Vance stares at her for a moment. Did she just say that she is in love with him? He attacks her mouth while his hands tangle in her hair to hold her to him. She wraps her arms around his waist and pulls his body tight against hers. Goddamn, Vance never imagined how good it would feel to hear her say that.
Vance slips one arm around her waist and holds her to him as he crawls up onto the bed with her. As soon as Melina is on her back, she pushes his underwear down so that he can kick them off. He then lays his body on top of hers and immediately enters her. They gasp against each other's lips.
“Baby, I'm so sorry,” Vance moans as he pulls out and thrusts back into her. “I never meant to hurt you,” he whispers against her lips.
Melina strokes the side of his face. “I know,” she breathes.
“I love you, too, Melina,” he confesses. She smiles against his lips.
“Really?”
Vance pulls his face back far enough to look into her eyes. “God, yes, so much,” he murmurs then kisses her softly on the lips. Melina grasps his face and deepens the kiss.
After they both come and clean up, they get back into bed. This time, Melina lays half of her body on him. Vance tucks one hand behind his head and the other is around her shoulders holding him to her, but he just stares up at the ceiling, afraid to fall back to sleep.
“Vance, I can hear your heart racing. What’s wrong?” Melina asks quietly, her breath tickling his chest.
“I think I should sleep on the couch,” he replies.
Her head shoots up to give him a “Don't be ridiculous” look. “You’re not sleeping on the couch,” she scoffs.
“If you would’ve added a ‘young man’ to the end of that sentence, you would’ve sounded like my mother.” Vance smirks.
She chuckles.
“But seriously, I don't want to hurt you again...” he starts, but Melina puts her hand over his mouth.
“You won't hurt me again, and I won't have you sleeping on the couch. Everything’s going to be fine, I promise,” Melina soothes.
Vance lets out a sigh of defeat; he isn't going to win this battle, she is too determined. So he tries to relax and fall back to sleep, but his mind keeps racing with horrible thoughts about accidently killing Melina. He just can't sleep. So once she’s sound asleep, he wiggles out from under her, puts on a pair of sweatpants, and goes downstairs to sleep on the couch.
The next morning, Vance is woken up by the front door opening and closing. He rubs his eyes and looks to see who came in. Xander gives him a nervous smile. Vance blinks a couple of times, trying to figure out why he would be here so early. Vance looks at the clock on the cable box: 6:30 am.
“What are you doing here this early?” Vance asks sleepily.
As Xander opens his mouth to answer, Bryan comes down the steps with a huge smile on his face. Bryan doesn't notice that Vance is on the couch and as soon as he hits the base of the steps, he grabs Xander's face and presses his lips firmly against him. Vance's eyes widen and he shoots up into a sitting position, his eyes glued to the scene in front of him. Bryan’s and Xander's mouths lock together as his would with Melina. After a moment, Xander rips away from Bryan, shoots a frantic look at Vance, and then bolts out the front door.
Bryan stares in confusion at the closed door then looks over and sees Vance. “Vance,” he breathes, his eyes widening in horror as he realizes what Vance just witnessed.
Vance gets up from the couch and starts toward Bryan, who begins backing up toward the steps. He bumps into the bottom step and stumbles back, falling on his ass onto one of the steps. Vance stops in front of him.
“Why didn't you tell me?” Vance whispers, unsure of his voice.
Bryan opens and closes his mouth a few times before he answers. “Xander is afraid,” he admits.
Vance frowns. “Of what?”
“How you would react.”
Vance's heart drops. Does Xander really think that he won't support him? “Shit,” Vance utters then turns and races out of the house. He looks up and down the street but doesn't see Xander. His car is still in the driveway, so he knows that he didn't leave. He walks around the side of the house toward the beach.
As Vance comes up to the back of the house and looks down the beach toward the water, he can see Xander sitting down by the water's edge. Vance sighs and starts toward him. As he gets closer, he can see that Xander has his face in his hands and that his shoulders are shaking. Fuck, he’s crying.
“Xan.” Vance sighs and sits down next to him. “Why didn't you tell me?”
