Page 30 of Enemies with Benefits (Finding the Right Brother #1)

"And I'm sure being fucked would be such a horror for you," Dominic said as he rolled onto his stomach. I wasn't sure why he was bothering to rotate, it wasn't like anyone was going to be getting any sunlight today. "But yes, you are an asshole sometimes, especially when it comes to him."

"I have good reason."

"It's funny you say that, when you've literally given a reason."

"Sure have, he's a dick to me."

"God. Look, I'm going to point out that you've actively, repeatedly, and gleefully been a dick to him for years. And no, I do not want to hear how he was an asshole to you first, or he was worse or...anything like that, alright?"

"Good news for you, I wasn't going to go there," I said in a superior tone that was completely unwarranted.

Mostly because I couldn't remember at what point our feud had started, let alone figure out which one of us had started it.

Too much time had passed for me to remember something that wasn't all that important in the grand scheme of things.

The feuding had existed for so long, I didn't think it mattered who had started it, only that both of us had worked hard at keeping it alive the whole time.

"You don't even remember, do you?" Dominic asked, and I refused to look at him to confirm the smug look on his face, which he always had when he got one up on me.

"Does when and why it started even matter after all this time?"

"Sounds like something someone would say if they didn't remember and wanted to pass it off as no big deal."

"Sounds like you're just trying to be right."

"And it sounds like there's no trying at all, I am right."

"You know, for all the shit I get about being smug, I don't think you get told enough just how insufferable you can be."

"I learned from the best."

I rolled my eyes, stomach clenching when I realized Jace was pulling himself out of the water, distracting me for a moment.

Then again, now that something treacherous had shifted in my brain, I would have been hard pressed not to be distracted by the sight of him dripping water, that damned suit sticking to him like a second skin.

God, if I thought him capable of it, I’d accuse him of purposefully having chosen the thinnest material possible.

"You can practically see the veins."

Dominic grunted. “What?"

I stiffened, realizing my mouth had apparently taken that thought and decided it needed voicing. Which it most certainly did not . "What?"

"You said something."

"Not that I'm aware of."

Dominic rolled over and stared at me. “But you did, I heard you."

"Fine, what did I say?" I challenged, heart giving a heavy thump.

God, the last thing I needed was for anyone, especially my family, to come even remotely close to the truth of what was going on between Jace and me.

As far as anyone needed to know, the two of us despised each other, which was true, and we were learning how to deal with each other's presence, also true, but there was nothing else of note.

Dominic opened his mouth but stopped when Jace reached us, snatching up a towel and giving me a dirty look before glancing over at Dom and nodding. “Actually getting any relaxation over here?"

"You don't relax around Mason," Dom chuckled, giving me another curious glance before sitting up. "Done torturing my nephew?"

Jace gave him a small smile, and I felt.

..something zip through me, disappearing before I could figure out what it was.

Hell, it wasn't that great a smile, just the corner of his mouth twitching up, lips parting enough to show an unusually pointed canine, and little else.

Not one damn thing special about it, and yet my body had.

..had what? That hadn't even felt like lust that was?—

"Torture? He's going to wear me out long before he gets worn out," Jace snorted, looking around and seeing that the only available spot to sit was on the chair next to mine, rather than Dom's.

I watched him fight with the idea for a moment, with a twitch of his face and his jaw tightening, before he dropped into the seat, doing his best impression of being unbothered.

Of course, being unbothered was a foreign concept for Jace, so it wasn't a convincing act.

"Yeah," Dom chuckled. "He's got a lot of energy. Most of the time, it seems like it's locked up in his head. Doesn't always get to let it out like this."

"Hmm," Jace turned his eyes toward the pool where Micah, no longer being thrown around like a toy, was working on.

..well, I didn't actually know what he was working on.

I might have called it synchronized swimming, but that usually required other people.

Maybe interpretive dance done in the water?

Or maybe he was just doing whatever came into his head and felt good, which I'd seen him do before.

"Has anyone tried to get him into some sort of sport? "

"Tried a couple," I said with a shrug. "They didn't stick."

"What did you try?"

"Why? Afraid we missed something?"

"Jesus Christ, Mason. It's just a fucking question."

I rolled my eyes. “Soccer, baseball, and yes, your glorious and ever-loved hockey."

