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“Oww,” he mumbled as he rightened himself, only to realize he’d spilled some beer from his full bottle when he’d stumbled. “Shit.” He frowned at the tiny puddle on the floor as Gracen broke away from me to approach him.
“You okay there, bud?”
Fox looked up. His eyes were a little bloodshot, which made it look as if he’d been crying, though I knew he was only intoxicated.
“Yeah, yeah,” he slurred as his gaze went to me, then returned to my brother. “You guys leaving? Already?”
“Yeah, I gotta work early,” Gracen was saying as he patted the side of Fox’s arm companionably. “But happy birthday. Quarter of a century already, huh? Damn, I think my first memory of you was when you were being potty trained, and you shit on my parents’ living room carpet.”
Fox blinked at him and then frowned. “I thought that was Trick.”
Gracen tilted his head thoughtfully. “Was it?”
“Yes,” I said from behind the men. Mom had told the story a dozen times, and it had always been Trick’s name she used.
“Oh. My bad.” With a teasing grin, Gracen smacked the front of Fox’s chest with the back of his hand. “I guess I have no idea what my first memory of you is, then.”
Fox shook his head, dismissing him, and turned to me. “Thanks for coming,” he said as if he’d been the host and planned this party all by himself. Then he opened his arms to hug me goodbye.
I paused at first, uncertain. I don’t think he’d ever hugged me at a family event before. But hugs were common enough in our group that it wasn’t completely out of the ordinary either. So I stepped forward and hugged him.
He pulled me in close and buried his face in my neck before he gathered handfuls of the back of my shirt and squeezed as if holding on to me for dear life. His scent overwhelmed me, and my body went hypersensitive, already preparing for the sensual assault that usually followed whenever I smelled that familiar fragrance.
Lashes fluttering as my thighs trembled, I awkwardly patted his back and tried to appear like I wasn’t relishing the feel of having his strong, virile body in my arms because I was also ultra-aware of my brother standing right there, watching us.
“Happy birthday,” I said.
Fox shuddered before his hand flattened against the small of my back and slid across my spine. Then he whispered, “I just wanted to spend the night with you.”
I swallowed and felt tears sting my eyes.
Gaze seeking my twin desperately as Fox clung to me as if he might never let go, I panicked, wondering what Gracen must be thinking.
If he suspected—
“Okay, then,” he said, reaching out and unpeeling Fox from me. “That’s enough now. Go sober up, buddy.”
Well, I guess my brother didn’t suspect anything, after all. He’d been too busy mistaking my glance for thinking I’d been begging him to save me from Fox’s suffocating hug.
Heart beating hard, I looked up into a pair of tormented brown eyes. “Sorry,” he mumbled and reached up to touch my hair. Except I knew he wasn't apologizing for holding me too long.
“Go save your hat from the trash,” I told him. “I didn’t mean to replace it, just get you a backup.”
But he shook his head as he slowly lifted his hand to slide his fingers along the crisp new edges of the cap he wore. “Nope,” he said, his eyes glittering with intensity as he added, “I’ve got myself a new mistress now.”
My ears began to buzz as I felt my face immediately drain of all color, wondering if he was talking in double-speak to tell me he was through with me and ready to move on now or if he really only meant the hat.
Next to me, Gracen snorted and shook his head. “Dude, you are so weird. Hats are not mistresses.”
Fox merely grinned at him. “Mine is.”
“Yeah, well, we’ll leave you two to it, then.” Grasping my hand, my brother pulled me toward the door. I watched Fox as we left the house, and his gaze returned to me solemnly as he lifted his hand and waved a sad goodbye.
I didn’t wave back, telling myself I was overreacting and this wasn’t the end of anything.
“Wow.” Gracen shook his head and gave a low whistle as we strolled through a spray of yard lights toward his car. “Just how drunk do you think Fox was?”
I cleared my throat and evasively asked, “What do you mean?”
