Page 79 of Want You

“What’s for dinner?”

“Whatever we want.” Nathan held his phone up. “Octavia will want⁠—”

“Sushi,” Scottie said matter-of-factly.

“How—shit, that took me so long to get out of you.” Nathan sulked. “What else does he know?”

Octavia looked between the brothers, worrying her lip.

“Favourite colou⁠—”

“Blue,” Scottie drawled.

“What the hell? I had to work so hard for all those facts.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, did you not enjoy those fact finding missions you were so enthusiastic to go on?” Octavia challenged, leaving Nathan speechless because he did indeed enjoy those missions. “I thought so.” She smiled up at him.

For the next hour Nathan watched as Octavia and Scottie revealed how they probably weren’t as compatible as he’d feared. When Scottie brought up video games, Octavia’s expression was forced, which his brother didn’t miss.

“I had a feeling you weren’t a fan and I thought that maybe for the right woman, I could give up being a fan.”

“The right person isn’t going to want you to give up something you’re passionate about, Scottie. They’re going to want to know more, maybe do it with you.”

“So I need to find a gamer girl who likes cycling and other stuff…” he trailed off, his cheeks darkening and Nathan looked at Octavia, wordlessly begging her not to follow-up on what other stuff meant.

“You must really like cycling if you were out on your bike in January,” she offered instead, glancing quickly at Nathan.

Scottie shrugged. “As long as there’s no snow or ice on the ground I’m fine with being out on it. I have winter tires for a reason.” He winced, groaning as his head fell back. “I had winter tires on my bike.”

“Still, who rides a bike to a date?” Nathan chuckled.

“I figured having a vehicle that fits one person would let my date know I wasn’t expecting anything beyond our first meeting.”

“You were meeting at a hotel,” Nathan deadpanned, stopping himself from going into detail how he had used that hotel that very night.

“That’s sweet,” Octavia said. “And actually not surprising based on how long it took for you to agree to meet me in person.” She leaned into Nathan, her hand resting on his thigh, a comforting warmth spreading through his body.

The banter between them was easy and, more importantly, friendly. And the longer they talked the more ridiculous Nathan felt about how worried he had been. He was just happy that despite everything, two of his favourite people seemed comfortable with one another.

After Octavia announced she was going to get ready for bed, Scottie helped Nathan clean up and put away the leftover takeout.

“I’m glad you found each other,” Scottie said while rearranging the fridge. “It makes sense, you and her.”

Nathan nodded because he had known that early on, even if he didn’t really understand how. “She’s the best thing that has ever happened to me,” he admitted, giving the counter one last swipe with a paper towel.

“Yeah, I can tell. I’m happy for you, Nathan. Despite what you may think. I’m not as bitter as you seem to believe that I am. Anyway, I’m going to crash. Early appointment tomorrow and I have a feeling it’s going to be intense.”

“Night,” Nathan said, watching Scottie walk to his room before heading to his own.

He found Octavia in the bathroom patting her face dry and he barely registered getting his toothbrush ready while he watched her slather on moisturizer, leaning into the mirror as she rubbed it into her skin. He’d never imagined someone doing their skincare would be such a turn on, but here he was, holding himself back from initiating something

There would be no wild, sex-crazed nights as long as Scottie was down the hall.

Nathan was no prude but the last thing he needed was for his brother to hear. It felt cruel under normal circumstances. And there was nothing normal about this.

“You going to use that thing or just hold it between your teeth?” Octavia teased, walking toward him, her hands working moisturizer between her fingers.

Nathan yanked the brush from his mouth and dropped a quick mint tinged kiss to her lips before she could escape. He’d never considered how distracting a woman’s nighttime routine could be, but Octavia moisturizing herself was nothing short of beguiling. Now that he was alone he could focus on the rest of his routine with the anticipation of curling around her when he got to bed.