by Zoey Marcel
Justin would have been completely mesmerized by the bulkiest man he’d ever seen if Aiden wasn’t there to distract him.
“What do you mean he doesn’t have a girlfriend?” Aiden barked into the phone. “Of course he does. He’s a young man with hormones. Didn’t you have a girlfriend at that age? Exactly. No, Greg, I don’t want to hear about your first time.”
Heller chewed gum with his mouth open and grinned at Justin, who smiled back at him and wondered who Greg was.
“Do you think he’s asexual or on drugs?” Aiden asked into the phone.
Heller smirked.
“Well, why else would he show no interest in girls or school? He’s like one of those monkeys that sit in trees all day and doesn’t fuckin’ go anywhere,” Aiden said. “What do you mean which kind? The slow ones that take ten years to reach for the next branch and twice as long to chew. They look like something out of Star Wars. I forget what they’re called. Tree sloths. Thanks. Well, they look like monkeys.”
Heller and Justin looked at each other and snickered.
Aiden noticed Heller standing there and lowered his voice so the biker couldn’t hear him.
Justin stood closer to Aiden, but he had to strain to listen now.
“I don’t care if he’s depressed. I had him move in with you for a reason. Malachi is a good man, but Sean was spendin’ too much time with him.” Aiden took the pump out of the tank and put it back, shutting and locking the little door again. “Oh, you think so? I’ve done my best. Now fuck y’rself. Greg, if you sing that song to me, I’ll kill you in your sleep. I’m hangin’ up.”
Justin heard a male voice singing “Cat’s in the Cradle” on the other end before Aiden shut the phone off and stuck it in his pocket.
His features softened when he laid eyes on Justin. “My brother.”
“Gotcha.”
Heller walked up to Aiden and handed him a manila envelope. “A present for you.”
Aiden gave him a reproachful look and stuck it in his car. “Thanks.”
“What’s in there?” Justin asked.
“Now, that’s hardly your business, is it?”
Heller gave him a saucy smirk. “Dough.”
“Oh, yum! Like that Amish friendship bread?” Justin asked.
Aiden gave him a funny look.
Heller broke out into laughter. “That’s right, kid. Aiden loves sourdough bread, and I’m the rebel in the Amish community.”
Justin grinned. “There aren’t any Amish around here. You got it when you were vacationing in Pennsylvania, didn’t you?”
“Sure, kid. I scrimped and saved and said to myself, ‘Self, forget Italy and Australia. You’re going to Pennsylvania for the vacation of your life.’”
“Nice.”
“What did you buy?” Aiden asked.
Justin got extra happy all of a sudden. “The usual products to stay sharp-looking, plus some Halloween stuff.”
Heller grinned. “You going trick-or-treating?”
“Heck yeah.”
Aiden scanned him head to toe, a slow smile forming while he chewed gum with his mouth open. “Aren’t you a little old for that?”
Justin felt a hot stirring and pressure in his lower abdomen. Seeing someone chew gum had never done that to him before. When Heller did it, he looked like a badass in a devil-may-care kind of way.
When it was Aiden, the same gesture was badass in a very sexual way.
“You’re never too old for candy,” Justin said.
“What’s your costume?” Aiden asked.
“I’m going as that hunky vampire, Edward Cullen.”
“What?”
Heller laughed. “Good for you.”
Justin grinned. “Yep, my best friend is going as the werewolf, Jacob Black. He kind of looks like him. It’s perfect. We’ll see who Bella chooses this Halloween.”
Aiden stared at him, expression loaded with humor. “Why do you know so much about Twilight?”
“Why do you know about Twilight?”
“What exactly are you implyin’?”
“Well, either you love girly books, or you only know about it because your daughter is into that stuff.” Justin didn’t understand the warning look that flashed in Aiden’s eyes after he said that.
Heller looked surprised. “I didn’t know you had a kid.”
“I do,” Aiden said in annoyance.
“Yep, he’s got two of them,” Justin added, blinking in confusion when Aiden glared at him.
Why didn’t he want Heller to know he had kids?
“How old are they?” Heller asked.
“Nineteen and seven,” Aiden spat.
Justin scrambled to change the subject, still not sure why Aiden seemed upset with him. “No offense to Bella, but I would have totally gone for that hot chick, Jessica.”
“What if you were Bella?” Heller asked.
Aiden shot him a peeved glance. “Really, you’re gonna indulge him?”
Heller grinned.
“What, you think I have a team?” Justin snorted.
“Oh, you’ve got to have a team,” Heller teased. “Everybody does.”
“Jacob, hands down,” Justin said. “Don’t tell my friend that. It’s only because werewolves are awesome, and Jacob had dark hair and abs.”
“Dogs and muscles, can’t go wrong there,” Heller agreed.
“Is there enough estrogen in this conversation for you?” Aiden asked.
Heller laughed.
Justin’s eldest brother, Shane, pulled up just then. He got out of the truck and then hooked up the pump to his tank. “How goes it?”
“It’s awesome.” Justin held up his bag of male beauty crap. “I’m making myself man-beautiful, and these two are exchanging recipes.”
Heller laughed. “Shane, I’m starting to like your brother.”
