by April Kelley
Lennix came up behind him, patting him on the back. “Tell Markie I said hi.”
“I’m not going to the café.” Rico went to see Markie too much, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to stop.
He was in love, and no part of Markie’s rejection could stop that one simple fact. He’d like to say he kept coming around because he knew he’d wear Markie down eventually, but it wasn’t even about that. He just needed to stand in the same room as him sometimes.
“Right.” Lennix walked past him, Dylan following at his heels.
Rico flipped him off as he left. Lennix’s back was to him, so he probably didn’t see it, but it was the thought that counted anyway.
Despite his words, he found himself standing in front of the café door, which was open and letting in the breeze coming off the water. The open door was the only reason Rico heard the conversation coming from inside.
Rico sat down at the metal table right outside the door and deliberately eavesdropped. After all, they were talking about him. He stretched his legs out and looked in through the big window. Uri, Virion’s mate, leaned against the counter. He wasn’t wearing wear an apron, which told Rico he wasn’t working.
The two of them had become friends when Markie hired Uri to work in the café. Uri coming in on his off time spoke of how close they had grown in a short time period.
“I don’t need to date either of them.” Markie spoke from behind the huge coffee machine, so all Rico saw was dark curls.
“Well, you should date both of them. How do you know they won’t like each other?”
Rico sucked in a breath.
“I don’t, and it’s complicated.”
“You’re already in love with him, so why hold back?”
“Shit,” Rico muttered to himself. He really should stop listening in, but he couldn’t seem to make himself walk away. It was as if a demon possessed him, but he definitely couldn’t blame his shithead behavior on anyone but himself.
The fact that he’d fallen in love with his friend’s mate was bad enough. Hamid would kick his ass for thinking of Markie like that if he were still alive. Hell, when Hamid was alive, Rico hadn’t entertained the thought at all. It just sort of happened.
“I don’t know. I still love Hamid, too.”
“Well, of course you do, and it’s okay for you to love someone else. Don’t you think he’d want you to be happy?”
Markie chuckled. “Hamid was as possessive of me as Virion is of you.”
“Well, yeah, Virion wouldn’t even think of adding a third person to our relationship.”
“Okay, then. As much as Hamid loved Rico like a brother, no way would he have entertained the idea.” Markie paused, his head moving over to the right, away from Uri by about a foot, probably wiping down a different part of the coffee machine or something. “We talked about it once. About what would happen if he died. It was right after we made love and he asked me what I’d do if something happened to him. I told him I’d spend the rest of my life loving him, and I still mean that.”
“That doesn’t mean you can’t love someone else too.”
“Yeah, I think I’m starting to understand that.”
“So you should introduce Rico and Jalen to each other and see what happens.”
Jalen? As in the guy Rico was supposed to work construction with?
All this time, Rico had thought Markie was talking about a threesome in relation to Hamid. Even though Hamid was gone, there was some part of him still around, as if he watched them from the Otherworld. Markie wasn’t just talking about a love that included three people, but an actual threesome that included a living person.
Rico sighed and stood. It would be an interesting day tomorrow, working with the other man Markie wanted to date.
Shit.
Chapter Two
Jalen Etters stomach rolled from the smell floating around the house. That was how he woke up at least three days a week.
His mind immediately scrambled, trying to think of ways to get out of eating the vile stuff Uri made.
He truly was grateful for all the changes in his life. They had a kitchen to cook in for the first time in their whole life, and that alone was cause for celebration. He just wished Uri wouldn’t step foot in that room. Ever.
“God, that is...” Casey, his youngest brother, rolled over, plugging his nose. He shared a room with Casey, even though they didn’t really have to. Casey was getting ready to leave for basic training in a few days. The day they’d accepted him into the Rogue Army, Jalen had come home from work to find Casey’s bed and all his things moved over. Uri also said Casey spent every free moment he had with him as well.
Jalen understood why Casey was having a hard time leaving them. They had always slept next to each other, never taking even one night away. All three brothers stuck together like a pride of lions, never separating and always working together to meet their basic needs. When Uri mated with Virion, their pride grew to include an entire Rogue Army team.
Jalen couldn’t be happier about that. The more, the merrier, as far as he was concerned.
Jalen had his own misgivings about Casey leaving the island for months at a time. What if they stationed him somewhere other than Roguefalls Island after basic was over? Or worse, what if war broke out?
And if he didn’t stop thinking about the what ifs, he’d drive himself crazy. Insomnia would set in like it always did when he was stressed.
He looked over at Casey’s white blond hair sticking out of the blankets. Casey blinked his blue eyes as he looked over at Jalen with a desperation they both felt every time Uri cooked. Casey used the blankets to cover the bottom half of his face.
Jalen buried his nose in his pillow. “Holy shit. What the fuck is he making?” The pillow muffled his voice.
“Smells like he shit in a pan and then burned it. You know, to get the crispiness just right. Don’t tell him I said that.” Casey had no trouble calling Uri on his shit when needed, but even he wouldn’t say a word about Uri’s bad cooking skills. They’d go out there, eat it, and try to put on a worthy performance because it thrilled Uri that he thought he could cook and no one was taking that away from him. At least that was what Virion told the entire house after the first time they all complained.
