by BJ Harvey
He lifts his glass of water to his mouth. My brothers just grin, looking rather proud of themselves.
“It worked, didn’t it?” Luca stares straight at me as if searching for the truth. “He hasn’t touched you, and you two work well together. If he had, we’d know,” he says ominously. It takes everything in me not to react visibly, but my stomach clenches automatically.
To his credit—and I don’t know how he does it—Cohen doesn’t flinch. “Yep. Definitely worked,” he says without hesitation. If I didn’t have first-hand, personal experience of all the delicious ways he has, in fact, touched me, I’d believe him.
“Now, stop it. Your sisters deserve happiness,” Mama says. She reaches over and pats Cohen’s arm. “And if Cohen and our Skye were interested in each other…” She turns her attention to my three favorite thugs, “… that would be their prerogative. Wouldn’t it, boys?” Her arched brow and determined chin leave no room for argument. “And you three would not stand in their way. Correct?”
“Yes, Mama,” they grumble in unison. Val giggles under her breath, setting me off.
“Now,” Papa announces, standing at the other end of the table. “Enough talk. It’s time for dessert. Boys, since you can’t leave your sisters alone, you can help me clear the table.”
I look up at my dad and mouth “thank you” to him, earning a wink and that soft gaze I’ve loved since I was a little girl.
“Cohen, do tell me about your day,” Mama says, returning to her future son-in-law recruitment mission. I snort, immediately schooling my features when my mother shoots me a scathing look.
Suddenly, despite Thanksgiving meal wars, food comas, nephews claiming me, and testosterone-filled brothers throwing their alpha around, the day hasn’t been too bad. Better still, not once have either Cohen or myself slipped and given ourselves away.
An even bigger bonus? The night is still young, and I’ve got gratitude I can show him while I’m on my knees.
And that’s definitely something to be thankful for.
16
Cohen
Two weeks before Christmas, and it’s all hands on deck for getting the floors of the second-floor apartment finished and ready for polishing on Monday. Which explains why I’m on my knees, my fingers covered in dust, and sandpaper trying to meld with my skin.
“How’re things with Skye?” Jax asks, breaking the comfortable silence we’ve had going.
I knife up a little too quickly, forgetting where I am and knocking my head on the window frame.
“Dammit.” I drop the sander and rub my scalp with my hand, glaring at my wide-eyed brother as I move onto the floor and lean my back against the newly replaced drywall. “What did you do that for?”
Jax lifts a single brow. “Making conversation? Asking my brother about his life? Taking an interest?”
“Being nosey and wanting to gossip?” I shoot back.
To his credit, he shrugs. “The last time we talked, you were on the fence and I suggested you jump it.” My mouth drops open. “The fence, not her. Although,” he says, tilting his head and studying me. “You have been a lot less uptight lately. Maybe you don’t need to answer.”
“What’s the racket?” Bryant says, walking into the bedroom doorway.
“Jax forgot to leave his vagina at home,” I reply.
Bry looks at his twin then back to me with a grin on his face. “Nah, his is with mine, and they’re shopping for the babies.”
“Okay then, his other vagina.”
Bry nods and leans a shoulder against the doorframe, lips twitching. “Ah, so this is about Skye then.”
My body jerks. “Who else thinks we’re together?”
“Just me,” Ezra announces, appearing beside Bry. “But don’t worry, the one you’re really worried about knowing isn’t here. He has no clue you’ve been dicking your tenant.”
“She’s not my tenant.”
“No, she’s all of ours. Family business, remember?”
I pin Ezra with a stare. “So you’d disapprove?”
“Hell no. I’m wondering what took you guys so long,” he says, amusement written all over his face.
“Doesn’t matter anyway because we’re not. We’re friends. Can’t a guy and girl be friends?” I push up from the wall with the intention of sanding again.
“Yep. But not you and Skye,” he says, his lips tipping up.
“Well, you’re barking up the wrong tree. We are just friends. What else do I need to say?”
“You need to say, ‘No, we have not slept together, and my dick is behaving itself where the lovely Skye Rossi is concerned,’” Jax quips.
