Page 35 of Perfect Storm (Toronto Thunder #1)

“My head’s at—” Aidan broke off. He and Levi hadn’t discussed what they were doing. Not recently anyway. It didn’t seem like whatever the definition was, it still fell under the sex pact umbrella. But he wasn’t going to say anything to Riley before he’d even talked to Levi about it.

And he was totally okay leaving it undefined for now. Things felt delicate and new, and he was happy. Why would he want to fuck with that?

“What?” Riley asked. Kindly. Gently.

“It’s good. I’m . . .I’m good.”

“So you’ve talked to Mo, then.”

Of course Riley was not going to drop it. It would be ridiculous to assume he would. Maybe Riley had never been in the running for the Overprotective Brother of the Year award, but he was a Flynn all the way through.

“Actually, I haven’t.” He’d thought about texting him, though. More than once. Maybe in a few weeks, he might. It wasn’t just because of Levi, though that was part of it, too.

It just felt weird to be starting a season and not talk to him at all.

A few years ago, Mo was in the passenger seat next to him and there’d never have been a need to text him.

“Bro,” Riley said earnestly, “that is so good. I’m so proud of you. I know it probably wasn’t easy to take the time you needed to move on.”

Aidan didn’t really want to go into it, but almost three months removed from the whole mess, he’d begun to realize that the crux of the matter was that he’d never really believed he’d get the things he wanted from Mo.

Even when he’d gone to Vegas and asked, he hadn’t really believed it would go his way.

He’d only done it because it had to be done.

“No, but it’s okay . . .I mean it.”

“Good.” He could hear the smile in Riley’s voice. “You seem like you’re doing good.”

Riley babbled for a few minutes longer, about Carter and Beck and Micah. Landry was in there, too, affection rich in his brother’s voice whenever he came up.

But the whole time, Aidan was turning over what he’d said—and what Riley had said in return.

It was okay. He hadn’t thought it ever would be, but he’d been wrong. Telling Mo and then finding out he hadn’t been wrong about it had felt more like an end than a beginning.

That had hurt. Of course it had. Aidan would’ve had to feel nothing for it not to. But over time, the hurt was fading.

Distraction was good, of course. The football season starting helped. And Levi in his bed, too.

But Levi was far more than a distraction.

He wasn’t just using him to not be miserable. He’d known even back in Michigan that he wouldn’t, that he couldn’t. And he wasn’t.

Aidan wanted him exactly where he was at—just to the left of him, protecting his blind side. Reminding him he wasn’t alone. Filling the condo with the comfortable, easy noises of living. This morning, waking up to the warmth in his eyes, filling him with heat.

By the time Riley was talked out, Aidan was only a few blocks away from the condo.

“I gotta go,” he told his brother. “I’m nearly home. And I’ll lose you in the underground garage.”

“Don’t be a stranger,” Riley lectured. “And hey, say hi to Levi for me. A big hug, even.”

Aidan’s pulse skittered. