by R. J. Sable
Jason took us to the same little coffee shop we'd been to the evening he'd met Jake. He insisted on getting us coffee and cake and left me on the sofa with Ben.
“It really is nice to finally meet you,” Ben said as he kicked his bag to the side. “Jason talks about you all the time.”
“He does?” I asked, curious to know what he'd said.
“Yeah,” Ben nodded. “He's never really talked to me about a girl before, at least not in the way he talks about you.”
I couldn't help but smile. It was sweet that he talked to his brother about me. “Jason told me you're studying at Newcastle. Computer Science, right?” I asked.
“Yeah, that's right,” he nodded. “Final year this year, then I'll have my masters.”
“Impressive,” I beamed. “My brother's at Newcastle too. He's studying mechanical engineering.”
“Cool,” he nodded. “Jay told me about your brothers.”
I cringed, wondering what Jason had said. I didn't imagine he had that much positive to say about them.
“I'd love to meet Craig,” he grinned. “He's awesome.”
Another fan. I can't believe Craig's ego isn't as big as Karl thinks it is. He only ever acted cocky around his floozies, but he was always so down to earth with the rest of us.
“He is a bit,” I grinned. “I'm sure you can meet him sometime if Jason doesn't get bored of me.”
“Fat chance,” Ben scoffed. “I'd say he was smitten.”
I blushed profusely. I'm sure he was just trying to be nice.
“So you follow MMA too?” I asked, changing the subject.
“Yeah, sort of,” he shrugged. “I follow the statistics of it all. That's how-”
“Don't need to bore her with maths, Benji,” Jason said as he placed the tray in front of us.
Ben frowned briefly but accepted the mug Jason was offering him.
“Thanks,” I said as he passed me a soy latte. “I'm in major coffee debt to you now, you realise this, right?”
“Don't worry about it,” Jason chuckled.
“That wasn't the agreement,” I pouted.
“It's fine, at least I still get to call you little squirrel,” he said, flashing a cheeky smile.
“I'll burn my bra,” I threatened lamely, lowering my voice in the hope Ben wouldn't hear.
Jason laughed and bent across the table to kiss me. “You won't hear me complaining.”
He’d had bought three different muffins, which sat on a plate in the middle of the table. Ben reached over to grab the lemon and poppy seed but Jason smacked his hand away.
“Ladies first! Have I taught you nothing?”
“Sorry,” Ben smiled guiltily and offered the plate to me.
I left him the muffin he wanted and took the carrot cake muffin, knowing that Jason's favourite was blueberry.
“Thanks,” I beamed at Ben.
Ben took his muffin and promptly started rooting in his bag. “I brought something with me,” he grinned.
It was the same mischievous grin Jason had when he was up to something. Jason was eyeing his brother suspiciously, but he was smiling. We watched as Ben pulled out an iPad from his bag.
“You bought an iPad?” Jason asked incredulously.
“Yup,” Ben grinned, unperturbed by his brother’s incredulity as he unlocked it and opened an app.
Jason shook his head exasperatedly then ran his hands through his hair. It was refreshing that it was somebody else causing him to do that for a change.
“So much for being responsible with your spending,” Jason frowned.
“Come on, Jay, it's not like I can't afford it,” Ben said, sounding bored.
I assumed they'd had this conversation a few times before.
“Just because you can afford it doesn't mean you should buy it.”
I giggled at the two of them and Jason looked at me questioningly.
“What's so funny?”
“Nothing, just remembering something you said about overbearing brothers,” I said, sticking my tongue out at him playfully.
“Oh, really?” He teased. “And what would your brothers do if you came home with a few hundred quid’s worth of technology?”
I stopped smiling. “Steal it and kick my ass probably,” I shrugged.
“You heard her, Benji, hand it over,” Jason demanded, holding his hand out expectantly.
“Fat chance,” Ben scoffed. “Besides, then I wouldn't be able to show Jamie this.”
