Twin Ties 1: My Brother's Lover (8 page)

Tingling, aching and exhausted, Evan was in a daze when, almost an hour later, they had finally gotten dressed again. Folded blanket tucked under an arm, Evan stood there while Alek said goodbye, needing to leave for a shift at work. He hooked a finger under Evan’s chin and tucked the folded scrap of paper with Evan’s phone number deeper into his front pocket. Kissing Evan, Alek licked over the tender, swollen split in Evan’s lower lip. After their second orgasms, they’d kissed, groped, scratched and nipped at each other, making out and rolling around on the ground for a long time. It had been passionate, not gentle, so Evan’s lip, as well as a few other places, felt sore.

“Sorry about that.”

“’S’okay. Really,” Evan murmured, feeling dizzy and sated.

“I won’t get home until late tonight, but can I call you tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” Evan nodded.

“Perfect. Take care of yourself. Maybe get some ice for your lip.” Alek kissed him lightly again. “God, I miss you already.”

Evan fought futilely against a rising blush and muttered, “Me too.”

“Sure I can’t give you a ride?”

“Nah, I’m good. It’s a short walk.”

Watching Alek carefully drive back down the narrow lane, Evan smiled despite himself. He turned to cut across the field, back toward home.

Evan had hoped Brennan would be in his room, or the kitchen, or pretty much anywhere but the front hallway when he got home. But, no. He was there. Right there in the foyer, no way to avoid him. Then Evan had a half-second to hope the light was dim enough, or maybe Brennan was distracted enough not to pay him much mind.

Evan wasn’t that lucky. He saw his brother’s eyes fix onto his mouth and groaned inwardly. Then Brennan actually stepped closer and seemed to take a deeper breath than necessary—like he was sniffing for something.

Deflating, ready to walk around Brennan and flat-out ignore the guy if he had to, Evan set his jaw and moved to the side. “Excuse me.”

Brennan laid a hand flat on Evan’s chest, standing right in his space, eye-to-eye.

Then, Brennan asked him, “Are you okay?”

Evan knew what he looked like, or had an inkling at least. The initial split of his lip had been an accident, but the blowjob he’d given Alek, and the prolonged, rough kissing after, during which Alek had kept biting Evan’s swollen lower lip, probably had him looking like he’d been punched in the face. Add in scratch marks and love bites all over his body, cover it all in sweat, dirt and grass stains, and it didn’t make a pretty picture. And he knew he smelled like sex, and semen. He was pretty much covered in a thin film of it from his chest to his thighs.

“Excuse me,” Evan repeated, spreading his arms and looking directly down at the hand planted on his sternum.

“What happened?” Brennan’s gaze skittered over Evan’s face, like he was taking in every little detail.

“I was on a date. Now I’d like to shower, if you’d get the hell out of my way. Please.”

“A date,” Brennan repeated, sounding like he wasn’t buying it one bit. “Wow. He must have been a real nice guy.”

Evan snarled, “Shut up!” He drew an arm back to punch Brennan square in the mouth just as Brennan grabbed it, holding Evan back and pushing him into the closed door behind him.

“What’s his name?” Brennan yelled. “Where is he? I’m gonna kick his fucking ass!”

Evan recoiled like he was slapped. “What?” he said softly, all the fight draining out of him and transferring right into Brennan.

“Where is he, Evan? Who did this to you?” Brennan’s eyes blazed behind the lenses of his glasses, his perfect, straight, white teeth grinding together.

“It wasn’t... I mean, he was... it was... What happened to my lip wasn’t his fault. Nothing was forced. He apologized for getting a little rough.”

Brennan scoffed and held up a finger. “Stay there. Or, no, I’ll meet you in the bathroom. Gimme a sec.”

He jogged down the hall toward the kitchen. Evan, moving in a haze, went to the house’s only bathroom and stood in front of the mirror over the vanity, contemplating the idea of locking Brennan out. Both of his lips looked raw and bruised just like the spots on his neck, not to mention some small welts from scratches or the blood-red cut running up the center of his lower lip. His skin was smeared with sweat and dirt like he’d been wrestled down to the dirt and held there. No wonder Brennan had overreacted.

