Stronger with You (With You Trilogy)

by R. J. Sable

  “Ian,” I sighed.

  “Is he not good at driving?” He shot me his cheeky smile.

  “Jason,” I admonished. “You know what I mean.”

  “Jamie, I really don’t,” he sighed. “There’s no problem between me and Ian.”

  “He put you in hospital, Jason. Aren’t you scared of him?” I said, exasperatedly.

  Jason stopped dead in his tracks. I couldn’t help but notice that he was only barely sweating. The little sweat he did have caught the early morning half-light and highlighted his every muscle. I watched a bead of sweat travel down from behind his ear and down his neck to his tattoo. I had the overwhelming urge to lick it off and follow its trail back up his neck. Get your head out of the gutter, Jamie-Lea. Jason was right, he had created a monster. I grinned inwardly at my perverted, wayward thoughts.

  Jason’s stationary position drew my attention back to the fact that we were in the midst of a semi-argument and the last thing I should have been thinking about was what I’d like him to do to me when we got home.

  “What do you want from me, Jamie?” Jason asked gruffly, running both hands through his hair. “You want me to admit that your brothers scare the shit out of me? Is that it?”

  I looked back at him opened mouthed. That wasn’t quite the response I’d been expecting. I’d just wanted him to open up to me and admit that the whole thing bothered him.

  “Fine. They scare me, Jamie! They’re violent as fuck and they don’t give a shit about anything but their own fucked up versions of right and wrong.” He was yelling now and I found my jaw opening and closing like a goldfish. Is that really what he thinks about my brothers?

  “So, yes, they scare me. But I learnt along time ago not to let fear get in my way and I’m not about to start now.”

  “Jason, I-” I didn’t know what to say. I rubbed my arms trying to get back the heat. Now that we were standing still, the cool temperatures were affecting me.

  “Come here,” he sighed, noticing my reaction and wrapping his arms around me.

  I pressed my cheek to his chest and enjoyed his warmth. My insides were a mishmash of feelings. Jason was angry with me, he talked about my brothers with such passionate dislike that it physically hurt me, but at least he was telling me how he really felt, he was giving me a slight glimpse into how his mind worked.

  “Come on,” he breathed against my forehead, kissing me gently. “Let’s get you home. We can talk in the warm.”

  We ran home in relative silence, both of us brooding over our own thoughts. Jason made us a protein smoothie each and we sat drinking them together in my room, both newly showered and dressed.

  “I’m sorry, Jamie,” Jason sighed, running his fingers though his hair again.

  Did he do that as much before he met me? I felt a little sorry for his poor follicles.

  “I didn’t mean to shout at you or say those things. I was out of line,” he said, looking at me like a forsaken puppy.

  “It’s okay, Jason,” I smiled, resting my head on his shoulder as I sat next to him. “I want to know how you’re feeling. I want to understand you. I hate feeling like I don’t know you sometimes.”

  “You know better than anyone, Jamie. I’m not holding back… I just… I’m not used to talking about feelings,” he sighed and looked somewhat remorseful.

  “I know, Jason,” I frowned. “But it would mean a lot to me if you would just let me in a little every now and then.”

  “I’ll try baby. If there’s anyone allowed in, it’s you,” he grinned and kissed my nose.

  “Thanks,” I smiled back, grateful he was willing to try. “Is that really how you feel about my brothers?” I studied him cautiously, unsure if I wanted to hear their answers.

  “Yes… No… I don’t know, baby,” he sighed. “I mean it when I say I like them as guys. They’re a laugh for the most part. I just wish they were different with you. You deserve so much better.”

  “They treat me the same way they treat each other,” I shrugged. “I don’t get special treatment and neither do they.”

  “Then they shouldn’t treat each other like that, and they definitely shouldn’t treat you that way.”

  “Why not?” I frowned. I didn’t want to be treated any different from them. We’re family.

  “Because you’re special,” he smiled. He looked at me with pure adoration, his eyes sparkling as they met mine.

  “I’m not,” I shook my head emphatically.

  “You are to me,” he nodded, kissing my nose once more. “That’s why I’m never letting you go.”

