“Yes.” Jacob finally took a step to the side, giving James a straight shot to the stairs of his apartment. “Have a good shift.”
“Yeah, thanks,” James replied bitterly. He didn’t waste another minute getting to his apartment and closing the front door. The professor’s gaze followed him the entire way.
With his back pressed to the door, James smacked his head against the small glass triangle cut out at the top. He took a deep breath to calm his racing pulse. It was so hard to keepthe anger inside him. James had spent his entire life protecting and watching out for Scott. He also did everything in his power to make things easier for Michael since their older brother had saved them from foster care after their parents’ death.
James wasn’t like his brothers. He hadn’t known what his purpose in life was supposed to be. The only thing James knew was that he wanted to help others. The professor might not see his worth but James was proud of what he’d accomplished in the last year and a half.
The move to Surf City had turned out better for him than Jacob could have ever imagined. James had found his purpose finally. Had found his place. And he wouldn’t let the stern asshole of a professor ruin it for him. The people that he’d found in Surf City saw him, saw the good he could do, liked James just the way he was.
Michael had always been the social brother, the responsible one, the one that everyone loved instantly. Scott was the smart brother. He didn’t even need to study from a book. If anyone could save the world, it was going to be Scott.
James was just the spare.
The middle brother that people forgot about.
He was invaluable to his brothers. And they loved him. The older they all grew, the less that they needed James though.
James wanted to be needed. Valued. To be someone that could be depended on. The person that a friend would call in the middle of the night in an emergency.
Getting a job at the Coffee Cove, the small local coffee shop, had been for the money but had ended up where James neededto be. Where his life really started. The small crew of the coffee shop became family. The firefighters and paramedics that stopped every morning to fuel up before their shift had become family.
James had befriended several of the firefighters and eventually joined the city’s training academy.
It had been the hardest thing that James had ever attempted.
Not only did James have to train every single morning starting at six, he also had to keep his other jobs since the training program was unpaid.
He’d done it though. And it had been the best feeling he’d ever had.
James had graduated from the program in the top spot and was offered a place within the Surf City Fire Department. For the first year it was a probationary position. He could be terminated for any reason. He had six months to go. James would not screw up this opportunity.
The Surf City Fire Department needed him. Maybe as much as he needed them.
Calmer, James toed off his shoes and set them aside before pushing off the door. He tripped over one of Scott’s shoes. He picked it up and neatly lined up all the sneakers. There. That was much better.
Looking around, James turned his nose up. The apartment was a mess. He’d been sleeping on the couch to give Michael, Finn, and Jackson a bed to sleep in. Checking the time, James had about an hour before he needed to clock in for his shift at theCoffee Cove. He might have fibbed a little to the professor about getting ready for work so soon just to get away from him.
His laptop was on the kitchen counter.
James found his AirPods charging next to his computer. He slipped them into his ears then logged into his music app. There was no way that he’d chance disturbing the precious professor.
With his rock music blaring in his ears, James set about cleaning the apartment. Truthfully as much as he bitched about Jacob constantly dropping by to check out the space, James liked living in a clean place.
He loved the smell of the organic orange products that he used. That and freshly laundered bed sheets. Speaking of, James was not sleeping in his bed until he washed those sheets. Michael was not quiet when he was with his men and James refused to sleep on the same sheets.
James pulled back the top blanket on his bed and snorted.
Fucking Jackson!
A dozen small colorful tiny dicks were lined up in the middle of the bed.
James carefully picked them up before stripping the bed. He had no idea what he was going to do with the tiny peens. He could just see Jackson gleefully leaving those behind for James to find.
Carrying the sheets toward the laundry room, James set the pile of dicks on the corner of the kitchen island. He continued to the small laundry room off the kitchen.
And more dicks.
James shook his head.