“I didn't want you to hate me,” Xander confesses.
“Xander, why would you think that I would hate you? You’re my brother,” Vance reassures him and puts his arm around Xander's shoulders.
“I'm gay, Vance. Not bi, gay.”
“Obviously.” Vance chuckles.
Xander picks his head up and stares at Vance in disbelief. “You seriously don't care?”
“I couldn’t care less who you fuck, Xan. You’re still my brother and I love you,” he says.
Xander smiles and shakes his head. “You had to say it like that didn't you?”
“Of course. I'm guessing you haven't told mom or dad yet?”
“No.” Xander sighs.
“Don't worry, bro. They're gonna be fine with it.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Trust me. Our parents are gonna be cool with it. They just want you to be happy,” Vance promises, pulling him closer to kiss him on the temple.
“Thanks, Van,” Xander murmurs.
“I love you, Xan.”
“Love you, too, Vance.”
“So, ah...have you and Bryan...ya know?” Vance asks and wags his eyebrows at Xander.
Xander laughs and elbows Vance in the ribs. “No, not yet.”
“Not yet? So it's gonna happen eventually? I mean, Bryan's a good lookin’ dude...”
“Van! Come on!” he groans and covers his face in embarrassment.
“What? If I were gay, I'd be all over Bryan.” He shrugs.
“Oh my god,” Xander puffs.
“Why are you being so shy...oh wait, you're still a virgin, aren't you?” he asks softly.
Xander turns his bright red face to look at Vance. “Yeah,” he whispered.
Vance nods in understanding. “Is Bryan?”
Xander nods.
“Well, that’s good. Neither of you will know what you’re doing so you shouldn't get yourself all worked up about it.”
“I guess.”
“Believe me, the first time is gonna be awkward, just ask any of the guys. It doesn't matter if it's with a dude or a chick,” Vance says with a slight smile as he remembers his first time.
“Do you think they're all gonna be okay with it? I mean, I don't want them to get weird around Bryan.”
“No, come on, Xan. You’ve known my friends for how long?”
“My whole life,” he says with a fond smile.
“Right, do any of them seem homophobic to you?” Vance says rolling his eyes.
“No, Dayne is forever grabbing Tripp's ass and I've seen Ryder grab you guys and kiss you on the mouth...” Xander laughs.
Vance groans. “Ryder becomes completely gay when he's drunk. He loves kissing us. Thank god he hasn't done it to some random dude; he'd have the shit kicked out of him.”
Xander smiles and seems to relax. Vance stands and he follows, pulling his younger brother into a big bear hug. They’re practically the same height, so Vance kisses his temple then lets him go.
“Do you feel better now that it's out in the open?” he asks as they start back up the beach toward the house.
Xander sighs. “God, yes.”
“Good.” Vance smiles.
They brush their feet off at the back door then walk into the kitchen where Melina is standing at the stove starting to cook pancakes. Tripp is putting on coffee. Bryan is sitting nervously at the table, his knee bouncing like crazy. Ryder is leaning on the counter n
ext to Tripp, looking like he is sleeping standing up. And Dayne is at the fridge getting things out for Melina.
Xander quietly joins Bryan at the table where they whisper back and forth to each other; no doubt, Xander is telling Bryan what happened. Vance sidles up behind Melina, wraps his arms around her waist, and props his chin on her shoulder.
“Morning, baby,” Vance murmurs.
“You slept on the couch, didn't you?” Melina asks dryly.
Vance sighs and puts his forehead on her shoulder. “Babe, I couldn't sleep. I just kept thinking about what might happen if I fell asleep next to you again.”
“So, are you never going to sleep next to me again?” she asks, her tone saying that she is annoyed with him.
“Not until I get some help. I'm gonna go Monday to see the department's psychiatrist,” Vance says, lifting his head from her shoulder.
Melina shoots him a worried glance. “You really think that's necessary?”
“After last night, love? Yes,” Vance says solemnly.
Melina looks at him for a moment before turning back to her cooking. “Alright, whatever you think will help you,” she says blandly, but he knows that she agrees with him…about getting the help part, not the sleeping on the couch.