Ezra—the sharp bastard—doesn’t say anything. Not with words anyway. But one glance at his studious eyes tells me he’s seeing far too much.
“How about I say, ‘Let’s get back to work and stop gossiping like a bunch of geriatrics on bingo night?’” I muse, picking up the sander and crouching down again. “Besides, I’ve got much better things to do.”
“Like what? Sanding?” Jax says with a laugh.
“Yep. Then a quiet night of takeout and catching up on the Celtics game.”
Jax shakes his head. “You’ll never find a woman if your idea of fun is solo time on the couch watching balls.”
“Basketball,” I say pointedly. “I’m happy being single and enjoying living alone, just doing my thing.” And I won’t be the one playing with my balls later anyway. I haven’t spoken to her today, but last I heard, Skye was hanging out with Dion, Vinnie, and Penelope at the children’s museum before hooking up with me tonight.
“Where’s my invite?” Ez says,
I smirk at him. “What, no hot date? Ez, I’m disappointed in you. It’s a Friday night. You must be losing your touch.”
He chuckles. “I’m not that much of a player.”
“Ex-wives might beg to differ,” Jax says on a cough.
“I’m still on good terms with both my ex-wives, thank you very much.”
Bry joins in. “If good terms means regular alimony checks.”
“Yeah, how is Lily? She still dating that Brewers pitcher?”
Ez snorts and shakes his head at me. “God knows. Probably. If not, she would’ve moved on to another athlete.”
“Seems Mrs. Baker number two has a type,” Bry says with a smirk.
“Yeah,” Ez scoffs. “The type with money to spend on her.”
A knock at the front door grabs our attention. “Hello?” a familiar voice calls out.
Ez pops his head around the corner and out of sight. “Back here, Skye. We’re singing Taylor Swift songs and painting our nails while bitching about boys who broke our hearts.”
She laughs. “So, situation normal then.”
“Pretty much,” he says, stepping back so she can enter the room.
Walking in, she moves my way. I lift my head and grin at her. “Hey, brat.”
Her lips tip up. “Hey, Cass.”
Bry snorts, and when I catch his gaze, he rolls his eyes at me.
“What’s wrong, Bry? Never seen friends say hello before?” I ask.
“Or heard such bullshit,” he says, arching a brow.
Skye looks around the group, looking cute in her confusion. Not that I’d ever admit that. Is it even the done thing, to think your best friend—whom you’re also sleeping with casually—is cute? Given that I’ve only got approximately five weeks of experience in an ongoing friends-with-benefits situation, I feel like I should’ve read the manual or something.
If the guys weren’t here, I wouldn’t hesitate to stand up and kiss her breathless, if for nothing else but to heighten the anticipation for tonight.
“So, what brings you down here, Ms. Rossi?” Ez asks, sending a far-too-friendly smile her way.
“I was going to call by earlier to see if you needed lunch or something, but I got distracted then had to get going to the museum with my goddaughter.”
“One of us always grabs food before we turn up. Saves having to pac
k up, tidy up, and go out again,” Bry says, tilting his head. If he could, I bet he’d flip his hair right now too.
I grit my teeth. A flare of something I don’t care to label courses through me.
“That’s smart,” Skye replies, nodding her head and turning my way. “But now I’ve come looking for Co to see what his plans are for tonight.” Her face is only visible to me, her lips are curved up into a smirk. God, I want to kiss her right now… amongst other things.
“He was just telling us he was really a sixty-year-old man in an almost thirty-year-old body whose highlight of the day is going to be takeout and his beloved Celtics.”
Skye snorts. “Well, let me save you from early retirement. Scotty just called and said the guys were meeting up for drinks tonight for his birthday.”
“Scotty called you?”
Her eyes widen. “Ah… yeah.”
“Why didn’t he call me?”
She tilts her head. “I don’t know?”
“Did he invite me when he invited you, or just you?”
A frown appears. “Uh… he said he’d tried your phone, and you didn’t answer, so told me to mention it if I saw you.”
