“You’re lying,” Eric said.
“I’m not!”
But Olivier huddled against the table, his shoulders hunched. Eric had the sneaking feeling that Olivier wasn’t being truthful right now, either.
He stepped closer, closing his fingers around Olivier’s arm. Then he pressed his nose into Olivier’s hair, just breathing in honey and carnation. Olivier smelled good, like he always had. “Ollie,” Eric whispered. “Tell me the truth.”
Olivier shivered. “You should leave.”
“I’m not leaving.”
“Why?”
“Because I care about you,” Eric said, pulling Olivier against himself. “I want to make things up to you, okay? I want to help your business recover.”
He hadn’t planned to say that, hadn’t even thought about it. But the moment it passed his lips, Eric knew it was the right thing to do.
Olivier sighed, sagging against him. “How? I’ve done everything I could, Eric. I’ve changed all the prices. I’ve advertised all over. I’ve sent out flyers to the neighborhood, and it’s just... not enough.”
His voice trailed off. Eric felt his resignation, his despair. So he pulled Olivier into his arms, kissing his ear. “I got you into this mess. I promise I’ll get you out.”
“How?”
“There’ve been small businesses holding their own in busy neighborhoods,” Eric said, thinking about the case studies he’d done in college. “It won’t work if you’re in direct competition with a big store—”
“Then what am I supposed to do?” Olivier cried.
Eric turned him around, looking into Olivier’s worried blue eyes. “You provide goods or services that large stores can’t sell. Total Sounds might have all the cheapest inventory, but you saw Mrs. Antoinette back there. She wanted those bronze strings.”
Olivier snuffled, nodding slowly.
“So if you switch your focus,” Eric said. “If you specialize in rarer products, or teach music classes, that’ll give you an edge against the bigger stores. And... if any of the products in Total Sounds run out, I could send people over here.”
Olivier’s eyes widened. “Won’t you get into trouble for that?”
Eric chewed on his lip. “Depends on how discreetly I do it.”
It was a gamble. Eric couldn’t take big risks, because he still had a daughter to feed. But if he could send customers to Olivier’s Strings before Total Sounds began to carry specialty products... maybe he could turn things around to help Olivier instead.
“It’ll give you a chance to make an impression,” Eric said. “I’ll go over business plans with you. How’s that sound?”
“It doesn’t sound so bad, I guess.” Olivier breathed out, relaxing a little. “You don’t have to. I mean...”
Eric looked into Olivier’s eyes, daring to hope a little. With Olivier... Eric had been happy, once upon a time. Ollie had pulled Eric to his feet when he fell, Olivier had kissed Eric’s hurts, wiping away his tears.
They had been young and stupid, but Eric felt a whisper of something, the thread that had once tied them together and made his heart say, Mine.
He remembered the shy glances Olivier had sneaked at him when Ollie thought he wasn’t looking. He remembered Ollie leaning into his side as they watched the sun set through their bedroom window.
They had laughed and cried together, and seeing this omega in his arms now, Eric knew he should give things a try. Just to mend some of the hurts they’d given each other.
So he kissed Olivier’s cheek. “I’m gonna correct all the wrongs I’ve done, okay? I want... I want some of what we had, Ollie. Back then.”
Olivier’s eyes grew wide. “Back then? You mean...”
“Back when we were kids, yeah.” Eric pressed their foreheads together, sliding his fingers against Olivier’s warm nape. “Remember when Dad beat my ass? Because I said I’d eaten the cherries off your cake?”
That had hurt. Eric had been six, and he’d bawled like a baby. But Dad would’ve hit Olivier otherwise, and Eric had promised to protect him.
Olivier cracked a smile. “You shouldn’t have. I was at fault. I ate the cherries.”
“Yeah, well. You kissed my sore ass, so that made up for things.”
“You still remember that?”
“Hell, yeah. No one else has kissed my ass.”
“You make that sound dirty!” Olivier shoved at Eric, but he was smiling wider, his posture relaxing. Then he sighed. “Why are you doing this? I mean... you hated me.”
“Not anymore, I don’t.” Eric cradled Olivier against himself. “I hated you because I thought you’d led me on, only pretending to care. But you were lying about that, you bastard. You still love me.”