“He’s too young for you,” Aiden said.
“I’m not that old.”
Shane eyed him with faux criticism. “Careful there, Enos. I don’t want my brother tangling with someone like you.”
Heller smiled. “I wouldn’t either. You’ve got nothing to worry about. I’m too busy corrupting a hot-ass cowboy to notice your adorable twink of a brother.”
Aiden threw him a dirty look. “He’s not a twink.”
“That’s right,” Justin agreed. “I happen to be in a very steamy relationship with my puma.”
“That doesn’t sound fucked up at all,” Heller teased.
Justin chuckled, getting jittery when his pocket serenaded him with Mariah Carey’s “Touch My Body.” “Oh my god, it’s Jasmine. She’s calling me.”
Shane gave him a half-assed scowl. “Nice wholesome ringtone you’ve got there.”
Justin grew warm. “What do I do?”
“You could try answering the phone,” Heller quipped.
“Yes, but what if I look too eager?”
“She might find that a turnoff,” Aiden muttered.
Justin frowned. “You think?”
“Just answer the damned phone,” Shane told him. He waved Aiden over. “I thought I’d grab a beer. Wanna join me?”
“I hafta stop somewhere first, then I will. I’ll be five minutes.”
“Fine. I’m gonna head over. I’ll meet you there.”
“Oh my god, Jasmine!” Justin tried to steady his tone when he heard her sexy-ass voice on the other end. “It’s good to hear your voice. You sound hot.”
“You sound hotter,” she said.
He did have a great voice, but hers was all sultry and sassy. “No, you sound hotter.”
“No, you do.”
“No, you’re hotter.”
Heller walked away snickering.
Aiden got back into his car, muttering something that sounded like “Jaysus.”
* * * *
“How’s things?” Aiden asked from the booth he sat in at the saloon.
Shane sat across from him, enjoying his brew. “All right. You?”
“I c
an’t complain.” Aiden studied him for a moment after taking a drink of his beer. “Why do I get the feeling this isn’t a friendly drinkin’ chat?”
Shane heaved a sigh, absently noting the view from the window. Gray clouds moved in, signaling the chance of rain. He’d always liked the rain. So had Carsten.
“I met someone.”
Aiden scoffed.
Shane cracked a smile. “You didn’t even let me finish.”
“I didn’t say anything.” Aiden reached for his glass. “You asked her to marry you, didn’t you?”
Shane smirked. “I’m not there yet, although they say third time’s a charm.”
“If you haven’t learned from the first two marriages, you’re headed for disaster with the third as well.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. I have learned. It was my fault both those marriages ended.”
“No one said you had to take all the blame. I’m sure they were irritating nags.”
“Problem was I didn’t love them. I married them because I was trying to get over the fact that Carsten Brodie ran off to Kansas and married a woman. I was always comfortable with my pansexuality.”
“Disturbingly so.”
Shane ignored the snarky prejudice and continued. “But because of the way his father raised him, Carsten couldn’t accept the fact that he was gay.”
Aiden seemed impatient or annoyed. “Malachi Brodie is a good man. He practices what he preaches.”
“Getting back to Carsten—”
“Did it ever occur to you that he’s bisexual? For all you know, he married that woman because he loved her.”
“Carsten was gay, Aiden. I know denial when I see it.”
“Sometimes you’re wrong.”
“Anyway, this woman I met recently, my brothers are actually seeing her.” Shane felt a rush of excitement just talking about her.
“Kendall, right.”
“You’ve met her?”
“I haven’t. It’s a small town.”
“It felt different with her than it did with my exes. Here’s the problem. She’s submissive, but she’s not a slave. I had a power exchange years ago with Carsten. I enjoy that, but something tells me if I hold out for a woman who wants one and the unlikelihood that I’ll fall for her, I might be missing out on something special with Kendall. I think there’s something there.”
“If you want her, fuck her. She could change her mind later and want a power exchange.”
“I don’t think so. She’s a feminist.”
“So charm her, get her attached and then groom her into what you want if you’re stuck on her. It’s not that hard.”
Shane made a face. “I don’t groom people. I accept them as they are. If someone is not slave material, I walk or make them my bedroom sub only.”
“If you lack the talent to mold someone into what you want, one would think you’d have enough pride not to change for anyone.”
“It’s called compromise.”
Aiden brought the glass to his lips, shaking his head once. “I don’t see Kendall callin’ you Master, or Carsten crawlin’ back to you. You’re still pinin’ after him years later and actually considerin’ restricting your domination to the bedroom only. Someone’s being groomed, and I’ll give you a hint. It’s not them.”
Shane glowered at him, gesturing between them. “Is this your idea of consolation?”
“I thought you wanted my advice.”
“Your version of relationships sounds like a fucking battlefield with no winners.”
“There’s always a winner. It’s whoever has the most fight in them.”
“Damn, no wonder you’re a single father.”
Aiden stiffened. “How did you know I was a father?”
“Justin told me.”
He pursed his lips, staring down into his glass. “Did he now?”
“Are you and your wife divorced or something?”
“She’s dead.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“You’re grand.”
“What happened?”
