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Guilt hits me. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad, I’m just trying to prove to you that I know what I’m doing. I have mace. I travel in groups. I watch my surroundings. That kind of thing.”
“I’m not worried about normal Heights thugs, Leen. I’m worried about the exact opposite of that.”
A sliver of fear roots in my stomach. “Dempsey can follow me. I’ll exchange numbers with him tonight, so when you go, we’ll be good. Promise.”
“Oh, Dempsey, huh? Suddenly we’re okay with him?”
“Yeah,” I hedge, hoping he’ll forget about Finn, but I’m not nearly that lucky, I suppose.
“Huh.”
I’m about to ask him what the hell that response means when the door to the suite opens. It’s the guard in question. “They’re here.”
I jump off the couch. “Ooh, Chinese.” I head toward the kitchen to grab some plates. Reaching for the shiny cupboard, my hand still on the pull, I pause when I hear cursing out in the hallway through the open door.
My ears perk up. That’s certainly an interesting delivery driver, but I am in the tower so I guess anything goes.
The swearing increases before turning into grumbling. Recognition flows through me, but it really hits home when my brother chuckles. “Cole,” I snap, absolutely fucking appalled.
He’s already making his way to the door, a hard mask on his face.
“You didn’t,” I say, running out from around the island to catch up with him.
He ignores me and keeps walking until a voice grunts, “This the place?”
I stop in my tracks when Jax stalks into my brother’s suite. He rivals Cole in intensity. The same shadowed-look with matching dark hair and angular faces that scream business. The only reason I would give preference to Cole over Jax in a fight scenario is knowing who he is. Dempsey would take the trainer out if he even made a move toward my brother. But Jax definitely looks like he can hold his own. Well-used, trained muscles pop out of his clothes.
Finn strides in next, and I suck in a breath. He’s wearing actual jeans and though his shirt still looks MMA related, a graffiti-splattered brand name etched across his chest points toward a dressier vibe. He’s also somewhat smiling, the exact opposite of his brother.
I stride toward the trio hesitantly. I can’t believe my brother actually brought them here, and judging by Jax’s reaction, it wasn’t an invitation. It was a demand.
Finn’s stare moves toward me, and his eyes widen. I try to convey telepathically that I had no idea this was happening, but then Dempsey comes walking back in with several bags of Chinese food. Enough to feed a whole block of people.
“Welcome,” Cole says as his second skirts past him to place everything at the table in the far corner. “Leenie, will you get four plates, please?”
“What the hell is this about?” Jax asks.
Cole stiffens. “I invited you to dinner with my sister and me. If the food gets cold, I’m going to be pissed.”
“With all due respect,” Jax starts, sounding like he has none for my brother whatsoever. And who could blame him?
Finn hits his brother in the chest. “We’d love Chinese,” he finishes, though I doubt that was anywhere near what Jax was going to say.
My face heats, and I’m rocking a full-on blush. Even my neck feels like it’s on fire.
I return to the kitchen, but before I grab the plates down from the cabinet, I send Jaz a text, telling her Cole invited Finn and Jax to fucking dinner and added about a thousand exclamation points, so she’d get the gist that this is a huge fucking deal. Like, holy fuck. And not in a good way. So, to drive home my point, I add a few knife emojis because how is anyone supposed to convey what they really mean without a well-placed emoji?
Taking a deep breath, I grab the plates and turn. The scene before me makes me stop. I bite down on my lower lip as Cole moves around the table, opening up the Chinese. If I take away the nice surroundings, I could place him right back in our old house, doing this exact same thing. And fuck, I missed it. I know some dumbass shit is about to come out of his mouth, but he’s here. He’s right in front of me.
When I start forward again, my gaze tracks toward Finn. He’s standing on the opposite side of the table, staring right back at me with his head cocked. I’m not sure he noticed my stumble or would even get the reason behind it, but his expression says he’s trying to figure me out. I’m too worried about why the hell Cole set all this up to break down the nuances of his look, so I glance away.
If Cole is taking my Finn idea and instituting his own rule, I’m going to throat punch him. When Dempsey’s not around, of course.
I set out four plates, and once the food is out of the bags, Cole retreats into the kitchen to grab silverware and glasses. “Leenie, can you help me?”
Swallowing, I follow him. “What are you doing?” I hiss once we’re far enough away.
“Being a big brother,” he whispers right back. Then louder, he says, “There’s a pitcher of water in the fridge, can you grab it?”