The Barrett Brothers Collection

by K B Cinder

  “Yes, sir.”

  His face twisted, running a hand over his mustache. “I talked to one of your people earlier. I hate to say it, but he didn’t give me the time of day.”

  My heart dropped. How could Jason not be interested? The products were incredible.

  “Tall guy? Dark hair?” I asked, cocking my head.

  “No, shorter. Real red. Sweaty.” He gestured at about Marty’s height.

  I sighed. “I’m so sorry. Please don’t take him personally. He’s an idiot.”

  It slipped out before I could catch it, earning a hearty laugh. “Oh, I like you! I like you a lot!”

  “I’m sorry. Sometimes I just get talking and...”

  “Happens to the best of us,” he assured, waving a hand. “Hey, let me know if you’re ever looking to get out of the distribution business. You’re a smart cookie.”

  “Actually...” I trailed, checking for a sign of Marty before slipping him a copy of my resume. “I’ve been exploring my options.”

  He smiled, giving me a thumbs up. “Told you. I knew you’re smart.”

  I glanced at one of the few posters on his booth. “Your operations are in Rhode Island?”

  He nodded. “Our manufacturing plant is, but we mainly have remote office staff. You’d be remote if that’s okay.”

  My heart soared, and it took everything to keep from bursting into happy tears. “That would be phenomenal.”

  “Which city are you based out of?” he asked.

  “I’m in Ithaca, but looking to move closer to home in Vermont to be near my father,” I replied. “Do you live near the manufacturing plant?”

  He chuckled. “I practically lived at the site for thirty years. I moved an hour away for some breathing room a few months back.”

  “Understandable,” I agreed.

  “That’s sweet you’re moving to be near your folks. I wish my kids had the same values. My brats hightailed it down south and haven’t been back. I guess palm trees top Rhode Island winters.”

  “We find our way home eventually,” I assured, smiling, knowing I was well on my way there.

  Jason

  Holy shit. I did it.

  I survived three nights in a hotel room with Elena, and my balls didn’t explode. She texted me red-hot messages during the day, forcing my mind straight into the gutter. I stumbled across her more than once on the convention floor and had to turn the other way, not trusting myself not to haul her off somewhere to fuck her senseless.

  Sleeping in different beds was more than a struggle, but I’d take the blue balls over bunking with Marty any day.

  I survived the four-hour drive back to Ithaca, too, in part by banning drinks from the car. It pissed Marty off, but with holiday traffic, I wasn’t stopping a hundred and one times because he preferred his blood to have a caffeine octane level.

  We returned the car to the rental center and went our separate ways, though I ended up back at Elena’s place while she packed for her trip.

  As long as I left for the airport by seven-thirty, I’d be golden, the hour-long ride to Syracuse International almost as long as the flight to Boston. While I liked Ithaca for a lot of reasons, I loathed its distance to the airport.

  I laid across her bed with Hank at my side, stroking the purring feline as she fiddled around in her closet. It was almost four o’clock, and she had to hit the road soon, at least seven hours of highway ahead of her if she was lucky.

  I wasn’t crazy about her making the trip alone, but Thanksgiving with my brothers was non-negotiable. I also didn’t want to invite myself to meet the parents. I hadn’t done the dance since Bianca and wasn’t sure I still knew the steps.

  I winced at the thought, watching her stumble towards her open suitcase with an armful of sweaters. “Preparing for a nuclear winter?” I joked.

  “It gets cold up there!” she defended, huffing as she tossed the pile on her bed.

  She was right about the weather, but it wasn’t batten-down-the-hatches cold yet. Briar was chilly when I visited two weeks earlier, but nothing unmanageable. Once winter came, it was an entirely different story, and I wouldn’t let her make the trip alone. “You’ll be there for four days.”

  Her phone rang before she could respond, settling for sticking her tongue out before answering. “Hi Dad!” she greeted, tucking the phone to her shoulder as she folded sweaters to stuff in her suitcase. Regardless of how tight she rolled them, there was no way in hell they were all fitting beside the crap she already crammed in. “I’m finishing up packing, and I’ll be on my way.”

