by Anita Kidesu
“Hey, Matt,” a familiar voice called, breaking his concentration.
“Dad.” Seeing his father always brightened his day. Even though they’d seen each other two nights ago, Matt pulled him into a bear hug. “Why aren’t you with Mom?”
“I needed to get up and stretch a bit. This sitting all day is hard.”
Matt rubbed the back of his neck. “Where is everyone? I’ve never seen a convention so quiet before.”
“There’s a panel of big name suspense and thriller authors going on. I hear there’re actors there, too.” Carson walked around the table and took the chair beside Matt. “With six of those guys speaking, it leaves the rest of the authors twiddling their thumbs.” He checked his watch. “Should be over in about an hour and things should pick up again.”
“That explains it.”
Carson glanced up and down the aisle. “Jon in the bathroom?”
“No. He went back to the room for a quick nap. He should be back soon. Then I get to take a break.”
“Rough night?”
He loved his father and was always able to share anything with him, but Matt wasn’t ready to talk about his love life with him. “No. We simply stayed up too late. You know how tiring these conventions are.”
His father raised an eyebrow, a gesture Matt hated. Usually, that meant Carson knew his son was lying. Then, Carson shot Matt a small smile. Another sign his father knew something.
Carson cleared his throat. “Wouldn’t have anything to do with a woman named Reenie, would it?”
Heat crept from Matt’s chest to his hairline. Shit. How did he know about her? “Um…”
Carson rested an ankle across his knee and toyed with his shoelaces. “Funny thing happened this morning.”
“Yeah? What was that?” Not that he really wanted to know.
“I was walking down the hallway, and your door opened. A woman with long dark hair flew out and nearly knocked me on my can.”
Shit. Beneath the table, he wiped his sweaty palms on his pants. “Yeah? So?” Keep cool. Keep cool.
“Yesterday, this same woman stopped at our booth. Beautiful, by the way. When Josie asked her name to autograph the books she bought, she said it was Reenie, the same name you and Jon said the other night.” Carson rubbed the side of his nose. “I’m not sure how popular a name Reenie is, but I’ve never met a person with that name before. Sure seemed a coincidence to your mother and me.
“Then this morning I see her coming from your room, hair kinda wild, makeup smeared. Made me wonder what she was doing in your room. There was only one conclusion.”
If Matt’s face grew any hotter, his skin would melt. “What’s that?”
“Humor me.” Carson picked up a pen. “Care to share how you two met Reenie?”
There was no sense in putting his father off. Once Carson sank his teeth into something, he didn’t let go. Plus, knowing his folks, they’d probably already discussed it. By the time he was done relaying the story, Carson was shaking his head.
Carson rolled the pen between his fingers. “Is this serious?”
Matt shrugged. He was serious and pretty certain Jon was, too. He had no idea about Reenie. “I think so, Dad. When I first saw her, it was like the universe aligned itself. Like things became clearer, brighter.” Man, did he sound like a sap. “I know it sounds like something from a romance novel, but it’s true.”
Carson slapped him on the back. “Well, son. That’s what happens.” He stood and gripped the back of the chair. “I’d better get back to your mother.”
“And report our conversation?”
Carson returned Matt’s smile. “You know your mother well, don’t you? Will we see you tonight?”
“Um. Probably not. We’re…”
“Meeting Reenie?”
The blasted heat rose to his face again. Hell, when would he outgrow blushing? For one thing, it was immature, and for another it wasn’t quite the manly thing to do. “Yeah.”
Jon walked down the aisle as Carson left. After man-to-man back slaps with Carson, Jon came to the table. “What did Dad want?” he asked, taking the empty chair.
“Guess.” After a few moments, he swore a light bulb went on above Jon’s head.
“Reenie?”
“Yep.”
Jon blushed, too, and frowned. “How did he find out about her?”
After a brief description of the conversation, Jon shook his head. “Damn.”
Matt stood and pulled his backpack from beneath the table. “It doesn’t matter what he or Mom think. We’re adults, and as long as we’re not hurting anyone, we can do what we want.” He stepped around the table. “Time for my nap.”
****
During the time Matt was gone, Jon visited with a few people and was surprised at how much easier it had become to interact each time someone came to their table. When he’d come back from his nap, his nerves had jangled at the idea of manning the booth alone. A few people had mentioned coming back when he and Matt were together so they could meet the writing twins and have both of them sign their books.
Who knew this would be their claim to fame? He sincerely hoped that once people read their books, they’d forget all about the twin thing and buy the books for their content. He wasn’t going to complain, though. A sale was a sale.
During a few lulls, he considered what Matt said about Reenie. He knew she was the one for him. For them both? How the hell would that work? Would she move in with them or vice versa? Could they get married? Probably not.
From what he’d heard, his folks and Eric had done a pseudo wedding. Even if it wasn’t legal, in their minds the three of them were married. If something happened to his father, would Josie marry Eric? It was comforting, knowing his mom would be taken care of if the worst happened to Carson.
Wiping a hand over his face, Jon sighed. Hell. Why was he even worrying about living with Reenie? She’d probably run away like she had at the bar if they asked her. But ever since meeting her, the thought of not having her in his life created a dark void. He snorted. Sounded like the romance novels his mother wrote.
