Tangled Hearts: A Menage Collection

by Various

  He groaned inwardly. It wasn’t her fault.

  “I’m sorry, Ginny. It’s complicated. I’m not upset with you. Disappointed, very disappointed. But not upset.”

  His mind went racing back to Emma. She’d been his and she’d also chosen Graham in the end. And Graham had let it happen. He’d taken Emma and now Genevieve. Anger boiled up within him. After all the bullshit they’d been through to get back to a good place with each other after Emma, to be brothers again, he’d pulled this shit… again! His brother needed to learn to find his own fucking women!

  “I gotta go,” he announced, bundling up the remainder of his sandwich and stuffing it into the paper bag it came in.

  She followed suit, gathering up her garbage and standing with him, depositing her garbage in the can by the door.

  His mood softened as he looked down at her unsure expression. He doubted she knew much about Emma and his rocky past with his brother. She didn’t deserve to be pulled into his family feud.

  “I’m serious, Ginny, I’m fine. We’re fine.” He hesitated, but gently pulled her into his embrace. He knew he should just be happy for his brother and Ginny. He hadn’t staked a claim on her, or told Graham he was interested. Maybe being happy for them would be the brotherly thing to do, but maybe he wasn’t that great of a brother, because he wasn’t happy. All he felt towards Graham at that moment was anger. She was the first woman he’d seriously considered settling down with. He genuinely felt she could have been it for him. Maybe when they’d gotten to know each other better he’d have discovered she wasn’t, but dammit, because of Graham he’d never know.

  “I’m sorry,” she muttered, holding tight to him. “I do care for you…”

  “Please don’t, Ginny.” He didn’t want to hear anymore. He did, however, have a lot to discuss with his brother.

  ~*~*~*~*~*~

  ~ Graham ~

  Graham sighed as he removed his bulletproof vest and hung it up in his locker at the precinct. It had been one bugger of a day and he was glad it was finally over and he could get to more pleasant things – like his date with Genevieve.

  He began mentally running through a checklist of things to do before he picked her up; florist, box office…

  “You motherfucker!”

  Graham frowned, turning toward his brother’s voice. He didn’t have a chance to reply as Dane’s fist connected with his jaw, sending him back against his locker. He rubbed his jaw, glaring at his brother, aware that several other officers in the locker room around him had stopped what they were doing to watch and see if the conflict worsened.

  “I’ll give you that one Dane, but you won’t get another.”

  Dane smirked. “Have you considered getting your own women for a change?”

  “You spoke with Ginny.”

  “Yeah. You fucking knew I was into her.”

  Graham huffed. “You’re into all women, she’s just the piece of ass for the week to you.”

  “She was still mine.” His anger flared up in his eyes and Graham braced himself for things to become physical. Dane was a fists first, talk later type of guy.

  “She deserves someone who will give her a real relationship. I didn’t steal a fucking thing. I didn’t steal Emma and I sure as hell didn’t steal Genevieve. She made the choice. They both did, because you can’t fucking commit to anyone. You’re more interested in how many women’s pussies you can shove your dick into than realizing you already have the perfect woman.”

  Dane stepped up to him, less than a foot separating the two men. Graham was vaguely aware of the other officers preparing to pull them apart.

  “That’s none of your business. It doesn’t change the fact they were mine and you stole them like some slimy piece of shit.”

  Despite his attempt to keep his cool, Graham’s anger boiled up. He was so tired of Dane passing the buck. He’d swallowed his pride and taken responsibility for Emma even though he’d never believed he was in the wrong with her, just to reconcile with Dane. Dane had been done with her, she went to him and he gave her what she thought she wanted. In the end he was the one that lost out, not Dane.

  “I didn’t steal a fucking thing from you. I did you a fucking favour with Emma, otherwise it would be you with a divorce after finding her fucking the delivery man.” He was losing his grasp on the last bit of restraint he had. He could hear the murmurs around them of the other officers, but ignored them. They needed to have it out once and for all.

