Page 83 of Knot So Social

He hoots and smacks his fist down onto the tray.

“Ha!” I scoff. “Think you’re so clever, huh?” I drop into a chair and pull my own dinner out, cracking the container’s lid to release the black bean sauce aroma.

“Come on,” he whines. “You won’t let a patient starve, will you? I mean, look at what they’re feeding me?”

I eye him like I’m considering holding out but end up passing him the bag. “How’s the leg?”

He shrugs. “I’m jacked up on something good. Can’t feel a thing for another hour.”

“You need me to pick up a prescription?”

“On the way home tomorrow, yeah. Haven’t got it yet.”

“So, what, bed rest?”

He pulls an ice pack out from under the sheet. “Ice, on and off. Rest. Compression stockings.”

I snort and he tosses me a wry smile.

“So, a dog, huh?”

“Yeah.” He scoffs. “The big pup was so happy to see his owner after four days, he knocked her over. I dove to protect her head and tangled with my own bags.”

I shake my head and spoon nachos into my mouth. “You should just say it was kinky shit between the sheets.”

He rolls his eyes, but smiles as he digs into his bowl, pulling out corn chips covered in stretchy cheese. Humming with appreciation as he chews, my brother switches his attention to the floor by my feet. “What’s in the other bags?”

“Your stuff.”

“What about the one with a box?”

“Just some personal things I need.” The lie comes easy.

He grunts and lets it drop, stuffing more bean sauce in his mouth.

“Seriously, Jerry, how was the job?”

His gaze turns serious. “It was . . . unreal. She was so responsive.” He chuckles over a memory. “And worked me hard too.”

“Is that why you look like shit?”

He chokes and drinks water. “Yeah, well, I didn’t get much sleep.”

I study him as I load more food into my mouth. He looks different. Is this what they call glowing? Surely I must be imagining things. Men don’t glow to begin with, do they? Maybe it’s a side effect of the medication.

“Sounds like you had fun,” I mutter.

“No, it was more than that. It was . . . life changing.” He looks out the window, and I can practically see the soap opera smoke rising off him.

“Life changing? More than just good sex?”

“Yeah, it was. She was. I wish you could meet her, Joel. She was stunning, but more than that, feisty and soft all at the same time.”

Like that even makes any sense. But his words stir old memories locked deep inside, things we never talked about.

“I’d be surprised if you ever let me near another omega of yours.” I say it quietly, half hoping the game commentating might drown me out.

It doesn’t.