Olivier flushed, looking away. He couldn’t meet Eric’s eyes, but he wasn’t lying to cover it up, either. Olivier loved him.
Eric’s heart fluttered.
“I mean, I don’t know what I feel about you,” Eric said, feeling like a jerk. Olivier winced. But Eric needed him to know the truth. They couldn’t move forward if things weren’t laid out between them. “I spent a damn long time trying to forget you. Put all my feelings in a cage and locked it up. So... I have that cage to deal with. But I want you closer.”
“We can be brothers,” Olivier mumbled. “But nothing more. No—no more sex.”
Well, that blew. Eric still wanted to fuck him. He couldn’t forget the way Olivier had moaned into his mouth, the way Olivier had arched toward him. Olivier on the floor after the enema, his legs spread, his cock throbbing in Eric’s hand.
Maybe Eric was into this just because he was horny, but even then... The thought of Olivier beneath him sent his blood surging south.
“You’re sure you don’t want my cock inside you?” Eric asked. “If you’re pregnant, you can take my knot now. No condoms.”
Olivier sucked in a sharp breath, musk coiling off his skin. “No. No sex.”
But he was interested, and Eric was content to play along. He pulled Olivier against his chest, sniffing at Ollie’s ear, then down his neck. Eric found the scab of his mark on Olivier’s scent gland, right over someone else’s silvery scar. Made his instincts growl. “Who gave you that mark?”
Olivier shrugged. “An ex. He doesn’t matter now.”
“Yeah? Why’d you break up with him?”
“He wasn’t great.” Olivier winced. “I don’t want to talk about him. Please.”
“Then what do you wanna talk about?” Eric kissed the bonding mark; Olivier sighed. Uncertainly, Eric asked, “Am I forgiven?”
“I guess you are. I mean, both of us are at fault.” Olivier made a face. “It’ll only work if both of us forgive each other, right? But that night, on the fire escape... I lied because I was trying to keep you away. I’d figured that, if you thought I didn’t love you, you wouldn’t stay with me. And you’d keep your relationship with your mom and Dad.”
It sounded like a legitimate reason. Hell, it had worked. “She’s your mom too, you know.”
Olivier shrugged uncomfortably. “You know she’s never liked me. I don’t think she’ll like me more if she finds out that—that I’ve slept with you.”
That wasn’t a problem Eric could solve. Yeah, he’d noticed that his mom didn’t quite get as happy whenever he talked about Ollie. But she loved Olivier, right?
At Ollie’s downcast expression, Eric changed the topic. “You wanted me enough to jizz in my hand. On the fire escape.”
Olivier groaned, burying his face in Eric’s shoulder. “It shouldn’t happen again.”
“You want my mouth around your cock.”
Olivier trembled, his musk betraying his interest. “We’re brothers, Eric.”
“Stepbrothers. Not related by blood. So we can fuck as much as we want.”
Olivier gulped. “Stop talking about fucking.”
“Why? Because you want my knot?”
Olivier groaned, sliding his palm down Eric’s side. Then he found Eric’s ass, squeezin
g it lightly. His touch went straight to Eric’s cock.
“That’s not brotherly at all, Ollie,” Eric growled. “But if you kiss my ass, I’ll kiss yours.”
Olivier whimpered. “I’m not forgiven, am I?”
“You still love me,” Eric murmured.
“In the most shameful way.” Olivier flushed, pulling his hand away. “We shouldn’t be doing this. I’m not someone you want, Eric. I...”
Eric slipped his fingers through Olivier’s hair, tipping his head back. Ollie gasped. Before he could squirm away, Eric kissed him lightly on the lips.
“That’s all I wanted to know,” Eric murmured. “I can’t promise you everything. I’ve fucked up more than you can imagine, Ollie. But I want to just... I want to try again. I want to protect you like I promised I would.”
Olivier stared, his eyes wide and disbelieving.
“I forgive you,” Eric said against his mouth.
Olivier whimpered, choking up. “Th-thank you. I’m not... not mad at you, either. I just wish you’d told me about your job earlier. Before... before any of this.”
