by J P Sayle
He’d questioned Aaden about the whole soulmate thing, wanting to know what it meant and how it was accomplished. He’d felt a little apprehensive after the conversation. Wasn’t it hard enough worrying about making their first time in bed together memorable, without the whole “uniting their souls together forever” nerves getting in the way?
He rubbed his sweaty palms over his jean-clad thighs, unsure how much longer he could keep the jitters at bay.
“Do you want to talk about whatever has you so worked up? You look fit to be tied, or you’re contemplating murder. Which one is it?”
Martin kept his lips from lifting when Brody scowled and flopped into the chair opposite him.
“I’m sure Greg filled you and Stuart in on my ridiculous suggestion to get to know Nick rather than, you know, jumping straight into sex and uniting our souls.” Brody paused, licking his dry lips, staring unseeing at Martin’s desk. “Thing is, I know it was the right decision to wait and get to know each other. Nick, the little shit, has done everything in his power to dissuade me, and it became a principle, you know, not giving in.”
He sighed. “I’ve had blue fucking balls for two bloody weeks and last night was like D day. Only Christina came to talk, and then Nick acted like a two-year-old who’d had his cars stolen. He went off in a huff, to bed, alone.” Brody raised his hands before letting them drop back to his lap.
Martin restrained from offering a pithy comment. Swallowing it back, he went for a sympathetic nod instead. He knew how frustrating soulmate connections were. They added another dimension because once you let the person into your heart, that was it. There was no going back, and that made things decidedly trickier.
He chewed his lower lip between his teeth, eyes narrowing on Brody in contemplation. Brody was, he supposed for the most part, fortunate. He at least knew why he was feeling like his world had been turned upside down.
Martin winced at how meeting Brad had rocked the very foundations of his life. Nine months later, he could admit he still hadn’t quite regained his footing, and he wasn’t convinced he ever would. There was nothing tame or ordinary about these connections. And that just meant the fuck-ups felt ten times worse, he was convinced after Christmas.
Martin barely stopped himself from cringing when he thought about the debacle with his car. A rush of guilt hit him at the memory of how upset Brad got. Martin sighed, admitting that yes, he’d been a little antsy over Brad accidentally crashing into his car. And naturally, he’d been pissed at his baby being damaged. It would seem that calling your car “baby” in the heat of the moment was a big no-no. Martin rolled his eyes towards the ceiling, thinking it was a mistake he’d never live down if Brad had anything to say about it.
Martin hadn’t noticed that Brody had stood while he’d been lost in thought. Tuning back in, he waited for Brody to stop pacing in front of his desk and muttering under his breath. Relaxing back into his soft leather chair, he took the time to admire Brody’s strong broad shoulders, accentuated by the fitted military-style, sage-green jacket. The low-slung jeans hugged his powerful thighs as they flexed, pacing back and forth. The raw magnetism reminded him of their first meeting, and his body stirred.
Needing a distraction, Martin looked at Brody’s clenched jaw and troubled eyes.
He made a suggestion, “You didn’t manage whatever you’d planned for last night. That doesn’t mean you can’t do it today.” Martin shrugged when Brody stopped and stared at him questioningly.
“The date is irrelevant, now you’ve passed your own self-imposed deadline, so go home and… you know… do whatever you planned.” Martin tried hard not to think about what that was. He really did. But since Christmas and watching back the recording Joe thoughtfully gave them, all he could think about was what a pity it was Nick and Brody hadn’t been there to share the experience. And yeah, he got it, the last thing he’d want to do is watch his sister get off in front of him, but still, it didn’t stop it piquing his interest at thoughts of watching Nick and Brody together.
Shaking off his wicked thoughts, Martin focused on getting Brody to discuss whatever Christina had found out. As far as he could see, Brody needed to get out of his funk and back to Nick to take the final step. And sooner rather than later would probably work better for all concerned.
Brody sat, letting Martin’s suggestion sink in. Seeing how stupid he was being, Brody finally relaxed. “Thanks, I will.” He pursed his lips, thinking about where to start. “Sorry for dumping this shit on you. Let’s get down to the reason I came. Louise. Louise and your old employee, Emma, have been working in cahoots with each other.”