Brennan appeared over his shoulder, a double of his reflection only cleaner, better—purer. Evan watched the person he felt deep down he should have been gently press a thin towel wrapped around ice cubes to his lip.

Brennan looked him over, asking with heavy implication, “Are you injured anywhere else?” “No,” Evan insisted. “I’m fine. Really.”

“God, he didn’t even use protection, did he? Maybe I should take you to the hospital to get evaluated,” Brennan said distractedly.

“What? No. Listen, this isn’t the first time that... I mean, I know the guy. So it got a little intense. So what? Relax, okay?”

Brennan sighed, pulling the towel away to inspect the wound. He took the bottle of hydrogen peroxide from the shelf and got a tissue to apply it with. Dabbing the cut gently with the liquid, then putting the ice back on, Brennan said quietly, “You need to use protection, okay? I know everyone thinks it can’t happen to them, and they won’t catch anything but that’s wrong and dangerous. It can and it does. People get sick all the time. They die and the people who care about them are the ones to suffer. And I mean, we’re identical twins, Evan. It has occurred to me that we might have this in common, and maybe you just didn’t want to admit it. Most identical twins have the same sexual orientation. You can trust me, you know. I wish you would have told me.”

“Tell you what?”

Rolling his eyes, Brennan then raised an eyebrow at his brother. “Don’t play dumb with me. I know you’re not stupid.”

“This is my personal life. It has nothing to do with you.”

“I’m your brother, who also happens to be gay.”

“Yeah, my brother since what? A few weeks ago? You have nothing to do with me or my life.”

Brennan huffed, shaking his head. “You don’t get it, do you? I’m not a distant relative. I’m not a step-brother or a half-brother. I’m your
identical twin
. That means we were once the same person, until we split in two. We’re the same, Evan. I mean, I don’t understand why you don’t need glasses like I do, but clearly, other than that we have more in common than we thought.”

Evan pushed Brennan’s hand away and stepped back, his gaze locked on his feet. “I used to need glasses,” he murmured. Brennan seemed confused by that but Evan pressed on, “Look, can I take a shower in peace? I mean, thanks for the...” he gestured at the ice, which Brennan handed over.

“No problem. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah. It was actually a pretty good day.”

“All right then. You want some dinner? I made eggplant parmesan. There’s leftovers.”

Doubtful, Evan scrunched up his nose. Brennan chuckled, “It’s good. I swear.”

“Yeah, you said you were one of those vegetarians or something, right? I saw some of the weird shit you got from the food store.”

“Well, I’m pescatarian, actually.”

“Excuse me?”

“Never mind. Yes or no to the food?”

“Sure. I guess it won’t kill me.”

Shaking his head, Brennan left the bathroom. Even more bewildered than before, Evan peeled off his dirty clothes and cranked up the hot water in the tub.

Alek got home fairly early that night. Katie thought she smelled gas in a back room off of the kitchen so they closed up until the threat of a gas leak could be ruled out. It was just shy of eleven thirty when he kicked off his boots and shrugged out of his button down shirt, leaving him in a tank top, jeans and not much else. He headed through the kitchen in search of a beer when he crossed paths with Carter.

“Heads up, your boy’s in a good mood,” Carter rasped conspiratorially, taking a plate laden with reheated steak to the table where Presley was sitting, focused intently on his phone.

Alek ignored the warning, understanding everything it implied, and opened the fridge. “Little late for supper.”

“Yeah, well, it’s gonna be a late night. Jamie’s pickin’ me up in ten for practice,” Carter explained. He sawed away at the slab of beef, glancing up when Luka bounded into the room.

In a pair of loose shorts and bare-chested, Luka tackled Alek from the side, jumping on his back and trying to steal his beer.

“Getcher own,” Alek complained, holding it out of his reach. “Pest.”

“Oh, I’m a pest, am I?” The hand Luka had hooked over Alek’s shoulder in a half-hug slipped lower, his thumb dragging deliberately over Alek’s nipple. It was discreet, and the others didn’t seem to notice. Alek did though.

