by BJ Harvey
“For the record, you didn’t let me finish my question so you can’t exactly prove I was going to ask whether you have identical penises… penii… whatever multiple dicks are,” she rambles. “But since you guys have brought it up… are they?”
“Are they what, Barbie? Identical? It’s been at least twenty-five years since I last saw my brother’s dick.”
“Damn. Okay then. I’ll just have to dream,” she says wistfully.
Now she’s succeeded in getting a reaction out of me. “What do you mean dream?”
“Never mind.”
“Now I really want to know too,” Bry says.
The little minx giggles. “I’m just winding you up, Ken.”
“And you fucking love it too, don’t you?” I say with a laugh.
“You know it. Besides, who else will rile you up?” Ronnie replies.
Bryant raises one hand. “I will.”
Ronnie laughs. “Apart from your brothers.”
“Mom and Dad too,” I confirm.
“And Abi,” Bry adds.
“Definitely Abi,” I say in agreement.
“Is there anyone who doesn’t give me shit?” I ask.
“Maybe Axel?” Bry says with a shrug.
Ronnie giggles. “Only because Uncle Jax is his new favorite.”
I smirk. “Damn straight I am.”
“You bought your way into the top spot with that bedroom you decorated for him. That shouldn’t count. It’s bribery,” Bryant says.
I snort. “And I’m damn proud of it. Whatever it takes. I have competition with Harry. Axel was fresh blood I could claim favorite uncle status with.”
“Bryant is totally going to steal Ax from you,” Ronnie says with a laugh. “I can hear it in his voice.”
“You do remember I’m your professor, right?” I ask, my lips curved up. “You should be taking my side in all things.”
“You do know your brother is a professor too,” she points out. “I’m sure he can make my life equally difficult. Just not in as many enjoyable ways as you can.”
“You two know that it’s all fun and games until this conversation turns into sex talk, and then I will literally kick Jax out of my truck. My poor speakers will not cope with any deviant teacher-student role-play shenanigans, okay?”
Ronnie and I both burst out laughing. Bryant tries to look stern with his eyes narrowed and his pursed mouth, but he’s soon chuckling along with us.
“Okay, enough of the chitchat. Let me know how it goes with Jamie and if I have to come rescue you. He may be a lot bigger than me, but I’m fast and agile and could weave around his legs as a distraction while you run to safety.”
“Beautiful, exactly how much have you been thinking about this?”
“Maybe one bottle of wine with April. That long…”
“Hang on, so April has just heard your question about identical dicks and teacher-student fantasies? “I ask, dumbfounded.
April enters the conversation. “Yeah, that was hot. Maybe I could get Jamie to dress up as—”
“No!” Bryant and I say in unison.
“I don’t even want to think of Jamie doing anything remotely sexual,” I say, shaking my head and screwing up my face.
“I just mean he could—” she continues.
“No, April. Just no,” I say, the cab of the truck now filled with April and Ronnie’s laughter.
“We’re almost at golf so we should end the call. Barbie, take it off speaker for a minute?” I do the same and hold the handset to my ear, the phone jostling as Ronnie takes the call private.
“Oooh,” Bryant says like an immature teenager. I roll my eyes and ignore him.
“It’s just me,” she says softly. Damn, that voice could have me hard in the blink of an eye—and it does.
“It’s just me too,” I say. Bryant changes to making gagging noises. “Just ignore him; I do. He’s jealous you chose the better-looking twin.”
Bryant shoots his arm out and shoves me with a laugh. “We’re identical, dumbass.”
Ronnie giggles down the phone. “Tell him you won me over with your seductive charm, sharp wit, and spectacular cock.”
“Hey, Bry,” I say, a huge grin on my face.
“No! I was joking,” she says hurriedly.
“You were joking about my charm, wit, and massive penis? The one you said was the biggest you’d ever seen?” I tease.
“I did not say that,” she squeaks.
Bryant snorts. “You sure she didn’t say minuscule, tiny, underwhelming—”
“There’s nothing underwhelming about my junk,” I snap, narrowing my eyes at him.