He handed me the iPad. He'd opened the photo album and I was staring at a picture of the world's cutest little boy. He must have been around six or seven years old with long, messy curls that came down below his ears and green eyes which were far too big for his face. He was grinning and had his arm around a younger boy, still a toddler.
“This is Jason?” I grinned looking up at Ben and pointing to the older boy.
He nodded and slid onto the next picture. There were hundreds of pictures of the two of them. It looked like he had pictures from almost every year of their lives.
“I fished out the pictures from the old disposables you used to buy us and digitized them all,” he explained to Jason as he shifted his chair round so that he could look as well.
“Those things were brilliant; made buying you birthday presents cheap as hell,” Jason laughed. “This is awesome, Benji.” Jason looked at his brother with adoration, it was obvious they were really close. There weren't many pictures of the two of them together after the first few years, and I remembered what Jason had said about his parents. It looked like most of the pictures were taken by one or the other of them. There were pictures of them at school, with friends, at parties, and even a few of them in more mundane places like supermarkets. I noticed that Jason looked a bit roughed up in some of the pictures. There were more than a few in which he had a black eye. It made me sad and I wanted to ask him what'd happened but this didn't seem like the appropriate time.
Jason got bigger and bigger, in both length and muscle mass, as the pictures progressed. I paused at a picture of him glowing with sweat and wearing just a pair of shorts, he was grinning victoriously with a wrapped fist in the air. He'd obviously just won a fight.
“No tattoo,” I mumbled idly as my finger traced his chest on the screen.
“Nope, this is a few years before I got it done. I was probably around seventeen there,” he shrugged.
“It's awesome to see pictures of you both when you were younger,” I grinned. “Thanks, Ben.” I handed the tablet to Jason so he could get a better look.
“No worries, I'll do anything to embarrass my big brother.”
“I'll remember that,” Jason threatened but he was smiling.
They were so playful and at ease with each other. It was so nice to see. My brothers were like that sometimes. I loved it when they were, it felt like we were a proper family, but most of the time there was always this undercurrent of tension around us, as if everyone was walking on eggshells.
“Look how cute you were!” Jason exclaimed, showing us a picture of Ben sat in a puddle of mud with bare feet looking totally adorable.
“Were? I'm still cute for your information,” Ben said indignantly.
Ben was awesome, he was so much fun and constantly joking around. It was obvious that the two of them adored each other and I was so glad I'd gotten to meet him. I felt like I was seeing a different side of Jason. Sure, he was bossy with Ben, but he didn't get pissed with him or lash out if Ben didn't do exactly as he was told.
“Wanna head into town tonight or chill at home?” Jason asked Ben as we were walking home.
“Town, of course,” Ben grinned. “Jamie, you're coming, right?”
I really wanted to go. I was having a great day with the two of them. Maybe I should ask Ian first? I didn't think it was entirely necessary but I wasn't willing to risk getting in trouble again, especially not where Jason was concerned. Maybe he'd be impressed I was ringing first and cut me some slack. What if he says no? If he said n
o and I went I'd be in more trouble than if I went without asking first. I decided it was better to ring and ask either way and deal with that conundrum if it materialised.
“I think so,” I smiled. “I just have to check something first.”
Jason looked at me curiously but didn't say anything.
“Awesome. Who else is coming?” Ben asked Jason as we entered the flat.
“Grayson?” Jason asked, flopping down onto the sofa.
“Yeah, that'd be good,” Ben nodded. “How about Josh?”
“My ears are burning,” Josh grinned as he came into the lounge from the hallway. “Hi, Ben!” Josh gave Ben a manly one-armed hug and sank down into the leather chair next to the sofa.
“Want to come into town with us tonight?” Ben asked.
“I'm in,” Josh grinned.
I excused myself and left them to it, nipping into Jason’s room. I didn't want to disturb Ian if he was busy so I decided to ring the home phone.
