiful. But he’s just so…”
“Rugged,” Tatum answered. “Those shoulders and that jawline…”
Pepper finally said something. “You guys are treating him like a farm animal you’re about to slaughter, trying to find the best cut of meat.”
“Your point?” Stella asked seriously. “Isn’t that all guys ever do to us?”
Pepper didn’t have an argument against that, so she shrugged. “Good point.”
“Let’s flip a coin before he comes back.” Tatum opened her clutch and fished out a quarter. “Colton, you do the honors.”
I didn’t want to take part in this. “This is too weird.”
“Fine, I’ll do it.” Zach grabbed the quarter. “Loser gets me.” He flicked the quarter into the air, and it landed with a thud on the table.
Finn returned to the table at that moment and handed the drinks around. He got Zach and me the same kind of beer he was drinking. He took a seat beside Pepper, the four of them cramming together on one side so their arms were touching.
“Heads!” Stella threw her arm in the air. “I win.”
Tatum stuck out her tongue. “Damn.”
Zach waggled his eyebrows. “Hey, you still got me.”
Now she blew on her tongue, making a loud farting noise.
“What are you guys flipping for?” Finn held his beer between his fingers, his eyes casually shifting back and forth between us and the TV.
Stella covered up the truth surprisingly well, not skipping a beat in her lie. “We just settled where we’re going to dinner tomorrow night.”
“And where is that?” Finn asked.
“Mega Shake,” Stella blurted, our favorite place to visit.
“I’m Finn, by the way.” He didn’t extend his hand to shake theirs, probably because Pepper was in the way. “I’m Colton’s brother, and I’ll be staying with him for a few weeks.”
Stella waved with her fingertips. “Stella.”
Tatum beamed. “Tatum.”
He gave a nod before he turned back to the TV. “Nice to meet you.”
“Right back at ya.” When he was turned away, Stella studied his profile even more. “Are those dog tags?”
He seemed like he would rather watch the game, but he turned back to Stella to be polite. “Yes. I was in the military for ten years.”
Stella looked like she was about to fan herself at any moment. “Wow…”
“That’s amazing,” Tatum whispered. “Did you just get out?”
He nodded. “I start my new job in a couple days.”
“Where are you working?” Stella asked.
“The hospital,” Finn said. “I’m a doctor.”
Stella looked like she was going to melt right on the spot.
Pepper seemed to get bored of the conversation because she started talking to me. “How was your day?”
“It was alright. I’m working on this real estate case, and it’s a bit boring.” I worked at a firm that specialized in real estate suits. It wasn’t the most eventful job in the world, but it was better than other gigs. “What about you?”
“I booked two lingerie parties this Saturday—back-to-back.”
“That’s good.”
“It is,” she said in agreement. “But there goes my Saturday. The Mariners are playing too.”
Finn finished his conversation with the girls and seemed to listen to ours instead.
“When are we doing that double date?” she asked me.
“You’re going to bring Jax?” I asked in surprise. “I thought you weren’t doing serious.”
“It’s not.” She pulled her hair over one shoulder, in Finn’s direction. “I told him I’m divorced.”
“You did?” I asked in surprise. “How did he take it?”
“Really well, actually. Didn’t seem to care at all…”
“Because he shouldn’t care,” Finn interjected even though he wasn’t part of the conversation. “A real man shouldn’t be intimidated by a woman’s past. If he really thinks less of you for it, then he’s not man enough for you.” He said all of that while his eyes remained glued to the TV.
Pepper stilled at his speech, but she didn’t seem surprised by it. “He said he was fine taking it slow. Now he understands I really don’t want anything serious. He said he likes me and wants to keep seeing me.”
“Well, that’s great,” I said. “Sounds like a nice guy.”
“So, are the four of us going to go out tomorrow night?”
Aaron and I had been texting back and forth, but nothing had come out of it. “I’ll ask Aaron.”
“Good. I’ll let Jax know.” Pepper watched the TV just the way Finn did, heavily absorbed in the action going on.
Zach was staring at Tatum, who was making eyes at Finn
.
Stella was doing the same thing.
I was the only one at the table who managed to keep his eyes to himself.