  “Are you okay? Do you need me to bring anything?” My eyes snapped to her face, but she didn’t look upset, still focused on folding her sweater, a shade of purple that looked divine against her skin tone.

  “Oh... oh okay...” she trailed, her tone dipping. She stopped folding, dropping the sweater into a crumpled ball on top of the folded items. “No... no, it’s fine. I get it. There’s still Christmas, right?”

  She listened carefully, an arm crossing her body as her lips twisted. “Feel better, okay?” she urged, a lopsided grin slicing through the sadness. “I will. I love you too. Bye.”

  She sighed, disconnecting and tossing the phone down on her bed. “Change of plans. Dad has the stomach flu, so I’ll be staying here.” Her cheeks were flushed, and she averted her eyes, visibly upset.

  “You can come with me,” I offered, regretting the words as soon as they fell out of my face. What the fuck was I saying? She couldn’t meet my brothers yet. They’d eat her alive. I didn’t have parents for her to meet; I had a pair of Tasmanian devils.

  “No, no, I don’t want to intrude.” She pulled clothing from her suitcase, fluffing each item to hang back in her closet.

  “It’s not intruding,” I assured, reeling that I invited her, but refusing to leave her alone for the holiday. “I’m inviting you. It’ll be fun. Ever been to Boston?”

  She shook her head. “No, but I can’t, Jase. It’s a boys’ weekend. I’ll be fine. I haven’t seen Hank all week, anyway.”

  I pulled out my phone, ignoring her. With a few taps, I booked her a ticket, scoring a seat in business class. “Not an option. I bought you a ticket.”

  Her jaw dropped, knuckles white around the sweater in her hands. “Jason!” she screeched.

  “Come on, it’ll be fun! I’ll show you the hahbah!” I joked, giving her a taste of my best Boston accent, which was complete shit.

  Her chocolate eyes flicked to mine, and I could tell she was warming to the idea. “Where am I going to stay?”

  “Uh, with me?” I replied, sitting up.

  “Where?” she pushed, a hand on her hip.

  “In my brother’s house...” I trailed. “If you aren’t comfortable, I could get us a hotel room, but I’ll warn you, Ethan’s place is nicer than any hotel in Boston.”

  She sighed, coming to sit on my lap, looping her arms around my neck as she pressed a quick kiss to my cheek. “You’re too much, Jason Barrett.”

  * * *

  In twelve hours, we went from New York City to Ithaca, to Syracuse, and finally, Boston, ending up in front of Ethan’s condo by eleven-thirty.

  I didn’t bother to tell either brother that Elena was coming, deciding to keep it a surprise, figuring that I’d rip the band-aid off all at once. I also didn’t want to give them a chance to concoct a god-awful prank.

  Now that we were in Boston, her nerves appeared to kick in, her eyes wide as she let me lead the way to the elevator without a word.

  Ethan’s place was intimidating, the towering waterfront building as posh as they came, each unit worth upwards of five million. His, of course, was the best of the best, a sprawling penthouse that made the nicest homes in Gold Coast seem modest.

  “They’re not as cute as me,” I warned, grinning down at her as the door chimed. “But they’re awfully charming.”

  “Hm. I wonder where they get it from,” she teased, smiling back, her hands relaxing from white-knuckling he
r handbag.

  “Luke has a dog that’s here too. Her name is Tally. She’s a pit bull, but she’s a friendly little tank.”

  “Most are,” she agreed, nodding. “I grew up with shepherds, so I’m used to people and their breed prejudices.”

  “You’ll love her.”

  Everyone did once they met the meatball. She had a head on her like a goddamn bear but gave more kisses than anything unless you got handsy with her owner. Then it was game on.

  “I love dogs,” she replied, following my lead to step in as the doors opened. “I’ll get one, eventually.”

  “Same,” I replied, but forcing the thought away. I still couldn’t think about Chicago without getting nauseous. I tucked my offer letter away in my bedside drawer, not wanting to look at it. “One day.”

  I tapped in the entry code to Ethan’s floor, flipping off the security camera as it snapped a photo of my face.

  Elena giggled, swatting my rude gesture playfully. “What breed do you want?” she asked.

