Chapter 25

Joey

For the second time in less than two days, I’m pulled from a deep sleep by fucking pounding on the door.

After looking at the clock and it registering that it’s after three in the morning, I’m near frantic by the time I make it to the door. I know it’s the police notifying me of an accident, or worse, a death. Nothing good comes from banging this late at night.

“Hey, handsome,” Dave says with a wide grin on his face when I tug open the door.

“What the actual fuck,” I mutter as he, Jon, and for some unknown fucking reason, Anthony file into the house.

“Why are you red in the face?” my brother asks when he gets a good look at me.

“Why didn’t you use your key?” I smack him on the arm. “I thought you guys were hurt.”

“Left my keys in the Suburban.”

“And you’re too lazy to walk back out there? Kind of a dick move.” I swipe at the single tear that’s threatening to fall at my relief that they’re safe, studiously avoiding all things Anthony.

“I see you dressed up for me,” Dave says taking in my basketball shorts just before wrapping me in a side hug and smacking a kiss to my temple.

“Get off of me. Why do you smell like sewer water?” Looking over at them, I notice mud staining both my brother and Dave.

“Cooper got the SUV stuck,” Jon explains as he kicks his shoes off near the door.

“Again?” He nods. “I’m not cleaning those.”

There has to be an inch of mud caked near the heel of his boots.

“I’ll take care of it,” Jon grumbles before tugging off his dirty jeans and leaving them in a discarded pile. “I’m gonna get in the shower.”

Watching him walk away doesn’t even register since my concentration is on the newest guy to join our group.

“Want a beer?” Dave says as he walks toward the kitchen.

“It’s three in the morning,” I chastise.

“Coffee may be better since it looks like I won’t be getting any sleep tonight,” Anthony says startling me. He’s closer than I realize, but I refuse to look at him.

“Let me,” I offer walking into the kitchen behind Dave.

I’m making coffee, not making coffee for Anthony.

That’s what I tell myself as I pull out the filter and pour fresh water into the pot. That’s what I continue to run through my head when I pull out two cups from the cabinet, even though I know Jon will go to bed after his shower and I have no intention of drinking coffee at this hour.

“Did you guys catch anything?” I ask Dave as he stands beside me watching the coffee drip into the carafe.

“Nothing besides a couple of hangovers,” he answers. “We didn’t even get to go out on the boat. The storm was brutal. Cooper may have caught an STD, other than that we stayed inside drinking and playing Xbox.”

Chuckling, I shake my head at his comment. Leave it to Cooper to find some chick to hook up with while he’s on a guys’ trip.

“I figured Andi would be here.” God bless Dave for small talk.

“She has the early shift this morning, so I imagine she’s asleep.”

“She never was one for early mornings.”

Grinning at Dave, I can’t help but agree. “She may be working every shift if anyone pisses her off this morning. She’s surly as hell first thing in the morning, regardless of the time she gets up.”

Knowing I should go back to my room, but unable to get myself to leave the kitchen, I grab a hand towel and begin cleaning the already spotless counter.

When there’s enough coffee in the pot, Dave lifts it and pours his cup. Anthony takes his place at the counter when Dave disappears into the living room.

“Can we talk?”

“Nothing to say,” I respond without even looking over at him.

“I want to apologize.”

“Nothing to apologize for.”

Why didn’t I just go back to bed when I realized no one was hurt or dead?

“I shouldn’t have left the way I did yesterday.”

Scrubbing at a non-existent spot on the counter, I try to come up with something witty or even mean, some way to make him feel the way I did hearing the door close behind him yesterday.

“It’s fine,” I insist instead.

The horse is dead and decomposing, so there’s no sense in beating it any longer. Cringing at the visual that thought gives me, I toss the dish towel back on the countertop and walk away.

Only I don’t head to my room because that would be too easy. No, I head to the living room and sit beside Dave on the sofa. I keep my eyes on the ESPN recap of some game I know nothing about as Anthony sits in the recliner across the room.

“Did you get to watch this?” Dave nods in the direction of the TV.

“I fell asleep in the second inning.”

I hate his voice.

You love his voice.

Dave and Anthony talk about sports as my eyes grow heavy.

“Tired?” Dave asks as he wraps his arm around my shoulder.

Ignoring the stench coming off of him, I let my body relax a little and lay my head on his shoulder. Neither he nor Cooper has ever had trouble showing affection to me as they would a little brother or sister. Gay or not, these guys have been a solid part of my foundation for years. “Exhausted. I didn’t sleep very well last night.”

“You never sleep well when Jon is gone.”

It’s true, but that has nothing to do with why I tossed and turned the entire night.

“It wasn’t that this time. I had a bad afternoon.”

“What hap—”

“Tell me how in the hell I ended up with mud in my boxers?” Jon walks in, sweats hanging low on his hips as he sweeps a towel through his dark hair.

Dave’s body vibrates as he laughs beside me. “No clue.”

“Where’s Andi?” My brother looks over at me waiting for me to answer.

“At home?”

“Why are you asking me like you don’t know?”

“I don’t know exactly where she is, Jon. She doesn’t live here.”

His eyes narrow, but he doesn’t say any more on the subject. “I’m going to bed.”

“Night,” I mutter.

“Thanks for helping us tonight. See ya later.” I watch as Jon and Anthony shake hands before my brother turns to disappear down the hall.

“Night,” Anthony says, his eyes catching mine before I can look away.

Who cares if he looks concerned, annoyed, or mad that I wouldn’t talk to him earlier? As far as I’m concerned, he said everything that needed to be said yesterday.

“I’m going to grab a shower.” Dave stands from the sofa. Turning back and winking at me, he says, “get ready to snuggle.”

Snorting, I stand up and begin to follow him, walking past Anthony without another word. He knows where the damn door is. He found it easily enough yesterday.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I ask as he walks into my room behind me before I can close my door in his damn face.

“Why are you ignoring me?” he asks when I don’t respond, closing us into my room with a soft snick of the door. “Is this how things are going to be from now on?”

“You chose this,” I remind him and then internally chastise myself for even speaking with him.

I can still feel him in the room, so I turn and find him standing angrily near the door with his hands on his hips.

“Look. The sting is still a little sharp.” Taking a deep breath, I honestly try to push down all of the anger and pain. “You were right yesterday. We got it out of our systems. I’ve just never had to face a one night stand after the deed was done. It’s a lot to take in.”

“I don’t want us to ignore each other.”

“I’ll deal with my emotions the way I see fit,” I counter. Apparently, anger is winning out at this very second.

“So you regret the mediocre sex then?”

I cringe at the use of the word I taunted him with when he was getting ready to walk out on me yesterday.

“I saw things going differently,” I try to explain. “If I had considered this situation as a possibility, I probably never would’ve gone through with it.”

Swallowing, he just looks at me like I’ve grown two heads.

“I don’t regret it.”

My skin tingles at the memories of the two hours he worshipped my body like he owned it.

“Most guys don’t regret orgasms, even if it is with some random guy.”

“You’re not some random guy, Joey.”

“And that’s the problem, right?” My palms are sweating, which tells me I’m about to get emotional, and the last thing I want is for him to see the tears that are burning the backs of my eyes. He didn’t deserve those droplets yesterday, and he sure as fuck doesn’t deserve them now. “One-offs are just supposed to disappear as fast as they showed up, right?”

“That’s not at all what I’m saying.”

“Why are you even in here? You know where the door is.”

“You’re not sleeping with Dave tonight.”

Fighting another cringe at the suggestion, I glare at him instead. “I’ll sleep with whoever the hell I want to.”