The next morning I woke up to Cassie sleeping on my chest. My left arm was pressed against her back, which I figured was a complete waste since I couldn’t feel her skin through my cast.
She’d initiated sex last night and I let her control the pace. I figured she’d make me wait weeks to earn back her trust in the bedroom, but thankfully she wanted it just as badly as I did. After apologizing with my tongue until she came in my mouth, I entered her slowly, making sure nothing I did would remind her of the other night. It didn’t take long for her body to give itself over to me and for her mind to follow. Thank God.
No matter how much hurt and pain we’d caused each other in the past, the fact was that we were in it for the long haul. We trusted each other. Sometimes we lost our way, but we always found our way back. I never wanted that to end. And I never wanted to be the cause of it again. I hated that I scared her. What kind of asshole scares his wife during sex?
I tangled my good fingers through the strands of her long hair, surprised at how soft it always felt. She stirred against me. “Morning, babe,” she said against my chest.
“Morning, Kitten.”
Her head shot up from my chest, leaving it cold and empty. “Oh my God. Do you remember what we heard last night?” She covered her mouth to stop from laughing too loudly.
I had forgotten. “We don’t know what we heard.”
“Oh, bullshit! You know as well as I do they were totally having sex in our guest room!”
“Maybe they were just playing Monopoly. With their mouths,” I suggested with a smile.
She snorted. “Remind me to ask Melissa how Dean plays Monopoly because it sounded like she was really enjoying it.”
“That’s ‘cause he’s a Carter,” I said matter-of-factly.
“You guys are good at board games?”
Smartass.
“I’m good at everything. Who knows what Dean’s good at.” I rolled on top of her, pressing my hard-on against her.
“No way! I need to shower.”
“Let me get you dirty first,” I whispered against her ear, taking the lobe into my mouth and sucking.
“How about you come clean me off instead?” She wriggled out from under me and the sight of her naked body caused my dick to throb even more.
Shower sex isn’t the same when you have a saran-wrapped cast on your good arm. But I powered through it because I’m a team-fucking-player.
When I walked into the living room awhile later, my brother was already at the table eating cereal. Smiling to himself. He looked like a complete asshole.
“Someone get some last night?” I gave his back a hard slap and he turned to smack my arm away, but missed.
“A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell,” he responded before spooning another bite of food into this mouth.
“You know,” I said as I sat down across from him and poured cereal into my own bowl. “Sound really carries in this place. I never knew that before last night.”
He choked on his cereal. “You don’t say?”
I handed him a napkin. “Oh, I do say. I say very loudly and very scream-like,” I teased.
Cassie entered the room and sat down next to me at the table. She gave Dean a sweet smile and asked, “So, how was Monopoly? It sounds like you’re a really good player.”
I fucking lost it. I laughed so hard I almost spit food across the table. When Melissa finally came out of the guest bedroom, I noticed my little brother’s smile grow wider. As she neared, his eyes lit up and he reached for her. His fingertips barely grazed her exposed skin before she angled her body away and picked the seat farthest from him. I only noticed all this shit because I was paying attention, not because I’m a pussy or anything.
“Are you serious right now?” Dean asked her, his tone instantly angry.
I sat up straighter, finding myself intrigued. The idea of my brother standing up for himself impressed me.
Melissa’s eyes narrowed as her cheeks reddened and she looked away. “Don’t do this here, Dean.”
“Don’t do what? Are you just going to pretend like nothing happened last night?”
I knew it.
Of course I knew it.
“I didn’t say that,” she said in an indifferent tone.
“So, what then? We’ll just go back to being ‘friends,’ or whatever the fuck we are?”
Cassie cleared her throat and I gave my brother a swift kick under the table. He glared at me, his cool facade slowly unraveling. Melissa stayed quiet, avoiding any eye contact as Dean looked back and forth between her face and mine.
He shoved out of his chair, almost tossing it into the wall before grabbing his cereal bowl and throwing it a little too roughly into the sink. The sound of it breaking echoed throughout the apartment and his eyes grew wide. “Shit. I’m sorry, Cass.”
I looked down at my cereal and shook my head. Little brother couldn’t even be mean when he was mad.
“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it. It’s only a dish,” she said, walking away from the table and over toward him.
Dean lowered his chin and stared at the floor as Cassie wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. He hugged her back for a second before pushing her away and jumping to his feet. “I need to get the fuck out of here.”
“Hey!” I shouted and Dean stopped midstep. “Don’t fucking push my wife like that. I will hit you, I don’t care who you are.”
My temper flared as he stalked into the guest room and slammed the door. Right on his heels, I knocked hard on the door, causing the knuckles on my good hand to ache immediately. “Dean?” I shouted and turned the knob without waiting for a response.
I stuck my head inside the room and when my gaze met his, I could see in Dean’s eyes that he was falling apart. “I’m taking you out.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yeah. You are.”