Jon checked his watch. Where the hell was Matt? He was half an hour late. The program would be getting over soon. The aisles would fill up with people looking for books to buy and new authors to follow. No way did he want to handle that alone.
Five minutes later, Matt jogged to the booth. He slid his backpack under the table, sat down, crossed his arms over his chest, and smiled.
“What?”
Matt’s smile grew. “What do you mean what?”
“You’re up to something. You look like the cat that got the canary. I think I see a feather sticking from your mouth.”
After glancing up and down the aisle, Matt pulled his backpack from under the table and unzipped it. “Look.”
Jon’s heart kicked up speed as he looked inside the backpack. A jolt of electricity spiked to his cock. “Are those butt plugs?”
“Shh. Someone is coming.” Matt zipped the bag and shoved it back the table.
It all happened so fast, Jon wasn’t sure he’d seen what he thought he’d seen. His cock was sure, though.
A middle-aged couple stood before them. One of things Matt had told him was to stand to talk with people. Being at eye level made people feel comfortable, but how the hell was he supposed to stand up when sporting a hard-on? He bent over and pretended to pick something up from the floor, willing his cock to retreat. As he went to sit back up, he spotted Matt’s bag again. His cock responded. Shit. He couldn’t spend the afternoon pretending to pick up pens.
The only way to keep from sporting an erection was not to think about using the plugs. Yeah, like that was going to be easy. He’d never used one before, but his imagination conjured easing it into Reenie’s ass and fucking her pussy while it was in place. Had Matt ever used one with a woman?
After half an hour, when they were finally alone, Jon rounded on his brother, but kept his voice down. “Did you really buy butt plugs?”
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Matt didn’t have to say anything. His smile said it all. “And lube.”
“Holy shit. Where did you get them?”
“On the way up to the room, a guy in the elevator had a bag with the name of an adult store I recognized. I asked him where it was, and I made a detour before coming back here. That’s what took me so long.”
Jon couldn’t hide his grin and slapped Matt on the shoulder. “If that’s what you’re buying, you can be late any old time you want.”
Matt sat down and toed the backpack. “For someone who was so against a ménage, you’re really getting into this.”
Heat rose to Jon’s face. Damn blushing. He shrugged. “I’m not sure I’d feel this way if it was anyone but Reenie. I don’t know what it was, but the moment I saw her, it was like the universe aligned itself. Like things became clearer, brighter.”
Matt laughed.
Jon stopped and stared at his brother. “Why the hell are you laughing? I know it sounds like something Mom would write, but it’s true.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing because that was precisely how I felt when I first saw her. Could have bowled me over with a feather, I was so dumbfounded. Hell, I could barely talk to the woman.”
“Me, either. I think I sounded like a blithering idiot.”
“Guess that makes us twins.”
****
Thankfully, the next few hours passed quickly as he and Matt talked to people and sold and autographed books. Once the speakers had finished, the hall had filled with people, giving him no time to think about Reenie and the night to come. The people in the booths around them were packing up as the last person left their table. The aisle was empty.
“What time is it?”
Matt scooped up a pile of pens. “Time to get the hell out of here and meet Reenie for supper.”
Jon needed no more incentive to pack the suitcases they used to haul things for their book signings. He’d learned a lot in the past few days, and one was when it was time to leave, people moved faster than they had the entire three days.
“Let’s haul this up to the room. We can load it in the car tomorrow.” Matt lowered one of the banners into its metal container.
“Can we make it in one trip without a cart?”
“We’re damn well going to make sure we do.”
With their backpacks on their backs and the banner containers slung over their shoulders, they each pulled a suitcase toward the elevators, following other weary vendors. By the time they reached their room, Jon’s shoulders hurt, his feet ached, and his stomach growled.
“I want to wash my hands and face before we head down,” Matt said, dropping everything just inside the doorway.
“Good idea. We have a few minutes before we meet Reenie.”
****
The bar was nearly full when they finally made it down to the bar from their room. Matt searched the room for Reenie. Waiters rushed with trays full of drinks or food. Music blared. Laughter rose above the song playing. Matt’s head pounded. The scents of onions and beer permeated the air, making his stomach rumble for sustenance. He hoped she was already here, so they didn’t have to wait to eat.
“Can I help you?” a young man holding a stack of menus asked.
“Can we get a table?”
“For how many?”
Matt glanced over his shoulder. “Three.” Where was she?
“I have a booth available,” the man said, moving into the room, not waiting to see if they followed.
Once they were seated and beers placed in front of them, Matt took in the patrons. He waved to their folks and Eric, eating a few tables away.
“Where do you think she is?” Matt tried to keep the panic from his voice. Had she not enjoyed last night? Had they scared her away? He checked his cell phone for messages. Except for one from their publisher, nothing.
Jon took a swig of his beer and set the bottle on the table. “She said she was going to visit some friends. Maybe she got caught in traffic or lost track of time.”
Giggling from across the room drew his attention from Jon. “Shit.”
“What?”
Matt ducked his head into his shoulders and faced the wall. “Don’t look.”
