by Terry Towers
go after my sloppy seconds.”
“Funny, for someone who feels that way, you seem to get pissed off enough about it,”
Graham growled.
“Because it isn’t cool, man. You don’t go after your brother’s women.”
“Ginny was never really yours, Dane.”
“I found her first. I only did you a courtesy by letting you fuck her.”
“Didn’t realize that finders keepers also applied to women you’re not even committed to.
Grow up Dane!”
“Emma was mine!”
“We’re not talking about Emma, asshole. And you two had broken up because you didn’t
want to marry her.”
“Good thing I have a brother like you to swoop in and give her what she wants for me.” He
laughed. “Well, until the FedEx guy came around anyhow.”
“Enough!” Their captain’s scream, his voice echoing off the walls, gained the attention of
several of the officers outside of his closed office.
Both men froze, their anger at each other forgotten as they redirected their attention back to
their captain, who was once again leaned over his desk glaring at them.
“I’ve had enough of both of you. This is how it’s going to go. You two are going to drop this
ridiculous sibling rivalry you seem to have going on between you. You’re grown men for fuck
sakes not teenagers. If you don’t drop it then you both will be on unpaid suspension. If after the suspension you two still can’t find a common ground then you’ll both be out of a job. Do I make
myself clear?”
“Yes, Sir.” Both refusing to look at the other one, they nodded in unison.
“Good. Now ask yourselves: Is some chick worth your career and your relationship with each
other?”
Dane sighed, raking a hand through his hair and chancing a glance over at Graham. Was she
really worth it? Maybe Graham was right. Emma left him because she wanted to be married and
he wouldn’t commit to her. She’d waited for him to come around, but he’d made it clear he
wasn’t interested in marriage and kids and all that went along with it. He’d even refused to allow her to move in with him, because he didn’t want her smothering him.
Graham on the other hand embraced life as a couple. And ultimately Graham’s marriage
ended because Emma wasn’t over Dane, she’d used Graham as a substitute. It was that
realization that allowed him to forgive Graham in the first place, even though technically
Graham hadn’t been in the wrong to begin with.
But what if Graham was right about Genevieve? What if he pushed and she decided to
choose him over Graham after all? Or Graham decided to end it to make him happy? Would he
be able to give her the future she wanted? If he was honest with himself, he saw there was a good chance he wouldn’t be despite entertaining the possibility she was the one. Genevieve had been
through enough with her old fiancé, she didn’t need his games and commitment issues fucking
her over a second time.
He looked over at Graham and sighed, “I’m sorry Graham. I overreacted.”
“Ya think?” Graham turned his head to stare at his brother. “I lost a tooth because of you.”
Dane chuckled. “With that ugly mug, won’t make a difference.”
“We’re twins, idiot.”
“So are we fine here? Or does a suspension sound good for the both of you?” their captain
asked, visibly finished with the whole ordeal.
“Yeah. We’re fine.”
“Yeah,” Graham seconded his reassurance.
“Good. Get out of my sight, I have real work to do.”
“How about we go get a beer and talk this through,” Dane suggested as they exited the office,
closing the door behind them.
Graham looked hesitant but nodded. “Yeah. It’s best we clear the air. I don’t want a rehash of
what happened with Emma. I really don’t.”
~*~*~*~*~
~ Genevieve ~
It was 8pm and not a sight or word from Graham. She’d called twice and sent a few text
messages. Nothing. With a sigh she moved away from the window that overlooked the street
and flopped down on the sofa. Her brief and awkward conversation with Dane had been on her
mind. One section of their conversation in particular came to mind – the fact Graham was
manning a murder crime scene. What if something happened? What if he got hurt?
Panic began to seep into her. What if he wasn’t answering because he was in the hospital – or
worse? Ten minutes passed and her anxiety increased until the point she had her phone in her
hands and preparing to phone the precinct.
After looking up the number she quickly input the numbers and then sat with her finger
hovering over the key, not sure if she should dial or not. Just as she made the final decision to press the button, the buzzer for her apartment rang.
Oh, thank God!
Leaping from the sofa, she rushed across the room and pressed the intercom. “Hello.”
“Ginny. It’s me. Buzz me up.”
Genevieve frowned. It sounded like him, but he didn’t quite sound right. Without question
she pressed the buzzer opening the security lock on the front door. As she waited she stood in
front of the full-length mirror and examined her reflection. Her make-up was still perfectly
applied and her black knee-length pencil dress accented her figure perfectly. He’d love it.
A wide smile emerged on her lips when the knock came at her door – loud and insistent.
“Ginny!” Graham yelled from the other side of the door, followed by more loud knocking.
“I’m here!”
What in the hell? She rushed to the door and without bothering to look through the peephole flung it open, scared he’d disturb her overly anal neighbours with the noise.