  “You’d better not,” I grinned.

  ***

  My head might explode from stress. I wanted to kick Ian. He’d said they’d be here at nine to pick us up. It was five to and I’d received a phone call – just ten minutes previously – saying that they wanted to come in for a cuppa. They gave me fifteen minutes warning. Fifteen. Ian’s reason was that “the twins are whiny bitches when they’re hungry” but he knew that already, surely they’d packed the cars full of snacks? I supposed that they most likely had an ulterior motive, which was why I’d had to run round my room like a hamster on speed, trying to make sure everything was clean and there was no clutter. That had left me five minutes to clean the work surfaces in the kitchen and put everything away.

  Jason gave the floor a quick sweep and it looked a little more presentable.

  “I think you’re overreacting, can’t you just blame the others for the kitchen being a mess?” Jason asked, putting the kettle on to boil.

  “They won’t care whose fault it is and I don’t want to get into an argument about living like a slob. You know Ian and Karl are clean freaks,” I sighed.

  “That’s putting it mildly,” Jason laughed. “I’m pretty sure they have OCD.”

  I nodded my head wistfully. OCD might be taking it a bit far but they definitely liked things clean and in order.

  “I’ll go down and let them in,” Jason said, pulling me away from the washing up to give me a hug. “Jesus, you’re so tense. Relax, little squirrel.”

  I sighed and relaxed into his chest, breathing in my own Jason-scented sedative.

  “I love you,” I smiled, pressing kisses to his chest.

  “I love you too,” he smiled back, kissing the top of my head.

  I watched him leave the kitchen before returning to the dishes. I’d literally just put the last dish away and wiped the sink dry when I heard my very loud brothers entering the flat.

  I sighed and started grabbing mugs out of the cupboard, I’d have to borrow some from Adam to have enough.

  “Jellybean,” the twins grinned, shoving past Jason to get to me. Today they were being particularly helpful by wearing two very different t-shirts, one red, one blue.

  I squeaked as they jelly-sandwiched me by way of a greeting. They let me go and I hugged the rest of them. They were all grinning like fools.

  “Stop it,” I groaned, pulling the twins away from my cupboard. “What are you looking for?”

  “Food, what else?” They frowned, opening the fridge and rooting through it.

  “I have some biscuits, do you want those?” I asked with a sigh.

  “Don’t ask stupid questions, Jelly,” they said simultaneously, holding out their hands expectantly.

  I shook my head at them and reached into the back of the cupboard to get the biscuits. They tried to grab them off me but I put them behind my back, away from their reach. They both scowled at me but I wasn’t completely stupid. I stepped past them and handed the packet to Ian.

  “Good girl,” Ian grinned, taking two and handing the packet to Karl.

  “Traitor,” the twins grumbled, sitting down at the table.

  Matt emptied the packet after Karl and the twins both shot me murderous glares. I figured it was best to fetch the second packet before they exploded.

  Demonstrating his death-wish tendencies, Jason nabbed the packet off me and took four biscuits before he handed it to the twins. T
hey both shot him evil glares but grabbed the biscuits anyway, splitting the rest of the packet between them.

  “What about Craig?” Jason asked the twins.

  “I’m cutting,” Craig shrugged.

  “Is that why they didn’t offer you any?” Jason asked, his eyebrow raised.

  “No,” my brothers all answered in unison.

  Jason shook his head and handed me three of the biscuits. I tried to hand him one back so that we got two each but he shook his head at me.

  I gave out mugs and put the tea and coffee pots on the table, letting them serve themselves.

  “Woah!” A female voice exclaimed.

  I turned my head to the door to see the source of the outburst. Emma was stood gaping at my brothers.

  “You’re catching flies, Emma,” Adam grinned, standing behind her with his hands on her shoulders and guiding her forward so that he could get into the kitchen.

  “Morning,” I smiled at the two of them apologetically.

  “Morning, shorty,” Adam beamed back, pulling out a jar of Nutella and a loaf of bread from his cupboard.

  I saw the twins eyeing the jar and practically drooling at it.

  “You are not stealing Adam’s food,” I frowned at them.