  “Something with too much energy for its own good, so it can be my running partner.”

  She smiled. “Can we get a lazy dog too that will hang out and watch Forensics with us?”

  “Whatever you want,” I replied, meaning every word.

  We stepped onto Ethan’s floor seconds later, walking hand in hand to his front door.

  This was it. It was put up or shut up time. I was finally allowing someone in, welcoming her into our dynamic. There was no going back. I knocked on the door, Tally’s barks announcing our arrival.

  With any luck, the boys would behave, and everything would go smoothly. Worst-case scenario, they’d let her know how deep my scars ran, but it’d save me a long talk.

  The door popped open a second later, and a shirtless, heavily tatted Luke appeared.

  Scratch that. A butt-ass naked, heavily tatted Luke swinging his dick in a perfect meat spin, the organ whirling like a rotor blade–balls and all-appeared.

  It was as if time stood still when his eyes fell on Elena, his smile contorting into horror. He couldn’t cover himself fast enough, his hands smashing his junk behind them mid-swing, a ball still bubbling out. “OH MY GOD! I AM SO SORRY!” he bellowed, blushing from head to toe.

  Elena giggled at my side, turning her face against my arm.

  “Nice going,” I teased, grinning at my brother, who looked more embarrassed than I had ever seen him. “It’s great to see you too, brother, but I must decline the offer. You cold?”

  “You set me up!” he accused, scurrying backward with his hands still cupped over his junk.

  We stepped inside, Elena crouching to love on Tally, whose tail was wagging a mile a minute.

  “You’re the one traumatizing Tally with your meat and potatoes,” I replied. “Elena, this is my brother, Luke. Luke, this is my girlfriend, Elena.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Elena offered, standing after Tally had her share of rubs. “I’d give you a hug, but...” She motioned at his lack of clothing, smirking.

  Luke reddened all the more, shooting me dead with a glance. “Sorry, someone did me dirty.”

  “What’s all this fuss?” Ethan asked, stepping into the foyer with a beer in one hand and a remote control in the other. His eyes fell on Elena, and he grinned like the devil. “Well, look at this! Who is she?”

  “This is my girlfriend, Elena. Elena, this is my youngest brother, Ethan. He’s the classier one. Notice how he’s wearing clothes?” I gestured at his black tee and gray sweatpants, my eyes focusing on the clear-as-day dickprint.

  Seriously? What the hell was going on? What was with the dick party?

  He strolled over and pulled her into a hug, grinning at me all the while. Easily the most attractive Barrett, he stood an inch taller than me, his hair darker and impossibly tousled. We shared the same eye color and cheekbones, but he inherited our sperm donor’s olive skin, not needing to worship the sun as I did in Tampa.

  “Hey there, Sissy!” he greeted, eyeing her up. “You are adorable. What are you doing with my older, way dorkier brother?”

  “We’re dorks together,” she replied, smiling as she tucked a stray wave behind her ear, hair mussed from napping on the plane.

  “You know, he’s awfully close to forty. I’ve been trying to convince him to get one of those medical alert bracelets just in case he falls and can’t get up. Maybe you can convince him?” He glanced between us again, his smile widening.

  “I’ll try,” she teased.

  Luke reappeared in a top and pajama pants, still flushed head to toe. “I am so sorry.”

  “It’s okay,” Elena reassured, pulling him into a hug as he offered one her way. “I’ll never forget your face now.”

  “Or your dick,” Ethan muttered.

  Elena

  Finally, Jason was opening up.

  I thought little of it since the dreaded L-word popped in my head, but it was clear as day once he invited me along to Boston.

  Did he feel the same? Did he love me too?

  And Jesus, Mary, and Joseph could a man’s genes get any better? Good God, they could bottle up their sperm and sell it for millions to the highest bidder.

  The holiday weekend was in full swing. Literally. When a gorgeous man answered the door butt naked, I almost fell over, his meat fest swinging in a perfect circle. And as if I wasn’t reeling enough, another appeared, a smidgen taller than Jason with wild hair and even wilder eyes. Everywhere I looked, there was a handsome man, though mine, of course, was the best of all.

