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Cross continued to frown.
Blaise leaned forward, the smirk gone and a scowl in its place. “Then educate me on how she and Race are doing. Oh. Wait. You can’t, because you don’t know.”
“The fuck you’re talking about?”
“Yeah. Maybe you should call your sister.”
His point was made. The mic was dropped and Blaise leaned back, that smirk coming back once more. But his eyes narrowed, and he was waiting.
Cross’ eyes narrowed right back.
The air was thick.
A shiver went down my spine.
I met Aspen’s gaze, hers was worried. I was just waiting.
With this tension, Cross was debating if he should jerk his brother over the table and throw down, once again, or move forward in a different manner.
When he drew in a breath, and his hand pressed hard into his leg, I knew he was fighting for control.
Damn.
That meant he was losing control.
I coughed and took over. My hand went to his, and I pressed my nails into the palm side of his hand, not enough to hurt, but enough to pull him out of whatever fighting mode he was fast going into, and it was my turn.
“Why are you such a jackass all the time?”
Aspen’s eyes bulged out. A shocked gargle rippled from her.
Blaise’s eyes slid, no joke, slid toward me. He looked like a cat preening for a new victim.
I had to smile because whether he was realizing it or not, I was off-limits. One, I was his brother’s girlfriend. Two, Aspen liked me. And three, I was also his girlfriend’s protector tomorrow night. Triple the protection.
I waited, enjoying this, and a second later, he made a frustrated growl. “Fucking A.”
I laughed.
The sound did it, cutting through the layers of packed air, and both brothers took in some of that oxygen, moving it through their lungs.
Aspen seemed to be panting, her eyes still wide and jerking from one side of the table to her boyfriend. Noticing, Blaise shot her a reassuring smile and his arm moved under the table. Then stopped and both shared a more tender look.
Aspen melted, and Blaise softened.
It was a miracle we were witnessing from where I was sitting.
At that time, the waitress brought out the appetizers, and as soon as she left, Cross said quietly, “I don’t know what Taz is saying to you, but she and I are good. We’ll always be good. We shared a womb together, and what issues we might have are between me and her. Not you. Whatever she’s saying, it’s not my relationship with her that she’s worried about.”
Blaise frowned, his eyebrows dipping down. “What are you saying?”
Cross waited a beat. Then, “I’m the brother who almost killed someone for her. You’re the brother she just met, and the one who is going to a different college than her. You’re the brother she was trying to establish a better connection with before he left from where she was, and you’re the brother who was dodging her most of the summer.”
Oh. Whoa.
I hadn’t thought of that, and glancing at him from under my eyelids, Cross hadn’t said anything about Taz calling him either.
Blaise looked at Aspen.
She tilted her head to the side, and I knew they were holding hands under the table. I could see from the arms moving toward each other.
Aspen murmured, “The nice thing about your sister is that she seems pretty forgiving.”
Blaise winced, closing his eyes.
I had to note this.
We were having a moment. Well, me because I was sitting here, but it was mostly Cross sharing, Cross pointing out something deeper, and Blaise not hiding his regret. He was showing it. Cross was silent, letting him have his moment, and Aspen was there, helping to sweep up the regret so he felt a little better, a little hopeful.
It was a nice moment.
It was a family moment.
Blaise dipped his head to Cross. “Thanks for that.”
My guy’s smile was there, but it was cool, as was his tone. “Good. Now tell me what’s going on with her and Race?”
And there, in our little diner, I felt another shiver sliding up my spine this time. There’d been random moments the two had joined forces, but neither wanted to. They’d been forced to. This time, not the same. Taz unknowingly had brought ’em together in a way, but I didn’t think she’d enjoy Blaise sharing what he shared. “He’s been flirting with another girl in his econ class.”
Yeah.
She really wouldn’t like that that was shared because Cross’ eyes instantly went flat and dangerous.
Blaise’s mirrored his, and I knew at some point in the future we’d be traveling to Grant West.
I enjoyed telling Cross about the movie after there was a fight over who got to pay. Blaise won because he slipped away and tracked our waitress down, through the kitchen, in the back, where she was on her break.
He got the check and he was already starting to gloat about it.