  “Adam?” Ian asked, his interest peaking.

  Adam looked up at Ian, his eyes scanning my brother with caution. Adam had seen what my brothers had done to Jason after they found out we were together. I don’t think he held them in very high regard.

  “You’re Adam?” Ian probed, moving to stand in front of him.

  “I am,” Adam nodded warily, glancing in my direction.

  Ian held his hand out and shook Adam’s. “We owe you one,” Ian said gruffly.

  Adam smiled and relaxed a little. I should have realised that their ulterior motives for coffee involved Adam. Ian knew it was Adam who saved me.

  “Jesus, is that all?” He grinned. “I thought I was about to get another friendly warning.” He looked over at the twins.

  “Warning?” Ian asked.

  “We were just making sure he knew Jelly was off limits,” Danny smirked at Ian.

  “She still is,” Jason grinned, standing behind me and wrapping his arms around me.

  “Help yourself to tea or coffee, Emma,” I smiled at her noticing she was still hovering by the door, studying my brothers.

  “I’ll get you one,” Matt flashed her a smile. “Tea or coffee?”

  “Tea, please,” she smiled, moving closer to Jason and me. “You could have warned me, Jamie-Lea.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t know they were coming in,” I pouted.

  “S’okay,” she smiled. “Your brothers I assume?”

  I nodded and watched her accept her cup from Matt with a small smile.

  “Thanks,” she said, looking up at him through her long lashes.

  “You’re welcome,” he grinned at her. “Matt,” he held his hand out.

  “Emma,” she smiled, shaking his hand.

  “Don’t even fucking think about it,” Karl scowled at Matt.

  “What?” Matt glared back.

  “You are not hitting on Jelly’s flatmates. The girl’s only like eighteen years old.”

  “I’m a woman, not a girl,” Emma snapped at him, targeting him with a glare that could have curdled milk.

  Karl looked at her like she’d just sprouted horns and I beamed at her proudly.

  “You tell him,” Matt winked at Emma and went back to his seat at the table.

  I shook my head in exasperation. Matt was almost thirty, it was just weird that he’d even flirt with someone my age.

  I watched my brothers cleaning out my cupboard and my shelf in the fridge whilst I drank my tea. I could see it was pissing Jason off big style but he didn’t comment.

  “Take it easy, Reed,” Craig grinned, slapping Jason on the shoulder. “We’ll restock her tomorrow.”

  “I’ll hold you to that,” Jason frowned.

  “My brothers don’t lie,” I grinned at Jason

  Craig winked at me and leant back against the counter. Adam kindly donated his Nutella to the twins and they cheered up drastically.

  After half an hour and a whole lot of washed dishes, we were finally on our way out.

  “Did you pack everything on the list I sent you?” Ian asked as we got to the cars.

  “Yeah,” I nodded.

  “What did you bring for tonight?”

  “A dress,” I answered cautiously. “Knee length,” I added, noticing his frown.

  “Okay. Get in,” he motioned to Karl’s Audi.

  I hopped into the back seat and belted in. I watched Jason walk around to the other side but Karl blocked his path. I frowned and started to open my door but Ian shut it again, standing right in front of it so I couldn’t get out.

  “You’re with Craig and the twins,” I heard Karl tell Jason.

  Jason opened his mouth to protest but Ian cut him off.

  “You ride with them or not at all,” he shrugged.

  Jason looked at me through the window and I mouthed an apology. I should have expected something like this. My brothers can be such morons. Jason looked frustrated but stalked off towards the twins’ BMW without a word.

  “Why did you do that?” I asked Ian once he got behind the wheel.

  “I’m not watching you two make googly eyes at each other for the next two hours, Jelly,” Ian scowled at me in the rear-view mirror. “You see each other enough at uni. You’re meant to be spending this weekend with us, not Jason. We’re giving him a lift. That’s the end of it.”

  “We don’t make googly eyes,” I frowned.

  “That’s all you do,” Matt rolled his eyes, sitting next to me. “You’re worse than him and Elise,” he pointed to Karl in the passenger seat.

  “We’re fucking adorable and you know it,” Karl grinned.