“Hello? Girlfriend here,” Ronnie says, her tone full of amusement.
“Yes, I could never forget that,” I muse.
“Good. I kind of like the idea of being your girlfriend.”
“I like it too,” I reply, unable to stop the stupid grin on my face.
“Good. So, something else interesting happened this afternoon…”
“Do tell.”
“Gilly called,” she says.
I frown, wondering why her sister calling is anything out of the ordinary. “Is she okay?”
“Yeah, of course. Just busy. She actually invited us to dinner at Mom and Dad’s.”
“Sure.”
She goes quiet.
“Beautiful, are you still there?”
“Yeah. I’m just wondering if I’m still talking to Jax.”
“Why? I like you; I like where this is going. You’ve met my parents.”
“Your mom more intimately,” she says with a laugh.
“I promise you, she’s probably forgotten all about that.”
“Would you?” she asks.
“Well, no. But I like seeing you naked and thinking about you—”
“Okay, that’s enough of that. What I mean is, are you really okay with meeting my mom and dad? I’ve told you what they’re like.”
“You have, but they also created you, so I’m going in with an open mind. From what you’ve told me, your sister sounds like good people. Regardless of how your parents might be, we’ll at least have her there.”
“This is true…” she says, sounding cautious.
I grin, shaking my head. How can a woman as confident and outgoing as Veronica Nelson be so worried about a simple dinner with her parents? If they’re rude or unwelcoming, we’ll leave. It’s as simple as that. Life is too short to be around people who don’t appreciate their children and how amazing they are. “Ronnie, it’ll be fine. Just let me know when the dinner will be, and I’ll prepare accordingly.”
“Don’t hate me if you hate them,” she says. Now her hesitation makes sense.
“I don’t think I could ever hate you, but I’ll promise anyway.”
“Thank you,” she replies softly, and I feel that goodness in my chest.
“So, are you actually worried about Jamie? Because April assures me you’re worrying about nothing.”
“Jamie is… protective…” I say.
“Yeah, but he also knows you better than anyone.”
Of course she’s right. “Very true.”
“So why are you nervous?” she asks.
“I’m not.”
She snickers. “Yes, you are. And it’s cute.”
“I’m not cute.”
“Are you going to repeat everything I say?”
“Are you going to make me repeat everything you say?” My grin widens.
“Ugh. Jaxon Cook, you’re infuriating,” she says with a half-hearted growl.
“And you, Veronica Nelson, are adorable when pretending to be mad.”
She laughs. “You’re just lucky your seductive charm, sharp wit and spectacular cock make your smart mouth worth putting up with.”
“My spectacular cock is off the table, remember?”
“Only until you win the chase.”
God, I can’t wait for us to get to that point. “You bet your ass,” I say.
�
�Well I didn’t, but that’s an interesting proposition worthy of further discussion.”
“Fuck,” I spit out, my dick pulsing at the thought. Something she is all too aware of, because her laugh is all-knowing.
“I better let you go before Bry gets proof your cock is bigger.”
That makes me laugh. A quick glance at my brother catches him frowning. “I’ll message you when I get home if you want.”
“Okay,” she says softly. “Have fun.”
“You too. Well, maybe not too much since I’m not there to take advantage.”
“Eyes on the prize, professor. I’ll see you tomorrow. I’m sleeping in the guest room tonight…” She doesn’t need to say anything else because I know exactly what she’ll be thinking about when she slips between those sheets.
“Scrap that. I’ll call you when I get home, and be prepared to be descriptive,” I say quietly, turning my head away from my brother.
“I look forward to it,” she breathes. “Talk then.”
“Definitely. Now go before Bry gathers more ammunition to use against me.”
She laughs. “Bye, Ken.”
“Bye, Barbie,” I say with a chuckle, ending the call.
“If she’s Barbie, can I be GI Joe? Because we all know she doesn’t come with Ken,” Bry says. Another punch to his arm later, and I’m laughing, and he’s grumbling about not being able to take a joke.
