“Cain, isn’t it?” Walter lifted his cane and pointed from Archer to Cain and back. “You two fucked. What lube should I get? I’m thinking bacon, so my dick tastes good.”
Cain glanced at Robert then nodded. “Go with the bacon, Walter. Everyone loves bacon.” He didn’t look at Archer as he walked through the room and left.
“How hard was that? Bacon, it is.” Walter hobbled after Cain, shouting his name.
“Robert, I’m sorry—”
Robert brushed his apology away. “I was warned before I met Walter what he was like, and I thought Lydia was exaggerating. She wasn’t. Not one little bit, and now he has Cain in his sights.” Robert sighed and walked over to Archer. “What happened between you? Is it going to cause problems?”
“You’ve spoken to Cain?”
“No, he’s ignoring my calls after giving the barest details.”
Archer winced and rubbed his face. He was sick and tired of repeating himself. Maybe he should ignore calls from now on. “It was a vacation fling, nothing more.”
“Oh, I’ve gathered that. I saw his face when he saw you.” Robert gave him a small smile. “Small world, isn’t it.”
“Yeah.” Archer stared at the door Cain had walked through. “Very small.”
“You and him—”
“Are brothers now.” Archer winced—a look Robert caught.
“And that bothers you.”
“No, I just need to adapt to a dynamic situation.” Straightening, he added, “Life is full of surprises, and you need to learn to roll with whatever gets thrown your way. We’ll cope, don’t worry. We’re both adults and can handle the situation, but someone else deals with Walter.”
Robert blanched. “I’ll leave him to your mom.”
“Smart move. I knew there was a reason she married you.”
“I might be getting on in years, but one thing I’m not is stupid.”
“I’m not so sure about that. She does come with a Walter attached.”
Robert laughed and slapped Archer on the back. “She’s worth it. Go outside, Archer; she’s waiting for you.”
Archer smiled at Robert and walked outside, finding several people there already. He wasn’t surprised not to see Anton, but giving the man’s obvious homophobia that was a good thing. He walked over to Quince and nudged him with his elbow.
“Where’s Carly?”
“At home. She’s finishing her assignment, and then she’ll come over.”
“How is she doing?” As he asked the question. Archer watched Cain smile at something Knox said.
“Final year of her Bio-chem degree? It’s hard for her, but if she wants to maintain her grades, she needs to do the work.”
Tearing his eyes away, he grinned at Quince. “I remember that. The sleepless nights finishing off assignments. The experiments. Drinking far too much. I knew I was in for the long haul though.”
“And look at you now, running your own practice.”
Archer glanced back at Cain, his eyes devouring him. Cain looked good in his tight jeans and plain white T-shirt that showed off the tan he still had. A tan Archer had watched develop on skin he had stroked. “I need an accountant too.”
“I’ll be in on Monday to go through your spreadsheets. You need to invest in an online program that’ll track all your payments.”
“Good thing you have a degree in that, isn’t it?”
“I’m not cheap.” Quince gave him a pointed look. “Simpsons has asked me to come in.”
“You were top of your class, Quince. I know others are looking at you.” He smiled when Cain grinned. God, he looked great when he smiled.
“Plus, we’re brothers. Could make things difficult.”
“You’ll have your own office away from the main practice area. We won’t see each other that often, and you’ll still be able to take on other clients.
Quince inhaled swiftly. “That’s generous. Why?”
“I know how expensive it is, so I know about the debt you have. Like you said, we’re family, and you have a skill I need. I need you to help show me where to make savings. I checked the books yesterday, and I have no idea what Kat’s been doing.”
“You think she’s been fiddling with the books?”
Archer shrugged and continued to discreetly watch Cain. “No idea, Quince, but something doesn’t look right.”
“I’ll get started on it first thing Monday.” He nodded in Cain’s general direction. “Go and say hi instead of spying on him.”
“Does everyone know now?”
Quince snorted. “Granddad. Most know now.”
That one name told Archer everything he needed to know. “Can’t he just keep his fucking nose out of it?”
“Granddad? You’re joking, right? He loves to gossip; he loves to say shit that embarrasses us, and he has no filter. None. The filter quit its job, packed its bags, and fucking left!”
“Shit.” Archer rubbed his face and sighed heavily.
“Yeah, he’s been going on about that today too. Don’t mention restrooms at all around him.”
“Shit? He’s been talking about that?”
“The new meds make him constipated, and now I know all the gory details of what he’s going through. I want to become deaf. He should be talking to Gareth; he’s the nurse in our extended family.”
“He was asking me about lube.” Archer winced and rubbed his eyes. Nope, he was not having that image seared on his brain.
“I heard the word mentioned and escaped as quickly as possible. I love him, but...” Quince straightened, a panicked look on his face. “He’s coming over!”
“Go!”
Quince walked as fast as he could without it looking like he was trying to get away, and Archer smiled at Walter and side-stepped him, which put him on a direct path to Cain.
Well, there was no time like the present.
Cain watched Archer from the corner of his eyes and wanted to drool at how hot the man looked. Dark blue jeans clung to the strong thighs that Cain had wrapped his own legs around. The strength in his arms as he gripped Cain and held him.
Cain almost sighed out loud at that sight Archer presented. The dark blond stubble on his face just added to Archer’s overall appearance, and it all drove Cain wild. He knew exactly how the stubble felt against his skin, and it was a feeling he wanted again. Again. But knew he couldn’t.
“Cain.”
“Huh? Sorry, Dad.”
“Is this going to cause a problem? You and Archer?”
“No, not at all. We just need a little time to get used to it. It’s been such a surprise for both of us.” Why was he constantly repeating himself? Oh yeah. He couldn’t keep his eyes off Archer, and everyone could see it.
“I’m sure it is and the last thing you expected.”
“I would have known if I’d been home more.” Cain bit his lip and glanced away. He’d been so caught up in his job and the deadline for the stadium that the thought of going home had been pushed from his mind. Now, he regretted it.
“You were working, and I’m proud of what you’ve achieved. You’re home now and staying for good, I hope. We have plenty of time to catch up on everything, including your vacation with Archer.”