Brody relayed all that Christina found out on Saturday night when she’d gone on a girlie night out.
“It would seem Emma snooped before she was sacked and stole Greg’s passwords. Then it appears she gave them to Louise. I’m going to have a serious conversation about passwords and storage with Greg. And you may also want to talk to the other staff after this has been sorted. The last thing you need is people being able to access your data, not with the amount of money you deal with. Anyway, from what Christina can gather, Louise decided to fuck with Greg when you opted to take him instead of her to London. What is it they say? ‘Payback is a bitch.’ Well, in this case she really is.”
Martin interrupted, “Then why did she then point out the possible errors to me if she wanted to really fuck with Greg?”
“I’ve no clue.” Brody shrugged. “She might have got cold feet at the ramifications of messing with a document that for all intents and purposes would be there for posterity. Who knows, and we might never find out. What I do know is that Emma came into the office the weekend you were away and helped Louise tamper with the spreadsheet. The issue is how do we prove it?” Brody rubbed at his bristly jaw, eyes thoughtful as he continued, “I’ve had some thoughts on this.”
Brody explained in detail about creating a dummy spreadsheet, explaining that Christina had learnt neither woman was happy Greg still had a job. And they were going to try again.
With the strategy in place, Brody left Martin to set the ball in motion. His idea of another trip away in the next few weeks was perfect to rile up Louise and allow Martin to implement and produce the dummy sheet. Now all Brody needed to do was ask Joe if they could use his cameras to catch them in the act.
He drove home, going over the plan, checking and rechecking they’d covered every angle. Pulling up outside Aaden’s, Brody parked. He gave Aaden’s home a fleeting glance, hoping Nick hadn’t chosen today of all days to go to Gemma’s and start working on her new kitchen.
He snarled at the very idea as he stalked across the cul-de-sac to Joe and Stuart’s home, knocking on the door impatiently. He’d speak to Joe and then go home.
Then, as far as he was concerned, all bets were off. And if that meant locking his bedroom door and tying Nick to his bed, then so be it. Brody grinned at the idea and images of Nick in little more than scraps of silk. Nick’s wrists bound, giving Brody all the control. A shiver of arousal snaked down his body, landing firmly between his legs.
Brody started when Joe opened the door. The curling lip and sneer took Brody aback. What the hell was wrong with him?
“What?”
Joe scowled. “Don’t you give me what! I’ve had Nick over here crying his heart out because you can’t make good on your promise. And then I open the door to you grinning like a bloody fool.”
Brody held his hands up. “Hey, hang on a minute. I’m ruddy grinning because I’m about to go home and fulfil my promise. And I didn’t hightail it to bed last night in a huff, all because Christina came to talk about Greg’s work problem. No, I bloody didn’t. And if Nick hadn’t acted like Frosty the Snowman this morning, I would have explained myself.” His angry rant took the shine right off his good mood.
Brody glared at Joe’s now smiling face.
“All right I’ll let you off. Anyway, what did you want?” Joe’s cheeky grin and unapologetic response didn’t lighten Brod
y’s mood in the slightest.
He growled. “I’ve just come from Martin’s office, and he was wondering if you’d go in this evening or sometime over the next few days and set up your cameras.” Brody begrudgingly explained what they wanted. He thanked Joe when he agreed readily to help. Brody headed back to Aaden’s. The anger at Nick ranting about him not fulfilling his promise nagged like a toothache.
He stomped up the path, and unlocking the door, he shouted. “Nick, where are you?” He paused when he got no response. He went in search, only to find the house empty. Going out the patio into the garden, he was disappointed to find it empty. He plonked down on the steps, staring angrily at the locked shed and the empty garden.
“Where the heck is he?” His question went unanswered as he sat looking gloomy. He hardly noticed the darkening clouds threatening to release a downpour as he moped.
