by Jerry Cole
Peter nodded, walking over to the kitchen window to look out. “This is a great start,” I observed him, realizing how at home he looked in my living space. “I’d consider buying mine if it had two bedrooms. I might not live alone forever.”
“You’ve never lived with a guy?” I asked as he shook his head.
“But you lived with the ex, right?” He asked, and I chuckled.
“Actually, no. We had separate places. That speaks volumes, doesn’t it?” I shook my head and frowned as I thought back. “He stayed here less and less toward the end, and I worked a lot or played a lot of hockey. It’s no surprise that it ended.”
“It’s not. You weren’t meant for each other.” Peter smiled and looked at the fridge. “Do you have water?”
“Always. Grab me one if you don’t mind.” He did, and I led him down the hall. “Thanks. This is my guest bedroom, and I have the master at the very end.” We walked inside, and the sun was pouring through the large window. “There’s an attached bathroom and one in the hallway for Tar when she comes to visit.”
“I like this a lot.” He smiled as he looked around. “The size is great, and that window brings a lot to the room.” I did have blinds on it, but they were cracked upward since the unit was on the second floor. He then looked at the King bed against the wall. “That’s perfect.”
“It’s similar to yours,” I assured him as he shot me a wicked look. “There’s just walls and a door to go with it.”
“Fucking loft. I can’t do shit in there with a guest,” he grumbled good-natured, making me hot at the idea of him screaming my name in either room. Neither could happen at either place with a guest present, but I was all for it when we were alone.
“We’ll need to keep it down with Taryn here. She’ll give me shit for anything that she can find on me,” I warned him as Peter chuckled.
“Her and Rosa will get along well. Too well, I think.” He opened his water, taking a long drink. “She’ll be here Friday?”
“In the evening. I was thinking of dinner and catching up that night. Bliss that Saturday with the girls and some form of food, and a nice brunch on Sunday if she wants to eat. My sister can party.” I smiled at the memories I had of her. There were wild times in the past, but we always looked out for each other.
“She’ll fit right in.” I stepped toward him, and Peter’s eyes darkened.
“I think so,” I murmured, memorizing his green eyes before kissing him. I’d fallen dangerously in love with this man, and the press of his lips pushed me further over the edge. I felt the passion as he returned it, knowing that we’d end up in my bed within the hour.
We did. We stayed the night there that night, and he headed home late the following morning to get some work done while I went to a skate.
How fucking perfect could this get?
I enjoyed the practice, going home to pick up the house a bit when we finished. I was generally a clean person, even if my time was slipping away from me. I wanted the place to be nice for Taryn when she arrived, and it was better that I started early.
Since Peter typically worked from home, I was there for the rest of the week. I spent every night there in his bed. It appeared as though Jane’s roommate chose to move out immediately, leaving the bed and furniture behind since it came with the room. Rosa came by to get her things, seemingly cheerful, and stayed for a while each evening that she did.
Peter worked hard all week, so we’d have the weekend with Taryn. We were meeting her at my place on Friday at five. She had some things to finish at her bookstore before she could leave. She was merely a manager there, but she loved her job. Even with an inheritance, she worked there for pure enjoyment. She wouldn’t make it on her salary alone, but my sister was smart. She purchased her little cottage a few blocks away from our parents with cash. She only had the monthly bills to pay now.
Peter arrived right before she did. He had a call with a client at the last minute and took care of that. He came over with his laptop and an apologetic look. “Sorry. I might have to fix something up.” He kissed me as he set it down on the table.
“You must be Peter. Owen was right about you,” Taryn said from behind us, and we both turned our heads to look. She threw herself into my arms, and I closed my eyes as I breathed in her mango scent. She’d been wearing it for years now. “Hey, brother.”
“Hey, sister. It’s good to see you.” I held her for a moment longer, smiling as she pulled away to look at Peter. “This is Peter.”
“Taryn. It’s a pleasure.” He offered her his hand, but she pulled him into a hug.
