Twin Ties 1: My Brother's Lover (25 page)

Brennan and Luka heard the floor creak. It wasn’t enough to get them to stop though, or for Brennan to open his eyes and look. Brennan came in hot and messy ropes, followed quickly by Luka.

Entwined and happy, Luka nuzzled into Brennan, saying to him tenderly, “See? Nothing to worry about. He’s fine. He’s into it. He’s good with Alek. And he
probably
just watched us humping, so... bonus? Maybe they did it on purpose, and wanted us to hear. Maybe next time we should go inside instead of lurking in the hall.”

“Mm, I think I’m just fine right here, thanks,” Brennan grinned blissfully, tensing the leg hooked around Luka’s lower back, thrusting in a gentle tease up against him. “What’d I do to deserve you?”

Humming happily, Luka quieted him with a fervent yet unhurried kiss. It worked for a little while, but when they broke for air Brennan’s expression was even more solemn. “Seriously, thank you. I don’t know what I’d have done without you to talk to these past few days. Things with Evan can be intense. But with you, I just feel so comfortable and like everything’s really going to be okay.” “Good. That’s exactly what I want—for you to be able to come to me with anything that’s on your mind or that you just want to vent about. I’m here for you. Always.”

After cleaning up, they headed to the kitchen to get something for Brennan to eat. Luka was put to work chopping vegetables for a salad he promised to at least try for Brennan’s sake, though he didn’t seem too excited about it.

Dressed in his second outfit of the night, with his recently come-soiled clothes thrown in the wash, Luka was very much the source of Brennan’s amusement.

“Why don’t you just go nude? There’d be less laundry,” he suggested.

“You’re really in a rush to get me naked, huh?”

“It’s been over a week! This is our third official date! So, take your damn clothes off already! Whip it out! Shake your ass! I can handle it.”

Luka laughed.

“You aren’t still trying to not disrespect me, are you? Because I’m can assure you I’m not gonna be shocked by the sight of your dick. Promise. You haven’t even let me touch it yet.”

“Stop pouting,” Luka smirked, sprinkling some walnuts into the bowl in front of him and popping a few in his mouth.

“That’s not an answer.”

“Okay. Fine. It’s just that when I was your age—”

“Oh, here it comes.” Brennan groaned.

“
When I was your age
,” Luka pressed on, determined and talking over Brennan. “I was just like you, looking for distractions to keep my mind off of how much parts of my life sucked. I slept around, got high all the time, got involved with some very bad people, did stupid things, got in trouble. I regret that now. A lot. Maybe I want to protect you from that kind of regret. I’m trying to be smarter about stuff now. Cut me some slack and trust me, will ya?”

“Yes, Daddy.” Brennan tried to hide his grin, but when Luka’s eyes narrowed, Brennan didn’t move fast enough to avoid a firm swat to his backside. “Ow.”

“Oh please, that was nothing,” Luka scoffed.

“Can I ask you something? I’ve been wondering,” Brennan said, the tone of his voice shifting dramatically. “You know, since you told me how you and Alek mess around together....”

“Yeah,” Luka said, stepping closer to him, leaning next to where Brennan was standing with his back to the sink, gripping the counter’s edge. Brennan’s eyes were downcast, almost like he’d gotten shy. It was unlike him, or at least unlike how he acted around Luka.

There was a pause. “How far has it gone? With Alek?”

“All the way,” Luka replied instantly, unashamed.

“Anal?”

“Yeah.”

“Who bottoms?”

“We switch it up. The first time it happened we were both on E and Alek topped. His boyfriend, who was older and also there, called the shots. It, well, let’s just say it wasn’t nice. They didn’t exactly let me have a say in what was happening to me. But I forgave him. I love Alek, with all my heart.”

Brennan stared at Luka with a look raw with concern. “Luka....”

Shaking his head, Luka pleaded with a quick glance for Brennan to let it go for now. So he did.

“And you two, you still—?”

“Yes. We do. But not often. It’s been months since it’s gone that far and we stopped screwing around after we started dating you and Evan. That’s a given. We don’t cheat.”

“Wow.” There was plenty of sadness and a strange sort of hope in that one little word. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but is it weird if I kind of want to see that—you and Alek, having sex?”