  Shockingly, the sight of another handsome man naked didn’t leave me salivating. I wanted to gouge my eyes out, feeling more like I saw a relative naked than anything else.

  After penises were reined in, we chatted for a while before bed, Luke using “fuck” like punctuation while Ethan was the more soft-spoken of the two. Jason was more relaxed than I had ever seen, a perpetual smile touching his lips.

  Ethan’s home felt like a palace, tucked away at the top of a building overlooking the water, nothing but sea for miles if you peeked outside. It was hard not to, given the large panes of glass making up most of the walls. He either had an eye for design or a talented home decorator, every inch of the home stunning. It wasn’t as sterile as I feared from the outside, each space complete with its own character that melded together in perfect harmony.

  We slept in a guest room across from Luke’s, and while Jason went out like a light, I tossed and turned, too jittery to relax. A million thoughts bubbled up, hopes of love, marriage, babies, and more escaping the box I stored them in long ago. Things that once seemed impossible felt like a genuine prospect.

  His brothers were more than welcoming, naked greeting and all.

  Luke was as unruly as expected, a heavily inked man with long hair, brows as expressive as Jason’s, though his face hid behind a beard he wore like armor. Underneath his gruff exterior, he was a big softy, melting every time he interacted with his dog. A dog I adored with her big brown eyes and mix-match coat of brindle and white.

  Ethan was a tough nut to crack, a stone-faced giant who went from serious to ridiculous in five seconds flat. He'd drop jokes that left my sides hurting from laughter before quickly falling into silence. And while Jason was intense, he was harsh, eyes staring through my soul, testing me.

  Jason and I woke up early, heading out to walk the beach with Tally, the other men still passed out. We walked along the shoreline hand in hand, the bite of November air not penetrating the warm glow around us. It was exactly the way holidays were meant to be.

  It was night and day from a year before when I spent the day crying in Dad’s loft with a turkey leg, devastated over Justin. I never thought a year later I’d be walking along a beach with Jason, a man I loved and admired, somehow more than the man I accepted a proposal from. As sad as it was, it was true; nothing compared to the way I felt about the man at my side. Love was a funny thing, blinding you to things you’d never tolerate otherwise. With him, I was unstoppable.
He loved my quirks, worshiped my body, and fed my mind.

  “Sorry about the sausage party greeting,” Jason laughed, pulling me out of my head.

  I glanced his way, my heart skipping a beat at the man I loved in the morning light, his hair still disheveled from sleep. “It’s okay,” I replied, grinning. “I know a lot more about him now.”

  “He’s a good kid,” he assured, adjusting his grip on Tally’s leash as she fixated on a brave seagull that wandered too close. It was a long lead, allowing her to run as she pleased, but not enough to get a mouthful of seabird. “More twisted up than a mile-long corkscrew, but a good kid.”

  “He seems fine.” I didn’t see a thing wrong with him, as he was the far more welcoming brother. Ethan was great too, but his reservation about outsiders was evident.

  “He’s probably the hardest working son of a bitch I’ve ever met.”

  I cocked my head his way. “Coming from a guy that will work after midnight if I don’t threaten to shut his laptop off?” I laughed.

  He frowned. “I left it in Ithaca, didn’t I?”

  Only because I forced him to, but I wasn’t in the mood to split hairs. “Yeah, but you’re not one to talk.”

  He rolled his eyes as we continued along, Tally chasing the waves, her tail wagging like mad. “Speaking of that, how did NorCon go? Any companies catch your eye?”

  I brought up Commons Electrical over dinner in New York but couldn’t mention the slip of a resume in front of Marty. Nor did I mention that Marty hadn’t given the guy the time of day, but I’d leave that out. There were only a few more weeks of the two together in Ithaca, and I didn’t want to see absolute carnage break out.

  “I handed out over a dozen copies of my resume, but I’m most excited about Commons Electrical,” I replied, smiling. “His team is mainly remote. I’m not sure what openings he has, but he’s a nice guy, and they offer great products.”

  I hoped Reginald would reach out with a product management position, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up too high. I would take anything if it got me out of Ithaca and closer to Dad. Spending the holiday away from him was bizarre, even after checking in first thing to make sure he was okay.