“Why couldn’t I be born into a family who doesn’t care what I do? Or are dead. Yes, death would be better.”
My father smacked me with his paper. “Does Adam know you’re shagging his best friend?”
“Jesus. Do not ever say shagging to me again.” I pushed away from the table. “You both are uninvited from Christmas.”
“While you’re up, could you get me another piece of cake, Aiden?” My father held out his plate like I wasn’t about to stalk off.
“Fine.” I went to the counter and set his plate down when I felt my phone vibrating.
I opened it to find a picture of Jensen in his shower, dick hard and all soaped up.
Aiden: Mean! What if my parents had seen this?
Jensen: Do you often let your parents open your text messages from your boyfriend?
What? Had he just… He’d ‘boyfriend’-ed me. I was his boyfriend. Holy shit. This was a real thing that was happening. I’d tripped and fallen into a relationship with the hottest guy on the planet who I’d liked since I was fourteen. Better double check the word.
Aiden: Boyfriend?
I wasn’t even mad. He’d called me boyfriend and I saved the picture of his dick.
Jensen: Yes.
I beamed as I cut my father another piece of cake.
Jensen: How’s your dick? Mine is fantastic, thank you for asking. I jacked off in the shower so I’d be ready for your dinner games.
I groaned and bit my tongue, hoping my parents didn’t notice. They probably did, but I was going to live in blissful ignorance unless they brought that up, too.
Aiden: Let me tell you, little plastic balls are the devil. You think they are soft and welcoming like they’d cup my package, but they are uneven. All the little jagged pieces of plastic are digging into my balls and taint like razor wire every time I move.
Jensen: So dramatic.
He was right. I had been exaggerating in hopes of getting a better reward for wearing them all day.
Damnit.
Jensen: See you at dinner, baby.
Aiden: Did you call me baby?
Jensen: Yes.
I held my phone unable to stop smiling.
Jensen: I can feel you smiling through the phone.
Aiden: Asshole.
Jensen: Yes, I plan to abuse yours later.
Great. Now I had to deal with my parents all day with the constant reminder of what he’d do later wrapped nice and snug around my cock while also mushy and beaming. Emotions were confusing.
Nine
JENSEN
Look at you rolling in so late, mister.” Adam checked his watch when I came back down after showering.
“It’s eleven in the morning.”
A bowl of half-eaten popcorn sat on the coffee table along with a few beer bottles, but it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.
“Yeah, I was expecting you last night.” He kicked his feet up on my table and flipped on the football game.
We both watched for a play before I came over to sit next to him.
“Your brother wasn’t serious about that staying over nonsense was he?” I asked, reaching for a handful of popcorn.
“I wouldn’t put it past him. He has some weird dating rules. I try and ignore him for the most part. I’m happy if I can find a guy to stay the night.”
I shot Adam a weird look. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m the bartender everyone wants to tell all their problems to and are then annoyed by when I tell them their glass is half full not half empty.”
I laughed. “You are a bit much on a bad day. Aren’t bartenders supposed to be somber and sympathetic?”
“If they don’t want me to fix their life for them, they shouldn’t tell me all their problems. I’m a fixer.”
“I know you are.” I stole his beer and took a long pull.
“How did last night go?” Adam turned serious. Here was the fix coming.
“Are you about to give me advice on how to best fuck your brother? Because I don’t know if I can handle it.”
“I’m not going to tell you what he’s into. If I knew that, I’d need brain bleach. But I am curious how it went. He seemed pretty adamant to get out of there yesterday.”
“Curious bastard.” I had to laugh. “I told him we weren’t having sex again until we talked. It took all day but he finally gave in.”
Adam joined in with my laughing. “You both are stubborn. I’d have been begging for it within an hour but I’m an easy bitch.”
“You like your dick touched too much to ever hold back.”
“Touché,” Adam said.
“He got your stubborn and then some. I’ve never met anyone who liked to push my buttons so much.”
Adam stared at me for a while. “You enjoy it.”
“I do. I’ve always liked a challenge.”
“You really like Aiden don’t you?” Adam asked, still watching the game.
“Yes, even if I want to strangle him sometimes.”
“From what I hear, he’s into that,” Adam deadpanned.
“I regret ever telling you anything in my entire life.” I scrubbed a hand over my face. “Never again.”
Adam checked his watch. “Are you coming to open the bar with me?”
“You gotta work?” I asked him.
“Yeah, one of my managers called in sick this morning. The family will be there for dinner later. Are you joining them?”
“Of course I am.” I almost told Adam about the bet Aiden and I had but swallowed back my words. I needed to remember who I was oversharing about now. “But I can’t stay too late. I have an interview tomorrow.”
Adam turned towards me, his brows pulling together. He was serious all of a sudden. “Is this for the big regional job?”
“Yes, conservation and protection. I can’t believe I got an interview. They are so few and far between.” It’s what my degree was in. I’d gone to school online while working full time for Adam’s parents for five years and then another two years for my masters while working in forestry, only to be unable to find a job for the past four years.
“Where is it located?”
“I don’t quite know yet. I have to drive down to Denver for the interview.”
His frown deepened and I wasn’t sure what I’d said to upset him.
“What?” I asked when he remained silent for a while.
“Does Aiden know?”
“No…” I said, unsure what he was getting at.
“You do know why his ex and he broke up?”
“Because he cheated and then ghosted on him?” I said, not sure Adam had told me more. “I’m not going to move away and ghost him.”
“It’s exactly what Avery did to him, too. People are forever moving to the city and abandoning him.”
I waved him off. “There is very little chance I’ll get it anyway. I’m shocked I got an interview. These things all are based around nepotism. They’ll give the job to the governor's nephew or something.” All government jobs were. I was lucky enough to get the forestry job up here because I knew the area intimately, which put me in front of the pack.
“Be delicate with it and remember what he’s gone through.”