He chuckled. “I just wouldn’t have guessed.”
It was hard to know what to think about that, except that I was pleased to hear it. The idea I had of the man from the bar and the idea I had of Noah’s brother both spun around and crashed into each other. Alastair was supposedly some wild party boy who didn’t give a damn about anyone who wasn’t him, and while Jet clearly knew how to enjoy himself, the rest of it just didn’t quite match up.
I shook my head instead of trying to reconcile feelings I didn’t understand in the first place, then crossed over toward the grill, which was stuck between a couple bikes and a tool chest. “I’m glad you’re trying to get a fresh start with Noah. We can just pretend that never happened between us. I won’t bring it up.”
Jet grunted under his breath. “Yeah, great. It’s a fucking shame, though.” He pursed his lips as he looked at me. “It was hot.”
I laughed and shot him a glance. “Yeah, I guess it is a shame.”
“You and Noah must spend a lot of time together, if you’re partners in the firm.”
“He’s one of my closest friends.” I grabbed one side of the grill, then tilted it back to make it easier for him to grab the other. “We met in college and both ended up working at the same firm in Philly.”
Jet squatted and lifted the grill with me. “Any advice for a long-lost brother trying to get in his good graces?”
I hesitated as we shuffle-walked across the garage, trying to figure out whether this conversation was betraying Noah’s trust too much. But as someone who was lucky enough to have good relationships with my family, I really wanted that for my friend, too.
“Just give him time,” I said. “He appreciates consistency and needs to see that you’re sincere about wanting to build a relationship. If you keep showing up like you say you will, he’ll warm to you.”
Jet considered that, then nodded. “Consistency. I can do that.”
I heard a car pull up alongside the house, rumbling on the other side of the door. “More people to feed. They really are going to need this grill,” I muttered.
Jet chuckled as he set his end down. “I’m glad Noah has such a good group of friends. And you, too.”
“Yeah. I’m not really the most socially skilled person.” This time, I cocked a half a smile at him. “If you can believe that.”
Jet frowned. “You could have fooled me.”
“A lot of the people here are new friends, but my brother and his boyfriends, I’ve known them my whole life.” I explained. “But yeah, it’s a pretty great crowd.”
The lightbulb flickered above us. I tried not to notice how handsome Jet was, but the lines of his face were so striking. His cocky look fascinated me again, like his confidence did. There was something about the way he wore those tight jeans and the soft lines that darted out around his eyes. It reminded me how good it had felt to wrestle our bodies together and push myself against his heat.
Fuck, it really was a shame this had to end right here. Jet struck me as sincere in his intention to develop a relationship with Noah, and I liked that about him. My impression combined with the intrigue of the stories I’d heard from Noah, trouble I didn’t fully understand, and something about all of it together was intoxicating.
“Should we get this grill out?” Jet asked.
I pulled myself from the thoughts and turned to the door. “Yeah, let’s—” I opened it and immediately hit something, which I quickly realized was the car. “Hey there!” I called out, then chuckled awkwardly under my breath when no one responded. “Hey!” I hollered a little louder.
Suddenly, music picked up, a stereo that must have been switched on at the edge of the crowd. A wave of rock music rolled out, drowning my voice as I tried one more time to yell.
“So…?” Jet looked at me with an eyebrow cocked.
“We’re stuck,” I grumbled. I walked over to the door that led into the house, which was annoyingly locked. “Do you see the garage door opener? It must be on the wall here somewhere.”
Jet rocked back on his heels as he studied me. “Was that your first time ever with a man?”
My heart jumped as I tried to focus on searching the wall for the damn opener. “Excuse me?”
“I just wouldn’t have dragged you into an alley, if that were the case,” he said, amusement dripping from his voice. “You should have at least had a bed.”
I turned to face him again, feeling more than a bit trapped, but not totally hating it. “It was my second time.”
“Ah,” he nodded. “You must get up to some trouble with the women, too.”
I sighed. “Well, not really.”
“You just had a hankering for cock?”
