“Thanks for calling. I’ll be right in to pick him up. I owe you one,” I tell the officer, understanding I am getting this call before any charges are placed in case this is someone to me.
“What was that about?” Thea sounds breathless as she struggles to take in oxygen.
Deciding there is no sugarcoating this, I blurt it out before starting up the car. “Flynn was arrested tonight.”
***
Thea goes through just about every emotion on the drive to the precinct. She appears to settle on anger as we walk through the doors yet changes to worry when we get to the cell and find Flynn passed out.
The officer tells me Flynn got into a brawl that broke out at a local bar. While witnesses say he didn’t instigate it, he certainly willingly participated. Already, there have been several charges brought to people, mostly ones who chose to bring a weapon to the fight. Since Flynn only used his fists and is pretty beaten up, the officer tells me it is an easy fix to lose him. It is unlikely any charges will be brought against him, anyway.
The lighting isn’t the best, especially at almost one in the morning; however, I see there are obvious bruises over Flynn’s face and fists. No doubt, his T-shirt is hiding more on his chest and back.
“You sure he doesn’t need a hospital?” Thea whispers to me, fear keeping her voice quiet.
I wait for the officer to unlock the cell then move past two other drunks and make my way over to Flynn.
“They would have had him checked out at the bar before they brought him back here. He will probably be sore and have one hell of a headache tomorrow, but he’ll be fine.”
“He’s never drunk like this before. I’m worried, Aiden. What if he has a problem?”
“He does have a problem. He’s missing his sister. He just needs some time,” I tell her, hoping I’m right.
“But this isn’t healthy. What if he throws his whole future away? What if he doesn’t get better from this?”
“I won’t let him. Just give him time.” I reach down and grab Flynn’s arm, swinging it over my shoulder then lifting him up.
I can barely drag him, so in the end, a different officer seeing my struggling takes pity on me and helps me get him to the car. Unfortunately, it only takes Flynn two minutes before he awakens and pukes all over my backseat.
I bite my tongue on the curse that wants to come out and instead simply roll my window down.
I drive him back to my house, not feeling up to breaking into his. That is, if he actually bothered to lock the door. The officer only had a wallet belonging to Flynn. Therefore, either the friends he was with took away his keys, hopefully to avoid him driving, or he lost them somewhere.
Flynn is a little more aware when we get to my house, half able to carry his own weight as we stumble up my pathway and towards my front door.
As soon as we enter, I take him towards the spare bathroom and dump him in the shower. Without removing his clothes, I turn on the water and leave it cold.
Flynn instantly grunts, his eyes flying open and his body jerking.
“What the hell, man?” he cries out, his arms moving to block the cold water hitting his face.
“You vomited over yourself and my fucking car. Tomorrow, you can clean my car, but tonight, get yourself cleaned up. If you want the water to be warmer, then stand up and turn the heat on. I’ll dump a towel and some spare clothes outside the door. There is a spare room down the hall; you can sleep it off in there. If you need me, I’m upstairs.”
“But—”
“We can discuss your behavior tomorrow along with anything else you want. Right now, you need to clean yourself up.”
I shut the door then, turning to find Thea staring at me. Her eyes tell me she is scared and worried, while her crossed arms and frown say something different.
“Don’t you think that was a little harsh?”
“No.”
“He doesn’t need you to be mean to him. I can clean your car, and you didn’t need to drown him in freezing cold water.”
“You will not clean my car, and you need to trust me. I know what I’m doing.”
As she opens her mouth, I prepare for her to tell me I have no clue about her brother, and I need to apologize, but she doesn’t. She closes her mouth then steps away to let me pass her.
I go upstairs, grabbing a spare towel, some sweatpants, and a T-shirt. I dump them outside the door then head upstairs myself. It’s too late to head back out to the gas station, and to be honest, I’m ready to collapse and sleep for about a week.
I don’t turn to see if Thea is following me, already knowing she is going to be keeping an eye on Flynn. Although, if I find out she left and cleaned my car, I will be pissed. Flynn made that mess, so he can clean it up.
I wince at the smell that will be currently invading my car. I should have left my car window down; at least the smell would have most likely kept it from being broken into, and it would have made the smell less toxic tomorrow. I’m too tired to move back downstairs to correct my error, though. If Flynn is feeling shitty, which I fear he will tomorrow, that smell is going to ruin any appetite he might be able to muster.
I shrug, figuring it serves him right.
I take off my shirt, grabbing my gun and locking it in the safe under my bed. Then I place my wallet, keys, and cell on my bedside table and unbutton my jeans, quickly stepping out of them. I feel too lazy to place anything more on, willing to sleep in my boxers. I pull the covers on my bed down so I can crawl in.
Once I’m settled, I turn and find Thea at my door. I don’t think she only just arrived.
“Is he okay?” I ask, trying to ignore the heated look in her eyes.
She shrugs, her eyes moving over my bed before they settle back on me. “Can I sleep in here tonight? I don’t want to be alone.”
