“Leave them alone, Luke.” Ash nudged his brother’s shoulder. “Whatever bug up your ass you have about Tash, it’s obvious he and Brandon care about each other.”
“It wasn’t too long ago he thought he cared about Jordan.”
Heat rose in Tash’s face as Brandon gaped at him. “You and Jordan?”
“No, no.” Tash glared at Luke, who returned his look with a set jaw. “What the hell, Luke. That was like, for five minutes, when I first met Jordan.” Tash paced the room, running his hand through his hair. “Jordan’s my patient, for God’s sake. It would be completely unprofessional of me to treat him if I had feelings for him”—he glared at Luke—“which I don’t.” He folded his arms. “I thought we had that worked out by now.”
“I need to make sure you don’t hit on every gay guy you meet.”
Tash shot back. “No worries there, Luke. You never interested me in the least.”
Luke had the grace to flush. “I’m only looking out for my brother.”
“By cutting me down and making me look like some kind of predator?”
Luke still held his ground. “What do you want me to think? I thought it was all okay between us too, yet as soon as my brother shows up, you’re all over him.”
Tash could not believe Luke was serious, yet the pugnacious tilt of his jaw was irrefutable. Brandon appeared at Tash’s side, taking his hand in a show of support.
“No one was all over me. What’s wrong with you?”
“There’s nothing wrong with me. I’m not the one who’s falling for someone he barely knows.”
“Are we back to that again? If I recall, Luke, you fell for Jordan, and he kept some pretty serious things from you.” Ash leaned against the table and spoke calmly, yet never once took his gaze off Luke. “So couldn’t we ask you, how well did you really know Jordan?”
Luke shifted under Ash’s probing, and Tash could see why Ash was so effective in court. He cut right to the point.
“It’s not even the age thing anymore. It’s that it happened so fast.” Luke sat back in his chair. “It sounds like one of those stories Wanda loves to read about where the guy meets the girl and ‘wham,’ they’re in love. That’s bullshit as far as I know.”
“My parents were married within three months of their first date.” Tash raised a brow at the surprised look on all their faces. “Forty-two years later they’re still in love. Why is time the determining factor in knowing when something is right? People can be together for years and fall out of love and end up hating each other.” He lifted his and Brandon’s enjoined hands. “Each of us knows, I think, the fleeting joy of happiness and love. It’s like the spark of a match that flares upon striking. You want to capture it before it blows out.” He squeezed Brandon’s hand tight. “Brandon’s spark has lit up my life in ways I thought were dead to me. I may not have been looking for it, but now that I have him, I’m not letting you or anyone else take him from me.”
He held Luke’s gaze, unwilling to back down an inch. From the corner of his eye he could see a faint smile playing around Ash’s lips. Finally Luke broke the stare-off.
“I only want Brandon happy. After all he’s been through, he deserves it.”
“Then we’re on the same page.” Tash stuck out his hand. “Come on, Luke. It’s me.” He held his friend’s dark gaze. “You don’t really think I’ll hurt him, do you?”
With only a moment’s hesitation, Luke took his hand. “He means everything to me.”
“Me as well.”
Ash clapped Tash on the back but left his hand resting on Tash’s shoulder. “I’m glad you and Luke worked this out. Don’t take what I said earlier as a lack of concern. I love my brothers more than anything. If you do hurt Brandon?” Ash’s silver eyes glittered like a feral wolf ready to attack. “Look over your shoulder, ’cause I’ll be coming for you.”
* * * *
“I never knew your brothers moonlighted as assassins.” Tash half joked as he and Brandon entered the carriage house. Brandon held the pizza, and he carried the bag with the makings of ice cream sundaes. They headed to the kitchen, Cleo and Caesar racing ahead of them. While he put the ice cream in the freezer and the chocolate sauce and whipped cream in the refrigerator, Brandon took out the plates and set the pizza box on the table.
“Never mind them. Want me to open some wine?” Brandon held up a bottle of Malbec.
“Sounds perfect.” Tash smiled, enjoying the sight of Brandon rummaging around in the cabinet for the wine glasses. Happy for the moment, Tash whistled a tune under his breath as he opened the bottle of wine. He loved that Brandon felt comfortable in the house. When Brandon came back with the two glasses, Tash took his and held Brandon’s gaze over the rim of their glasses as they each took a sip.
“Come on.” He put his glass on the table and took Brandon’s out of his hand, setting it next to his. “Leave the pizza for later.”
“Oh yeah?” Brandon licked his lips, his eyes darkening with his rising excitement. “What if I’m hungry now?”
An idea rose in Tash’s mind. He brushed a kiss over Brandon’s lips. “Hold on a sec,” he said, a bit breathless. Brandon clung to him, plunging his tongue into Tash’s mouth and holding him close. If they didn’t stop kissing now, they’d end up naked on the cold kitchen floor, and Tash had bigger plans. “Let me get something; then we’ll go upstairs.” He put the ice cream, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream in a bag and threw in a couple of spoons.
“Let’s go. We can start with dessert.” Laughing as they ran up the stairs, Tash recalled how only a month earlier he’d sat in the diner with Valerie, asking her to leave him alone and let him wallow in his misery. Tonight, the thought of Brandon’s smooth naked body, now so familiar, had become like an addiction to Tash. It would kill him to give Brandon up.