“All mine. You’ve made my brother happy, unlike the last man in his life.” She pulled back, smiling as she took him in with shrewd eyes. “You are so cute.”
“Thanks.” He blushed and glanced at me. “You look a lot alike. I can see the twin thing.”
“Eye color is the main difference between us. Everything else seems to match,” Taryn told him, rolling her eyes playfully. “So, you’re still in the same place.”
“I haven’t found a reason to move. This works.” I took her two bags to the room while she chatted with Peter. Their laughter echoing through the apartment made me smile, pausing in the hallway to listen for a bit longer.
“We were thinking about dinner out tonight. Catching up after. My best friend wants to go dancing tomorrow night, so we thought we’d ask you to join all of us.” Peter smiled as she arched a perfect brow.
“I hope you mean we’ll go to Bliss,” Taryn said hopefully, and he nodded. “Yes. I haven’t gone dancing in forever.”
I walked forward, taking them in. “Rosa loves that club as much as you do, Tar.”
“I like her already.” Taryn led the way to the couch, sitting down and looking us over. “How did you two meet, Peter?”
“We met here at the university. We’ve been inseparable ever since. She works at an ad agency here in the city now, and I do some freelance work.” Peter grinned, and she nodded.
“Owen’s told me how well you’re doing. That’s perfect.” I went and got us each a beer, and they kept talking.
We headed out to eat just before seven. I made a reservation at a popular steak and seafood place for my sister, knowing how much she loved both. Rosa told us that she couldn’t make dinner, but she was ours the following day. Jane wanted her to come to watch the current play, and then hang out after. Taryn was dressed in a flowing black skirt that cut off at her knees with boots. Her shirt was soft pink with cap sleeves.
“You look great,” I told her, opening the door so they could walk in.
“So do you.” She kissed my cheek and headed right to the hostess to give her my name. We were led to a table that looked over the city, and she asked for a glass of wine. Peter sipped a beer, and I asked for water. I was driving tonight and would never risk my precious cargo.
“Tell me about the boyfriend,” I told her as she shot me a glare.
“Michael is great to me. Mom loves him, and Dad didn’t kill him when they met. He’s a nice guy.” Peter chuckled beside me, and I stared at him for a moment.
“Tell me you didn’t want to kick the shit out of Rosa’s ex, Peter.” There was a challenge in my voice, and he choked for a moment.
“Of course. I wasn’t laughing at you, babe. I was laughing because I know the feeling.” Peter shook his head, focusing his gaze on my sister. “She caught her ex-fiancé cheating several weeks back. She’s doing very well now.”
“Good. I’ve been there, but not with Michael. Cut him some slack,” Taryn looked at her brother before glancing at the lights of the city. “This is a great place. Thank you.”
We ordered and told her about the sushi place we chose for the following night. It was a hot spot and perfect a few hours before the club. She couldn’t wait to dance and talked about that over the meal.
Chapter Eight
Peter
I liked Taryn. She was sharp and funny, looking entirely like her brother. Their eyes might have been
a different color, but every other feature was the same. She loved her brother, and her joy about us was evident in her eyes.
She talked lovingly about her job over dessert, and I sensed that she loved to read. She took a great deal of pride in the store, and I knew that she had a lot of money set aside. She also told me about their parents and how much they wanted to meet me as well.
“I already told him about the holidays. Do you think they’d like two more mouths to feed?” Owen asked as she nodded excitedly.
“Yes, but what about your family?” She asked me as I shrugged.
“We’re not close these days. Rosa is my family.” She nodded with a sad smile.
“I get that. My mom has enough love for the world. She also cooks enough food for it.” Taryn laughed and gazed at Owen. “I think that would be so much fun.”
I knew that it would be when the girls met and instantly bonded. Taryn came with us to pick up Rosa, and they spent an hour in the bathroom talking about clothes and makeup. We had to hurry them along to have dinner, and they kept talking. Jane wasn’t going tonight because of work, and I thought it might be best. Taryn and Rosa appeared to be best friends on the way to the club.