“No, because I kind of want the same thing, with you and Evan. Does that freak you out?”

Brennan blushed,
really
blushed, and covered his mouth with a hand. “Wow. Maybe, but I would. I mean, I think I want to. Is that terrible? Maybe it’s because we just met and there’s no real, tangible history there.”

“Doesn’t matter. If it feels right to you, that’s all that counts.”

“There’s a lot of people who would disagree.”

“I don’t judge them. They shouldn’t judge me. Or Alek, or Evan, or you. What happens between consenting adults in the privacy of their bedroom is no one else’s business.”

“Does anyone know? That you and Alek—?”

“Presley and Carter do. They don’t approve, but they don’t turn away when they see us going at it either, so I don’t care if they approve or not. Actions speak louder than words.”

“How about your mom?”

“Don’t really care what she thinks, either. She always thought Alek and I were too close. But what were we supposed to do when she ignored us all the time? People need love in their lives. Especially kids. So, I’ll be the first to admit it probably started because of the emotional damage our childhood inflicted on us, like we were inappropriately overcompensating for parental neglect or some shit. But, you know, fuck it. We love each other. Alek was the only one who loved me for a long time. Being with him is one of the best things in my life. Always has been. I’m just really grateful I’m with you now—someone who knows exactly what I’m talking about firsthand. You really are a miracle, Bren. Evan, too. I’ve never seen Alek so happy or devoted. He’s a better man since he’s been with Evan. And he was a hell of a man before.”

Brennan smiled and took Luka’s hand, folding their fingers together. “I love you,” he whispered for the very first time.

“I love you too,” Luka sighed, kissing Brennan’s forehead.

Evan’s elbow was perched on the window frame of the passenger-side door, the back of his hand resting against the cool glass of the window pane. His dark-blond hair was tousled in soft spikes, some curling down over his forehead. His eyes, thickly framed with long, golden lashes, kept closing, but not out of weariness, only to reopen darker with heat simmering there. His head kept falling back against the headrest as he arched his back slightly, though his gaze stayed locked to the rearview mirror as miles of road disappeared behind them.

Alek watched Evan’s movements with intensity out of the edge of his vision, unable to keep his attention from drifting away from the tempting sight of his lover. Wanting to get to the look-out point, to be able to focus completely on Evan, Alek drove on. Fields blurred past on either side of the road which dipped and climbed with the rolling hills of the landscape. They got to a rare intersection and sat at the red light. Evan’s legs shifted apart as he lifted his backside slightly off of the seat in order to find a better position. When he settled back down, Alek tried not to grin at the small groan Evan made.

He asked Evan impassively, without looking around, “You good?”

“Don’t even try to pretend you aren’t enjoying the hell out of this,” Evan retorted. “I still can’t believe you have a
bed
in the back of your truck. I mean, come on. Who does that?”

“Luka and I like to go camping, but he’s not so keen on ground-sleeping. That was our solution.”

He turned toward Evan, eyes flicking down to look when Evan slouched farther on the seat, trying to get the least cushion contact he could manage with the plug lodged in his ass. Though he was frowning something fierce, Evan seemed happy—truly happy. Sure, he was distracted and trying to be cool, but all of the physical stimulation appeared to be drowning out the sadness Alek always saw in the young man when his defenses were stripped away. Evan felt very much like a kindred spirit to Alek—facing the world every day knowing what a harsh and often cruel place it was, and the defensiveness that knowledge provoked, filtering into every inch of Evan’s body, making him tense, wary. It was why Evan hid behind a façade, his armor protecting him from everything and everyone he encountered. All Alek wanted was for Evan to trust him enough to let the armor fall away for a little while, even though to take things to that level of closeness scared Alek too. When Alek loved someone—really loved them, as he did Luka—it was all or nothing. But what if he gave Evan everything and was left with nothing? Alek had been there too, and permanently lost people he vitally needed. He used to be strong enough to handle that, but now he wasn’t so sure he could do it again.

Alek looked at Evan and thought of Brennan. He tried to imagine living most of his life without Luka by his side, and it was incredibly difficult to manage. But there was one thing he suspected was true.

“It must have been easier for you, before Brennan came here. I bet things were a lot simpler then,” Alek said.