  “Serves you right. I didn’t give Emma up and you knew I was into Ginny. I didn’t give up a thing.”

  “You gave her up when you decided to share her,” Graham growled through clenched teeth.

  A low feral growl emerged from Dane as he lunged, a fist pulled back and intent on colliding against Graham’s jaw. Graham moved just in time; Dane’s fist slammed into the metal locker beside his head, leaving an imprint. Hunkering down, Graham lunged at his brother, colliding with his midsection and the two went toppling backward, over the bench situated between the strings of lockers. As they fell, Graham took a shot and slammed his fist into Dane’s abdomen and was rewarded with a low-winded grunt.

  But his victory was short-lived as Dane managed to buck and flip Graham onto his back, slamming his fist into his face a second time. His ears began to ring, but he shook his head, clearing his mind and blocking with his forearm another blow headed toward his face.

  Dane’s fist pulled back again, but before he could make the punch he was pulled off and away from Graham by a couple of officers. Anger, resentment and adrenaline raced through Graham as he leapt to his feet and charged Dane, slamming a fist into his stomach and then a second to his jaw. His third punch was interrupted by several officers pulling him away from his opponent.

  “This isn’t over, brother,” Dane snarled, wiping his bleeding jaw with the back of his hand.

  A metallic taste filled his mouth and Graham became aware of a throbbing pain in his mouth. He swept his tongue along his lower gum line and discovered a tooth had been dislodged and a hole was present in the lower left side, halfway between the front tooth and the molars.

  “You punched out my tooth, asshole!”

  Dane grinned, satisfaction flashing in his eyes. “Good.”

  Chapter 12

  ~ Dane ~

  “I don’t know what the fuck is going on between you two and I don’t give a rat’s ass, quite frankly.” Their captain looked from Dane to Graham and back again. “I’ve been told you started it.”

  Dane jerked his head in the direction of Graham. “That asshole started it. I was just finishing it.”

  The older gentleman sighed and sat back in his leather chair on the opposite side of his desk and gave his head a shake. “I can’t have you two fighting in the locker rooms, or anywhere else in my precinct for that matter. You can pound the living shit out of each other when you’re off duty, but when you’re in my house I expect you two to behave like officers of the law, not a couple of testosterone-filled teenagers.”

  Dane rubbed his jaw and then smirked. He may have a sore jaw, but Graham was short a tooth; bastard deserved it.

  “What the fuck are you smiling at Dane? Are you hoping for a suspension without pay? Because I can happily do that for you.”

  “No Sir.”

  “It has come to my attention as well that it was over some chick,” his captain stated, his expression remaining bleak.

  Dane glared at Graham. “My brother doesn’t know how to get his own women, he needs to go after my sloppy seconds.”

  “Funny, for someone who feels that way, you seem to get pissed off enough about it,” Graham growled.

  “Because it isn’t cool, man. You don’t go after your brother’s women.”

  “Ginny was never really yours, Dane.”

  “I found her first. I only did you a courtesy by letting you fuck her.”

  “Didn’t realize that finders keepers also applied to women you’re not even committed to. Grow up Dane!”

&nb
sp; “Emma was mine!”

  “We’re not talking about Emma, asshole. And you two had broken up because you didn’t want to marry her.”

  “Good thing I have a brother like you to swoop in and give her what she wants for me.” He laughed. “Well, until the FedEx guy came around anyhow.”

  “Enough!” Their captain’s scream, his voice echoing off the walls, gained the attention of several of the officers outside of his closed office.

  Both men froze, their anger at each other forgotten as they redirected their attention back to their captain, who was once again leaned over his desk glaring at them.

  “I’ve had enough of both of you. This is how it’s going to go. You two are going to drop this ridiculous sibling rivalry you seem to have going on between you. You’re grown men for fuck sakes not teenagers. If you don’t drop it then you both will be on unpaid suspension. If after the suspension you two still can’t find a common ground then you’ll both be out of a job. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Yes, Sir.” Both refusing to look at the other one, they nodded in unison.

