He could still visualize her big blue eyes staring anxiously up at him. Sweet, beautiful Candace, trusting him for her first experience under the needle. Damn, but for a minute there, he could’ve sworn she was turned on, all bright-eyed and flushed cherry red. Some people did find the experience highly sensual. He was used to girls slipping him their numbers after he worked on them, but she was the only one to whom he’d slipped his first.
Being “all business” hadn’t stopped him from wanting to strip off his gloves to determine whether her skin was as smooth as it looked.
He sighed when he checked his other missed calls, the fog of euphoria receding as if a gust of wind chased it out. Two were from his brother. Three were from his sister-in-law. Both Evan and Kelsey were no doubt ready to ride his ass because he was late. Jesus, he was only running fifteen or so minutes behind. It was probably a personal record. Since Kelsey was definitely the lesser of two evils, he called her as he cranked up and sped out of the parking lot.
“Brian, are you coming?” was her greeting. But at least she didn’t sound pissed, only worried.
“Yeah, I got tied up at work. I’m on my way.”
“Whew. I tried to call you there, but they said you were busy. You don’t take your phone in?”
“Nope. Too distracting.”
She laughed. “I guess so. Okay. Don’t worry, no one else has made it yet, either. You’ll probably be the first one here.”
“For real? That’s a first. I’m becoming more responsible all the time.”
“They’re all on their way. Gabby hit traffic and it threw her off about a half-hour. Not sure what’s holding up your mom and dad.”
“With those two, you probably don’t want to know.”
“Um, yeah. You’re probably right. Anyway, I’m glad you’re on your way. Evan is grumbling. He’s feeling unappreciated.”
“Aw, well, tell him welcome to my world.”
“I appreciate you! I need to come in and have my belly button re-pierced.”
Kelsey had let the original piercing he’d given her grow up while she was pregnant. “I can’t believe you didn’t use retainers. I gave them to you so I wouldn’t have to torture you again.”
“Oh, it’s not so bad. I didn’t think I’d care about having it anymore, but I miss it. Now my stomach looks…plain.”
“You don’t have to tell me.” He felt like a freak without his brow rings. Damn conservative family.
That was something else about Candace, he thought as he hung up with Kelsey. She’d had her streak of “rebellion” tonight, but at her core? She really would fit right in with his relatives. Regardless, he didn’t feel the need to be all uptight around her, or hide who he was. Michelle had tried to turn him into her f**king pet project, tried to mold him into Mr. Nice Boyfriend. Candace had always looked at him and seen him, not what she wished he would be. He could zero in on that quality in a person within the first five minutes of knowing them.
Damn. It had been good to see her. He was definitely glad he’d gotten her number. Now, if only he had a legitimate excuse to call her. His fascinated gonads weren’t enough.
Kelsey cracked open the front door ten minutes later with her index finger pressed to her lips, presumably so he wouldn’t stomp in and start banging on pots to wake the baby. He stepped in past her and spied his brother kicked back in the recliner, sound asleep with three-month-old Alex snoozing in the crook of his arm.
“Isn’t that sweet?” Kelsey whispered, positively glowing as she eased the door shut behind him.
“That’s just…precious.”
She smacked his arm. “Oh, you. I’ve waited a long time to see that sight.”
Poor girl should’ve seen it long ago. It’d taken them ten years to get their shit together. Which only proved Evan, smart as he was, could be an absolute moron sometimes.
Brian was happy for them, even if it meant he had to watch them moon all over each other every time he came around. His nephew was a really cute kid, though. He looked forward to imparting all sorts of useless knowledge to him as the years passed.
“I can’t wait for the right girl to get her hands on you, Bri. It’s going to be so much fun to watch.”
He scoffed and followed Kelsey into the kitchen, where some heavenly aromas were drifting from the oven and the stove. “If you think you’ll ever see me domesticated, think again. And tell me that’s shrimp manicotti I smell. Holy crap.”
“It is. Evan’s favorite.”
“Mine too.”
“Great!” Kelsey grabbed a Monster out of the fridge and slid it toward him. It was something else he needed to cut back on, but what the hell. He could only deal with exorcising one vice at a time. “I swiped your mom’s recipe, but I bet it won’t be as good as hers. And don’t change the subject. I’ll see you domesticated.” She flashed him a maddening grin. “It’s only a matter of time. I’m totally going to say ‘I told you so’. Get ready.”
He perched on a barstool and popped the tab, fidgeting because her words were hitting too close to home given the thoughts he’d been entertaining about a certain blonde. Thoughts he had no business allowing to take hold. It actually occurred to him that maybe he should have invited her. The whole evening would’ve been far less excruciating.
But how weird would that have been?
Their voices must’ve roused Evan, who ambled into the kitchen with Alex still sleeping in his arms.
