Chapter One
James
Walking with his two brothers down the stairs of his garage apartment, James was ready for them to go. He loved his brothers. He did. And James was glad that Michael had made the trip for Christmas with his two partners, Finn and Jackson. It was just time for Michael to go back home. And take Scott with him.
“I can stay,” Scott said as they reached the bottom step.
Don’t roll your eyes. Don’t—James rolled his eyes since it was the fifth time Scott had said those words in just the last five minutes. Scott had been saying them for two days now. “You want to go back home and see your old friends,” James reminded him.
Scott pushed out his bottom lip. “But you’re going to be all alone.”
“I’ll be working,” James reminded him. Again. “The entire reason I can’t go with you is because I’m on call.”
“Are you sure?” Michael asked. “I can talk to Finn and Jackson. We might be able to stay a few more—”
Fuck no! Michael meant well but James was twenty years old and didn’t need his older brother constantly on his heels.
Plus, James wanted to be alone.
Christmas had been great but watching his older brother with his two partners had been confusing. Maybe in a good way?Michael identified as a little and while James had known that, it was different seeing his older brother engaging in front of him.
Michael was obviously loved. The dynamic between the three men special. Daddy Finn doted on Michael and even Jackson bent over to do Michael’s bidding. Their relationship was interesting. Leaving James with a yearning that ate at him.
He needed time alone to think. The thoughts he’d been having were different.
“No, I’ll be working. I have shifts at both the fire station and the coffee house.” James wanted to shout at them to just go. That would be suspicious. James didn’t yell. His one job as the eldest twin was to look out for Scott. He pushed down his impatience.
His response made Michael’s lips turn down farther. “I still don’t understand why you’re working two jobs. We have money. If you need help covering bills, I can send more.”
As much as James loved his older brother and his twin, neither understood him. James didn’t work two jobs for money. Okay, when he and Scott had first moved to the university town of Surf City, they had needed the money. Michael had just started dating his partners and neither Scott or James would take money from his brother’s boyfriends. Either of them.
That was over a year ago. A lot had changed over the past year and a half.
“I don’t need money,” James assured Michael. “We don’t need money.” Clarification was needed or Michael would force money on Scott during his visit. Not that James didn’t suspect that wouldn’t happen anyway. Scott could keep that money though. Use it for his next book purchase or whatever.
“Then why?” Michael insisted.
Lifting his gaze, James met that of one of Michael’s boyfriends. The one that he was pretty sure would be on his side. The crazy one.
Jackson grinned as he leaned against the passenger door.
James widened his eyes, pleading for help.
Jackson’s grin grew.
Fucker couldn’t be bothered to help? Fine. It was probably because James had refused to allow Jackson to take a ride on the motorcycle that Jackson had sold to James for twenty bucks. But Michael had begged James not to tell Jackson where the keys were hidden. Not that James believed that Jackson couldn’t have hot wired the motorcycle if Jackson really wanted to. Jackson was unique. Scary. Possibly dangerous.
James turned his head to the responsible member of his brother’s poly relationship. Finn was Michael’s Daddy. He should be able to get Michael to back off. Except Finn was wrapped around Michael’s little finger and usually did whatever Michael wanted.
The door to the house across from them opened and the bane of James’s existence stepped out with a trash bag. Great. Just what he needed.
“Jacob!” Michael called before hurrying over.
James relaxed as Scott followed behind Michael and they quickly got into a conversation with the professor that James and Scott rented the apartment from. Well, Scott rented the apartment from the professor. James wasn’t exactly welcome so he normally tried to avoid the professor when he could. Assholehad even called to tattle on James when he’d bought Jackson’s motorcycle. And gotten his first tattoo. Also, when James had accidently, maybe on purpose, trampled the professor’s bushes. The man was a narc.
“Still not getting along with the landlord?” Jackson asked as he joined James at the bottom of the steps.
James was not taking one step closer to the professor. There would be no telling what the asshole would try to get him into trouble for this time. Luckily for him, the professor had been visiting his own brother for the holidays, so James hadn’t had to worry about him for two weeks. Not that it should even be a concern. He didn’t know why the professor had declared himself as the authority over everything they did. He was renting them a small two-bedroom apartment over his garage. That was it. They didn’t need a fucking keeper.