Good times.
Carrying our golf bags over our shoulders, we walk along the top deck at the driving range toward Cohen, Jamie, and Ezra.
“You gonna save me if he tries to throw me off the side?” I mutter, earning a snort from Bry.
“He’s not the lord high commander of all of us. You know that, right?”
“He’s pretty freaking scary though,” I say.
Bry throws his head back and laughs, and is still going when we reach the rest of the guys.
“What’s wrong with him?” Jamie asks, his lips twitching.
“Oh nothing, Lord High Commander,” he says with a mock salute. Jamie’s brows bunch together and Cohen and Ezra smirk.
I roll my eyes. “Hey, Ezra. Good to see you.”
“Because it’s been so long,” Jamie says dryly.
“Are we here to hit balls or stand around with our hands in our pants?” Co says, a three-wood in hand.
“Depends. I don’t need to play with my balls. Mine are well played with at the moment,” Ez says with a shit-eating grin.
Jamie barks out a laugh. “Which model did you con this time?”
Ez clutches his chest in mock offense. “She’s not a model. She’s a hostess.”
“Riiight. So, a wannabe model then?” I grin at him as he flips me the bird.
“Fuck you all. I’m teeing off first,” Cohen says, dropping a ball down and getting into position.
“It’s because Co doesn’t have a hostess to play with him.”
“Maybe not a hostess,” he murmurs. When none of the others acknowledge the comment, I realize I must be the only one who heard it. Other than Bryant, who keeps his sexual exploits pretty close to his chest, Cohen would be the most private out of all of us. For him to let something that juicy slip means there’s a lot more to the story. I make a note to ask him about it the next time I get him alone.
“I guess Co wants to get on with the job of losing,” Bry says, taking a seat. He grabs an unopened beer from the table, and leans back, watching our youngest brother take a couple of practice swings.
“Hey, that was mine,” Jamie says, pointing a finger at the bottle in my twin’s hand.
“That must mean this one is mine,” I say, picking up the only other unopened Corona on the table and meeting Ezra’s amused eyes head on. He nods. “See? Ezra is like the big brother I should’ve had.”
“Watch it, asshole,” Jamie says, his lips curving up.
“Don’t worry, James. You can still be my big brother. Especially since you let me kick your ass at golf every week,” Cohen says, walking up to Jamie and wrapping his arm around his shoulders.
Jamie pushes him off and steals the club from his hands. “Ever think I let you win? You know, being the youngest and all.”
“Yeah. It’s to make up for all the times we picked on you as a kid,” Bryant says.
Cohen laughs. “Whatever helps you sleep at night, twin two.”
“Jax, you’re up next, and if you don’t beat my shot, you owe me a beer,” Jamie says, shooting me a grin and bending down to place a ball on the tee.
He takes a big swing and hits the ball past the 150-yard mark, earning a round of applause from the rest of the guys. I finish my bottle and place it back on the table before standing and pulling out my golf club.
I get myself ready and with a smirk back at my audience. I take my shot, coming in exactly where I wanted, just past 140.
“Ooooh.”
“Dayum.”
“Looks like drinks are on twin one,” Jamie says, his smile as big as his shot was. I shrug and walk back to my bag, sliding my driver back inside.
“I guess so,” I say with a shake of my head.
Bryant steps up, getting ready to take his shot.
“Hey, Bry?” Jamie asks.
“Yeah,” my twin says, sounding distracted as he places his green golf ball on the tee.
“There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to do it, and you can rip me a new asshole later, okay?”
Now that gets everyone’s attention, because there has never been a time when Jamie has offered any of us that opportunity willingly—and in advance.
Bryant’s back goes ramrod straight, his shoulders tense and his jaw tight as he turns his head and shifts his eyes from Jamie to Ezra then back to our big brother again. Then he shocks the shit out of even me.
“She’s coming back for the wedding, isn’t she,” he says matter-of-factly.
To his credit, Jamie doesn’t look comfortable. “Yeah. We sent an obligatory invitation not expecting her to RSVP.”