Under his breath, Alek asked, “What are you doing?”

“Me? Nothin’.” Luka chuckled darkly. Pulling his hand away from his brother’s nipple, Luka squeezed Alek’s shoulder instead. But before Luka finished backing away and detached his chest from Alek’s back, he caught Alek’s earlobe between his teeth and tugged.

It sent a pleasant shiver racing down Alek’s spine, and he shook Luka off.

“Why the good mood, then?”

“He met someone,” Carter offered, stabbing a chunk of steak and popping it into his mouth. “He won’t shut up about it. Has a date with a pescatarian. Pres had to look it up for him, so he could book a reservation at the appropriate restaurant.”

Luka wagged a finger at him. “You’re making fun of me. Unless you want Icy Hot in your underpants again, I suggest you be nice.”

“Ooh, I’m scared,” Carter said in a sing-song tone, pretending to shake in his seat.

“Dude, I don’t think he’s kidding,” Presley muttered under his breath, adding even lower, “And the last time he did that, you were hollerin’ like a little girl.”

“Did I ask you, smart ass? Did I?” Carter shut up, though, stuffing his mouth full of steak.

Alek sat on the beat-up old couch in the space adjoining the eating area. Sipping his beer, when Luka flopped down beside him, Alek threw an arm around Luka’s shoulders and let his legs fall open comfortably.

For a few minutes they just sat there, side-by-side, relaxed and happy. Carter ate; Presley clicked away at the tiny buttons on his phone and crickets chirped outside. Then, Luka’s hand shifted from where it had been curled up in his lap, crossing over to Alek. He rubbed up Alek’s thigh and palmed the bulge of his brother’s crotch briefly before sliding the hand under the waistband of Alek’s pants.

Alek exhaled loudly and his head fell back against the couch cushions, his eyes closing. Luka wrapped his fingers around Alek’s shaft, making a tight circle with his thumb and index finger. He squeezed up to the ridge, holding there as he licked his lips, avidly watching the effect he was having on Alek. Alek hissed a little, his flesh still slightly raw and tender from his earlier escapades with Evan.

“Girl or guy?” Alek grunted in question. Luka’s fingers went to work, seeking out Alek’s trigger spots. Alek loved the particular way Luka’s thumb dragged over the head of his cock. Luka knew Alek’s body at least as well as he did, after all. It was his body, too. No one had ever touched Alek the way Luka touched him. Each time, it felt like Luka had been studying the best ways to make him feel good for twenty-five years. Tilting his hips, Alek pushed against Luka’s hand but he wasn’t hard yet. Soreness was making it more of a challenge than it would be otherwise. But he appreciated the effort Luka was making.

“Guy,” Luka grinned. “Hell of a guy. I think I’m in love.”

“How sweet,” Alek cooed sarcastically. He grabbed Luka’s face, hooking a hand around his brother’s jaw, fingers sliding back into his long hair, and chased after his mouth. Their kiss was rough right from the start, with teeth biting at lips and tongues twisting together, pushing hungrily into each other’s mouths. Alek tilted his head to get farther inside, ignoring the rattling clink of silverware against china as Carter dropped his fork.

Once the four of them began living together, it quickly became clear to Carter and Presley what the nature of Alek and Luka’s relationship was, but they also knew how it began. Drugs played a part, and what started as fooling around, kissing and groping each other for shock value at rowdy parties, was pushed far over the line with one incident of non-consensual sex. An older man with sicker tastes than they’d thought coaxed them in a moment of extreme intoxication and it changed the nature of Alek and Luka’s closeness forever. Things got worse before they got better. They had each struggled with guilt and remorse, and they still did. But, thanks to the support of devoted friends Carter and Presley, the brothers worked to get sober and began to strive to protect each other rather than use danger as a way to soothe old hurts. And, somewhere along the way, the shock value started to wear off. It had been a long time since Luka or Alek bothered to hide what used to stay behind closed doors.

Alek heard Presley clear his throat and spied him over Luka’s shoulder as he averted his eyes, or pretended to anyway. Carter stared for a long minute before shoveling another piece of food into his mouth and lowering his gaze to his plate.