  “Good. Now ask yourselves: Is some chick worth your career and your relationship with each other?”

  Dane sighed, raking a hand through his hair and chancing a glance over at Graham. Was she really worth it? Maybe Graham was right. Emma left him because she wanted to be married and he wouldn’t commit to her. She’d waited for him to come around, but he’d made it clear he wasn’t interested in marriage and kids and all that went along with it. He’d even refused to allow her to move in with him, because he didn’t want her smothering him.

  Graham on the other hand embraced life as a couple. And ultimately Graham’s marriage ended because Emma wasn’t over Dane, she’d used Graham as a substitute. It was that realization that allowed him to forgive Graham in the first place, even though technically Graham hadn’t been in the wrong to begin with.

  But what if Graham was right about Genevieve? What if he pushed and she decided to choose him over Graham after all? Or Graham decided to end it to make him happy? Would he be able to give her the future she wanted? If he was honest with himself, he saw there was a good chance he wouldn’t be despite entertaining the possibility she was the one. Genevieve had been through enough with her old fiancé, she didn’t need his games and commitment issues fucking her over a second time.

  He looked over at Graham and sighed, “I’m sorry Graham. I overreacted.”

  “Ya think?” Graham turned his head to stare at his brother. “I lost a tooth because of you.”

  Dane chuckled. “With that ugly mug, won’t make a difference.”

  “We’re twins, idiot.”

  “So are we fine here? Or does a suspension sound good for the both of you?” their captain asked, visibly finished with the whole ordeal.

  “Yeah. We’re fine.”

  “Yeah,” Graham seconded his reassurance.

  “Good. Get out of my sight, I have real work to do.”

  “How about we go get a beer and talk this through,” Dane suggested as they exited the office, closing the door behind them.

  Graham looked hesitant but nodded. “Yeah. It’s best we clear the air. I don’t want a rehash of what happened with Emma. I really don’t.”

  ~*~*~*~*~

  ~ Genevieve ~

  It was 8pm and not a sight or word from Graham. She’d called twice and sent a few text messages. Nothing. With a sigh she moved away from the window that overlooked the street and flopped down on the sofa. Her brief and awkward conversation with Dane had been on her mind. One section of their conversation in particular came to mind – the fact Graham was manning a murder crime scene. What if something happened? What if he got hurt?

  Panic began to seep into her. What if he wasn’t answering because he was in the hospital – or worse? Ten minutes passed and her anxiety increased until the point she had her phone in her hands and preparing to phone the precinct.

  After looking up the number she quickly input the numbers and then sat with her finger hovering over the key, not sure if she should dial or not. Just as she made the final decision to press the button, the buzzer for her apartment rang.

  Oh, thank God!

  Leaping from the sofa, she rushed across the room and pressed the intercom. “Hello.”

  “Ginny. It’s me. Buzz me up.”

  Genevieve frowned. It sounded like him, but he didn’t quite sound right. Without question she pressed the buzzer opening the security lock on the front door. As she waited she stood in front of the full-length mirror and examined her reflection. Her make-up was still perfectly applied and her black knee-length pencil dress accented her figure perfectly. He’d love it.

  A wide smile emerged on her lips when the knock came at her door – loud and insistent.

  “Ginny!” Graham yelled from the other side of the door, followed by more loud knocking. “I’m here!”

  What in the hell? She rushed to the door and without bothering to look through the peephole flung it open, scared he’d disturb her overly anal neighbours with the noise.

  “What are you –” her mouth dropped open at the sight of him. He looked seriously fucked up. One hand held a bouquet of mangled flowers, presumably picked from the flower beds outside, and the other a half-drunk bottle of beer.