“Of course,” I answer quickly, sounding too eager for my liking. I pull the covers back on the empty side next to me, wondering if this is going to be about more than sleeping.
I may be tired, but I’m not an idiot. I won’t ever be too tired for Thea.
She hesitantly moves closer to me, first toeing off her shoes then reaching down to remove her socks.
I stare at her T-shirt and loose sweatpants. Will she remove them, too?
Her eyes avoid mine as she reaches behind her, releasing the strap on her bra through her T-shirt, and then she manages to somehow move it through her arms while still keeping her shirt on.
I’m not sure whether to be impressed that she can do that or annoyed that I don’t get a glimpse at what I really want. Regardless, the obvious erect nipples I see through her shirt help ease any disappointment over the lack of skin that is exposed.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that Thea is going to get any further undressed. She hops into bed, and I curse the hard on I won’t get to do anything about.
If Thea realizes I’m turned on, will she give me the break-up speech again? Will it make things between us weird again?
I roll onto my back, equally nervous and hopeful when Thea shifts a little closer to me. She settles on draping her arm over my chest, her head resting on my shoulder, and I’m again bombarded by her scent. It reminds me instantly of the last time I was wrapped up in it.
Yep, my dick just got even harder, dammit.
“Is this okay?” Her voice sounds loud in the silence that has enveloped us both.
I reach over to turn off the lamp next to my bed, covering us in darkness, somehow hoping it will make it less obvious that my heart is beating what feels like a million miles a minute.
“Sure. Good night, Thea.” I sound strained and feel her tense against me briefly before she relaxes again.
“Thank you for what you did for Flynn tonight.” She moves her fingers lightly over my stomach, her fingers so close yet painfully so far away from where I need them to be.
“You’re welcome,” I manage to say between holding my breath. Should I initiate something? Is she waiting for me to make a move?
“Goodnight, Aiden.”
I freeze, listening as her breathing deepens and then levels out as she falls asleep within minutes.
I’m exhausted, but it takes me a little longer to calm down and then even longer to give into the sleep my body needs.
***
The next morning, I am woken up by delicious smells.
After I take a leak, I grab a T-shirt and make my way downstairs.
Thea is in full breakfast mode, and I think she might have completely emptied my fridge with how much food she cooked. I’m beginning to realize Thea finds comfort in cooking. By going off the sight in front of me right now, she obviously needs a lot of comfort.
“Wow.” My eyes widen as she smiles at me, placing a stack of at least eight pancakes in front of me. She then puts another plate down full of bacon, eggs, and toast.
“I’ve made Flynn breakfast, too. Do you think he’s up yet?” She nods at another two full plates.
I gape, realizing the two plates in front of me that are full enough to feed three grown men are all for only me.
“Wait, you expect me to eat all of this?”
“You don’t like it?” Thea immediately appears upset.
I quickly backtrack. “No—I mean, yes. It looks delicious. There is just a lot here.”
“Too much?” She turns her watery gaze on me, and I swallow any reservations of not being able to eat all this. I’m sure I have eaten more before, when I was a teenager … maybe.
“Just perfect, actually. I’ll go wake up Flynn.”
“Don’t wake him; he probably needs his sleep—”
I keep walking down the hallway, ignoring her pleas. If he passed out after his quick shower, which I heard turn off soon after Thea fell asleep, then he’s had a full seven hours. That is plenty.
I bang my fist on the door once before I open it. Then I walk over to the curtain and pull it away from the window, letting the morning light enter the dark room. Flynn doesn’t look any better, especially in the light of day where his bruises are more obvious.
“Wake up. Breakfast is ready,” I tell him, purposely talking louder than I normally would.
“I’m not hungry,” Flynn moans, turning his back on me and burying his head into the pillow to block out the bright light.
“Too bad. I have food, and you need to eat it. Get up, or I’ll chuck you back in the cold shower to wake you.”
That gets him moving, although not very fast.
I almost feel bad for him, but then I remember how much worry he has put Thea through, not to mention the sorry state of my car, and that cuts off any sympathy I have for him and his hangover.
As I make it back into the kitchen, I take a deep breath at the amount of food I’m about to consume and then dig in.
The food is delicious of course, and I’m halfway through the stack of pancakes when Flynn stumbles in.
Thea quickly rushes to him, like she wants to help him to the chair, except her hand flies straight through him.
“Look at his face! At his hands! He needs to see a doctor!” Thea exclaims loudly.
“You look like shit. Any of those injuries bad?” I ask him, this time not talking loudly, but only because Thea would be annoyed at me for doing so.
“I’ve had worse.” He shrugs, eyeing the plate of food for a second before reaching over for the coffee Thea has already poured for him.
“When have you had worse?” Thea squeals.
“Really? You strike me as a quiet guy, not one to get into fights,” I answer honestly.
“Well, I might not have been hit this hard. Thea would have killed me if I came home looking like this. Then she would have killed whoever laid a finger on me.” He smiles a little before it disappears behind the mug. “But I’ve been in a couple of fights. None have ended with me arrested, though.”