His hand delved into his pocket at the feel of his phone vibrating. His hope that it was Nick, died when he saw it was Ellie’s number flashing over the screen. Doing his best to put on a happy voice, he answered.
“Hey, Ellie.”
“Who died?” Ellie’s demanded.
Brody’s lips twitched. “No one, you arse. I’m just having a moment, okay.” Knowing that was not going to be enough to satisfy Ellie, he wasn’t disappointed when Ellie asked.
“Tell me who upset you? Was it your new boy toy?” Ellie’s lyrical voice was filled with laughter.
“Fuck you. I wish I’d never told you about Nick.” Brody snarled.
“Oh, stop, you tell me everything.”
Brody shrugged off Ellie’s response, knowing he couldn’t deny it.
“You better be ringing me to tell me you have finally sorted whatever issue you had that stopped you catching your flight the other night.” He tried to keep his tone light and worry-free. He’d been concerned when Ellie had had to cancel his flight with no plans on when he could rearrange a new one. It had made him edgy, and his gut instinct had said there was something seriously wrong. But no matter how many ways he’d asked for answers, Ellie had evaded.
Brody released a breath when Ellie responded.
“Keep your hair on. I’ve rebooked my flight. I’ll arrive on Friday, the eighth of February. My flight is in the morning. I’ll text you the details. I’m still all right to rent Greg’s house, right?”
Hearing the hesitancy in Ellie’s voice, Brody was quick to reassure him, “Yeah, it’s all sorted. You’ll like Greg and the others, I promise.”
They chatted for several more minutes, and Brody made a note to ask Greg for a key so he could make sure there was food in the house for when Ellie arrived. Ending the call, he cursed for forgetting to ask how Ellie would get about. Though it was only three miles from Greg’s to their new office, he wasn’t sure if Ellie was bringing his bicycle—his normal mode of transport—or if he’d use the buses?
As he thought about the office space, his face lit up, recollecting how perfect it had been.
“Will you hurry up and stop dragging your heels, Brody.”
At Aaden’s aggravated tone, Brody slowed his steps even more as he walked up the stairs to Sarah’s office building. He hid his smile at the loud huff Aaden released.
“I’m just making sure I don’t miss anything. Rushing will only bring us problems later if we miss something vital, like the camera that is disconnected on the stairwell. You, my friend, seem to have let civilian life make you lazy.” He gave a shout of laughter when Aaden threw him the V before opening the door leading into what he assumed was Sarah’s main office.
The sudden increase in noise made him halt and look back at the door. It was good to know the doors were sound-proofed. He rubbed his chin, considering if all the doors were the same.
Pulled from his musings by a bawdy laugh, Brody turned towards the source of the noise. A small raven-haired woman, dressed in a figure-hugging burgundy knee-length dress sat perched on the corner of a desk, her fine black silk-stockinged leg swinging back and forth. Her arms moved as she talked animatedly with the nerdy, bespectacled guy.
Amused, Brody watched the guy stutter his way through a response when she unleashed a stunning smile on him. It was only then that he realised her smile and bold blue eyes were unmistakably the same as Martin’s. He glanced at Aaden. His suspicions were confirmed when he walked to her, giving her a grin and a warm hug.
He bit his lip to stop the laughter from escaping at the disgruntled look on the nerdy guy’s face when he got a load of Aaden with his huge arms wrapped around the grinning little vixen. The fact that he knew Aaden was not interested in the opposite sex or that he was indeed spoken for didn’t stop Brody’s amusement from increasing when the guy jumped to the wrong conclusions, throwing daggers at Aaden’s back.
He stepped closer at Aaden’s introduction.
“Sarah, meet Brody, my best friend and new business partner.”
Swallowing hard, Brody struggled for a moment to fight the wave of emotions the pride in Aaden’s voice created.
Gathering himself together, he held out his hand. Sarah gave him one of her beaming smiles. He grinned in return. He had a good feeling he was going to like the cheeky minx when she batted her eyelashes when he spoke. “Hi, it’s good to finally meet you after hearing so much about you.”
“Not all good, I hope.” Sarah chuckled.