“Hello?”
“Hi, it's Jamie,” I said without thinking.
“Jamie who?” The voice answered.
I was pretty sure it was one of the twins. “Jelly,” I sighed. He knew it was me.
“Ah, Jelly! What's up?”
I guessed I was talking to Danny but I wasn’t going to fall into the trap of asking who it was. There voices were a little different but it was hard to be certain over the phone. I caught up with family news for a while before I was passed over to Ian
“What's up?” He asked.
“Jason's brother's come over for the weekend and they're going into town tonight.”
“Get to the point, Jelly.”
He doesn't sound like he's in that good of a mood.
“I wanted to check if it was okay if I went with them?”
He was silent for a while. “Will you be drinking?”
Does this mean he doesn't mind if I go? “Not if you don't want me to.”
“Are you with him right now?”
“Yes, he's in the other room.”
“Put him on.”
“Yes, sir.” I scampered out of Jason's room and headed for the lounge. I handed the phone over to Jason and blushed.
“Ian wants to speak to you,” I said apologetically.
Jason rolled his eyes and took the phone from me as he stood up. He took it into his room, away from the rest of us.
“Is Ian the big mean looking one who kicked his ass?” Josh chuckled.
I shook my head. Not something I want to be reminded of. “That was Karl,” I grimaced. “Ian's my oldest brother.”
“Jay told me about that,” Ben said, shaking his head and looking thoroughly unimpressed. “No offence, Jamie, but it's borderline insane to beat the shit out of your little sister's boyfriend.”
“They called it his 'family welcoming',” I winced guiltily.
We all stopped talking as we heard Jason's raised voice. I couldn't quite make out what he was saying but he sounded pissed. I groaned and sat down on the sofa next to Ben.
“I'm sure it'll be alright, Jamie,” Ben said, putting his arm around my shoulders.
“Shouting at Ian is definitely not the best way to avoid another beating,” I shook my head despondently.
Why does he insist on pissing them off at every opportunity? I didn't think I could live through watching him get hurt like that again.
Jason came back into the room and handed me the phone with a little too much gusto. He looked pretty riled up. I raised the phone to my ear cautiously, unsure of what mood Ian would be in after his little chat with Jason.
“Hello?”
“Got quite a temper on him, hasn't he?” Ian chuckled.
Phew. He's not pissed off. “Not with me. He must reserve that just for you,” I giggled, glancing at Jason.
“Lucky me,” Ian said sarcastically. “He's promised to look after you tonight at least.”
“He always does,” I smiled.
“If anything happens to you…”
“I get the picture,” I grimaced.
“Don't drink too much, Jelly,” he cautioned.
He was letting me drink, as well? What on earth did Jason say to him?
“If that bastard tries to take advantage of you when you're drunk, I'll have his balls,” he promised.
“Did you tell him that?”
“I think he got the message,” Ian grunted. “Text Craig when you're back. He's working a night shift at the hospital.”
“Okay, thanks Ian. You're the best!” I grinned.
“I know, have fun.”
He hung up the phone and I beamed at Jason. He pulled me up from the sofa with ease and sat down in my place, pulling me onto his lap as he did so.
“Sorry,” I mumbled apologetically, seeing that he still looked pissed off.
“Not your fault, you could have told me you were calling him though.”
“I thought you knew what I was doing,” I pouted and kissed him gently on his jawline, enjoying the feel of his slight stubble against my lips. “Remind me to text Craig when we get back.”
“You shouldn't feel the need to run everything by your brothers, baby. You're not a kid any more.”
“I know that, but the news hasn't quite caught up with them yet,” I joked, trying to lighten his mood. “Besides, I figured it wouldn't hurt to be in their good books. They might be nicer to you if they're less pissed off at me.”
“I told you, you don't need to worry about me. I can handle myself.”
I shook my head with exasperation and nuzzled closer to him. I was allowed to go and I was going to have a good night. That was all that mattered.