“I’m sorry.” Eric cradled Olivier against himself, sniffing at Olivier’s hair.
Olivier felt vulnerable against him, in need of protection. Eric wanted to bring him home. He wanted to claim this omega as his own.
“I promise I won’t keep any more secrets from you,” Eric said, feeling like he was baring his soul. “If you really want... you’ll see all of me. I’m—I’m not the brother you used to know.”
“And I’m not the Ollie from your past, either.” Olivier smiled crookedly. “I’ve been messing up, too.”
“That’s fine,” Eric said, brushing his fingers through Olivier’s hair, just holding Ollie against himself. “We’ll work things out.”
“We’ll stay as brothers,” Olivier mumbled.
“You sure?” Eric kissed his ear, stroking down Ollie’s spine. “Don’t you wanna go home and... explore your bed? With me.”
Olivier released a shaky breath, his pupils dilating. “We really shouldn’t. You’ll be seeing Dad and your mom, right? They’ll smell me on you. They’ll know, Eric, and I... I don’t think I’d be able to face Dad again.”
“I’ll erase the scent. It’s not like I can’t find scent suppressants at every other store.” Eric kissed down Olivier’s throat, lingering at his pulse point. Every beat of Olivier’s heart fluttered against his lips.
“I don’t want to ruin things for you.” Olivier made a face. “Where’s your daughter? I can’t just—”
“She’s with Mom right now. She’s fine.”
“That’s even worse!” Olivier leaned away from Eric, his forehead wrinkled. “What if they stop caring for her? Are you staying with them? What if they throw you out?”
Eric hadn’t thought that far. “I could move in with you?” he suggested, really as a joke.
Olivier seemed to mull on it, though. “I guess that’s okay. I mean... I could use some help with rent.”
Sharing a space with Olivier... Eric wasn’t in love with him. But he trusted Olivier, trusted that Ollie was still the same person, deep down. And maybe he wanted to know how Olivier would react, seeing Jenn. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea.
“I don’t mind,” Eric said slowly. “I have a nine-month-old... Wait. You already knew that.”
Olivier flushed. “I’ve been, um. Keeping up with your Facebook updates.”
Eric’s heart warmed. So Ollie really cared, huh? Except he would’ve seen the news of Alice’s passing. He knew, then, that Eric hadn’t been able to keep her alive.
His heart sinking, Eric sighed. He wasn’t sure how he could promise to protect Olivier, when he had Alice’s death on his hands.
“I mean, there’s no rush to,” Olivier said, squirming. “But I have a spare bedroom, if you’d like to move in.”
Maybe there was a chance Eric could prove himself again, though.
“I could come look around your place,” Eric murmured, pulling Olivier back against himself.
He wasn’t sure about falling in love, but sex? That sounded good. “Just to see if I fit in.”
“No sex,” Olivier breathed, his chest pressed flushed against Eric. “But there might—might be space for you.”
Eric kissed the corner of his lips. “There might be space, huh? In your... home?”
“Always with the sex, Eric.” Olivier laughed softly. He curled his fingers into Eric’s shirt, his lips parting, his breath a soft sigh when Eric meshed their lips together, kissing him.
This close, Olivier was pliant in his arms, his tongue tangling with Eric’s, his mouth damp and sweet.
Hard to believe Ollie was someone Eric thought he could hate.
“Gods, you feel so damn good,” Eric murmured against Olivier’s lips, pressing him up against the desk. “Wanna bring you home, slide inside you.”
Ollie’s breath rushed out of him; musk rolled off his skin. “Eric—”
“Gonna fuck you into the bed.” Eric squeezed Olivier’s hips, grinding their cocks together. “You want that?”
“Yeah,” Ollie gasped. Inside his pants, his cock was a hard, tempting line—it hadn’t taken much to get him worked up, had it?
Eric reached between them, sucking Olivier’s tongue into his mouth. Then he stroked Ollie’s cock until Ollie groaned, his hips bucking. There was so much desire in his body, so much need that Eric knew he could satisfy.