Jalen couldn’t help but chuckle. “So, window?”
As soon as the solution to their future gastric issues was out of his mouth, Virion opened the door. He poked his head around and gave them both a look. “Uri wanted me to wake you up and tell you breakfast is ready.” He pointed to both of them. “You’re not leaving me to eat that alone, so get out here.” He whispered the last statement.
“What about Colby and Sketch?” Two of the team members had taken over Casey’s room when he moved in with Jalen.
“Apparently they promised Rudy they’d come by for breakfast this morning. Lucky bastards.” Virion mumbled the last part under his breath. The team had split themselves and stayed between their house and another mated team member.
Lucky, indeed.
Casey suddenly sat up and yelled, “So did I.”
Virion just smirked at him and pointed again. “If I gotta stay, so do you.”
“Shit.”
Jalen sat up and ran a hand down his face and then over his head before reaching over and opening the window.
Virion chuckled. “Doesn’t help.” He grew serious a second later. “Hey, someone is coming onto your crew. They’ll be undercover. Delco needs you to let the guy work closely with you for a few days, starting today.”
“Just let him follow me around and shit?”
“Pretty much. Give him busy work to make him look like he knows what he’s doing. He needs to blend into the crew.”
Jalen shrugged. “Yeah. I can do that.” He had some sanding to do. It was an easy job, so he’d have the guy do that.
“Thanks.”
Jalen poured himself a cup of coffee, which was
one thing Uri made to perfection. If Jalen could just get Uri to stop trying everything else, his stomach would be delighted. As it was, it rolled again, protesting as he drew closer to the smell.
He took a sip of his coffee and looked over Uri’s shoulder. “What is that?”
“Hash browns and eggs.” Uri had a spatula raised in the air, ready to flip when needed.
“You’re cooking them in the same pan at the same time?” Jalen had cooked eggs over enough open fires to know deep-frying them wasn’t a thing.
Uri looked over at him and bit his lip. “Was I not supposed to?”
Jalen shrugged. “No. But since you started it that way, let’s just see how it tastes.”
The contents of the pan still didn’t explain the smell, which worried Jalen. His stomach lining would either be gone after eating whatever caused that smell, or it would be like steel. No way would it be the same.
“I need lessons. Rudy said he’d give them to me, but our schedules don’t mesh up. Ward could probably teach me, but he’s been giving music lessons to some of the island kids.” Uri looked over at Virion as if silently asking for his help.
Jalen moved out of the way when Virion came around the counter. Virion slid up behind Uri and kissed the top of his head before leaning in and getting a look at the mush that was in the pan. Jalen watched as Virion reached around Uri and turned the knob on the burner so the flame wasn’t so high.
“Let’s rinse off the next batch of potatoes.” The way Virion said it, with complete affection in his voice, made moving to Roguefalls Island that much sweeter and set his mind at ease.
Jalen was more than a brother to Uri and Casey. Having raised them nearly by himself, he worried about them like a parent.
Virion was a big alpha male wolf shifter who came across as dominant in every way, and Uri came off as completely passive but really wasn’t. They should have constantly been at each other’s throats, but they never fought. Even when they were arguing, their voices never rose and the affection never waned.
They were perfect for each other.
If Jalen’s mating went half as good as his little brother’s, he’d count himself lucky.
Jalen took another sip of his coffee, then set his cup down long enough to pull the can down from the small shelf above the sink.
“You put enough money in the can this month, Jalen.” Virion spoke without turned from the stove. The shifter had eyes in the back of his head, it seemed.
Jalen ignored him and dug around in his jeans pocket for the wad of money stashed there. He stuck it in the jar and put the jar on the shelf. “Just keep it for me, then. Never had savings before. Consider yourself my bank.”
Virion turned, meeting his gaze, his eyebrows lifted. “You want me to help you save your money?”
Jalen just shrugged. “If you don’t mind doing it and don’t need the money for the house, then yeah.”
“All right.”
Casey poked his head out of the bedroom. “When the Rogue Army starts paying me, will you do that for me too?”
Uri chuckled. “You’re the keeper of the family’s money.”
“The fact that we’re having this conversation is weird.” Casey kept the door partially open when he spoke, probably getting dressed but still wanting to be a part of the conversation all at the same time.
If Casey had an opinion about something, he voiced it. Shutting his mouth wasn’t something he did well.
“Why? Because we’re talking about having too much money instead of not enough, for a friggin’ change.” Jalen smiled at Virion, who studied him with that same surprised look on his face. Jalen just crossed his feet at the ankles and leaned against the counter. “What?”
“I’m just shocked that you guys would ask me, of all people, to keep your money.”
“What do you mean of all people? You’re our brother. You mean as much to me as Uri and Casey do.” Actually, having Virion around added comfort to his life, because he was someone Jalen could go to for advice. He’d never had someone like that before. By that point, Jalen considered Virion a good friend, as well as his brother.
Casey and Uri needed Jalen for their own emotional stability, and maybe a part of Virion did, too. Or maybe Virion just needed to be reassured of his place in the family unit from time to time.
“Thank you, Jalen.”
