Chapter One
Denver
The words were out of my mouth before I had time to censor or stop them. Edison, who hung in the doorway, fresh out of a shower and dripping wet with a towel around his waist, flinched. Harley went silent on the other end of the phone line.
“Both. I want you both.”
Had I really just said that out loud?
The truth had a nasty habit of ruling this family. It pushed us across lines that weren’t meant to be crossed. It forced our hands with little resistance. The truth refused to be ignored or dismissed.
My pulse thrummed in my ears. Each staggered breath I dragged in and out of my lungs rasped in the quiet room. A clock ticked—I didn’t know I owned a clock that did that, but there it was, announcing itself for the first time after eight years living alone in this house.
Tick, tick, tick…
Edison’s stormy gray eyes were fixed on my face. I couldn’t look away. The puzzle pieces were slowly shifting into place. The truth was surreal enough he was questioning whether he’d heard me correctly.
He had.
Welcome to the family, Eddy. If you thought we were the only perverted minds, you thought wrong.
The tip of his pink tongue snuck out, wetting his upper lip as his eyes narrowed. My traitorous cock throbbed, remembering his mouth wrapped around my shaft a few short months ago. It didn’t help that he was naked under the towel, and miles of smooth bare flesh were on display, begging to be touched. Taut, lithe muscles. A hairless, smooth chest. An enticing treasure trail that led from his navel to the prize below. I had a sudden urge to win the game and earn that reward.
“Denver!” The sharp tone coming through the phone snapped me from those dangerous fantasies and stiffened my spine.
The world moved forward again. The lull brought on by my announcement ceased. My brother was not impressed, and I experienced a momentary sense of disquiet at having upset him. I hated making people angry.
I opened my mouth to respond or explain or correct what I’d said, but nothing came out.
“Both. I want you both.”
The words hung in the air, echoing around my head over and over. I didn’t want to take them back.
How fucked up was I?
“It’s the truth.” My voice caught. I cleared my throat, hoping to inject what little amount of authority I possessed when it came to Harley—which wasn’t much. “Take it or leave it.”
I hung up on him before he could respond, my hand trembling as I set my phone down on the desk.
My focus shifted to Edison. Sweet, not-so-innocent Edison. Oh how twisted our family had become. Edison’s unruly mess of blond hair was a few shades darker when wet and stuck up since he’d towel-dried it after his shower.
When he’d arrived at my house earlier, I’d had no doubt it was with one goal in mind: to seduce me back into bed. My protests had been weak, and he knew it. Since when could I hold my ground against Edison or Harley? Since never. Their personalities had this way of testing my resolve.
However, a handful of words spoken to his father over the phone and Edison’s gears had shifted.
“Wasn’t that Dad?”
“Yup.”
My gaze skipped down his body. Trim waist. Prominent hip bones I wanted to explore with my tongue. A deep navel I wanted to lick. Surrendering to this weakness inside me was inevitable. Between Harley and Edison, I’d never stood a chance. What they gave me was something more powerful than anything I could achieve on my own. They gave me freedom. I’d chased this escape for twenty years after college and had never found it again.
Twenty years locked in the prison of my own mind, of my own making.
Five months ago, Edison had shown up. Without knowing what he was doing, he’d reawakened those long-dormant needs that could never be satisfied with anyone else.
My nephew, of all people.
It shouldn’t have surprised me, considering what had transpired with Harley years ago. I was destined to break the rules. In my own way, I was no different than father and son. They wore their rebellious nature on the outside. Mine lived deep in my core, a secret craving that pulled and tugged at me endlessly. The rigid, conforming life I’d made for myself strangled tighter every day. I needed this release.
They provided an escape.
But I couldn’t choose.
And Harley didn’t like my answer. I could tell by the tone of his voice when he’d snapped my name. It said, What the fuck? and Are you insane? There might have been an edge of hurt in there somewhere because, despite his self-confidence, Harley’s ego bruised easily.
“Uncle Denver?” Edison stepped into the room, a mirror image of his father in every way. He ruffled a hand through his wet mop of hair before crossing his arms over his bare chest, hiding his lanky frame. Dammit. He’d lost his cocky, self-assured edge. He’d dropped his flirtatious approach. Edison was my nephew again and not the man determined to get me back in bed.
“What was that all about?”
“It’s a long story.”
“I’ve got nowhere to be.”
“Not sure you want to hear it.”
For once in my life, I had the upper hand. Edison glanced around my office uneasily. “Try me.”
“Why are you here, Eddy?”
“I told you. Dad kicked me out. We got in another fight, and I’m sick of him trying to rule my life. I’m not a child.”
Punctuating his point, he stood straighter and propped his hands on his hips as he lifted his chin. He adopted that mischievous smile that had lured me in the last time and said, “You treat me like a proper adult.”
The seductive gleam in his eyes hooked and lured me in. Fantasies roared back to life. I wanted him to drop the towel, straddle my lap, ride my cock…
My phone rang.
The spark went out, and Edison glowered at the intrusive device. His father’s name flashed across the screen.
I’d told Harley I was weak. He wouldn’t listen.
With my eyes locked on the mound under Edison’s towel, I answered. Before Harley could get a word out, I cut him off. “Not a good time. We can chat later.”
And I hung up on him again as my name resonated from the other end of the line. The same sharp tone that dripped with Harley’s rage.
“What’s going on?” Edison asked again.
“Your dad doesn’t like it when he isn’t in control.”
Edison rolled his eyes. “Tell me about it, but that’s not what I meant, and you know it.”
“He’s jealous.”
“Of?”
“The fact that I fucked his son.”
Edison’s eyes blew wide, their smoky gray quality like storm clouds, darkening with his surprise. “You told him?”
I shrugged. “Why not?”
“What the hell? Do you know how fucked up that is?”
“He’s in no position to judge.”
Edison raked his hands through his hair and spun in place before pinning me with a scowl. “You can’t just tell my dad we’re fucking.”
“Fucked, not fucking. Past tense. We are not currently anything.” Now, if he dropped the towel, we’d be currently something, that much I was sure of.
I pushed back from my desk and rounded it, taking his elbow and encouraging him to face me. We were close in height. The inch or so I had on him gave me just enough of a commanding edge. I tugged him closer, unable to resist taking in the scent of his freshly showered skin. “However, if you don’t get dressed, I make no promises.”