We didn't have to queue to get in to the club because Josh trained with the bouncer and got us all in straight away.
Jason was grinning as he guided me into the booth and slid in next to me. He slipped his arm round my shoulders and held me against him. Jason ordered a pitcher for the table from the busty semi-naked girl who was going to be our waitress for the night. I scowled as she spent a little too long fluttering her eyelashes at Jason before she turned on her stilettos and teetered away.
“What?” Jason asked through slightly narrowed eyes.
“Nothing,” I shook my head and leant up to kiss him on the cheek.
“You're a rubbish liar,” he whispered in my ear.
“I'm just bummed out about your good looks again,” I giggled.
He winked at me and started pouring out drinks for everyone at the table. I noticed he didn't pour one for himself. His dismissal of my concerns was softened by the act of tucking me under his arm and letting all the women in the area know he was mine. He chatted animatedly with the guys and Grayson told him all about the training session we'd had the day before.
Whilst they were distracted, I decided to take the opportunity to find out a bit more about Jason.
“I'm really glad you came over this weekend,” I said to Ben.
“Me too,” he grinned, sipping his green concoction.
“It seems like you and Jason are really close,” I smiled.
“We are,” he nodded. “Jay's always been there for me.”
“You moved in with him when you were pretty young, right?”
“Yeah, just before I turned fifteen,” he frowned. “Although he'd been taking care of me long before that.”
“Same for me,” I nodded. “My brothers brought me up.”
The conversation got suddenly awkward and it seemed like neither of us knew what to say.
“What was Jason like as a kid?” I asked, hoping to break the silence.
“He was a little scrapper,” Ben grinned. “He was always fighting someone.”
“Oh, really?” I returned the grin, glancing at Jason by my side. “Old habits die hard.” I shook my head, remembering his 'scuffle' with Karl.
“He was really good at MMA,” Ben smiled.
“He never really told me why he stopped,” I realised out loud.
Ben paused for a beat and th
en shrugged, taking another sip from his drink.
“What you two gossiping about?” Jason asked, giving my shoulder a squeeze.
“Ben's telling me about what a troublemaker you were,” I grinned mischievously.
“Oh, really?” Jason cocked his head at his brother.
“Don't know what she's talking about,” Ben blinked innocently.
I giggled and finished off my second drink before following the rest of the group out onto the dance floor. I still wasn’t a big fan of dancing, but I remembered back to that night at Oceana with Jason. Dancing with him then had been so... tantalizingly delicious.
I let him lead my by the hand. He stopped and pulled me up against him. I looked up and saw the heat behind his blue-green eyes. Oh my. There was that familiar burning desire that had my body heating up in all the right places. He backed us into the wall as his lips met mine and he bit down gently on my lower lip before trailing his tongue across it. He released my lip and slipped his tongue into my mouth, claiming me as his own. I luxuriated in the taste of him as his tongue met mine. I pushed my body closer to his, wrapping my arms around his neck.
His hands travelled down my back and cupped my behind, massaging gently. I arched my back slightly, pushing against his hands. He slid his hands lower, down to my thighs and lifted me up, wrapping my legs around his back. This is hot. His tongue continued to work it's magic in my mouth, causing me to forget the fact that we were surrounded by people and the steady throb of club music. I groaned into his mouth as I felt him slip his hand up my dress and trace along my upper thigh. His finger brushed up against the fabric of my thong and I groaned harder as he continued to massage me there.
I can't believe he's doing this in public. I pulled away from his kiss and opened my eyes. His eyes were still smouldering, they bore into me with an incredible intensity and I almost lost my resolve and let him continue.
“Jason,” I breathed.
“Yeah, baby?” He said, kissing the sensitive spot just below my ear.
“Can't we just dance?” I managed, trying hard to concentrate.
“We are dancing,” he grinned against my neck.
“Not in a way that's acceptable in public,” I giggled.