“Just doin’ my job, brother.”
Virion’s forehead wrinkled as he regarded Jalen with curiosity. “You feel like it’s a job?”
Jalen shrugged. “Not usually.” But the more he thought about that, the more uncertain he became. “It was stressful when we were singles because I had a lot of other things to worry about, and I knew I didn’t always give Uri and Casey the emotional comfort they needed.”
“You’re an awesome older brother, so just shut up,” Uri chimed in.
“Definitely didn’t help him get less mouthy. If anything, I think I’ve made that worse over the years by allowing it.” Jalen rolled his eyes.
“You can’t stop my mouth from flapping no matter what you do.”
No truer words had ever been said. Jalen smiled and shook his head. “Sassy brat.”
Eating all that greasy food left him feeling bloated and nauseated. His stomach protested even as he made his way through town to the ferry. He placed a hand on his abdomen when it started to roll, hoping to hold in all the food.
He deserved a reward.
With that in mind, he pulled open the door to the café and let the smell of coffee waft to him. Reward number one would be something to settle his upset stomach. His second reward would be a look at Markie’s ass while he made Jalen’s drink.
The doorbell dinged, and Markie looked over at him, smiling as he entered. That smile reached his pretty brown eyes, and Jalen felt rewarded already.
“Coffee today?” Markie asked as Jalen came up to the counter.
Jalen made a face and held his stomach. “Do you have a tea or something for upset stomachs?”
Markie’s forehead crinkled in concern. “Are you okay?”
Jalen waved him away. “Uri made breakfast again.”
That made Markie chuckle, which Jalen counted as yet another reward. He’d eat all the fried shit Uri served up if it meant he could look at Markie’s pretty face all day. Unfortunately, he had to jump on the ferry and get to work in fifteen minutes if he didn’t want to be late, but Jalen was determined to make that fantasy a reality sometime very soon.
“I think I have some herbal tea.” Markie turned and fiddled around, grabbing a cup. “He works tomorrow. I’ll teach him to make a breakfast menu item. Hopefully, that will help.”
Uri had begun working at the café to pay for a nurse’s assistant class. He’d earned enough money for the class some time before, but liked his job and Markie so much he was reluctant to move on.
“It won’t. But thank you anyway. Uri needs a recipe to follow, or he’ll forget certain steps.” Jalen leaned on the counter and changed the subject. “So the team comes for dinner almost every day. You should come tonight.”
Markie raised his eyebrows. “Is Uri cooking?”
Jalen chuckled. “Good question. No. Ward, Christian’s mate. It’ll be good.”
Markie handed a paper cup over to Jalen and studied Jalen’s gaze. “Is it a date?”
Jalen tried to keep his expression neutral and failed. His stomach fluttered with nerves. “Would you say yes if I said it was?”
Markie bit his lip. “My mate died two years ago in battle.”
Jalen knew because Uri had told him. “I’m sorry.”
Jalen had been flirting with Markie, and the subject of his mate had never come up. The conversation about his dead mate might not seem positive, but the conversation was new, so hope welled in Jalen’s chest.
“Thank you, but I’m only telling you because I’m not looking for anything casual.”
Jalen nodded and grinned. Casual wasn’t hi
s thing either, not with Markie. He desperately wanted to get to know Markie better. “I’m not either.”
“I’m in love with someone else.”
All that hope plunged to the bottom of his gut, churning it even more than it had been before. “I understand. I’ll back off.”
Jalen put four dollar bills on the counter and turned, heading for the door. Markie was the first guy Jalen had found attractive in quite some time, so the rejection stung. As a single, his focus had been on surviving day to day. Since his basic needs were covered, he longed for a normal social life.
A hand on his arm stopped him, so he turned, facing Markie. “I’d like that date with you. I just want you to know everything up front.”
“And this other guy?”
“I don’t know. He doesn’t know how I feel.”
“Are you going to tell him?”
“Maybe. Yes.” Markie bit his lip again. “I don’t know. He’s a soldier and was a friend of Hamid’s. He does the same exact thing Hamid did. He could die too, and I just don’t know if I can go through that again.”
“I’m in second place, is that it?”
Markie let Jalen’s arm go abruptly and took a step away as if Jalen had slapped him. Markie narrowed his eyes. “I’m only telling you for full disclosure’s sake.”
Jalen shut his eyes and took a deep breath. Turning into a jealous prick wasn’t helping anyone, least of all Markie, who clearly had conflicting emotions when it came to the other guy. Jalen wanted to be Markie’s friend at the end of things, and to do that, he had to stop making it all about himself. “You should talk to him. See what he says about how you feel.”
“He’s been pursuing me for over a year now.”
Well, wasn’t that just fucking great. “If he was friends with your mate, then you’ll be able to help each other grieve. I know with my mom and Witt, Uri and Casey’s dad, my brothers and I have stories we share with each other from time to time. Well, with Witt it’s mostly just me sharing stuff, because Uri and Casey were too young to remember him. Still, it helps me feel close to them both, which helps me remember they’re still around even though I don’t see them.” Sometimes he felt alone anyway, even knowing Mom and Witt were still floating around somewhere, even if just in his memories.