Evan’s eyes shot open wide. “What?”

“I was just thinking about it, what it’d be like if I didn’t have Luka to worry about all the time. It would be easier.”

“Yeah,” Evan murmured. “I guess it was.”

“But I’d never want that,” Alek continued. “No matter how easy it was, I’d rather have him in my life. I’m a happier person because of him, and how well he understands me. It’s a wonderful thing, you know, to be truly understood. It’s one of the great benefits of being a twin, which I suppose you’ll find out soon for yourself.”

Evan’s innate sadness was suddenly there, right on the surface. They were driving again, so Alek only caught it in glimpses.

“Would you change things, if you could? Would you make it so that Brennan never came here?”

“No,” Evan said quietly. “I could never go backwards like that. So much has happened since then. But, I don’t know. Sometimes I’m just so overwhelmed by all of this.”

“I understand,” Alek said, meaning it completely. “He’s yours now, though. You’ve gotta watch out for him.”

Evan smiled, his lips curving and eyes sparkling for a fleeting moment, maybe realizing how true that was, that Brennan really
was
his now. As someone who knew well what it was to be lonely, and therefore counted as precious what love did come his way, Alek supposed Evan was of a similar sort. Living in such a rural town as Whippoorwill, where he was much more isolated than he would be if he lived somewhere like Mitchellsburg, Evan had also chosen a profession where vehicles and engines were his companions more so than people, plus he had an absentee father, a shockingly new brother, hardly any friends to speak of. Just looking in on Evan’s life, Alek saw how strong and self-reliant it must have made him, and how Brennan’s presence was shaking things up. But Brennan was a gift from fate, not only a companion but a soul mate. Brennan was what everyone hoped was out there, waiting for them somewhere, ready to be found.

“You’re lucky.”

Evan looked squarely at Alek at that. There was disbelief, wonder and pensiveness in his expression.

“Maybe I am,” Evan allowed.

By the time they got to the spot Alek had in mind, the sun was heavy and low on the horizon, not yet set, but close. They were flanked by woods on two sides, the gravelly road on another, winding back a few miles to the highway. Behind the truck, parked on the crest of a hill, was a sprawling view of the hazy countryside. All around them was brush and tall grass. They climbed out of the cab and Alek dug a few citronella torches out, planting them in the dirt on either side of the truck and lighting them.

“Keeps away the mosquitoes,” he explained, pushing the lighter back into his pocket and going for a small cooler next. Inside was beer and liquor. Alek put the cooler in the cab of the tuck, leaving the window slid open so that they could grab what they want, and motioned for Evan to hop up onto the air mattress and blankets.

Moving gingerly, Evan boosted up, groaning a little, because of the plug. He sat and watched Alek climb up beside him.

“So this is the plan, then?”

“Mm-hmm. Sunset, then we wait for the stars to come out.”

“Then what?” Evan asked softly, desire roughening his deep voice.

“Then whatever we want.”

Evan smiled and fell down onto his back, staring up at the wide, unblemished sky stretching out, limitless above them. Birds, or maybe bats, slipped through the air, chasing one another. The mattress was soft and comfortable beneath them. The night was warm, spiced now with the burning, light scent of the candles, casting an orange golden glow as the sun sank steadily lower.

“This is nice,” Evan murmured. He turned his face toward Alek when he lay down too, on his side, facing Evan with his head propped on a hand. Alek’s fingers twisted gently in the front of Evan’s shirt. “Perfect, actually.”

“You wouldn’t prefer something more exciting? More dangerous?”

“This is plenty dangerous for me,” Evan smirked.

For a while there was just small talk and long stretches of silence between them as they simply enjoyed being in each other’s company. Alek itched to touch Evan and finally get his hands on him, but he was in no rush. They had all night. It was good to listen to him after waiting for Evan to be comfortable sharing more information about himself, starting to let Alek in a little more. Evan’s trust in him was steadily growing. More of that closed-off exterior fell away and it only lured Alek in closer, daring him pull away like he always did and deny Evan’s fragile faith in him.

He could hurt you
, a warning voice whispered.
Your love for
Luka has hurt you more than anything, save the woman you called mother. Caring about someone simply gives them more chances to rip your heart into pieces.