Page 28

Chapter 28

Liam

After a short flight, Brodie and I piled into the back of a hired car. Our bags were stowed in the trunk for us and I tugged him into my side as we headed into the city.

“I’ve never been to Boston before.” Brodie’s gaze was transfixed out the window as he soaked in all the sights. “We should go on a road trip. Start on the east coast and work our way across to the states.”

“Still getting bit by that travel bug?” I took Brodie’s hand in mine and lifted it. His gaze slid over to mine when I kissed the back of his hand.

“Kieran used to talk about going on road trips. We’d plan where he wanted to go and what he’d stop to see along the way. I think he and Clay should go on one. I think they went on a short one, but he believes we’ll all fall apart if he’s not around to supervise us.”

“Or maybe his dreams changed. That happens too.” I gave Brodie a lingering look. “It happened to me.”

He rolled his eyes, but he pressed himself against my side. “Where are we going first?”

“We’re stopping by my condo to drop off our bags and then we’re meeting Carol at the office.”

“And you’re sure she won’t hate me.” Brodie clutched my hand. “I’ve never met someone’s family before.”

“It’ll be fine. She’ll love you. Besides, if I can handle yours, you can handle mine.”

My comment earned me a laugh. “I’m going to tell them you said that,” he teased.

“I think your mom would agree with me. I had to get the approval of your mom, your two brothers, and their boyfriends. Plus the diner guy, Ethan? If he didn’t approve of me, I’d probably get lousy coffee and burned toast.”

“You exaggerate.” Brodie grinned at me. “Taylor’s the one who makes the food. Ethan might give you old coffee, but he wouldn’t mess with your food or he’d have to face Taylor’s wrath.”

The chatter about his hometown eased some of Brodie’s nerves and by the time we arrived at my condo, he was in full tourist mode again. I loved watching him see new things especially, it turned out, things that weren’t new to me. Watching him see my condo for the first time gave me a way to see the man I used to be through his eyes.

From the outside, the building wasn’t anything special. It was a white building, only eleven stories high. Hardly the tallest building, or the most expensive, but Brodie still gazed up at it with his mouth open.

“You live here?” His voice was full of wonder.

“Lived… and sort of. I wouldn’t call it living, Brodie.”

His gaze cut over to me and I watched him take stock of me next. As though he could see every vulnerability I was still trying to keep tucked away. My breath came in shaky, but I managed to keep the bits of myself from falling apart.

“Come on. I’ll give you the tour.” The ground floor had a gym and a sauna that I’d seldom used, but I gave Brodie a quick tour anyway before we took the elevator up to the eighth floor.

Taking my keys out of my pocket, I unlocked my door. Even with my keys, I still felt like an intruder. Like I was walking into someone else’s house. Someone else’s life. I let him go in first so I could watch him take it all in. The white hallway stretched out in front of us. The decor was all modern. Lots of shiny finishes and clean lines. Sterile. Uncomfortable. I’d never noticed it before, but being away from it had given me a new perspective.

“The primary bedroom is up on the left. Spare on the right. Also on the right is the bathroom, and then another bedroom that I used for my home office.”

Brodie poked his head into the spare room. A rather unremarkable space with more shiny finishes and decor that I didn’t pick.

“In my defense, it came furnished.”

“You have nothing to defend.” Brodie reached for me and took my hand. “We are not our things, Liam. We are not our houses. Things aren’t who we are. I used to have nothing, that doesn’t mean that I was nothing.”

His words were a punch to the gut. I gathered him into my arms and buried my face in the curve of his neck. Our bags had been abandoned by the front door and I had the urge to take them and run away from this place.

“I don’t want to stay here,” I confessed.

“Then we won’t.” Brodie’s arms tightened around me like he knew I needed to be held together. “We’ll take the tour, you’ll get Piper’s things and whatever else you need. Whatever you can’t take, we’ll arrange to have shipped, and then we can leave.

“You need to see the view at least.” I tugged myself out of Brodie’s arms and led him through to the main living area. The dining room and living room took up the entire front of the condo. It was nothing but windows. From one end to the other, and out of them a view of the water.

A round table with stark white chairs sat on the far left across from the kitchen. The living room, that had always looked more like a posh waiting room to me, took up the rest of the space. A television hung above the fireplace. Built-in shelves flanked the fireplace and held the few personal touches I’d brought in with me.

“The view is amazing.” Brodie went straight to the windows, as I suspected he would.

“I prefer the view back home.”

“Our bedroom looks at a fence.”

“Yes, but it’s a nice fence. And most of the time, I’m looking at you anyway.”

