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Chapter 22
“Dude, Troy, where were you? I’ve said your name like five times.”
It wasn’t the statement from Jett that snapped Troy back to reality, it was the punch in the shoulder. But it did make him realize that he’d been completely lost in his own world. Thinking about Alison’s lips. Her hair. Her creamy skin. Her…
He returned the punch and said, “Hey, just because you don’t have anything to say that’s more interesting than my own thoughts, it’s no reason to turn to violence.”
Donovan said, “We may as well talk about a topic that might hold your attention. How was dinner the other night?”
Troy cringed inside. He thought it might be time to abandon the regular “drink beer and hang out on the back deck” sessions that he and his brothers enjoyed. Or at least put them on hold for a little while. He wasn’t even sure what was going on with Alison, so talking about it with anyone else wasn’t something he was crazy about.
“Good. It was good.”
“Just good?” Gavin asked.
Troy narrowed his eyes at his most taciturn brother, thinking how ironic it was that he would be the one digging for more details. “It was good, what do you want me to tell you?”
Jett shrugged, taking back the reins of the conversation. “Nothing. Good is fine. It’s just that I heard it was a real rager. What you might call, oh I don’t know…a four-alarm kind of night.”
Troy sighed and sagged his shoulders in defeat. “All right. So, how many people know?”
Donovan shook his head. “I’m disappointed in you, Troy. It’s like you didn’t even grow up here.”
“Basically everybody, then?”
Gavin jumped back in. “Oh, yeah. It’s all over.”
Jett laughed, clearly enjoying the conversation a lot more than Troy thought was appropriate. “I mean, you almost burn the new girl’s house down because you’re so eager to get into her pants you can’t even bother to turn the stove off—”
“That’s not what happened.”
Now it was Donovan’s turn to laugh. “Really? Because Jared said you ran downstairs in jeans and no shirt or shoes. She was in a robe. And Max tweeted a picture of the burned lasagna. So, I don’t know. I mean, if you say that’s not what happened, I believe you, but the evidence paints a very different picture.”
Troy growled in frustration. “Fine. I mean, sure, yes, technically that’s what happened, but you make it sound cheap.”
“Cheap? Nah. Meeting the fire department in nothing but your jeans? How could anyone make that sound cheap?” Jett grinned.
Troy shook his head and finally had to chuckle. “Oh, man. I hope nobody gives Alison a hard time about this.”
“That’d never happen,” Gavin assured him.
“Why?”
Gavin finally grinned along with his brothers. Well, his version of it anyway, which consisted of a small flick of the corners of his mouth. “Because, compadre. They may have just met her, but the sad truth is, they already like her better than you.”
Troy barked out a laugh. “Can’t say I blame them.”
“That’s a given.”
“Still, I should probably go over and check on her. Make sure she hasn’t had to deal with anything.”
“Clean up her kitchen, at the very least,” Jett said.
Troy sighed. “I’m gonna be hearing about this for a while, aren’t I?”
“Oh, yeah, for sure,” Donovan replied. “I kind of thought that went without saying. I mean, I’m already starting to figure out at what age I think your future kids will be mature enough for Uncle D to tell them the story.”
“You’re getting a little ahead of yourself, don’t you think?”