“What are you –” her mouth dropped open at the sight of him. He looked seriously fucked up.
One hand held a bouquet of mangled flowers, presumably picked from the flower beds outside,
and the other a half-drunk bottle of beer.
“Hey, Ginny.” He took a step over the threshold and thrust the flowers at her. He faintly
smelled of beer and was still wearing his uniform pants and white undershirt.
She gingerly accepted the flowers, noticing that some had been yanked out of the ground and
still contained the roots. She was so confused she couldn’t be angry. There was no doubt
whatever he had originally planned for the evening had gone straight out the door.
“What’s going on, Graham?”
He walked past her and into the apartment, clucking his tongue off of the roof of his mouth.
“Dane and I had a talk.” Surprisingly he wasn’t slurring his words although they sounded heavy
and his walking was a little off kilter.
She didn’t have to ask what about. Closing the door, she took his hand and pulled him over to
the sofa. Sitting down, she patted the vacant spot next to her. As he sat she noticed a minor
blackening of his eye and a cut on his upper lip, which was slightly swollen.
“Oh my God, what happened to you?”
“Dane.” He took another drink of his beer, finishing up the contents of the bottle.
Her eyes widened. “Were you guys in a fight?”
“Bingo.” He smiled wide and she noticed a missing tooth several teeth in from the front. She
was sure he’d had all his teeth the previous evening.
“And your tooth?” Her heart sank. She didn’t want them fighting over her and certainly
didn’t want them comin
g to blows with each other.
This is my fault. All my fault.
He grinned as wide as possible. “Arrr. I’m a pirate now.”
Her hand flew to her mouth, not sure if she should laugh at his antics or cry because she was
the cause of it. A giggle escaped her while tears formed in her eyes.
“Don’t worry.” He graced her with a wink. “I got a few good whacks in myself.”
“When did this happen?”
“After my shift. He found me in the locker room. No big deal.” He waved a dismissive hand
at her. “We fight all the time.”
“With your fists?” She looked down at the flowers in her hand and placed them on the coffee
table, wiping the soil from her hands on a napkin.
He did say he was going to surprise me, she mused, I’m thoroughly surprised.
“Nah, it’s been a while for that… we were about due really.”
“Are you drunk?”
“Wha’? No. No. No. Just had a few beers. That’s all. We worked it out over beer.”
She gave him a dubious look, but didn’t challenge him on the drunk issue.
“Oh shit! Wait!” He stood up quickly and collapsed back onto the sofa.
“Oh God, are you okay Graham? Do you need some water? Aspirin?”
“We have a date tonight. I was supposed to give you the date of a lifetime.” He leaned
forward, placing his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. “I just need a minute and we
can go.”
She shook her head. “Nope. The only place we’re going is to the bedroom to get you
undressed and in bed.” She imagined that between him only having two and a half hours sleep
the previous night, the long day at work at some grotesque crime scene, the blows to the head
he’d received and the alcohol, the best thing for him at the moment was sleep.
“I’m fine.” He lifted his head, attempted a smile and stood. “Let’s go.”
She laughed and took his hand. “Only place you’re going is bed.” She gave his hand a tug,
leading him to the bedroom.
“I’m fine Ginny, really.”
She ignored him, flicking on the light as she led him into the bedroom. “You have the next
couple of days off right?”
“Yeah.”
“Well then we can spend the day together tomorrow. You’re going to bed.”
“I don’t want to impose.” As he protested she busied herself stripping his clothes from his
body. “I really don’t need you fussing.”
She looked up at him, determination flashing in her eyes. “Yeah. You do. So stop arguing
and finish getting undressed. I’ll get you some aspirin. I want you completely naked by the time I get back. I’ll wash your clothes while you sleep.” She didn’t wait for a response, but heard a dry
“Yes, Ma’am” as she exited the room, making her grin.
Making a side trip to the living room she picked up her makeshift bouquet of flowers and
made her way into the kitchen. After shaking the soil from the roots of the flowers she found a
vase, filled it with water and placed them inside, arranging them so they looked as good as a
bunch of random flowers could.
“May not be roses, but it’s the thought,” she murmured to herself with a smile on her lips,
grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge and then grabbing the bottle of aspirin.
“Okay, I’ve got umm–” She skidded to a halt just inside the doorway of the bedroom.
Graham was completely naked, sprawled out spread-eagle on top of the comforter sound asleep.
Chapter 13
~ Genevieve ~
The smell and sound of bacon sizzling woke Genevieve. She stretched and groaned softly.
“You awake?”
Her eyes sprung open to see Graham wide awake and smiling, standing in the doorway of the
bedroom in just the boxers she’d washed the previous night. She returned his smile, sitting up in bed.
“I am. Something smells amazing.”