He turned and flashed me a megawatt smile. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”

The brightness of his expression dimmed a little and a furrow appeared in his brow. “I can’t believe you lived here.”

“I told you outside, I existed here. I had to sell the house Piper and I lived in. I couldn’t go in there without thinking about her. Living here was supposed to be temporary. I took what I wanted out of the house and moved in here. I was supposed to start over, but I was stuck.”

I went to the couch and sat down. Brodie followed, piling himself into my lap. I held on to him like he was a life preserver. The extent my life had changed since I’d left for vacation was mind-boggling.

“I don’t know if you know what it’s like, but what I was here… wasn’t alive. I was breathing and walking and talking, but I was dead inside. Carol had to force me to go on vacation. I didn’t even want to do that, but I think she knew that I needed something to change. I’m still sad about Piper. I’ll always miss her, but I’d passed the point where my grief was like walking through chest-deep mud. But I didn’t know how to move on.”

“That sounds hard.”

“The first week I was away, I stayed in my hotel room. I hadn’t wanted to go anywhere, but Carol had practically shoved me out the door.”

“And this is why meeting her makes me nervous. I can’t imagine anyone making you do anything.”

“She’ll love you,” I told him, believing it with my whole heart. I loved him and therefore Carol would love him.

“I’ll believe it when it happens.” Brodie wound his arms around me and rested his head on my shoulder. The sound of his steady, deep breaths soothed me.

“You’re the best thing that ever happened to me. I don’t know where I’d be without you.”

He laughed. “Probably on a beach being oblivious while cabana boys flirt with you.”

“I’m never going to live that down, even though you’re the jealous one.”

He kissed my neck, his lips grazing that soft spot below my ear. Goosebumps erupted and I shivered.

“Do we have time?” he asked, sliding closer to me so that his erection pressed against mine.

I glanced up at the clock, an ugly gold thing with no real numbers on it. Fucking minimalist garbage. “We’re supposed to meet her in an hour, I think.”

“Then we have plenty of time if I don’t make a mess.” Brodie slipped to the floor and shoved the coffee table out of the way with a grunt.

“That thing is heavier than it looks.” He laughed and situated himself between my legs. He put his hands on my knees and slid them up toward my crotch. Looking up at me, his expression was soft but determined. It was like he knew this place had no good memories for me, and he wanted to give me at least one.

I let him open the fly of my pants and free my cock. He took me in hand and leaned in with his pretty pink tongue poking out. Then suddenly he stopped and stared up at me.

“Do you have toothpaste here? I can’t meet your sister with dick breath.”

“Mention my sister again and you won’t have to worry about dick breath because it’s going to shrivel up and crawl inside me.”

Brodie flashed me a sassy expression. “Sorry, but also not sorry.”

Then his mouth was on me, warm and soft and perfect. His lips shielded me from his teeth as he took me in, inch by inch. A groan escaped me and I tipped my head back. My fingers found their way into Brodie’s hair. I let the silky strand slide through my fingers as he bobbed up and down.

I wasn’t sure if he was trying to kill me, but my balls tightened so fast that it made my head spin.

“Slow down, love,” I said on a laugh. “Or this will all be over far too soon.”

Brodie pulled back and released my cock. He shot me a mischievous grin. “Who says that wasn’t my evil plan?” he said, but when he returned to my dick, he took things slower. Lavishing my cock with attention. His tongue caressed the head, toyed with the slit, the ridge, and then eventually swallowed me whole. Sinking down slowly, taking me down to the root, he swallowed around my cock, his throat squeezing it perfectly.

He gagged and pulled away for a breath of air, and then was back again, sinking down, sucking me deep. I didn’t stand a chance.

“Brodie… I’m gonna—”

He sank down lower and redoubled his efforts. I looked down and watched his cheeks hollow. His gaze flicked up and caught mine and it was over for me. I came in his mouth, down his throat. I cried out, my voice sounding too loud in the otherwise silent space.

While I waited for my body to recover from being obliterated, Brodie tucked me back into my pants and wrestled with my zipper. Then he leaned his head against my knee and I ran my fingers through his hair.

The world seemed softer now. Less harsh. More inviting. Or maybe it was just the afterglow that had me feeling that way. I looked down at Brodie and he stared up at me at the same time like we were joined by an invisible string.

“You go freshen up and I’ll dig the boxes out of the closet for John.”

“I’ll help you pack a bag when I’m done.” Brodie pushed himself to his feet, pausing to kiss me.

“Mmmm, dick breath. My favorite.” I captured him and kissed him again, cutting off his burst of laughter. Though I wanted to take him to bed and strip him naked, I didn’t want to spend another unnecessary minute in this place. There was nothing here for me.