We all walked in, and the girls made a beeline for the bar. They got a drink, downing it before heading to the dance floor. Taryn was a flirt out there, but I noticed that she didn’t make any moves to cheat on her boyfriend. She was just here to have fun, and I did a shot with Owen before heading out to the floor.
It was all alternative music from every decade tonight, and I got into it. Watching Rosa and Taryn throw themselves into the dancing was entertaining and perfect, but I enjoyed the man at my side just as much.
We let the girls drink, though neither ever got sloppy with it. They had fun without alcohol, and I wished that Taryn lived here a few times throughout the night. She was good for Rosa.
They even stayed at Owen’s place together. We heard them in the spare room laughing after we hit up a diner for some food. I was busy kissing Owen and urging on quiet sex after watching him dance all night. He gave in, pressing me into the pillow as he took me from behind. He made me cum first, filling his throat with me before giving it back. It was difficult to be quiet, but a perfect ending to the evening.
We fell asleep in each other’s arms, still hearing soft laughter.
In the morning, the girls were out drinking coffee in the kitchen when Owen and I dressed to meet them. Rosa was going to borrow something of Taryn’s for brunch since she stayed the night.
We went to one of the best hotels for brunch, paying before we stood in line. The girls were dressed in sundresses and heels, both without makeup and looking beautiful this morning. They got ready before we were even up, and Owen said we needed to figure out how to get his sister to stay here.
I agreed. I’d spent years waiting for Rosa to get ready for things.
The food was incredible. They had a variety of breakfast foods as well as seafood and other lunch offerings. We all ate heartily and headed back to the apartment to chat for a while. Taryn wanted to be home with enough time to get ready for the following morning at work.
It was with great sadness that we gave her hugs goodbye that afternoon. She promised Rosa that she’d keep in touch. We watched as she drove away, and Rosa let out a sigh. “I love her.”
“So do I. Taryn makes me want to beg her to move here, but she has her house and her job there. Maybe we should plan a visit,” Owen suggested as she smiled.
“I’d love that. It sounds beautiful there.” Rosa walked back into the apartment and headed to the fridge for beers. She handed the first one to Owen since it was so apparent that he was feeling the void that Taryn left behind. “She adores you,” Rosa told me, making me smile. “She said that Owen is the happiest she’d ever seen him.”
“That’s true. I’m glad you all got along. Ray didn’t see eye to eye with my sister most of the time, and that caused some problems. She came to celebrate the weekend after we broke up, and we ended up running into him at a deli. That didn’t go well, but she’s proud of the fact that she made any chances of us getting back together burn up.” We all laughed, and Owen reached for my hand. “I like this.”
“So do I,” Rosa said with a smile. Her phone chimed, and she closed her eyes. “I love Jane, but she’s acting like a possessive boyfriend. Since her roommate left, she wants me there every night. I didn’t plan to stay here last night, but I had so much fun.”
“You know, that’s just a spare room for when Taryn wants to visit. You could use it, and we’ll figure out the rent thing. If you want, of course.” Owen smiled as she looked at him.
“What about Jane?” Rosa asked, and we all fell silent in thought.
“This is a better deal?” I offered, and she nodded. “You’ll have more privacy here. Owen is with me a lot of the time, and this is a secure building. Jane’s is a little on the sketchy side if you want my opinion.”
“I know, right? There was a break-in on the first floor just last week!” Rosa told us.
“Maybe Jane should get another place. It’s not safe for anyone,” I told them as Rosa sipped her beer.
“God, I feel so bad. I want to help her out, but she’s making me crazy. I just got out of a relationship. I’m not looking for someone controlling in any form.” Rosa looked at Owen. “Are you sure?”
“It’s yours if you want it. You’ll have to share with Taryn when she comes for a visit, but that didn’t seem to be a problem at all.” He smiled as she burst out laughing.
“It reminded me of a sleepover when I was a kid. We had so much to talk about!” Rosa admitted, making us laugh with her.
