Hanlon laughs harder, pissing me off.
“For fuck’s sake, Logan. He’s ourstudent,” I remind him again.
“He’syourstudent. He kinda looks likemynext?—”
“Do not finish that fucking sentence if you plan to leave here with your face intact,” I warn.
It’s Logan who laughs this time. “You know,Han, something about you really sets our captain on edge. I’m glad you’re here. He needs things shaken up a bit.”
Jasmine returns, and we place our orders, although I seem to have lost my appetite.
“So, Hanlon,” Logan starts, making me brace for some wildly inappropriate question, but he shocks me when he asks a question I’ve been curious about as well. “What got you interested in studying avalanches?”
Hanlon’s cheeks darken immediately, which is both adorable and confusing since the question is personal but not nearly as inappropriate as his other comments.
“I, um, learned how to ski when I was eight, and I loved the feeling of gliding down the mountain. It was effortless, and I was a very, um,” he pauses, and I know he’s trying to find words that won’t give away his diagnosis. “Well, movement was…I was a clumsy kid,” he finally finishes. “Anyway, I loved the snow and the mountains, and I’ve always been interested in science, and when Stone moved…” he trails off, looking at me with wide eyes, knowing he just connected me to his childhood.
I help him out because what should be a simple question clearly isn’t, but I’ll be sure to ask him about it later.
“Hanlon’s intake sheet said he wanted a career that could combine his love of the outdoors and his desire to help others. Add in the fact that he’s clearly a science geek, and weather and natural disasters seemed like a good place to land.”
Hanlon breathes a sigh of relief, which loosens the knot in my own chest. Protecting Hanlon is what I do. Even when I don’t want to.
“That’s cool,” Logan says. “And for the record, the whole science geek thing really works for you. I’ve always had a soft spot for Clark Kent.” With a chuckle, he adds, “I mean, who doesn’t?”
I hate that he’s right. Hanlon’s new look and improved physique are…problematic.
“How are you liking your time at Ricochet so far?” Logan asks, keeping the conversation going while I’m busy trying hard not to think about the abs, the pecs, the glasses, and the dark, wavy hair sitting next to me.
“So far, so good,” Hanlon replies in that deep voice of his. “It’s been an adjustment living with two strangers who keep very different hours from me, but otherwise it’s been fine.”
“Are they giving you any trouble?” I ask immediately.
“Not really. They just work different hours and are loud when they come in at three in the morning. They’re also far more social than I am, and they often have friends over who leave a mess everywhere.”
Offer your guest room, you asshole, I tell myself.
But I can’t.
At least not until my dick remembersthat the guy sitting next to me is my fucking brother, because right now, it’s far too interested in Hanlon’s glasses and scenes from the gym, making me feel sick to my stomach.
This isHanlon.My little stepbrother.
Not so little anymore.
I drive the heels of my hands into my eyes as Jasmine delivers our food.
Logan, feeling more comfortable the more he discovers about Hanlon, pops a hushpuppy into his mouth and asks, “So, you have a girlfriend back home?”
Hanlon chokes on his soda, and I start slapping his back before absentmindedly rubbing circles in the same spot. I don’t realize I’m doing it until he shrugs away from my hand, and Logan pins me with a stare.
I quickly drop my hand and clear my throat.
“I’m going to use the restroom. I’ll be right back.” Looking at Logan, I add, “Please keep your thoughts to yourself while I’m gone.”
And then I’m pushing through the door to the bathroom, trying to pull myself together before I toss all my secret thoughts out there like petals in the wind.
Chapter 10