“What happened to your friends?”
Flynn winces, delaying his answer by picking up a fork and slowly taking a bite out of the pile of pancakes, one that is just as big as mine.
“These taste like the ones Thea used to always make me. Every Saturday, she would cook me pancakes, whip me fresh cream, and drown them in maple syrup.” He smiles sadly down at his food.
“Aiden didn’t have the cream for me to whip,” Thea answers him.
“What happened to your friends?” I ask again, pulling him out of whatever memories he’s stuck in.
“I don’t remember a lot, but I do remember being an asshole to them. Gemma left first, and then the others took my keys, and I think they left. I don’t remember. They were trying to get me out to the car, but I refused to leave. Shit.” Flynn drops the fork down, rubbing his eyes then moving his fingers into his hair, causing it to stick up at all angles.
“They still shouldn’t have left you there alone.”
“I was being an asshole.” He shrugs, picking up his fork again and stabbing the pancakes.
“Listen, I know we don’t know each other all that well, and maybe I’m stepping over a line here, but you need to stop with the heavy drinking. I get that you’re grieving, and I understand your need to let loose every once in a while; however, getting into bar fights and arrested is taking it too far. You need to find a new vice to lean on.”
“I just want to forget that I lost her.”
“But you don’t want to forget all those great memories you have of her, like the Saturdays you had when she cooked you breakfast. I’m sure you have a million more of those. Just remember that, every time you get drunk like last night, you’re killing brain cells. Every drink you have takes away a good memory of Thea.”
Flynn looks up at me sadly. “I just miss her. Even when I moved away for college, we still talked every day. She was my best friend, you know? She looked after me my whole life. As soon as our parents died, she was always there for me. I don’t know how to do this without her.”
Thea is crying next to him, distracting me a little, but I know this is an important conversation, and Flynn needs for me not to be distracted. He needs to get this out, and I need to not mess this up.
“You might not be able to see her anymore, but that doesn’t mean she left you. She is with you every day, and she still loves you the same as when she was alive. She won’t ever leave you, and she won’t stop protecting you. Maybe that is why I’m here. She is making me kick you into gear. She wants me to stop you from drinking your life away and get you back on track. You won’t ever stop missing her, but you can stop dealing with it this way.”
“Do you really think she is here right now?” He looks around, staring straight through Thea when he glances her way.
“I know it, and I bet she’d want you to finish your breakfast and then get straight into cleaning my car.”
Flynn groans then. “You mean that really happened? I threw up in your car?”
“Yep, and it’s not pretty. I recommend taking an empty bucket out there with you if you don’t want more to clean up.”
“Ew.” Flynn pushes his plate away, but I lean forward and push it forward.
“You look like you need to eat more. Finish that plate, plus the other one. If you can do that, I’ll help you clean my car.”
I inwardly berate myself for offering such a thing. I don’t want to go anywhere near that mess, but since Flynn nods his agreement and begins eating in earnest again, I decide not to back out.
Thea owes me, big time.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Thea
I hold my hand over my mouth and nose the entire time Flynn and Aiden clean up his car. It is worse than I imagined, and I’m glad I didn’t decide to do this for Flynn last night. I’m not sure I could have managed it withou
t being ill myself.
As it is, Flynn has already gagged twice, but thankfully, he has kept his food down. I’m grateful Aiden was able to convince him to eat all his breakfast. He is too skinny for my liking.
I realized after I calmed myself down from the sorrow of Flynn’s conversation with Aiden that I had cooked entirely too much food for them. But not only did Flynn finish his two plates, Aiden did, too. Although I could tell he was forcing it down his throat by the end, he kept going.
What in the hell am I going to do with him? I might have given him the speech about not taking whatever is between us any further, and we need to remain just friends, but that doesn’t mean my body or heart are on board with it.
Last night, as I lay next to him, I wanted so badly to move on top of him. My legs twitched as I refused to allow them to move over him. My heart pounded in my chest, and I actually ached. My insides, my breasts, even my freaking lips ached to feel his touch. My traitorous fingers almost got away from me, grazing low over his stomach before I locked them in place.
Sex would only complicate things. However, they are already complicated, aren’t they?
Would it really matter to give in to what we both clearly want? Despite Aiden mentioning love yesterday, I know he only meant it generally. He didn’t intend to state he is in love with me, and that is fine. I’m not sure I’m in love with him. Although every time I see his softer side—every time he is great with Flynn, selflessly gives up his time to work on my case, or do something for me without question—I fall deeper towards being in love with him.
It’s not really my fault he’s so irresistible. I mean, come on; right now, the smell of vomit is strong, and the act of cleaning vomit is not attractive at all. However, watching him bent over his car with the muscles in the back of his legs bulging, his incredibly fine ass that I promise to appreciate more often from now on facing me, suddenly, I want to jump him.
How can I be completely turned on when Flynn is so close to us? When vomit is involved!
I mentally slap myself, stepping away from the boys. Instead, I simply enjoy the comradery that starts between them as they bond over vomit.
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