"Oh, yeah," Dom piped up. "I forgot you were on the hockey team. Used to think you were built more for football, but then again, you took them to the championship, so I had to eat my words."

Jace shot him a grateful look. “It's always a little weird to remember stuff like that from high school."

"God," I groaned. “Now you've gone and puffed up his ego."

"I could point out that there are other things about him worth puffing up," Dominic said with a grin.

"Hey!" I said in annoyance, then quickly added. "Gross."

Jace peered at Dominic and then at me, brow furrowing and nose wrinkling. "Are there...any straight people in your family?"

"Hmm," Dominic said, thinking it over. "You've got Moira. Mason and I swing for both teams. Milo is as gay as it gets, and Arlo is a mystery to anyone and everyone, not even sure he's even had sex, if I'm honest. Oh, wait, yeah, Elijah! How'd I forget that?"

"Elijah is straight," I affirmed. "And Arlo is Arlo. Oh, and Mom is straight...pretty sure."

Dominic glanced at me. “I'm still holding you to it."

I rolled my eyes. “I'm aware. If there's one thing I can count on, it's that you'll never miss the chance to prove me wrong."

"It is a great feeling," Dominic grinned.

Jace arched a brow. “What...are you holding him to?"

"Our bet," I answered with a shake of my head.

"On?"

"On the fact that Elijah is actually not as straight as he thinks," Dominic said, sounding strangely proud. "I was so sure that he and Milo?—"

"Well, that didn't happen," I told him. "And you've got...another year before you have to pony up."

"There’s a time limit?" Jace wondered, sounding more and more confused. "And what about Milo?"

"Of course, there’s a time limit," I said with a snort. "Look, if he is into guys and figures it out, then that side of the bet wins. But if he's not, then there's no way to prove it, so there's got to be a time limit to make sure the other side of the bet wins."

"Oh...that makes sense."

"Exactly. And...the Milo thing is that some people think those two have always been...close."

"Right, even I knew that."

"Very close."

"Okay, and…oh, they're brothers !"

Dominic snorted. “By what standard? Milo is Mom's and whatever guy she was with back then. And Elijah is Marcus's son and no blood relation to Mom. They're like...half-stepbrothers."

"I've tried to tell you that sounds like they're still blood related," I said with a pleading look at Jace. "Please tell him I'm right."

Jace thought about it for a moment and sighed heavily.

“I need you to understand that I absolutely hate to say this, like with every fiber in my being, but.

..he's right. It does sound weirdly like they're half-brothers who somehow are stepbrothers, like through some weird, convoluted web of getting pregnant and marriage. "

Dom scoffed. “How would that even work?"

"Mmm, like if they both had the same Dad. And the Dad wasn't with one of the women but was raising the kid he had with her, then married the other woman, who then had their kid."

"What the hell, that doesn't...shit, that does kind of work, doesn't it?"

"Huh," I said, looking Jace over. “Who knew that you could do weird logic leaps. Maybe you should hang out with Milo more."

Jace grimaced. “I remember him arguing with Elijah that tomatoes shouldn't be considered a vegetable or a fruit, but an herb because people use them to season food rather than as an actual ingredient."

"That...sounds about right," Dominic said. "A little tame for him, though."

"Well, he also got a little off topic and started a new debate that herbs and seasonings don't count as ingredients in a recipe, but just add-ons. He was very passionate about the subject."

"Okay, that's more like him," Dominic laughed. "But anyway, I'll concede that half-stepbrothers doesn't work. It obviously isn't like that for them, they don't share blood, a name, or even looks, but...it does give a bad first impression."

"Ugh," I growled, tossing an empty water bottle at him. "That is literally what I told you the first time you said that stupid thing! And you call me depraved!"

"Dude, you slept with twins."

"And?"

"Well, if you're willing to do that, maybe you have incest on the brain."

"They weren't on my brain, they were on…" A wet towel slapped my face, promptly cutting off what I had to say and making me flail to get the fresh stink of chlorine out of my nostrils.

"Thank you," I heard Dominic say as I ripped off the towel and threw it back at Jace, who caught it with a smirk. "Anyway, not brothers."

"Stepbrothers," Jace amended. "That's a form of brothers, don't you think?"

"You're thinking way too hard about this," Dominic said with a sigh.

"Mmm, sounds like you're the one who's thought about it too much," Jace pointed out.