“Did they haze sorority girls like that at Cedar Grove University?” Jett looked over at me and chuckled.
At least he’s laughing—that’s a good sign.
“I wouldn’t know.” I squirmed and sipped my beer. “I didn’t join a sorority.”
“Which is why you didn’t end up massacred.” Rand grinned and tilted his head as the paddle came down on the first girl’s exposed ass.
“Wow, they’re going to get paddled and then they’re going to get killed.” I squirmed a little more and felt a tingle when I saw the paddle in action.
Not that I would mind the first part—especially if it was someone as hot as Jett doing it.
“None of them seem to mind getting paddled.” Jett reached for popcorn, and instead of pulling his hand away when he realized mine was in the bowl, he traced my fingers.
Okay, now he’s the one sending mixed signals.
Jett and I teased each other with a couple of touches as the movie continued. My heart was racing and I wasn’t paying much attention to the screen. I didn’t have Rand to distract me, so my attention was entirely where it should have been all evening. I started to feel like maybe Jett was interested—he definitely seemed a lot more interested than he was when he pulled away without kissing me. When the last girl was left standing on the screen and the killer was seemingly dead, I wasn’t ready to go home. It was late though, and I knew they had to both be up early for work. Rand already looked sleepy and while Jett didn’t look to be very tired, I didn’t want to be the reason he was dead on his feet the next day.
“Alright, I guess I should head back to my place.” I reached over and patted Jett’s hand. “This was a lot of fun. I really liked spending the day with you.”
“Maybe we can watch a couple more movies next weekend after we finish clearing out the other two lockers.” Jett tilted his head and smiled.
“Yeah, that sounds good.” I nodded and looked towards Rand. “Maybe not one this gruesome.”
“What?” Rand looked offended. “There’s like four sequels to this! We own them all now!”
“Okay,” I smirked and rolled my eyes. “I guess we kind of have to watch the others now that we’ve started the series.”
“I’ll walk you back to your apartment.” Jett stood and extended his hand.
The walk back to my apartment was brief since I literally lived down the hall from them. Once we arrived at my door, Jett took my hand and I saw that same look in his eyes again. I was practically begging him to kiss me. Every muscle in my body was tingling as he squeezed my hand moved a little closer. He started to lean forward and I closed my eyes, ready for his lips to crush mine with the kiss he should have given me earlier—but it didn’t come. He was so close I could feel his warmth—almost taste his breath, but then he was gone. I opened my eyes and saw a slight grimace on his face as he leaned back and let go of my hand.
“What’s wrong?” I felt my jaw trying to clench, and I wasn’t grimacing, I was getting angry.
“I need to ask you something?” His shoulders slumped and he sighed. “Do you like my brother?”
“I think you’re both great—but he’s not the one that keeps stopping right before he kisses me.” I blinked in confusion.
“I know.” He nodded slowly. “I’m just worried that you might like both of us—and might have that same look on your face if he was standing here in my place.”
“I—I don’t honestly know.” I looked down at the floor and felt my emotions crashing down against my soul.
“That’s why I’m hesitating.” He took my hand and sighed. “You’re a really nice girl, and I can’t deny that I feel something—I just don’t know if I could do that again.”
“Again?” My jaw relaxed and I felt my anger starting to pass.
“We were both in love with the same girl once.” He squeezed my hand then let it go. “It didn’t end well. I’m sorry.”
Jett turned and started walking back to his apartment. My head started to spin with confusion. They were both in love with the same girl once. That’s what the problem was. The clarity hit me so hard I had to grab my doorknob before my knees went weak. I had been sending mixed signals. I was a fool and it might have cost me an opportunity with either one of them. I stepped into my apartment and pushed the door closed. Jett was amazing—but so was Rand. I couldn’t be the one that came between them. If it caused problems before, I could fully understand his concern. I sat down on my couch and turned on the television. I was a little tired from the beer, but my mind was racing too much for sleep.
Chapter Eight
Rand
“So?” I looked up at Jett when he walked into the apartment after walking Brylee home. “Did you make a move?”
“Almost.” He grunted and walked into the kitchen. “Want another beer?”
“I want to sleep, but yeah—it sounds like we’re probably going to have to talk.” I nodded and waited for him to return.
I tried my best to give Jett some room with Brylee. I even moved to the chair after the first movie so they could be alone on the couch. I was afraid of what Jett was going to say. He walked back into the living room and handed me my beer. He was silent for several minutes after he sat down on the couch. I knew my brother well enough to know that he was dealing with something internally—I couldn’t rush his thought process. He was a lot more analytical and methodical in his approach, regardless of the problem. I was more stubborn and just smashed my head into the problem until the answer presented itself.
“She likes us both.” He sipped his beer and leaned back.
“Fuck.” I exhaled sharply. “I’m really sorry, bro. I tried—I swear I did.”
“I know.” He nodded slowly. “It’s not your fault. I should have made a move sooner, or just invited her to go on a date with me.”