Like every weekday morning, the alarm went off, and I slammed my hand on top of the clock, silencing the annoying screeching noise. We were out later than I wanted to be last night, drinking while they watched the game.
I rubbed the sleep from my eyes then made my way into the kitchen. I usually had my morning coffee after my shower, but today I needed my caffeine hit before—not after. I made a pot and poured it into a mug before I sat at the kitchen table. I had a briefing today with my boss, another member of the anti-gay bully club.
The more I considered it, the more I wanted to start my own firm. If I hated going to work this much, maybe I should find another job. Pepper was usually right about these things. Since she’d owned a business for many years, she might be able to help me.
Footsteps sounded behind me, and I assumed Finn was up early, ready to have coffee and do his “warm-up” in the middle of the kitchen. The man was committed to fitness the way I was committed to coffee—he never took a day off. “I went to the store yesterday, so there’s a carton of egg whites in the fridge.”
“Uh, thanks,” a feminine voice sounded from the counter behind me.
I immediately turned in my chair and locked eyes with the blonde from the bar. Most surprising of all was what she was wearing.
Almost nothing.
She was in a black thong and a matching push up bra. What was even more disturbing was it didn’t seem like she cared that I could see her. She poured a mug of coffee, popped a half of a bagel into the toaster, and then walked back to Finn’s room like everything was normal.
Alright.
I showered next and got ready for my day, and by the time I returned to the kitchen, Finn’s lady friend seemed to be gone. He was sitting at the kitchen table scrolling through his phone, just in his sweatpants like any time he was home. “She seems nice.”
He didn’t look up from his phone, his eyes scanning from left to right like he was reading something. “Yeah? I’ll take your word for it.”
I sat across from him and gave him the stink eye. “She walked around nearly naked.”
He set his phone down and met my gaze. “I told her you were gay.”
“What does that matter?”
He shrugged. “That’s probably why she didn’t bother putting clothes on.”
“Just because I’m gay doesn’t mean I want to see a naked woman in my apartment.”
A slight grin stretched across his face. “I think it livens the place up.”
“Well, it’s not your place.”
“I asked if you were okay with it, and you said yes.”
“Again, I didn’t expect to see her parade around here like it’s fashion week.”
“Whatever.” He grabbed his mug and took a sip. “She’s gone, and you won’t see her again.”
“Didn’t hit it off?” I opened my newspaper again.
He shrugged. “We didn’t talk much.”
Of course they didn’t. “You aren’t going to see her again?”
He shook his head. “If I bump into her again, maybe. But I’m not planning on it.”
Finn had never been a one-woman kind of man. He wasn’t even considered a player because he didn’t pretend to be charming or interested. He was abundantly blunt about his intentions. He probably hadn’t taken a woman to dinner in the last ten years. “Can I ask you something personal?”
“You can try. I probably won’t answer.” He sipped his coffee again then held the mug in both hands. With his ankle resting on the opposite knee, he watched me with a slightly tilted head.
“You’re thirty now. Is marriage something you’ll ever be interested in?”
“Wow…girl talk.” He chuckled then drank his coffee again.
“Not girl talk. Just trying to get to know you.”
He held the mug in his hands as he stared at me, his features giving away nothing of his thoughts behind his eyes. “My future will be identical to my past. I’ve always been a drifter, and I always will be.”
“That didn’t answer my question.”
“Colt, you already know the answer.”
He wanted to be alone for the rest of his life, but being handsome and mysterious wouldn’t last forever. “Any reason why?”
The steam erupted from the surface of his coffee and drifted toward the ceiling. “I’ve been around, Colt. I’ve met beautiful women in all parts of the globe. They’re all equally gorgeous, interesting, and wonderful. But it doesn’t matter how remarkable they are. I just don’t feel anything. I’m incapable of it. If I ever met a woman that I loved, I would change my tune. But not once have I ever met a woman I kept thinking about when she was gone. I’m not going to force it if it’s not meant to be. I would much rather be alone than pretend to love someone when I don’t.” He drank from his glass then licked his lips. “Girl talk over yet?”