My brother’s response made me laugh. “I’ll call Matteo. He’s coming too. We need a guys’ day.”
“We’re best friends with the guy who kissed your wife now?” Dean’s sour comment caused me to sharply inhale.
“Don’t be a dick. He still works for us, doesn’t he? If I didn’t trust him, he wouldn’t be anywhere near Cassie. Plus, he’s married and has a baby on the way. And he knows my forgiveness was a one-time deal. He tries any of that shit again and I’ll fucking kill him.”
Walking into the kitchen, I pulled Cassie aside and kissed her sweet lips. “Kitten, I’m going to take Dean out. Talk to your friend. Find out what the fuck her deal is. This shit between them needs to stop.”
“No joke. I feel so bad for your brother. I’ll talk to her. Or at least, I’ll try.”
“I love you.” I kissed her cheek.
“Love you too.” She smiled and I wanted to kick myself for ever being mean to her.
My cell phone beeped soon afterward, letting me know that Matteo was waiting downstairs. I shouted to Dean, “Let’s go. Matteo’s waiting.”
Dean appeared and I ushered him out the door without another word. Once in the lobby, I pointed Matteo out to him.
“Jesus, Jack. That’s the guy you hired to drive Cassie around the city? What the hell’s wrong with you?”
Jack shrugged. “What can I say? I’m overly confident and cocky. Have we met?”
We walked through the revolving door and Matteo extended his hand. “Hi, Dean. It’s nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you too. I’ve heard a lot about you,” Dean added, his tone wary.
Matteo opened the door and walked toward the driver’s side and hopped in. “I’m sure you have,” he said as he caught Dean’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “I’ll apologize to you as well, if you’d like.”
“Nah. She wasn’t my girlfriend.” Dean looked at me. “You’re lucky Cassie didn’t leave you for him. Hell, I’m about to leave you for him. Are you looking for a new brother? Want to adopt me?” Dean blurted out.
Matteo laughed from the front seat. “You bet, kid. ‘Cause us Italian New Yorkers don’t have enough family members.”
“What about your wife? Does she have any sisters?”
I sat up straighter. “Holy shit, does she? I never even thought about that. I mean, of course, I wouldn’t but—” I stopped abruptly, realizing that didn’t exactly come out right.
Matteo chuckled and shook his head. “Sorry. She’s all mine and there’s only one of her.”
“Fucking figures,” Dean muttered under his breath.
“Do you care where we drink?” Matteo asked.
“Somewhere private. No sports bars or shit like that,” I insisted.
“Do you really think I’d take you to a sports bar? I’m hurt, man. Crushed.”
“So, where are we going?” Dean asked as the car slowed to a stop.
I looked out the window, recognizing the entrance from a profile shoot Cassie had done on historical bars in the city.
“I know this place. Cassie photographed it for the magazine.”
Matteo threw his head back. “That’s right! I remember that. This place used to be a speakeasy. Sinatra used to hang out here with his boys. It’s pretty cool. Lots of history.”
We walked into the dimly lit bar and paused for a second so our eyes could adjust. Coming inside from the bright afternoon sunshine, this place seemed almost as dark as night. Giving the bartender a nod, Matteo pointed toward the back of the room, where a velvet rope hung. The three of us headed toward the small table behind the rope. The place was virtually empty, except for the few guys sitting at the bar. I prayed they wouldn’t recognize me.
“I’ll grab us drinks,” Matteo offered. “What are we having?”
“Beer for me. Whatever’s on tap and good,” I responded.
“Same here,” Dean added.
I waited for Matteo to return before I started asking Dean any questions, figuring he might have some outside perspective to offer. A few minutes later he came back, balancing all three beers in his hands before setting them on the table without spilling a drop.
“You’re a fucking boss,” I said, complimenting him on his skills before tapping my glass against his.
“Ah, I used to tend bar in college,” he said, and I laughed, almost spitting my beer at him.
“Why am I not surprised?” I took a deep swig of the beer, closing my eyes for a second in appreciation of its icy goodness.
“The real question is why is that so funny?”
I shrugged and said, “I have no fucking idea.” Then I laughed some more, convinced my body and mind were out to betray me after I’d treated them so badly this past week.
Dean looked back and forth between me and Matteo. “I don’t get why you’re laughing? What the fuck did I miss?”
“I have no idea,” Matteo said with a raised eyebrow as I pulled myself together.
Why the fuck was I suddenly giggling like a fourteen-year-old schoolgirl? It was like once I started laughing, I couldn’t fucking stop. And knowing that I needed the release only made it worse. I focused on my breathing, pretending I was on the mound during a crisis. I needed to calm down.
My breathing slowed and I looked at my baby brother. “So, what happened?”
“Are you done with your giggle fit?” Dean asked, apparently full of piss and vinegar.