“Look at that old bastard,” Brian exclaimed. “Can’t even stay awake for his own birthday party.”
As was becoming more commonplace of late, Evan ignored him. “You shouldn’t have let me fall asleep,” he said to his wife, planting a kiss on her forehead as she took the baby from him. Alex’s tuft of black hair was sticking straight up. It was friggin’ adorable. He lifted his head from his mom’s shoulder and looked around with big, dark eyes, then gave a drowsy yawn.
“But you two looked so comfortable,” Kelsey said. “And we didn’t get much sleep last night.”
“Spare me, please,” Brian muttered.
Kelsey rolled her eyes toward him. “Because of the baby.”
“Whatever. Hey, Ev, you wrecked our plan,” he said, trying again. “We were all going to gather around you and marvel at the rampant cuteness all night.”
Evan laughed in the middle of a yawn and stretch. “Sorry to spoil the fun. Should’ve taken a picture.”
Kelsey winked at Brian and grabbed the digital camera off the kitchen island with her free hand, brandishing it at Evan. “Oh, I did. Several in fact.”
He shook his head at the ceiling. “Of course you did. You’re deadly with that thing.”
“I can’t help myself.”
Evan looked at Brian. “I think Alex’s every living moment since birth has been recorded or documented in some capacity. Poor kid, we’ll have plenty to torture him with when he’s sixteen.”
“As if having you for a dad won’t be torture enough.”
Evan sent him a withering look as Kelsey gasped and spoke to Alex in mock indignation. “Did you hear Uncle Brian? He’s saying mean things about your daddy.” She smothered the baby’s face with kisses.
Oh, sweet Jesus. Here comes the baby talk. It was on the tip of Brian’s tongue to say he was going to step out for a smoke. And then he remembered. Fuck.
You could still use it as an excuse, he thought. He hadn’t told anyone he’d quit so he wouldn’t have anyone except himself to answer to in case he failed.
“Brian, you look great,” Kelsey said suddenly. That brought his head up. “Really.”
“Hey,” Evan chimed in. “You could almost pass for normal.”
“Don’t get used to it,” Brian grumbled, tugging at his long sleeves. Goddamn, but he needed a cigarette. He shouldn’t have let himself think about it a minute ago. He could practically feel the shape of the cylinder on his tongue. He could taste it. Could feel his lungs expanding with sweet, soothing, blissful…
Carcinogenic smut! Stop it, dammit!
“Are you okay?” Kelsey asked.
“No,” he snapped, giving up and shoving the sleeves up his forearms. “It’s too f**king hot for this shit.”
Kelsey covered Alex’s ear and drew his head to her shoulder. “Don’t cuss around the baby!”
“Jesus Christ. He doesn’t understand what the hell I’m saying.”
“You have a date later or something?” Evan asked.
“No, man. I just thought, since it’s almost your birthday and all, that for one night I would appear to be everything you ever wanted me to be.”
The indifferent expression Evan had been wearing turned icy cold in an instant. “Why do you have to be such an a**hole all the time?”
Brian stopped fidgeting long enough to bat his eyes. “Because I only ever wanted to be like you.”
Kelsey muttered something about needing to change Alex and scurried out, knowing full well what was coming. Brian didn’t know why it always came to this…well, yes he did, and it didn’t have anything to do with nicotine withdrawals, though he supposed that could exacerbate any heated situation.
The fact was, no matter what he did, being in his brother’s presence lately never failed to make him feel like something that had crawled out from under a rock in a scum swamp, and the “normal” comment had only driven the dagger deeper.
He wasn’t stupid. He knew he was the black mark on the family, the monkey wrench in Evan’s political endeavors…and he had them, whether he admitted to it or not. The guy’s dream since high school had been to be a U.S. Supreme Court justice. Yet he was stuck deep in the heart of f**king Texas pretending to be content slaving away as an assistant DA.
Maybe it was Brian’s own fault for taking so long to get his shit together. But he had it as together now as it was ever going to get. Everyone might as well face that fact.
“You said I looked almost normal? Dude, it’s relative. To me, you’re the freak. Keep that in mind and get off my ass.” Brian swigged his energy drink, wishing it were a beer. Or hard liquor.
“I never called you a freak. What’s your deal? You can dish it out, but you can’t take it?”
“The difference? Is that I’m joking around, and you’re not.”
“That’s bullshit, and you know it. Why are you always so pissed at me, Brian?”
“Whatever. Happy f**king birthday.” He slid off his stool. Evan crossed his arms and blocked his way.
“You’re not leaving.”
“You think you’re stopping me?”
“I am. If I have to throw you in the pool like last year.”
“I seem to remember you making that trip with me.”
“Guys.” Kelsey reentered the kitchen without Alex and insinuated herself between them. She put her hands on Evan’s chest. “Come on. For one night, let’s not do this, okay?”