“It's a good idea, Melina. He shouldn't be doing things like that in his sleep,” Tripp murmurs from their left. “He can have some form of PTSD from that case he's working.”
“Was working,” Vance corrects.
Tripp's brows shoot up. “You got off it?”
“Yeah, I pretty much gave the Chief an ultimatum: either I am off the case, or I quit entirely.”
Tripp lets out a low whistle. “It's that bad?”
Vance nods. “Yeah, it's that bad,” he says grimly.
“What about Shawn? Is he still on it?” Tripp asks.
Vance shrugs. “No idea.”
“Jesus Christ, Melina! What happened to your neck?” Xander exclaims. He’s on his way to the fridge when he notices the bruising.
“Van choked her in his sleep,” Ryder chimes in.
“What?” Xander spits out, turning his wide-eyed stare to Vance.
“I was having a nightmare,” Vance murmurs quietly and tucks his face into Melina's neck.
“It's okay, Xander. I'm fine,” Vance hears Melina say. He can tell by her tone of voice that she still isn't happy with his decision to not sleep in the same bed until he sees a doctor.
Everyone sits down for breakfast and starts up their own little conversations. Vance watches his friends as they joke with each other, and Melina is right in the thick of it. She just fits in so well with his second family. He wants to come home from work every night to Melina and wake up next to her every morning. Right now, she will only stay over on the weekends and an occasional weekday, but Vance wants more.
“Guys, I have something I want to tell you,” Xander says, bringing Vance out of his thoughts.
Everyone looks over at Xander, who’s sitting next to Bryan. Xander fidgets nervously and is having a hard time keeping anyone's gaze. “The only other person that knows so far is Vance, and I just hope that you all take it as well as he did.”
Tripp, Ryder, and Dayne give Vance a curious glance before bringing their attention back to Xander. “What is it, little bro?” Dayne prompts. All of the guys think of Xander as their little brother, too.
“I'm…uh...I'm gay,” Xander says quietly.
Melina smiles brightly, Tripp just stares at him in shock, Ryder starts choking on his coffee, and Dayne nods slowly.
“Ryder?” Xander asks. The sorrow and hurt in his voice telling Vance that he’s taking Ryder's reaction as a negative.
Ryder waves and shakes his head. “Sorry...not what I...expected,” he chokes out between coughing fits. Dayne gives Ryder a couple of pounds on the back before he can get himself under control. Once he quits coughing, he gets up and makes his way around the table to Xander.
Xander looks up at him with a frown on his face. “Xan, I love you, and I totally get where you're coming from,” Ryder says with a soft smile.
Xander looks up at him in confusion. “You do?”
Ryder nods. “Ryder's bi,” Dayne tells him.
Xander shoots a look at Vance who nods. “He told us when we were in high school that he was having feelings toward guys, as well as, girls.”
“How did I not know this?” Xander sputters.
“I don't go around telling everyone, and you’ve never asked.” Ryder shrugs.
“So you ah...you've...” Xander stutters.
“Been with a dude? Yeah, I've been with men,” Ryder answers.
“So don't think we're gonna be weird about it. We still love you, and you're still the same person you've always been,” Tripp says with a smile.
“Yeah, just don't try to put any moves on me,” Dayne says with a pointed look.
Xander laughs. “You're not my type, Dayne.”
That has everyone laughing. “Thank fuckin’ god for that.” Dayne chuckles.
Vance sits there in silence while everyone laughs and jokes, unable to take his eyes off his brave baby brother. He’s so proud of him.
Chapter 11
**Dayne**
Dayne is standing with Vance at the bar while Melina and Harper are dancing. Dayne is watching Harper as her sexy little body moves on the dance floor. They all went out to dinner first and they hit it off right away. She is so feisty. No wonder Vance and Melina set them up; she is exactly the kind of woman that Dayne goes after - someone who will challenge him and isn't boring. Harper is definitely not boring.