I stand. “My phone didn’t—” I say while patting down my pockets. “Shit. I must’ve left my phone downstairs.”
The guys snort, all of them leaning against the wall, apparently happy to sit back and watch the show.
Skye rolls her eyes then puts a hand on her hip. “So, Scotty probably did call you; therefore, you can take your little hurt ego and put it in the trash.” Her lips quirk. “Then, once you’ve finished here, clean up and text me when you’re ready to go.” Her eyes are lit with humor, but there are certain parts of what she said that have piqued much interest.
“Okay, I’ll take my definitely not little ego…” I start. She bites her lip, drawing my eyes there. I lock my knees to keep myself in place. “And rescind my previous assumption that Scotty—the biggest horn dog I know—and I grew up with this crew of womanizers—”
“Hey, I take exception to that. I only slept with one woman till I was twenty-two, and I’m now married to her,” Bry says
“And the twelve years in between?”
“They are never to be spoken about again,” Bry says, lips twitching. The rest of us chuckle. Skye grins, her eyes raking over me with a look that is not conducive to me keeping our arrangement secret.
“Anyway, we all know what Scotty is like. Of course I’m going to jump the gun,” I explain.
“There are pills for that,” Jax pipes up. I try so hard not to find it funny, but as per usual, Jax—the Cook family joker—strikes again.
“Right,” Skye says, licking her lips before turning to her side. “I won’t disturb you any longer, but Co, let me know when you’ve finished up here, and I’ll head on down.”
That’s definitely the direction I’d like her to go right now. It’s also where her eyes are focused, which isn’t helping.
“Yep. Sounds good. Okay. I better get back to this. But thanks for letting me know about tonight.” Then an idea hits me. “Actually, I might just go downstairs and check my phone and bring it back up here.”
I catch a barely-there tremble in Skye’s body, but I see it all the same. “That sounds like a good idea. Then you won’t miss anything urgent.”
“Yep. I like that idea,” I say hurriedly, following Skye as she moves to the now-clear doorway. I throw my arm up and wave over my head. “Be back soon, guys. Just going to grab my phone.”
“Okay, so that was weird,” I hear Bry say as we walk towards the apartment’s front door.
“Weird or suspicious?” Ez says, and we don’t linger or wait to hear his answer.
“See ya later, Skye,” I call out for my brothers’ benefit. “I’ll send you a text when I’m finished here.” Then I dip my head to her ear as my hand rounds her hip and cups her ass. “You better be ready for quick and dirty as soon as we’re downstairs because I’m ready to punch a hole in the wall with my dick, and I’d much rather nail you with it.”
“Race to the finish then?” she whispers roughly, before calling over her shoulder. “Bye guys.”
“Don’t be too long, Co,” Ezra yells.
“Yeah,” Jax adds. “There are pills for that too!”
17
Cohen
I hold the door open for Skye, letting her walk into the 42nd Street Bar ahead of me. It may have the added benefit of giving me another look at her tight denim-covered ass, but I was also raised a gentleman.
“Are you walking with a limp there, brat?” I ask quietly as we move through the crowd, my hand gently resting on her hip so we don’t lose each other.
“You wish, Cass. It takes way more than you can give to get me to tap out.”
“Sounds like a challenge.”
A heavy arm hooks around my shoulders. “Who’s challenging who and if Skye, another girl, and jelly are involved, can I watch?” Scotty asks, appearing beside me.
I growl under my breath, but a discreet brush of Skye’s fingers across mine has me seeing a lighter shade of red. I take a deep breath and turn my head, met with Scotty’s dancing eyes that are impossible to be mad at.
“I think I’ll let her deal with you while I go get our drinks at the bar. You want a beer, brat? Or are you gonna go hard tonight?” I ask with a grin.
She lightly drags her nails against the back of my hand as she turns around with a butter-wouldn’t-melt expression on her face. “Damn, Cass. You’re asking for trouble when you talk like that.” Her lips twitch, and I don’t miss the mischievous glint in her eye. “You know me, Co. I’m not working till Sunday, and I’m probably going to spend the weekend in bed anyway. Surprise me.”
