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That was the moment Perry came to find us. “What did I miss?”
“X and Pey went a round in the ring.”
“Dammit. I would have liked to have seen that.”
“Don’t talk on your phone when you should be paying attention to us, Mr. Altair.” I swore Dominic purred when he said his name. I’d never heard a person actually purr as they talked before. It had the desired effect on Perry. His eyes fluttered closed, and he bit his bottom lip.
“Are we done for the day?” Corbin asked. He’d been fine when we were working out and learning moves. It was clear he didn’t like seeing Xaiden in the ring.
“Yeah, let’s clean up and head out,” Xaiden said.
We ended up in the shower in Xaiden’s office, which was just big enough for the three of us. Corbin lovingly tended to Xaiden’s small wound then we kissed each other like we were apart for days and ended up jerking each other off to get rid of the edge we were feeling. If every time we came to the gym this was going to happen, I’d have a hard time keeping my desire hidden. I got rewarded with an orgasm for a job well done.
15
XAIDEN
Pulling up to my garage, I noticed Dexen’s white Audi SUV sitting in the driveway. My brother was probably already inside. He had a key to my place just like I did to his. I parked in the garage, closing the door behind me, and went toward the house. The door was unlocked, the sound of the TV greeting me as I entered. Dexen sat on the couch with his feet kicked up on the coffee table.
“Shouldn’t you be at work?” I asked. Dexen usually slept in and spent the afternoons and evenings at Untouchable. He didn’t answer.
I loosened my tie and went to my bedroom to put on comfortable clothes. I had to go to the apartment building today and have a meeting with the tenants to let them know I was taking over for my parents. Most of the residents were elderly so most were there when I met with them today. The building was as old as the street it was built on. My parents bought it early on and renovated it, upgrading the apartments. A lot of the tenants had been there a long time. My parents only raised the rates when needed so the rent could stay affordable.
I reemerged in a pair of black athletic shorts and a white T-shirt. It was still early in the evening. I beat the rush out of the city. There was a decent number of people who worked there but lived out where my brother and I did. The city life wasn’t for everyone.
“What happened?” I asked, sitting on the opposite couch. I would always be there for my brother, like he had been for me countless times. Dexen let me crash at his house, wander into his club without announcing I was on my way. I couldn’t have asked for a better brother.
“Something about that dark blue Challenger is bothering me.” He lifted the remote to turn the TV off.
My eyebrows furrowed. “The one that gunned for Val and Corbin?”
He nodded. “It’s like there’s a memory of it I can’t reach. Like I’ve met the person who owns it.”
“We don’t readily make enemies though.”
“No, but we have enough money where people want a piece of it.”
“We’ve had that our whole lives. Why now? Why them? It was two weeks ago, and nothing has happened since.”
“I don’t know. It’s driving me crazy. I wish they would have called the police, so we at least had the plate number.”
I sighed and sat back, leaning into the cushion. “I hate that they didn’t, but I didn’t find out until days later. I understand why Val refused. If I’d have been there, I would have called.”
“You can’t be everywhere, Xaiden.”
The only two people who knew me better than my brother were Corbin and Val because I let them see every bit of me. I shielded part of myself from my brother over the years. There wasn’t a lot I could keep from him, he saw right through me, but I still tried. I locked down my emotions when I could. Didn’t let him pull the words from me. He saw me, saw when I’d show up because the silence at my house got to the point where it felt like it was trapping me rather than setting me free.
I turned and looked at Dexen. Same copper hair as mine, just cut differently. Same light blue eyes. He was turning forty-seven next month, two years younger than me. “It doesn’t get easier, does it?”
“Worrying about the men you love? Not in the slightest.” Dexen pulled his phone out briefly, typed on it, and pocketed it again.
“You’re not going to ask me how I was straight my whole life and suddenly with two men?” Dexen knew I wouldn’t tell him anything I wasn’t ready to. I was extending an olive branch, offering him a peek into what I was going through.
“My wish is that you’re happy. You’ve been smiling more. You’re lighter. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you like this. It’s a good thing.”
I had to blink a few times to keep the tears from fully forming in my eyes. I didn’t want to cry, though if I did, they would be happy tears. “They brought me back to life.”
Dexen leaned forward so he could reach out and put his hand on my foot where I had it propped up on the coffee table. “You’re not giving yourself enough credit. If you hadn’t been open to letting someone in, they wouldn’t have gotten to know you. You took the first step. You decided it would be them. Now you’re building what I’ve wanted for you for so many years.”