Harper has long, straight blonde hair, perfect for wrapping around his fist. She has a teeny tiny body with little perky breasts that will fit effortlessly in his hands. And her gorgeous heart-shaped face perfectly complements her mesmerizing crystal blue eyes. Dayne can't take his eyes off her…or her tight ass. She is stunning. And that makes him a little nervous. Usually he is the I-don't-give-a-shit-about-you guy, but there is something about this girl that makes him want to give a shit.
Dayne has to get rid of that train of thought quickly; he will not fall into that trap again. He will not open his heart up to another woman for the rest of his life. He learned his lesson the hard way and will not make the same mistake twice.
“I know what you're thinking, Dayne. Not every woman is like your ex-wife,” Vance says, breaking through his thoughts.
“Not going there man, don't even try it,” Dayne snarls then pounds the rest of his beer.
“Fine,” Vance scoffs and shakes his head.
Harper and Melina are still dancing together, grinding up against each other and shit, and it is making Dayne hard. Harper must feel him watching her because at that moment, her eyes meet his, and they are sparkling mischievously. She gives him a sexy little smile as if she knows what he’s thinking. She’s a naughty one; Dayne is sure of that. He can’t wait to get her back to his room.
“Harper is fucking sexy as all hell, dude,” Dayne says to Vance without taking his eyes off Harper.
“Yup.”
“When can we get out of here?” Dayne asks and motions for another beer from the bartender.
Vance laughs. “We just got here, man. Let the girls dance a little bit.”
“I'm horny,” Dayne whines.
Vance throws his head back and laughs. “You're always horny!”
Dayne smiles wickedly. “Since when is that a bad thing?”
Vance rolls his eyes at him and sips his beer. “Don't worry. I don't think we'll be here too long. Harper seems to be just as eager as you, my friend.”
“Mmm, I can't fuckin’ wait,” Dayne growls and grabs his new beer off the bar. “She’s the kind of chick who can rock my world.”
“How do you know?” Vance asks, just trying to humor him.
“Believe me, I know. I can see it in her eyes,” Dayne says. “Fuck...we gotta get out of here,” he groans and then shifts his achingly hard cock so he isn't sporting a tent in
the front of his pants.
“Chill out, man.” Vance chuckles.
“I might have to take her in the bathroom.”
“Dude, seriously?” Vance chokes on his beer and looks at him like he’s crazy. “You just met her a couple of hours ago.”
Dayne frowns at Vance. “When has that ever stopped me? I'm not looking for a relationship here, Vance. I just wanna fuck her.”
Vance sighs. “You're gonna cause shit. You know that right?”
“Hey, you know how I am. What did you think was gonna happen?”
Dayne hears Vance mumble something that sounds like, “I thought you'd grown up.”
Dayne glares at Vance. “What was that?” he snaps.
Vance shrugs and shakes his head. “Nothing, Dayne,” he grumbles then takes another sip of his beer.
Dayne grunts then turns his attention back to Harper. She and Melina are laughing as they cling to each other's arms. He feels his heart flutter at the sight of her laughing. Shit, she’s gorgeous. Her face is completely lit up, drawing attention from some surrounding men who have nothing but lust in their eyes, which surprisingly pisses him off. She’s here with him, and he’s not going to let other men drool all over her.
Whoa, what the fuck is wrong with him? He doesn't get jealous. Ever. Not even with his ex-wife. Although maybe if he had been somewhat jealous, he would have figured out that she was cheating on him a lot sooner than he did.
They married young at twenty-one, and he fell head over heels for her the moment he laid eyes on her during his last year of college. They dated for a year then got married. A year into their marriage, he came home early from work one day to find her in bed with his half-brother, Ryan. He hasn’t seen either of them since that day. Dayne has become who he is today because of that day - the I'll fuck whomever I want, whenever I want, and no chick is going to tie me down kind of guy. She shattered his heart into a million pieces like Humpty Dumpty, and he still hasn't been able to put himself completely back together.
Melina and Harper walk up, wrenching Dayne out of his thoughts. Harper slips her arm around his waist and tucks her hands into the back pocket of his leather pants. She wanted to take his Harley, and he was more than willing to take her for a ride. Dayne never rides his bike without leather pants on. Road rash is not something he wants to repeat.
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