  “Hey, Ginny.” He took a step over the threshold and thrust the flowers at her. He faintly smelled of beer and was still wearing his uniform pants and white undershirt.

  She gingerly accepted the flowers, noticing that some had been yanked out of the ground and still contained the roots. She was so confused she couldn’t be angry. There was no doubt whatever he had originally planned for the evening had gone straight out the door.

  “What’s going on, Graham?”

  He walked past her and into the apartment, clucking his tongue off of the roof of his mouth. “Dane and I had a talk.” Surprisingly he wasn’t slurring his words although they sounded heavy and his walking was a little off kilter.

  She didn’t have to ask what about. Closing the door, she took his hand and pulled him over to the sofa. Sitting down, she patted the vacant spot next to her. As he sat she noticed a minor blackening of his eye and a cut on his upper lip, which was slightly swollen.

  “Oh my God, what happened to you?”

  “Dane.” He took another drink of his beer, finishing up the contents of the bottle.

  Her eyes widened. “Were you guys in a fight?”

  “Bingo.” He smiled wide and she noticed a missing tooth several teeth in from the front. She was sure he’d had all his teeth the previous evening.

  “And your tooth?” Her heart sank. She didn’t want them fighting over her and certainly didn’t want them coming to blows with each other.

  This is my fault. All my fault.

  He grinned as wide as possible. “Arrr. I’m a pirate now.”

  Her hand flew to her mouth, not sure if she should laugh at his antics or cry because she was the cause of it. A giggle escaped her while tears formed in her eyes.

  “Don’t worry.” He graced her with a wink. “I got a few good whacks in myself.”

  “When did this happen?”

  “After my shift. He found me in the locker room. No big deal.” He waved a dismissive hand at her. “We fight all the time.”

  “With your fists?” She looked down at the flowers in her hand and placed them on the coffee table, wiping the soil from her hands on a napkin.

  He did say he was going to surprise me, she mused, I’m thoroughly surprised.

  “Nah, it’s been a while for that… we were about due really.”

  “Are you drunk?”

  “Wha’? No. No. No. Just had a few beers. That’s all. We worked it out over beer.”

  She gave him a dubious look, but didn’t challenge him on the drunk issue.

  “Oh shit! Wait!” He stood up quickly and collapsed back onto the sofa.

  “Oh God, are you okay Graham? Do you need some water? Aspirin?”


  “We have a date tonight. I was supposed to give you the date of a lifetime.” He leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. “I just need a minute and we can go.”

  She shook her head. “Nope. The only place we’re going is to the bedroom to get you undressed and in bed.” She imagined that between him only having two and a half hours sleep the previous night, the long day at work at some grotesque crime scene, the blows to the head he’d received and the alcohol, the best thing for him at the moment was sleep.

  “I’m fine.” He lifted his head, attempted a smile and stood. “Let’s go.”

  She laughed and took his hand. “Only place you’re going is bed.” She gave his hand a tug, leading him to the bedroom.

  “I’m fine Ginny, really.”

  She ignored him, flicking on the light as she led him into the bedroom. “You have the next couple of days off right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well then we can spend the day together tomorrow. You’re going to bed.”

  “I don’t want to impose.” As he protested she busied herself stripping his clothes from his body. “I really don’t need you fussing.”

  She looked up at him, determination flashing in her eyes. “Yeah. You do. So stop arguing and finish getting undressed. I’ll get you some aspirin. I want you completely naked by the time I get back. I’ll wash your clothes while you sleep.” She didn’t wait for a response, but heard a dry “Yes, Ma’am” as she exited the room, making her grin.

  Making a side trip to the living room she picked up her makeshift bouquet of flowers and made her way into the kitchen. After shaking the soil from the roots of the flowers she found a vase, filled it with water and placed them inside, arranging them so they looked as good as a bunch of random flowers could.

  “May not be roses, but it’s the thought,” she murmured to herself with a smile on her lips, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge and then grabbing the bottle of aspirin.