“Tastes amazing too. Stay put.” His eyes drank every inch of her in. “And no need to rush in
getting dressed on my account.” He gave her a wink before turning and disappearing from the
doorway.
Doing as told she remained in bed and waited for his return. When he did return, there was a
silver platter in his hands. On the platter was a plate of breakfast, glass of orange juice and a vase with red roses in it.
“Awww, you didn’t have to do that.”
“Yeah, I did.” He placed the platter on the night side table next to the bed and sat down next
to her.
Grabbing the vase of roses she brought them to her nose and inhaled their fragrance. “When
did you go get the roses?”
“As soon as I woke up and saw the bouquet I gave you last night I ran to the store.” He
cringed. “I’m sorry. You have no idea how sorry I am about last night.”
“How are you feeling?” The bacon smelled too good and she was helpless to resist it any
longer. Putting the roses back on the tray she grabbed the plate he prepared for her and popped a piece of bacon into her mouth. He looked better. The swelling in his lip was gone and the
darkness around his eye had lightened – slightly.
“Much better. Between the lack of sleep and beer.”
She leaned over and kissed him softly. “I understand.”
“But the good news is that I’ve finally got things settled with Dane.” He grimaced. “At least I
think I did; things started getting hazy as the evening progressed.”
“Can I ask what the deal is with your ex?” She’d been wanting to ask since he’d mentioned
he’d been married, but didn’t want to pry. After the outburst from Dane, she felt it was
something she needed to know and couldn’t hold her curiosity any longer.
Graham sighed and stretched out on the bed beside her, on his back with his fingers laced
behind his head. “Well, she’d been with Dane for a couple of years and she wanted to get
married. Dane, however, cared for her, maybe even loved her, but he didn’t want to settle down.
He likes the fast life with no one telling him what to do or tying him down.”
“I see.”
“So she had enough and he was sick of her nagging for something more serious so they broke
up. She presented him with an ultimatum and for lack of a better way of explaining it, he told her to not let the door hit her in the ass on her way out. Not too long afterward she started calling me and dropping by. Eventually things got serious between us and to make a long story short I gave
her what she wanted. But I wasn’t really what she wanted.”
“I don’t get it.”
“I think she always wanted Dane. She married me because I was a Dane substitute. I didn’t
see that at the time, but realize that now.” He shot her a rueful grin.
“Has Dane ever considered taking her back after you two split?”
Graham laughed. “Hell no. Dane holds grudges, he saw her going to me as a betrayal even
though they were broken up at the time and had been for some time. Dane and I always had an
agreement to never date someone the other has been with. I broke that rule to be with Emma and
Dane and I had a severe falling out over it. He even refused to attend the wedding. I think he still had a thing for her, but he just wouldn’t admit it.”
“Then why be with her if it meant you’d have issues with your brother?”
“I was stupid. I love being part of a couple and I did have a connection with her, or thought I
did.” He shrugged. “Truth is I want to be married and have babies and
grow old with someone. I
just picked the wrong girl to do that with. And in truth, I knew Dane would eventually accept it.”
Genevieve let out a loud huff of air and nodded. “So how are your feelings toward Emma
now?” The last thing she wanted was a rebound guy. She doubted her healing heart could handle
being left for someone else so soon after Alex.
“I have no feelings, good or bad really. Embarrassment would be about it since we split
because she was fucking the FedEx guy. Which, let me tell ya, Dane won’t let me forget. Either
way, she’s part of the past and that’s about it.”
She caught his eyes and nodded. She knew everything she needed to know and she had no
intention of wasting any more of their day discussing Emma or Alex. Graham was right, now
that Dane was on the same page as them there was nowhere to look but forward.
“In that case, on to more enjoyable topics. So what did you have planned for last night
anyhow?”
He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “Can’t say or I’d be giving away what we’re
doing today. You’re not opening the store today are you?”
She shook her head, turning her attention back to the breakfast in front of her and popping
another piece of bacon in her mouth. “Nope, I don’t open on Sundays until December through
New Years. I work from open to close almost every day so I like having at least one day off.”
“Do you have any employees?”
She shrugged. “One. Brittany, but I haven’t needed her since the break-in and she’s a
university student so her studies come first. I brought her in for the afternoon a couple of days ago.”
“Could she have…”
“No. She doesn’t even have a key.” She gave him a lopsided grin. “I guess I have some trust
issues when it comes to the store. Dane already checked into her despite my telling him it was a
waste of time and she was clean.”
Finishing the rest of her breakfast, she removed the tray from her lap and placed it on top of
the night stand. She repositioned herself, stretching out beside him and cuddling to his side.
Nipping at the side of his neck, she was rewarded with a low groan coming from him.
Encouraged, she slipped her hand onto his stomach, tracing the lines of muscle. Her fingers
moved lower, until they reached the waistband of his boxers.