Aiden set his glass down after taking a gulp. “It’s not your fuckin’ business.”
“I didn’t mean to pry. I was just trying to be a good friend.”
“I’m not sure why you asked me here if you don’t want my advice.”
Shane quieted his pitch. “Well, I figured there had to have been a woman in your life since you have kids. I thought maybe you guys were separated or divorced. Honestly, I was just wondering how you did it.”
“What?”
“Moved on.”
Silence fell.
“I know it’s been years, but I can’t get Carsten out of my head. I know you don’t like hearing about men together, but I love him. I have a connection with Kendall and I want her. I can forgo power exchange, but I don’t think I’m ever gonna get over him.”
“Maybe she’ll let you have him, too. She likes gettin’ passed around.”
“If he ever comes back.”
Aiden turned to a passing waitress. “Irish whiskey. Thanks.”
“Okay. I’ll be right back with that.” She went to pour them.
Shane smiled weakly. “Is it getting too emotional for you?”
“I’m not drunk enough for this shite.”
The waitress returned with a tray of shot glasses and then walked off.
“I amn’t sharin’,” Aiden said before downing the first one.
“That’s fine. I’ll stick with the beer.” Shane watched his finger tap the table gently with the delicate rhythm of a raindrop falling from the roof after a thundershower. “Does it ever stop hurting?”
Aiden seemed uncomfortable, despite his callousness. “It will if you quit rippin’ the feckin’ scab off it.”
“I can’t help how I feel.”
“That’s your weakness. You feel.” He sucked down his second shot.
“Letting scabs heal is one thing. Ignoring wounds to pretend it doesn’t hurt just forms calluses around your heart until you can’t feel anything, not even love or empathy.”
“It’s called armor. It’s what separates the victors from the little bitches that were stupid enough not to wear it in the first place.”
“I think that’s enough liquor for you.” Shane took the last shot and swallowed it down before Aiden could.
“Now I hate you.”
They snickered.
Shane sobered. “What do you think of my little brother?”
“Charlie’s a player, René’s a gentleman—”
“You know who I’m talking about.”
Aiden’s eyes narrowed and his countenance shadowed with caution. “You goin’ somewhere with this?”
“You were pretty protective of Justin earlier when Heller was flirting with him.”
“Heller’s a pig.”
“He’s your friend.”
“I have friends in all sorts of low places. Justin’s your brother. Why shouldn’t I be protective of him?”
Shane scrutinized him sharply. “You sure that’s all it was?”
Aiden glared at him, gripping his empty shot glass tightly. “What else would it be?”
“I thought maybe you wanted in his pants.”
The man was smiling, but even if the slow simmer of animosity in his green eyes hadn’t alerted Shane, Aiden’s knuckles whitening where he clutched the glass were a dead giveaway. “What?”
“When I kissed you two years ago, you kissed me back.”
“I was drunk.”
“Funny, I don’t remember tasting alcohol on you.”
“Well, you wouldn’t when you’d been drinkin’, would you? Nothing happened after that because I’m straight.”
“Nothing happened after that because when we talked about logistics, neither of us was willing to bottom for the other.”
Aiden pursed his lips in a vicious smile. “You’re playin’ a dangerous game. That never happened.”
“Is that how you want to play it?�
�
“I’m not like you. I don’t have a weak spot for men. Even if I did, you wouldn’t be my type.”
Shane picked up his glass of beer. “Nah, of course not. You like them smaller, leaner, obedient.”
“You just described the way I like my women.”
“I just described Justin.”
Aiden sucked in a strained breath of air and curled his fingers before releasing them. His tense digits tapped like claws against the table. “I don’t think of Justin that way, or any other man.”
“What you do in your private life is your business, but Justin’s my little brother. I want better for him.”
“That’s touching, Shane. It’s a wonder we’re even mates when you have such a lovely view of me.”
“You’re my best friend, but Justin deserves someone sweet and caring. That ain’t you.”
“I don’t know what you’re givin’ out about when I told you I’m not like that.”
“You’re not watching out for him. You’re overprotective of him. Fuck whoever else you want, but Justin’s off-limits. I don’t want to ever hear about you using him and then leaving him.”
Aiden chortled as he stood slowly. “Ah, Shane, take comfort. If I was that man and I wanted Justin, I would fuck him and do whatever I wanted to him.” He knelt near Shane’s ear and whispered, “And you would never even know.”
Shane tensed, feeling a knot of cold in his stomach and a flash of anger. He turned his head to catch Aiden’s cocky stare as the man straightened up again. “Actually, I would know. Justin has a mouth the size of Texas. He can’t keep a secret to save his life.”
Aiden gave him a smile that was about as natural as NutraSweet. “Then we have nothing to worry about, do we? We can maintain this perfectly healthy friendship, knowin’ that I’m straight and you’re smart enough not to bring this up again or make empty threats.”
Shane crossed his arms. “Sounds like you’re making one of your own.”
“Ah, you thought it was empty, did you?” Aiden sneered before walking out of the place.
That was a side of him that came out occasionally and gave Shane pause. Maybe he came across a bit abrasive. There wasn’t really a nice way to tell someone they were no good for your little brother.