“Next weekend, the two of you can do the storage locker on your own. I’ll go see Mom and take her out to dinner or something. You can have the apartment to yourself.” I sipped my beer as I tried to think through a solution.
“Or maybe I’m just overthinking this.” He sipped his beer again. “I like Brylee, but I know you like her too.”
“She’s gorgeous and I won’t sit here and lie to you—I think she’s one of the most interesting women I’ve ever met.” I shrugged and sighed. “But, we have rules about this.”
“Is it fair to sit here thinking about ourselves without considering what she wants?” Jett looked over at me with a blank stare on his face.
“We’ve been down this road before. We’ve suffered because of it, and we swore we would never even consider it again.” I nervously lifted my beer and let a generous portion drain into my mouth.
“Brylee isn’t Hannah. Hannah was a confused teenager. Brylee is a woman who seems to understand what she wants.” Jett shook his head back and forth. “I just don’t see how it would work with just the two of us if she’s already admitted she’s interested in you too.”
“But does Brylee even understand what that means? It’s one thing to be sorta interested in two guys—it’s another thing entirely to be shared by them.” I lifted my beer, already thinking I would need another one once it was empty.
“I don’t know, but I think we should keep an open mind here. We shouldn’t close the door entirely just because something fucked up our perspective of love.” Jett sighed and sipped his beer.
“I never thought you would be the one who suggested something like this.” I finished my beer and stood. “Want another one?”
“Yeah, I think I need it at this point.” He nodded and guzzled what was left.
My thoughts were in turmoil when I walked into the kitchen. I could tell that Jett was seriously considering what he said, which meant he really liked Brylee. He liked her so much that he was willing to relive the most painful moment of our lives. I would have been lying if I said I didn’t feel that same temptation. We were dangerously close to going down a road that could destroy us. The worst part was that a ce
rtain realization was present inside me. Sharing a woman with Jett would erase a lot of my concerns about falling for someone. I wouldn’t have to worry about her being abandoned if something happened to me. Jett would make sure she was taken care of. I wouldn’t have to worry about leaving a child behind if a bad day on the job left behind a widow. She would still have Jett.
“Here you go.” I handed Jett his beer and sat down next to him on the couch. “Since we’re being honest, there’s something I need to tell you. Something I haven’t told anyone.”
“Okay.” He turned towards me with concern on his face. “I thought we didn’t have any secrets.”
“This one—it’s not a secret. It’s just more of a lingering concern.” I sighed and put my beer on the coffee table.
I told Jett everything. I told him about the despair I felt after waking up in the hospital, why I ended things with the girl I was seeing, and why I never pursued a real relationship after that. I saw his face reflect the same despair as mine. I had always wanted to tell him for a long time, but I was scared to say it out loud most of the time. I fought back the tears as I finished my confession and when I reached for my beer, Jett hugged me. We hadn’t hugged—god, we hadn’t hugged since we graduated from high school. The guys at the station would have never let us live it down if they had seen us at that moment. I didn’t give a fuck. I needed it more than I ever wanted to admit. When our embrace was done, I lifted my beer and just let the alcohol fill my mouth. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my chest.
“That settles it.” Jett twisted the top off his beer and raised it to me. “We say fuck the rules we made when Hannah left.”
“Fuck the rules.” I extended my beer and tapped the top of his bottle. “If Brylee is truly interested in both of us, we stop getting in the way of it.”
I went to bed with a clear conscious and clarity I hadn’t experienced in quite some time. I had no idea if Brylee was interested enough to consider dating us both or being shared. She was a nice girl who had probably never considered that possibility. I knew one thing for sure though—she was going to have a hard time keeping her panties on if both of us turned up the heat. I had done my best to keep the filter on out of respect for Jett, but if we were going to go for it, then that was no longer necessary. I was a good wingman, but I was relentless when I went after someone I wanted. It had been far too long since I chased passion. I didn’t have to stay lost in my own fear anymore. Brylee might be the one that changed everything for both of us. She could be the one.
“I guess there’s no reason for me to go get the truck this morning.” I walked into the kitchen and chuckled as I started pouring my coffee.
“No, I doubt she’ll be out in the hallway this early on a Sunday.” Jett grinned and flipped to the next page of the newspaper he was reading.
Jett and I went to work, and while we didn’t talk about Brylee, I knew she was on both our minds. It would be a week before we could spend time with her again. I usually didn’t mind our schedule, but I normally didn’t have someone I was eager to see that it kept me away from. The first couple of hours of our shift was pretty quiet, and then we got a call for an accident on the interstate. We responded to that, and thankfully, it wasn’t much of an emergency. After we got back to the station, a call came in for a fire that had broken out downtown. It wasn’t much of a fire, and we had it out in no time. Those were the calls I liked. I hoped our entire shift was that easy because I hated it when the calls ended in tragedy. When we got back to the station for the second time, Chief Johnson was waiting as soon as we parked the truck.
“You two, follow me.” He pointed at Jett and then to me.