We went to watch Owen play that evening, sipping cocoa at the top of the bleachers. I could see that he wasn’t his usual self, but that didn’t stop him from getting a goal toward the end of the game. We cheered, and he smiled at us as the team congratulated him.
We had a small dinner of pizza at Owen’s place, and Rosa left to go to Jane’s. She decided to have a talk with her about the living situation and the friendship, needing some changes. I put the box of pizza away in the fridge, turning to grin at Owen. “You offered her the room!”
“I couldn’t help it. My sister loves her, and that’s not an easy feat. Taryn can be hard on people.” He waved his hand in the air. “Besides, the biggest hurdle is having a place for her when she visits. That won’t be a problem if it’s Rosa using the room.”
“Will we stay here or at the loft?” I mused out loud as he shrugged.
“I guess that depends on the day. I kind of liked quiet sex with you. It was hot,” Owen told me, leaning in for a kiss. “It’ll make getting noisy that much better the next time.”
“Like right now?” I asked, leaning in for a deeper kiss. “You’re hot when you’re playing hockey. It turns me on.” Sure enough, we ended up in bed. I’d brought my laptop over to the apartment for emergency work, figuring I’d just work from here in the morning.
I knew that I was jumping in fast. I just enjoyed being with Owen so much.
We woke in the morning and made some coffee. Owen planned to hit the gym, and I decided to join him before starting work. It reminded me of the first time when we had lunch afterward, only this time we were together. It felt surreal. We worked out for a couple of hours, and then he dressed for the rink while I settled on the couch with my laptop.
That afternoon, we decided to cook for dinner. I made some sesame noodles while he threw together a salad, and we ate on the couch watching a hockey game. Rosa tapped on the door at seven, and Owen let her in with a smile.
“Hey,” she greeted us, smiling broadly at me.” I stopped by the loft and figured you were here. I talked to Jane, and she ended up feeling bad that her old roommate broke up with her boyfriend and wanted the room back. I assured her that it was fine, and I’d be okay.” She plopped beside me on the couch. “I left my stuff at the loft. I wanted to talk to you both about this since it’s so sudden. I don’t want
to take advantage of the situation.”
“You’re not. I offered,” Owen said as she smiled at him. “It’s just sitting empty.”
“I also thought that I could maybe take the loft, and you stay here,” Rosa said as I looked incredulously at her. “Just a thought. You two are in deep.” She looked between us.
We decided to get her stuff at the loft, bring it over to Owen’s place, and get settled. She was told to spruce up the room however she wanted and disappeared as I pressed against Owen. “You’re a good man for doing this.”
“She’s great. I don’t think it’ll be a problem.” He leaned down to kiss me. “She’s also right. We are in deep.”
I knew that my eyes were serious as I gazed back at him. “I know.”
“I can’t say that I mind. It’s fast, but I love every moment of it.”
Rosa stayed in her room for the rest of the night, and I assumed she went to sleep for work the following day. I stayed there that night, waking up when I heard her in the kitchen. Owen still slept soundly, and I rose to dress and join her. “I’m not the only one staying here; it seems.” She poured me a coffee and slid it across the counter.
“I swore I wouldn’t do this with Owen, but it just feels so right. He feels good for me.” I sipped the coffee.
“He is. You two are completely in love with each other, and it’s nice to see.” She sipped her travel cup and smiled at me. She wore a shift dress for work, with her hair in curls around her face.
“Are we?” I asked, knowing she was right. “What if this all comes crashing down? You’re staying here now, and the end of us can fuck that up.”
“It won’t. Don’t worry about something that isn’t close to happening,” Rosa shot me a warning look, slipping her feet into heels. “I have to go to work, but I was thinking about bringing Thai home for dinner. Sound good?”
“It does,” I replied as she kissed my cheek.
“I owe you both a lot.” With that, Rosa was gone with a smile. I grinned and wandered down the hallway to join my boyfriend in bed for a bit longer.