“See? A girl after my own heart,” Scotty says, letting me go and hooking Skye around the neck. “C’mon, beautiful. Let me escort you to the guys.” He looks my way. “I’ll have an IPA, Cass. You’re a champ. We’ll just be over in the far corner, near the pool table.”
I nod and watch as Scotty leads Skye away.
Ten minutes later, I reach the group, handing Skye a bottle of beer before taking a swig of my own. I catch sight of Zach, his wife Dani, Rhodes, Marco, and Dani’s sister Zoe, with her husband, Noah, a doctor friend of my brother-in-law, Cade. They’re standing around a high table against the back wall, and I move their way.
“Hey,” I say by way of a group greeting. I shake hands with Zach and lean in to give Dani and Zoe kisses on the cheek. “Ladies, how are we tonight?”
“Good,” Dani says, snuggling into Zach’s side.
I grin. “Moms’ night out?”
“Yes, thank God,” Zoe says. “I love my children, but whenever our mom is in town, I don’t miss the opportunity to actually socialize with my husband.”
“And get snockered with me,” Zoe adds with a grin.
Dani giggles. “That too.”
“Also means happy times for husbands who don’t get to go out with their wives a lot,” Noah says, joining the conversation.
I snicker, shaking my head. “Knowing you as well as I do, somehow I don’t think that’s the only reason, right, Doctor Taylor?”
“A gentleman never tells?” he replies with a smirk.
Zach laughs. “Or at least not when the wives are within earshot.”
Noah smiles around his beer. “That too.”
“You do know we can hear you,” Zoe says, rolling her eyes.
“Yes, sweetheart. Part of getting you to relax and enjoy yourself is to also get you riled up so I can enjoy myself with you when we get home.”
“Shh, Taylor. We can’t have them knowing all our secrets,” Zach stage whispers with a shit-eating grin.
“And this is why I’m single,” Rhodes says. “Tell me the secret so I can find a good woman of my own.”
Marco smirks. “Not working so much might help.”
“I work just as much as you and Cass do.”
His reply makes me snort. “Yeah, and we’re all sin
gle. So what does that tell you?”
“That my brothers, my friend, and my partner all need to stop bitching about being single when they’re currently standing in a bar full of gorgeous—at least half—single women, and get out there and lay on the charm if they ever want to get themselves some,” Skye says, coming up beside me.
I look down at her, quirking a brow. “Only half of them are single?”
Her smile gets wider. “Well, I haven’t taken a poll or anything, but you can generally tell the single ones by a) their lack of clothing, b) their lack of jewelry on their left hand, and c) the amount of eye contact you get when you try to get their attention.”
My lips quirk up, and I look across at Marco and Rhodes.
“What do we need to learn?” Scotty asks, jumping in between Rhodes and Marco and hooking his arms around both of their shoulders.
“Nothing,” all of us guys say in unison, which in turn makes us all crack up.
“How’s the renovations business, Co?” Noah asks, changing the conversation.
“Good. Matt’s probably told you we’re working on a three-flat at the moment.” Our contractor Matt is Noah’s younger brother. He’s also married to Dani and Zoe’s other sister, Mia. That group of friends are rather incestuous with all their family connections. A lot of their friends have hooked up with their other friends. Abi once told me the girls sat around one night with a few bottles of wine and tried to draw a ‘sex tree’ but didn’t get very far without crossing lines and getting confused.
“Yeah. He said it’s going to turn out great when it’s all done. I don’t doubt it though. Cade and I have been ’round to Jamie’s place, and we’ve already said you guys will be the first people we recommend to anyone who wants to redesign and renovate,” Noah says.
“Thanks. Jamie went all out on their house though. Jax even painted a mural in Axel’s room.”
Noah chuckles, shaking his head. “That boy is a handful, isn’t he? He was trying to chat up our twelve-year-old daughter Mischa, telling her he’s got lots of money to spend on her.”