Shit, are we in trouble or something?
“What’s going on Chief?” I followed behind him as Jett caught up.
“It’s nothing bad. There’s someone here that wants to see you.” He pointed toward his office.
Brylee? Did she just decide to stop by the station? No—she doesn’t know what station we work at.
I followed Chief Johnson to his office and when the door opened, I saw a middle-aged woman with dark brown hair. I recognized her face, but it took me a moment to place it. She was one of the women we pulled out of the apartment building that we responded to a few days prior. Her apartment was on the bottom floor where the fire started and it was absolutely destroyed before the fire was out. Thankfully, we were able to get there in time to save her—and her children. The instant she saw us, she ran up and hugged us both. I was a little surprised, but I hugged her back. I looked at Jett and saw the same reflection of confusion on his face. We saved a lot of people, but it was rare for one of them to show up at the station.
“This is Maria.” Chief Johnson smiled and motioned to the woman we saved.
“I just wanted to come by and thank you both. I didn’t get a chance to the other night.” She was in tears by the time she stopped hugging us and took a step back. “I thought I was out of my mind because I saw two of you—but you really are twins.”
“Yes, we are. You really don’t have to thank us.” I shook my head back and forth. “It’s our job.”
“Yeah.” Jett nodded and put his hand on her shoulder. “Is everything okay now? Are the kids okay?”
“Yes, I don’t think they’re old enough to really understand how bad it could have been.” She sighed, but then a slight smile formed on her face. “I made you some cookies.”
“I guess you found a place to stay then?” I smiled as she walked over to Chief Johnson’s desk and picked up a plate of chocolate chip cookies.
“Yes, our landlord has been more than generous. He’s found a place for all of us to stay while the apartment building is being renovated.” She walked over and held out the plate.
I guess it would be rude to say no, even though I don’t normally eat many sweets.
“Thank you.” I nodded and picked up one of the cookies.
“You really didn’t have to do this—but I’m not going to turn down a homemade chocolate chip cookie.” Jett grinned and grabbed one of them.
“It’s okay. I’m a single mom. All I do is work, cook and take care of the kids.” She shrugged and put the plate down.
“We know how that goes.” I looked at Jett and nodded. “Our mom raised us on her own too.”
“Well anyway, I won’t take up too much of your time. I just wanted to come by and thank you personally.” She smiled and tilted her head. “One more hug?”
“Sure.” I chuckled and gave her another quick hug. “I’m really glad you're okay. Hopefully, your renter's insurance will take care of everything and you’ll be back in your own place in no time.”
“I wish.” She sighed. “But we’ll be fine.”
“Wait.” Jett tilted his head slightly. “Do you not have insurance?”
“No—I probably should have, but it’s really expensive.” She shrugged and I saw a pained expression on her face. “The temporary place we’re in is fully furnished though, so I’ll save some money for a few months and do a little thrift store shopping.”
“What about clothes and—other stuff.” My face quickly twisted into one of concern, but then a thought hit me. “Wait, give us your address.”
“No, come on. I don’t want charity. You’ve done enough.” She held up her hand and waved me off.
“My brother and I buy abandoned storage lockers when we’re not rushing into burning buildings.” I looked over at Jett, who immediately understood what I was saying.
“Yeah, we honestly just throw away a lot of the stuff we find. If you give us your address, we don’t mind bringing some stuff by. It might not be the best, but it’ll be free.” Jett nodded quickly.
Maria gave us her address and we had one last round of hugs before she left. Even in the face of absolute ruination she seemed to be cheerful and just happy to be alive. It really put things in perspective for me. We complained about the shift because it was long and we were exhausted by the end of it, but it was worth every se
cond. Maria reminded me a lot of our Mom. She wouldn’t have taken charity unless someone dumped it all on her doorstep. We already donated some of the stuff we couldn’t sell to the Salvation Army, so giving some of it to Maria didn’t bother me at all. It would be nice to know that it was going to someone who truly needed it. Some of the clothes we found at the locker we just finished were probably her size, and the next locker had a few pieces of furniture.
“I think we should go see Mom tomorrow.” Jett looked over at me after Maria left.
“Yeah, I’m missing her more than ever right now.” I sighed and a half-smile formed on my lips.
Chapter Nine
Brylee
I spent Sunday frustrated over what happened on Saturday night. It had been such a great day, and I didn’t want it to end on a bad note, but that was exactly what happened. Waking up on Monday morning wasn’t any better. I had been able to forget the troubles from the office while I was with Jett and Rand, but when the alarm clock went off, they all came flooding back. I definitely had to talk to Dana. She had left me with so much uncertainty and then called in the day she was supposed to meet with Mr. Dunkirk. My resume was touched up, but I was hesitant to send it off until I knew things were truly going downhill at Dunkirk Accounting. After dwelling on it all day Friday and over the weekend, I was ready to know one way or the other which direction my career needed to take.
Quiver & Burn: A MFM Firefighter Romance (Surrender to Them Book 5) Page 5