“Gonna get you all slippery,” Eric whispered, his own pants growing tight. “Then I’m gonna open you up with my cock, fuck in deep, make you come so hard you cream the bed—”
Olivier shivered, his pupils blown wide, his musk filling Eric’s lungs. So Eric pulled open Olivier’s pants, sliding his fingers against the hot, silky length of Ollie’s cock. Olivier bucked at him, his breathing shaky.
Gods, Eric wanted to lie him down, suck on Ollie’s cock until he came.
The backroom door opened.
“Ollie?” Levi asked, poking his head into the room.
Eric jerked away, yanking his hand out of Olivier’s pants. But Olivier’s cock strained up, flushed and bare, and Eric knew it was every bit as incriminating as it looked.
Olivier yelped, frantically covering himself up with his hands.
Levi’s mouth fell open. “What in the gods’ names are you doing?”
10
Eric
Eric stepped in front of Olivier. Yeah, he was hard. But Ollie was undressed, and Eric wanted to shield him. He should’ve locked the door first, damn it.
“Thanks for knocking,” Eric muttered, trying to hide his embarrassment.
Levi flinched. “I’m sorry!”
It wasn’t like Levi had any business prying into their affairs. But Levi also knew they were brothers. Eric would be damned if Olivier was scorned because of this.
“My fault,” Eric said. “I forced Ollie into this.”
Levi’s eyes widened. “You what?”
“Eric!” Olivier squawked, grabbing Eric’s arm. “It’s not your fault. Don’t say that.”
But Levi’s expression turned accusatory. “You forced him,” he said slowly.
Olivier stepped out from behind Eric, fumbling with his pants. “He didn’t force me. Don’t make things up, Eric.”
Eric glanced sideways at him. “I’m not gonna let people judge you for that, okay? I’m taking the blame.”
Olivier’s mouth fell open. “You can’t!”
“I can, and I will.” Eric lifted his chin, challenging. As an alpha, he could get away with a lot more than Olivier could.
But Olivier sighed. “He knows about us, Eric. That was entirely consensual.”
Levi knew? Really? That felt strange. Eric glanced at the other omega, still wary. At least, Levi was a friend.
“If he isn’t hurting you, I guess,” Levi muttered, suspicious. If he cared that much about Olivier, maybe Eric could trust him.
Olivier swore and struggled with his zipper. Eric turned, s
watting away Olivier’s hands so he could help.
Ollie’s pants were tight. It didn’t help that he was still hard—it was almost impossible to close the zipper over his cock. So Eric tucked Ollie’s cock back into his briefs, before yanking the two sides of his fly shut. The zipper jammed, Olivier’s cock in the way.
“Hey, Ollie,” Levi began.
“Why are your pants so damn tight?” Eric muttered, trying to shove Olivier’s cock further down his pants.
Olivier groaned, his breath hitching. It felt good, didn’t it? “Levi’s looking.”
“And you’re mine,” Eric said, patting Olivier’s cock. There was now a damp spot on Ollie’s briefs, right at his tip. Did Ollie... like this? Having someone else watch as Eric touched him? Eric frowned, running his thumb along Ollie’s cock, following its hard line. “Should’ve marked this with my scent.”
“Eric!” Olivier’s ears turned pink.
“Oh, gods,” Levi grimaced. “Look—”
Eric glanced at Levi, daring him to protest. “It’s my business what I do with my omega.”
That sounded good. My omega.
“I’m seriously not watching this,” Levi said, turning away. “Get a room, guys. I just wanted to know—Am I closing shop?”
“Yes, please,” Olivier said, his voice turning into a wheeze when Eric pulled the zipper all the way up, trapping his cock in his pants. “Fuck, that’s tight.”
“So are you,” Eric murmured.
Levi disappeared from the room, slamming the door.
Olivier groaned, covering his face. “Eric!”
“Mine,” Eric said, squeezing Olivier’s ass. “You’re sure we can trust him.”
Olivier nodded, squirming. “Levi’s good. It’s just... He wasn’t supposed to see this.” He turned away. “We’re brothers, Eric.”
“And yet you’re still hard.” Eric eyed the line in Ollie’s pants, thinking about stripping him back down.
Olivier made a small, soft sound in his throat. Eric looked up, realizing that Olivier had his eyes squeezed shut, his teeth biting hard into his lower lip.
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