“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 her 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
