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“She started over again,” Ani choked out. “Like, ‘oh, fucked up with the first one, better try again.’ Who does that?”
My throat knotted around any words I might have said. How long had she been feeling like that and saying nothing? Had she talked to Katie about it? Alex? I wasn’t sure if anyone even knew that she had younger siblings. I’d never heard anything about them.
“Pieces of shit,” I finally ground out, cupping her face in my hands. “Look at me.”
She opened her eyes and almost brought me to my knees with one look.
“It’s her loss. I know that sounds too simplistic. I know that.” I brushed her hair away from her face as I struggled to speak. “She lost out big with you, all right?”
Ani nodded and pressed her lips together tightly like she was holding in the words that wanted to pour out of her mouth.
I leaned down and kissed her gently, running my lips over her stiff ones until they softened against mine. Running my hands down her neck, I stopped at her shoulders, pressing my fingers in lightly until the muscles beneath her skin began to relax a little at a time.
“You don’t have to be nice to me,” Ani murmured against my lips as I crowded her against the wall, running my hands over her breasts as she slid her tongue over my top lip, then sucked it into her mouth.
I pulled back slightly. “Yeah, I do.”
“I’m already a sure thing,” she argued, wrapping her arms around my neck and lifting one leg so that I’d pull her up my body.
“I’ll be a dick to you later,” I assured her as her legs tightened around my waist.
“But what if I want your dick now?” she said with a small laugh against my mouth.
“If you insist,” I grumbled jokingly. “You good?”
“Fine,” she said with a nod, like our entire conversation since we’d jumped into the shower had never happened.
* * *
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I yelled in surprise a week later, opening my front door in nothing but a pair of white boxer briefs and a huge grin.
“Thought I’d surprise you. You’re welcome.”
I took a couple steps back and let my brother inside, barely waiting for him to drop his bag on the floor before I was wrapping him up in a bear hug.
“It’s good to see you,” I said gruffly, slapping him hard on the back.
“Yeah, you too, brother,” he replied, tightening his arms around me. “You look like Grizzly Adams.”
We both pulled back at the same time, and I got a good look at the grin that looked so much like the one I knew I was wearing.
“All the kids together again,” I said with a laugh, picking up his bag so I could carry it into my spare bedroom.
“That was the idea,” he said with a nod, following me farther into the house.
“How the fuck did you get here? I woulda picked you up from the airport.”
“And miss the look on your face when you came to the door? No fucking way. I rented a car.”
I smiled as I opened up the spare room and tossed his bag on the bed.
Thank Christ, Ani had already left before Alex showed up on my doorstep. We’d seen each other almost every day for the past week, but she hadn’t stayed over and neither had I. She was dealing with some shit, so I left her to it, even though I’d gotten a little used to the overnights.
“How long are you here for?” I asked as we made our way back to the kitchen, grabbing a couple beers from the fridge.
“Week. I couldn’t take more than that.”
“Katie, Shane, and the kids will be here in the morning. Henry too.”
“Yeah, I bet Mom’s flipping out, huh?”
“Jesus Christ, she’s gonna have a heart attack when she sees you,” I joked, grabbing my T-shirt that Ani had left on the counter earlier and pulling it over my head.
“You start cooking in the buff since I’ve been gone?” Alex joked as he watched me.
“Nah, took it off earlier before I got in the shower,” I muttered, turning to grab a dish towel from the counter and putting it on the handle of the stove.
I knew, if he got a good look at my face, he’d know I was lying and he’d start asking questions, and if he started asking questions, I’d be fucked. Why the hell hadn’t I thought of that before? Alex knew me better than anyone—he was going to see exactly what was happening the minute Ani and I got in the same room.
Fuck.
“So I can’t decide if I want to show up before Katie tomorrow so Mom can calm down before she and the kids get there or if I should show up right after she gets there and steal her thunder,” Alex said seriously, taking a long pull of his beer.