“For now. So, tell me what happened,” I urged before taking a swig of my ice cold beer. I loved cold beer.
Dean sighed and rolled his beer between his palms. “We had sex last night and I thought that changed things between us.”
“Wait, why would that change things? This wasn’t the first time you two …” I paused, eyeing him.
“Yes. It was the first time. Melissa knows how I feel about her. She knows.” He shook his head and I could see that he was hurting.
“Maybe it wasn’t good sex,” I said with a laugh to lighten the mood.
“Fuck you,” Dean shot back. “It was the hottest sex I’ve ever had in my life.”
I leaned toward him. “For you, maybe. But what about her?”
He narrowed his eyes. “The whole thing was hot. She practically begged for it, more than once. I think she liked it.”
I shrugged. “Then I don’t know what to tell you. That girl’s always been a pain in the ass to figure out. Even Kitten’s no help.”
“What do you mean?” Matteo sipped his beer and waited for my response. I’d filled him in a little bit in the past about Dean and Melissa’s history, but he didn’t know much. Hell, none of us really did.
“I asked her once what Melissa’s problem was and she said she didn’t know. That she’s always hooked up with guys and shit, but she never really likes them.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. Who’s like that?” Dean spat, his temper finally showing up for the party.
I lifted my beer. “Me.”
“Great,” he said with a snort. “So she’s a female version of you?”
I shrugged. “I’m just saying. It’s sort of a guy’s way of thinking, if you break it down. And that probably works for you since you’re such a chick.”
“Really?” he snarled at me.
Shaking my head, I grinned. “I’m only fucking around, little brother.”
The scantily clad bartender walked over to our table and the three of us immediately shut up. She asked if she could get us anything and I ordered three shots of tequila. Once she walked away, I looked at Matteo’s worried expression and shrugged. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
“If I drink too much, we’ll need a driver for the driver,” he explained and I laughed.
“Where were we?” I paused and looked at Dean. “Oh yeah. You’re a chick and Melissa’s a dude.”
“It’s not funny. And I’m over it. I’m done. And when we get back to your place, I’m telling her that.” He sounded determined and angry, and it hit me that those feelings were exactly what he needed. My brother needed to take control of his dick back.
“Good,” I told him.
“Yeah?” Dean eyed me, then downed the last of his beer.
I loved Melissa because she was my wife’s best friend, and because she’d been there for me on more than one occasion. But she’d been stringing my brother along since I’ve known her. So yeah, I supported my brother’s decision to tell her to shit or get off the pot.
“You deserve the best and if she’s not going to be that, then fuck her. It’s not like you haven’t given her enough chances to make a decision already. No girl’s worth all this hassle. Except mine. But she’d never pull this kind of shit.”
“And mine,” Matteo added.
“Trina is a good one, bro.” I raised my glass toward him before taking a drink.
“Yeah, yeah. I already know how fucking great both your wives are. Can we get back to me?”
“We never left,” Matteo reassured him.
“So, what do you think? You don’t really know either of us. What’s your take?” Dean lifted his chin in Matteo’s direction. “You know, as an outsider?”
Matteo looked between me and my brother before saying, “I don’t know the whole story between you two, but it sounds like she’s just leading you on. She knows how you feel about her, right?”
“Absolutely,” Dean answered.
“Without a doubt? You’ve told her?” Matteo asked.
Dean’s face scrunched up. “Yes. More than once.”
The bartender appeared and placed our shots on the table. I handed her my credit card and told her to bring us the check, wanting her to leave as soon as possible so we could get to the bottom of this shit with my brother.
“Okay, so what does she say?” Matteo asked, getting us back on track.
“She usually avoids it. But she’ll kiss me to shut me up or say she likes me too, but—”
“But what?” I interrupted.
“She likes me too, but she doesn’t want a boyfriend right now. Or she can’t. Or some other bullshit excuse. I don’t know. It’s all lies. Fuck her. I’m done.”
“I think that’s exactly what she needs.” Matteo stared at my brother and a light bulb went off inside my head.
“Matteo’s right. You have to make sure she knows you’re done.”
“I just said that I would.”
I slapped my hand against his shoulder. “But you have to follow through. She needs to lose you to figure out once and for all what the fuck she wants.”
“This isn’t a game to me, Jack. I’m done. She just wrecked me and I won’t let her do it anymore. She either wants to be with me or she doesn’t. Either way, I’m fucking done waiting around for her to make up her mind.” I watched as he downed his shot.
“Ready to go back home?” I asked.
“You bet.”
The three of us rose to our feet as Matteo pushed his tequila shot toward Dean and he downed it as well. I signed off on our tab with the bartender before we headed out of the darkness and into the bright Manhattan sunlight.
“I need to park the car. Apparently my wife is upstairs with yours,” Matteo said from the driver’s seat. “Do you want me to drop you two off at the entrance and then meet you inside?”