“I was just curious. We’ve been apart for so long, I feel like I hardly know you. I want to make that right.” We’d been living together for a few days, but there was still this distinct distance between us. He was cold and difficult, but in time, he might warm up to me. When I told him I was gay, he didn’t care in the least. That formed some kind of connection between us, but I wanted to expand that further.
He held my gaze for a long time, carefully considering his words before he spoke. “I’d like that too.”
My brother wasn’t as cold as I thought he was. When I put affection out there, he reciprocated—in his own way.
“When are you going to talk to Mom and Dad?”
“Hmm…that’s the million-dollar question.”
He gave a slight chuckle. “Don’t worry about it. Regardless of what their reaction is, it won’t change your life.”
“Uh…it will change my life.”
“Then don’t let it.” He simplified everything, but somehow, there was wisdom in his words. “If they really have a problem with it, that’s their issue. Move on and forget about them. If they turn their backs on you, then you should do the same to them. As long as you control your emotional response to any situation, nothing can affect you.”
“Meaning?”
“Think of it this way.” He set his mug on the table. “You’re the thermostat. The temperature will rise and fall, but your setting will always be the same. Walk in there, tell our parents the truth, and then stand your ground. Regardless of how loud they scream or how deep their disappointment, it doesn’t change the way you feel—because you set the temperature.”
In a complicated way, that made sense.
“I’m not a very likable guy—at least in the civilian world. You think I give a damn?”
No, not in the least. “Not really.”
“You’re right, I don’t. Take me or leave me. There are some people who will always dislike you no matter what you do, and there are some people who will always think the world of you no matter what you do. Stick with the second group. It’ll make your life much easier.” Despite my brother’s usual silence, he had a lot to offer. He was smart, reasonable, and loyal.
“I didn’t realize you were so wise.”
He rubbed his fingers across his chin. “When you’ve been in life-and-death situations, you filter out all the bullshit. You realize it doesn’t matter. Nothing really matters.” He rose from his chair and carried his mug to the sink. “I’m headed to the gym. You want to get a beer later?”
I wanted to accept his offer right away, but then I remembered I had plans. “I already have a double date tonight.”
He turned off the faucet and stared at me for a few heartbeats. It seemed like he was going to say something, but then he quickly changed his mind. “Then I’ll see you when you get back.”
Pepper and I walked together down the sidewalk toward the bar where we were meeting. She looked beautiful in a black dress with heels, along with her long coat with gold buttons. “All Stel
la and Tatum can talk about is your brother.”
“Well…he makes quite an impression.”
“Stella said she’s gonna make a move next time she sees him. You think he’ll go for it?”
I felt Pepper wrap her arm through mine as we walked together. When we were married, we used to hold hands, but now this was the kind of affection we shared. “He’s not picky, if that’s what you’re asking. He brought home some woman last night, and she walked into the kitchen half naked.”
“She didn’t know you were there?”
“No. She knew.”
“She’s ballsy,” she said with a laugh.
“So, I’d be surprised if he said no.”
“Well, that’s good news for Stella. She can’t stop talking about him.”
“You think he’s hot too?” I asked.
Pepper looked straight ahead and slid her left hand into her pocket. She didn’t answer right away, probably handling the situation delicately. “He’s your brother, so it’s kind of a weird question, don’t you think?”
I grinned. “So that’s a yes.”
“Well, come on,” she said incredulously. “Only a gay woman would think he’s not hot. I didn’t know men could even be that fit. He almost looks fake.”
“He works out a lot. Does a hundred push-ups first thing in the morning.”
“Ooh…what time?”
I laughed. “Okay, you’re right. It is a little weird.”
“Then don’t ask me about your brother…because you aren’t going to like what you hear. I will admit he’s pretty intense, though. I came by to pick up my package the other night, and it was just so…”
“Awkward? Uncomfortable?”
“No…I can’t really explain it. He’s just intense.”
“I know what you mean. He’s been that way since we were young.”
“You two are nothing alike. It’s hard to believe you’re related.”
I shot her a glare. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing bad,” she said quickly. “You’re just more…approachable. He’s more…scary.”
We rounded the corner and approached the bar where we were meeting our dates. “So, does Jax know I’m the one you were married to?”