  I grinned as well, they were definitely adorable. I used to be jealous of them. Now though, I understood how Elise made Karl feel. If Elise and Karl made each other as happy as Jason made me then I was definitely glad they had each other.

  The Audi and BMW pulled up alongside each other as we joined the M1. Danny grinned over at Ian with a look of pure mischief before putting his foot down and pulling away.

  “Clown,” Ian mumbled, accelerating quickly to match Danny’s speed.

  “Jeremy Clarkson’s right about BMW drivers,” Karl laughed, glancing nervously at Ian.

  I’d imagine he was a little uneasy about Ian driving his car like a formula one driver but he would never call him on it.

  “Actually, I think he recanted that statement and changed it to Audi drivers,” Matt grinned.

  “What you saying, Matt?” Ian asked coolly as he pulled into the middle lane, in front of the BMW.

  “Wasn’t me, it was Clarkson, E,” Matt smirked.

  “Mhm,” Ian mumbled disapprovingly.

  “I don’t think I’d want to drive any of you lot’s cars,” I said pensively.

  “Like we’d let you,” Karl scoffed.

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I pouted.

  “You haven’t got a license yet, Jelly,” Matt pointed out.

  “I know. I just meant that they’re a bit big and boisterous,” I shrugged.

  “You don’t think you’d suit a big and boisterous car, Jelly?” Ian asked.

  I shook my head, looking up at him through the rear view mirror.

  “You saying the rest of us do?”

  I walked into that one. “The big part maybe,” I grinned. “I sometimes feel like I have my own personal rugby team.”

  They chuckled and I congratulated myself on successfully navigating what could have become a loaded situation.

  I must have drifted off at some point because I woke up when Ian pulled the car into Scotch Corner Services.

  “Where are we?” I asked sleepily.

  “About forty-five minutes away,” Ian answered, parking the car swiftly, bang smack in the middle of the ba
y.

  I unbelted and stepped out of the car, stretching my arms above my head. I spotted the BMW and bounced over to give Jason a hug.

  “Miss me?” He grinned, opening his arms to me.

  “Always,” I beamed up at him.

  “Did you know Craig cheats at the yellow car game?” He pouted, pointing at the offending brother and rubbing his arm with his other.

  “Like fuck I do. I don’t need to cheat to beat you inside the cage or out of it.”

  “We’ll see,” Jason grinned.

  “That reminds me, Jelly,” Matt grinned. “I saw shit loads of yellow cars while you were asleep.”

  I squealed and made a dash for the doors to the services. I got there before Matt and made for the ladies room, shooting him a victorious grin as I disappeared around the door.

  We’d been playing the yellow car game since I was a kid. Every time you saw a yellow car, you got to hit whoever was next to you on the arm, as long as you saw the yellow car first. If the car was a mini or a beetle you got to hit them twice. Since I’d been asleep, I obviously hadn’t seen any of them first and I didn’t fancy sitting with a dead arm for the next forty-odd miles.

  I stuck my head out the door and checked that Matt wasn’t waiting for me. I didn’t see him so I made for the food court, assuming that’s where my brothers would be.

  “There you are,” Matt grabbed me around the waist from behind.

  “Put me down,” I squealed, drawing the attention of a shocked looking elderly couple.

  “You didn’t think you’d get away that easily, did you?” He teased.

  “It was worth a try,” I grumbled, squirming until he put me down.

  “Know how many yellow cars I saw?” He asked, keeping my shoulder in a firm grip.

  “Two?” I asked hopefully.

  “Times ten,” he grinned.

  “Don’t even fucking think about it, Matt,” Jason warned, appearing at my side.

  “Fuck off, Jason,” Matt groaned.

  “You lay one finger on her-”

  “I said. Fuck. Off,” Matt snarled.

  “Matt!” I scowled, pushing his hands off my shoulders. “Don’t talk to him like that.”

  Matt shot me his best angry teacher face and I almost faltered in my resolve.

  “It’s a fucking game, Reed. Take it easy,” Matt clapped Jason on the shoulder in what I’m sure was meant to seem like a friendly gesture but his face was still angry.