“Don’t be an asshole. We’ll park the car and go in together.”
Dean stayed quiet the elevator ride up to the twenty-third floor and he was the first one off when it came to a stop. I’d never seen him so fired up before. Matteo and I jogged to keep up with him, neither one of us wanting to miss a minute of this show. It was a shitty move, I know, but the idea of seeing my super sweet brother be a dick to someone was fucking exciting.
He walked through the door before any of us and grabbed Melissa by the arm. “We need to talk. Now.”
“Ouch. Jeez, Dean, let me go.”
“No. You want to talk in private or do you want me to say what I have to say right here in front of all these people?” He waved his arm in our direction and I looked at Cassie, who was currently glaring at me.
I mouthed “not my fault” to her and she narrowed her eyes at me.
Melissa glanced around the room at Trina, Cassie, Matteo, and me before whispering, “In private,” and stalked off behind Dean’s giant frame.
“Hey, Trina!” I smiled at Matteo’s wife. “You look great.”
“Stop hitting on my wife,” Matteo joked.
“You don’t want to go there, do you? We can if you want,” I joked back.
Dean’s shouting stopped our conversation as all four of us turned our heads in the direction of the guest bedroom. We were mesmerized by the sound of Dean actually yelling at someone. And knowing that the someone was Fun-Size. The whole thing seemed insane.
Despite the closed bedroom door, we could hear absolutely everything. It was awesome.
“You acted like it didn’t matter. Like nothing between us ever fucking matters. Why? Why do you do that?” he yelled, the frustration in his voice coming through loud and clear from a room away.
“I don’t know,” she answered softly.
“Bullshit! That’s bullshit! You do know. Do you have any idea how much of an idiot I felt like this morning when you walked out of the room? I thought things were different after last night, but I was wrong. I’m always fucking wrong when it comes to you.”
“Why are you so mad?” Her voice was shaking, and knowing girls, I knew tears couldn’t be far behind.
“Are you joking? You make me feel like a fucking fool over and over again and I’m sick of it. I’m not doing it anymore. I’m done with this.” His voice was cold and I glanced at Cassie, who looked like she was holding her breath.
“What do you mean, you’re ‘done with this’?”
“With this. With you. I’m not doing this anymore.”
“So, that’s it? We’re not even friends?” she asked, her voice rising in pitch.
“I don’t want to be your friend! How many times do I have to tell you that?” he shouted, and it sounded like he punched something, but I couldn’t imagine what. “Damn it, Melissa. I don’t want to be your fucking friend, okay? Stop acting like you don’t know this already. You know how I feel. And I can’t be around you with all this back-and-forth bullshit that you do to me. I’ve wanted you for two years. Two years!” he yelled and I almost felt bad for eavesdropping. Almost.
“Well, who asked you to want me? I didn’t, did I?”
My eyes widened at her response and I shifted closer to Cassie and grabbed her hand. She squeezed it hard.
Dean whistled a sound before responding to her. “No, you sure didn’t. Well, you don’t have to worry about me anymore. You can delete my phone number from your cell since I won’t answer if you call.”
The guest bedroom door flew open and none of us even pretended to be doing anything else. We all stared at my little brother as he walked into the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the refrigerator.
I cleared my throat, determined to be a good host. “Dean, this is Trina, Matteo’s wife. Trina, this is my little brother, Dean.”
Dean smiled, then sauntered over to Trina and shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, I’ve heard wonderful things. Sorry about all the yelling.”
“It’s okay. I understand,” she said with a sympathetic smile.
“I love your accent. No one told me you were British,” Dean said, laying on the charm.
“And no one told me you were so cute,” she flirted back and I had to bite my lip to keep myself from laughing. My brother could use the attention.
Melissa rounded the corner, and Cassie immediately dropped my hand and headed toward her. They disappeared and I heard a door close. I glanced at Matteo and Trina and apologized.
“It’s okay. We need to get going anyway. We have reservations in a little bit. It was nice to see you, Jack. And nice to meet you, Dean.” Trina kissed my cheek and gave Dean a squeeze and told him, “Personally, I think she’s crazy to not be head over heels for you. But don’t worry, you’ll find the right girl. You’re a catch. Don’t ever forget that.”
“Thanks, Trina. It was nice meeting you. You too, Matteo,” Dean said with a nod in his direction. “Thanks for this afternoon.”
“That’s what adoptive brothers do for each other,” he said with a laugh.
I shook Matteo’s hand and closed the front door behind them as they left. “How are you feeling?”
My brother peered around the kitchen column to look at me. “I’m still pissed, but I feel good.”
“Good. You’re right, you know,” I offered in consolation.
“About what?”
“Everything you said to her. So don’t feel bad when you wake up tomorrow and want to take it all back.”
He half smiled. “That’s not going to happen.”