Bryant switches his gaze to Ezra since it’s his sister, Faith—Bryant’s very much estranged childhood girlfriend—who is the topic of this conversation.
“Flying visit or back to stay?” he says, sounding unaffected, but I can tell he’s anything but.
Ezra actually gulps and grabs the back of his neck, looking just as uneasy as Jamie. “That I’m not sure about.”
Bry nods before turning back to Jamie. “Thanks for the heads up but it doesn’t change a thing. It’s been twelve years. It’s water under the bridge.”
He returns his attention to the golf club in his hand and the ball still sitting on the tee. Jamie, Ez, and Cohen start talking between themselves, but my eyes are on my twin. Sometimes this twin sense of ours sucks because I feel his happiness and his pain, and right now all I’m feeling is anger, confusion—and weirdly—determination. What any of that means, I don’t know.
“Well, I need a beer and since I lost the bet, I guess I’m buying. Wanna come with, big guy?” I ask Jamie, lifting a brow and tilting my head in Bryant’s direction. “I think we could all do with a new round.”
“Sure.” He walks over and together we make our way along the deck and downstairs to the bar.
“You all set for the party tomorrow?” I ask, waiting in line behind two others.
“Yeah. It’s construction-themed. Who would’ve thought.” Jamie beams. I have never seen him as happy as he has been these past twelve months since April and Axel came into his life. I can’t blame him; Axel is the coolest almost eight-year-old I know.
“Do we get to build stuff?” I ask, pretending to be a super-excited kid.
“You’re such a dick,” he says with a laugh.
“I like building. Working on the house has been good. Don’t get me wrong; I’m happy the pink is almost gone.”
“Except your bedroom.”
I shrug. “It lulls me to sleep. What can I say?”
“At least the place isn’t haunted,” Jamie muses.<
br />
“Tell that to Mabel.”
He jerks back. “Say what now?”
I shoot him a smirk. “Just fucking with you. She’s harmless.”
He shakes his head. “Don’t you start with that shit. We don’t want to incite any bad karma with this house. She’ll set us up for the next two flips if we do it right.”
We move forward to the front of the line, the owner, Gabe, grinning when he recognizes us. “Bob the Builders. What will it be?”
“Five Coronas, thanks.”
“Coming right up.” Gabe knocks on the bar top before moving down to the fridge for the drinks.
“You gonna tell me why I’m really helping you with the drinks?” Jamie asks.
“What?” I ask, my head snapping his way.
“Cut the bullshit. Spit it out.” Jamie has never been one to fuck around. It’s straight out or get out. Which is why I don’t go with a soft sell.
“I’m dating Ronnie.”
“No shit,” he says, matter-of-factly. It’s not a question. That’s twice in a minute he’s surprised me. It’s like I’ve been transported into the twilight zone.
“You knew?” I ask, handing over cash when Gabe returns with our beers. He goes to get my change and I wave him off, pushing two bottles in Jamie’s direction and grabbing the remaining three.
We both turn and I follow Jamie to a circular table off to the side. I put the drinks down and face my brother.
“You think April could keep that shit to herself? She’s over the fucking moon.”
“She is?”
“Yep. She just wants her best friend and soon-to-be brother-in-law to be happy. If that’s being together, then it’s two birds, one stone.” I blink, wondering why I ever thought this might go badly. He continues. “You know Ronnie has been through some shit?”
“With her family? I just found out they’ve invited me over for dinner.”
Jamie’s eyes widen. “That’s serious.”
I shrug. “They’re still in her life, whatever part she lets them play, so I’m going with an open mind. But I won’t take any shit or let them dump any on her.”
“Good,” he says. “April just wants her happy. Heck, she wants everyone to be happy, and apparently Ronnie is that with you.” He lifts a beer bottle to his mouth and takes a long swig. “Besides, I know you won’t fuck it up.”
“You do?” Why do I sound like an imbecile right now? This conversation is going better than I ever could’ve imagined. I didn’t really think he’d throw me off the top deck, but a man should always be prepared.