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Alex nodded. “Yeah, you acted pretty impulsively.”
“But through all of that, Rick helped me out. He was… sosweet.” She looked at Rick with adoration, inspiring emotions that tickled him. He stood proudly as she smiled at him. “He was there for me when I was confused and vulnerable. We got close…” Alex snorted, denoting the obvious. “It progressed so quickly I didn’t have time to think. And I wanted to tell you, but didn’t know how…”
The younger Min brother sighed, appearing dazed as he walked over to sit on a stool. “I can’t say I’m all that surprised, but it’s still a shock. From the way you two were acting, I knew something was going on. But I didn’t think you’d be hooking up.”
“We’re not ‘hooking up’,” Charlie disputed vehemently. “It’s not like that.”
Alex’s face washed with astonishment, first casting his brother a glance before returning to Charlie. “So, you’re saying this is real? You’re serious?”
She nodded, her smile stretching wide. Rick felt his chest expand two sizes at her enthusiasm. When Alex looked at him for confirmation, he repeated Charlie’s nod.
Alex released a weighted breath. “I don’t know what to say other than… that’s great! I’m happy for you both, I guess. You’re two of the most important people in my life.”
Rick knew his brother enough to detect the hesitation in his voice. Rick’s romantic relationships had been short-lived and superficial.
Alex was protective of Charlie, and Rick didn’t quite understand until now. There was an idealogical innocence in her that was frail enough to break with one stupid move. Rick was going to make sure that never happened again, no matter how he and Charlie ended up.
“Oh, I knew you’d understand!” Charlie squealed and grabbed Alex for a hug. When they pulled apart, Alex shook his head.
“Oh, shit. Wait until Sarah hears about this,” he muttered.
Charlie bit her lips. “Uh… she kind of already knows.”
“She knows? And she didn’t tell me?” Alex glared. “That’s not a wifely thing to do.”
“It’s a best-friendly thing to do,” Charlie remarked. “I asked her to keep quiet until I figured out how to tell you. I told her firstbecause she wasn’t related to Rick, so she won’t be suffering as much as you would.”
“Great. To be kept in the dark for being related to this jackoff. Can you put on some damn clothes, by the way?”
“Watch it, little bro,” Rick warned. “I’m still older than you.”
“That doesn’t make you smarter,” Alex retorted, ending the tone of the night with a chuckle. “And of all things, I would never have expected to hear you being described assweet.”
Charlie said goodbye to Alex and walked him to his car outside her driveway. Rick was a little too naked to step out. Now that all the most important people in her life knew about her and Rick, she didn’t have to dance around anymore.
Alex put on a smiling face, which was his default. He was a cheerful guy, but she sensed a wariness in his reactions to their revelation. She didn’t blame him for having doubts.
Back inside her house, she shut the door and turned to Rick, who was still standing in the kitchen in his boxers with his arms crossed. He looked peeved, butoh-so-yummy.
The Rick she first met as a young girl was lankier, but this guy was cut out of paper drawing, all sharp lines and edges. She bit her lips just thinking of the times she fondled his muscles during sex.
“Why does Alex get a code?”
“I’m sorry?”
“A code to your house,” he repeated. “He could just waltz in here as he pleases?”
Charlie laughed. “It’s for convenience. Sarah has a code, too. I only give them out to people I trust. Don’t worry. And they don’t come in on their own, Rick. They’ll tell me beforehand. I just missed Alex’s messages this time.”
“Then, doIget a code?” he asked straight away.
“Do you want a code?” she asked carefully.
“It wouldn’t hurt.”
She hid her smile, walking over to him. Stopping when their toes touched, she pressed kisses on his throat. “Rick, you realize you get so much more than a code, right?”
His body relaxed the moment her lips touched his. He immediately pulled her against him, the heat of his skin warming her through her robe. Her toes curled when his hands started exploring with the same enthusiasm as her mouth.
