Page 101 of Broken Brothers

I all but let the phone drop out of my hand. This… it was real.

Sarah Hill. Chance Hunt. A deadly, sexy combination, both in the same room. I had long fantasized about this day…

And now that it would be coming…

Behind me, Claire shifted in bed. I quickly dropped my phone, the better so that Claire wouldn’t suspect anything, but I already knew I was venturing into dangerous territory. Even if Claire swore up and down that she wasn’t looking for anythingserious, the act of talking to another woman post-coitus between us felt like more than a slap in the face.

Shortly thereafter, though, Claire started snoring again, not too loudly, but obviously enough that she was asleep. Just to make sure, I glanced over my shoulder and saw her eyes shut. I carefully reached down, cautious even of the general creaks in the bed, and opened Facebook Messenger back up.

I couldn’t help myself. If I didn’t respond now, I would just think about it for the entirety of the morning, making my interactions with Claire short, rude, and unfair.

“Hey Sarah,” I wrote.

After that, though, I suddenly found myself at a loss for words. What the hell would I say? Would I flirt? Would I act defensive?

I didn’t do online flirting. I was too good at the in-person game to ever need to resort to messages like this. But now, to get the girl of my dreams… ignoring that I had a girl of reality and another girl out there…

I decided to just keep it short and simple.

“Hey Sarah, it’s great to hear from you too. Yes, I would love to see you too. Let me know when you are in NYC and we can grab a drink.”

It felt like the safest approach, especially since I knew once Sarah actually got to New York and was in my sights, it was all over. I would seal the deal, bring her home, and have a night like…

“I can’t believe I ever woke up after the coma you put me in.”

I casually dropped my phone, belying the actual haste with which I wanted to move, and turned to face Claire. Her fair skin, soft smile, and barely open eyes made her look perfectly relaxed, an impressive and unexpected sight for the week that she had had. I guess I really had done something good for her.

Which made what I’d just done even more awkward.

“It’s a medical miracle,” I said, drawing a morning laugh from her. “I take it you slept well.”

“Are you kidding me? I haven’t slept like that since before Rising Sun.”

I snorted a fake laugh, fearful that bringing to the forefront her startup and all of the drama that had come around in recent days would ruin Claire’s mood. But she showed none of that as she stretched out and yawned.

“In any case, I think I owe you.”

I raised my eyebrows in anticipation as I knew what might be coming. But Claire’s laugh blew that possibility off.Karma, probably.

“You knocked all the sex I had in me out last night, Chance, I got nothing left for a day or so,” she said. “But I’ll cook you some bacon. I think you can forgive me, right?”

“Oh, man, man’s second kryptonite. Bacon. How ever did you know?”

“This may shock you, Chance Hunt, but I’m over twenty, not twelve. I’ve had relationships before.”

“The horror!” I said, putting my hands in mock surprise.

We wrestled and laughed and I went on a tickling spree on Claire for a bit before she finally begged me to stop enough that I felt I’d made my point—which wasn’t really a point, just a good time. Claire quickly kicked off the covers, putting on a t-shirt and shorts before I could grab her again.

“You relax here,” she said. “I’ll be back in about ten minutes. Don’t jump out the window and run now.”

“I would never,” I said. “I’d go through the ventilation shaft. A much greater story.”

“In New York? I wouldn’t even be mad if you could pull that off.”

With that and a wink, she shut the bedroom door behind her. Seizing the time, I quickly checked my phone. Perhaps itshouldn’t have surprised me, but Sarah had already responded.What time is it over there anyways? Gotta be close to evening. Maybe it does make sense that she would be on at this time. Still… playing a bad game doing this at Claire’s.

“That sounds great! You look good, Chance. This will be really fun. :-) Everything else all good? How’s Morgan?”