“Why?” Jon asked, peering over his shoulder.
“It’s those two girls from the other night. You know, the ones who wanted to meet up with us.”
“They’re coming this way.”
Matt kicked Jon in the shin. “Dammit, I told you not to look. Now they probably think we’re waiting for them.”
“Hiya, boys,” the blonde said as she stopped at their table. “We’ve been looking for you.” She set her drink on the table and slid beside Jon. “I’m Amanda, and this is my friend, Anne.”
While the last thing he wanted was for the women to join them, he’d been taught to be polite to women and the elderly. Shoving her from the booth onto the floor would rank up there with not helping an elderly person across the street. Instead, he scooted to the wall.
Anne joined Matt. “We’re so glad we found you,” she said, settling in as if she was going to stay for the night.
Jon picked at his bottle’s label with his thumb. “Um, ladies, we’re actually…”
Amanda winked. She picked up a bag and set it on the table. “Besides wanting to spend time with you guys, we noticed some of our books weren’t signed by both of you.”
Anne pulled books from the bag. “We didn’t have time to go back to your booth, so we decided we’d look for you.” She handed a pen to Jon. “When we noticed some of the books were signed by you and some by your brother, we knew it was our chance to see you again.”
Jon signed a book then slid it over to Matt. After checking to see if he’d signed it, he put it back in the bag.
“There, all done,” Matt said when the fifth book was signed. He handed the bag to Amanda. “Thank you for stopping by. Have a safe trip home tomorrow.” Maybe they’d take the hint and leave.
Instead, Amanda waved the waiter over and ordered a round of drinks. “We’re not in a hurry to leave. We would love to hear how brothers work together to create such sexy books.”
Over Anne’s shoulder, Matt saw his mother frown at him from their table. Carson shook his head and pointed his forefinger. He knew what they were thinking. That he and Jon were jumping from one bed to another. Matt raised his shoulders, shook his head. Would his parents come to their rescue? Eric stood and came to their booth.
“Hi, guys,” Eric said. “Who are these lovely ladies?”
Matt wanted to wipe the smirk from Eric’s face. An ache started behind his right eye. He loved the guy like a second father, but right now, he simply wanted him to help them out. “Uh, these two ladies just needed their books signed.”
“And now they’re going to tell us all about writing their books.” Amanda’s high-pitched voice pierced his ears. “Wanna join us?” She slid closer to Matt, shoving him against the wall.
“That’s all right. I just came over to say hi to Matt and Jon and see if they needed anything.”
Before he could answer, Anne piped up, “We’re just fine.” She raised her glass in a salute. “We’re just getting started for the night.”
While Anne’s voice wasn’t as grating as Amanda’s, it still made Matt’s head pound. “How did you do today, Eric?” Maybe if he kept him at the table long enough, he could somehow send a message for assistance. Could he blink a message in Morse Code? Tap his finger in dots and dashes on the table? Make an airplane with a napkin with help written on it and shoot it over to his parents?
“Well, you guys have a good night,” Eric said as he turned to leave.
“Oh, we will, won’t we?” Amanda said, accepting her drink from the waiter.
The headache behind his eyes grew. Matt groaned. Maybe if he managed to unclench his teeth, it would go away. A silhouette of a woman appeared in the doorway of the restaurant, one with long, dark hair flowing over her shoulders.
His heart plummeted. Shit.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Reenie stood in the doorway of the local bar and scanned the room. Once. Twice. Maybe they weren’t here yet. A high-pitched laugh rose above boisterous voices and blaring music. She remembered hearing that voice before. She stepped farther into the room, letting her eyes adjust to the dim interior.
The female author she’d met yesterday was sitting at a table with two men. One was the guy she’d bumped into during her walk of shame—Carson, the author’s husband.
Reenie blushed.
She swung toward the woman’s laughter. Oh, yeah. Now, she remembered. The two girls who’d flirted with Jon and Matt yesterday. But where were…
She stopped, and her heart took a nosedive as she saw her guys in the booth with the women. Tears pooled in her eyes. Those jackasses. And here she’d thought the three of them had something special, something that might include a future together. Well, the evidence proved otherwise. The blonde bimbo rested against Jon’s side while the brunette laughed and gazed into Matt’s face. Neither of the men had an arm around the women, but neither were they pushing them away.
Matt spotted her. If she had read his lips correctly, he’d just said, “Shit.” Because they’d been caught with other women? He narrowed his eyes at her and frowned. Upset because they figured out they didn’t want to be with her after all and hadn’t had a chance to tell her before she showed up?
Well, that was good enough for her. She’d take the memory of their incredible night together and bury it so deep she’d never find it again until she was old and silver-haired. Her stomach growled. No sense in going back to the room hungry.
Unfortunately, the only table available was too near to Jon and Matt and their bimbos for her peace of mind. Even though she had her back to them, the vision of the cozy foursome was imprinted in her brain.
Through tear-filled eyes, Reenie ordered a glass of wine and a pizza for one. A deep voice that sounded more like Jon than Matt rumbled through her system. Were they planning a night in bed with the women? Were they going to swap them back and forth?