“Come on. Let me show you the office space. I’m sorry I’ve got back-to-back meetings all day, so I need to hurry.” As she spoke, she walked towards the door they’d come through and headed up the next flight of stairs, chatting about the size of the space and the amenities the office had.
Brody drew up short when Aaden stopped in front of him.
Aaden exhaled loudly.
Brody looked over his shoulder, and he grinned when he noticed several things all at once. The outer edges of the room held several offices. The middle of the room offered a load of possibilities, due to the openness of the space. He could see a small kitchen and what he assumed was a small bathroom, when he moved past Aaden and roamed about. He listened with half an ear as Sarah talked about rent and leases. He didn’t care how much it cost. All he knew was that this place, this place right here, was his chance of a new life, of a better life.
Trying not to act like a sappy fool, he glanced at Aaden. His eyes lit with humour at seeing, what he was sure, was a matching grin. He nodded. No words were needed. They were both on the same page. They wanted this office and the new life it could offer them both.
“What the hell are you doing sitting outside in the freezing cold for? Shit, are you mad,” Aaden hissed loudly.
Brody jerked.
His heart rammed against his ribcage in fright as he glared over his shoulder at Aaden standing in the patio doorway. “What the fuck, man. Did you have to shout like that? You scared the living daylights out of me. I was thinking about the office, if you must know,” he griped.
Brody ignored Aaden’s eye roll as he strolled over the deck towards him, plonking himself next to him. His brow lifted in question when he noticed the navy parker and smart navy trousers. “You’re a little gussied up, even for you. Where have you been?
Aaden considered whether he should tell the truth. “I’ve been with Nick looking at rentals…”
Brody shot up. “What! Rentals. Why the hell would he be looking at rentals?” He stomped to the open door. “No, don’t bother. I’ll ask the little shit myself.” He snarled before storming into the house.
Aaden rubbed his hands together in satisfaction.
He looked back at the open door when he sensed Max.
“That was a little mean, was it not, inferring Nick was looking at houses when he was actually looking for a workspace.”
Aaden rolled his shoulders, hoping to ease some of the stiffness Nick caused throughout the day moaning about Brody. “Maybe, but all the tension between those two is really starting to grate on my last nerve. And if I have to listen to Nick moan once more about how Brody broke his pr
omise, I’ll… I’ll throttle him with my bare hands.” He gave Max a small grin. “This way, they’ll fight and then fuck. Problem solved.”
“Seriously, can you hear yourself? You sound more like a barbarian than Óláfr.” Max scowled, sinking his furry bottom down next to Aaden, giving him the stink eye.
“Hey, don’t look at me like that. It’s the truth. Anyway, why are you hiding over here? I haven’t seen or heard from you in days. I thought you must have finally won Princess over.”
Aaden smirked.
His claws unsheathed, and his whiskers twitched.
He growled. “For some reason, this working with Christina, has her wound up to high dough, even though it’s not directly and more through Morgana. It doesn’t matter what I do; she keeps giving me the cold shoulder.”
Lowering his head to his paws, he stared into space.
How am I supposed to fix something when she wouldn’t even let me touch her?
When Aaden answered, he realised he’d asked the question aloud.
“Come on, Max, you’re nearly a thousand years old. Surely, you have some tricks up those paws of yours?”
Max screwed up his nose, eying Aaden thoughtfully. Maybe he did.
He lifted his head at the sound of shouting coming from inside. Laughing, he settled back down. “I think you’re right; it will be fighting, then fucking.” He sighed, wondering if he should try the same tactic because being nice was getting him nowhere fast.
Nick
Nick stripped down to nothing, dropping his clothes to the floor. He grabbed his bath towel off the bed where he’d laid it down a minute ago. After lifting his bulging shower bag, he tucked the pink towel around his naked hips. The idea of having a long soak in a steaming bath with one of his favourite bath bombs buoyed his mood. A mood that could match any swings in a park with a child valiantly attempting to make it move. It swayed back and forth between seething anger and didn’t give a fuck.