Roman drew an unsteady breath, unsure of how to respond.
“I’m sorry, Brett. This fellow has been banging on the door for twenty minutes.”
Roman’s head shot up. With all the blood currently south of his brain, he was slow to understand they weren’t alone. Two men stood in the bedroom doorway. Xavier was still nude. The other guy didn’t seem to notice. He held a motorcycle helmet underneath his arm—like he always had one with him. Everything from the man’s short cropped dark hair, wide shoulders, and wrinkle-free t-shirt screamed discipline. His cold blue gaze swept across the room as if taking in everything. Roman found himself sitting up, in case he needed to protect Brett.
“I guess I need to sit up too.” Brett sounded adorably disgruntled. Roman went to work. He stacked pillows behind Brett so he could see his visitor. “Hey, Dean,” Brett said the moment Roman had him settled against the headboard. Brett motioned Roman’s way. “Roman.” He motioned Xavier’s way. “Xavier. This is my brother, Dean. Dean, meet Xavier and Roman.”
Dean barely spared them a glance as he stepped farther into the room. Xavier followed him like tethered to the man. Dean’s eyes flashed with anger. “You didn’t call. I had to hear about your accident on the goddamn news.”
“Same,” Xavier said, as if he had the same right to be angry as Brett’s brother.
Brett blew out a sigh. “I was a little busy having surgery, sleeping, and getting pumped full of drugs. I’d planned to call you later today. I’m surprised you didn’t storm the hospital.”
That last statement didn’t look like it made things better. A muscle in Dean’s jaw flexed like he ground his back teeth. “They wouldn’t give me any info, so I had no clue which room you were in.”
Xavier cut in again. “Same.”
Brett cast an exasperated look Xavier’s way. “For fuck’s sake, Xavier. Put on some pants. We have guests.”
“I’m a guest too,” Xavier muttered under his breath.
Brett squeezed the spot between his eyes. “You would think that would be an argument for rather than against wearing pants, but here we are.”
Xavier’s face lit, as if an idea struck. “What are your thoughts, boys? You’re the guests he’s referring to. Do I have to get dressed?”
Roman shrugged. “I’m a stripper. My whole existence is being around naked men.”
Xavier looked triumphant as his gaze swung Dean’s way. “What about you?”
Dean barely spared Xavier a glance. “You’re just another dude. Why should I care?”
For a moment, Xavier stared at Dean expressionlessly. “I’ll go find pants.” He walked away, giving no clue to his sudden change of heart.
The second he was gone, Brett snorted so hard that Roman’s throat hurt by proxy. “You called Xavier Nilsson just another dude.” Brett took an audible breath and snorted again. It took Roman a second to realize Brett was laughing so hard, the only sound he could make was snorts.
Roman smiled. His cheeks hurt. He had never seen Brett genuinely laugh. He saw it now. It was hilarious. Brett couldn’t seem to catch his breath.
Dean shrugged. “So what? He is.”
“Google his name.” Another snort. “Google his name.”
Roman didn’t care who Xavier was. He couldn’t take his eyes off Brett. “You’re a snorter. I never would’ve guessed.”
Brett swiped at his eyes as he visibly fought to get his laughter under control. He lost it again the moment Dean started reading Xavier’s bio aloud.
“Xavier Nilsson is a Swedish-born model turned actor. Dubbed Sweden’s most beautiful man, Xavier now lives in Los Angeles, California where he hosts a popular cooking show, Cuisinier Unveiled. He has also won several awards, including an Oscar for his role in the movie Moved... Wait. I’ve seen that one.” Dean looked thoughtful for a minute, as if he searched his memory. “Oh, shit. Is Xavier the guy who goes on the killing spree?”
Brett nodded. “That’s the one.” Brett wiped his eyes again and sighed. “This was fun. You don’t come by often enough.”
Dean scowled. In that moment, Roman saw the resemblance between the brothers. “You’re never home.”
Brett didn’t back down. “You have my number. All you have to do is call and I’ll make time.”
Roman felt like an intruder. “I’ll fix you something to eat.” Without waiting for a response, he practically ran for cover. He knew this wasn’t his business. Instead, Roman focused on taking care of Brett. A slight hum of lust still lingered. Roman grabbed Brett’s laptop and set it on the kitchen island while he cooked, multi-tasking. He needed to check on Brett’s medical equipment so he could get around by himself. The hospital claimed it would arrive today, but they hadn’t received a confirmation. Roman didn’t mind driving to the medical supply store and picking everything up, but someone needed to let him know what to do. Brett wasn’t the type to linger in bed for long. If this delay continued, he might be forced to find a reason for Brett to stay in bed. Otherwise, Brett would likely hurt himself trying to get back to work. He had more energy than any man Roman had ever met. Roman smiled at that thought. He could find an outlet for all that pent-up vitality. Roman still couldn’t believe how Brett had been touching him before they had been interrupted. Damn, Brett made him hot.
“Hey.”
Roman looked up from the laptop. Dean waited for his attention. Roman smiled. “Hey.”
Dean returned his smile. He didn’t look as cocky with the anger missing from his features. “Brett tells me you were with him in the accident. How are you holding up?”
No one other than Brett had asked about him. Roman appreciated the gesture. “I’m good. The airbag smacked me pretty good, but I have a thick skull, so no harm there. I’m just glad I was there for Brett.”
Xavier appeared, wearing leggings and no shirt. Roman fought an eye roll. Xavier stirred Brett’s soup. “What is this?”
“Homemade tomato soup. I’m just about to start on the grilled cheese.”
Xavier tasted the soup. “It’s good, but it needs something. He started adding spices to the pot with no input from Roman.
Roman rubbed his temples and focused on Dean.
Inexplicably, Dean’s expression had gone back to being hard. “I’m glad you seem to genuinely care. My brother has a lot of money. It brings out a lot of leeches.” His gaze slid Xavier’s way at that last bit.
Roman didn’t know if he should be offended or if Xavier should. Either way, Roman couldn’t fault the guy for looking out for his brother. He tried brushing off the remark. “That doesn’t surprise me. Would you like to stay for lunch? Apparently, it’s been made by a celebrity chef.”
At his comment, Xavier’s gaze slid his way. A hint of guilt crossed his features. “Apologies. I didn’t mean to step on any toes.”
Roman shook his head. He recognized he was being ridiculous by getting upset over Xavier helping. He wanted to be the one caring for Brett, but it would be stupid to not accept any assistance. “It’s fine. I love your show. Have at it.” He focused on Dean once more. “So, what do you say? Would you like to stick around? I’m sure Brett would love to have you here.”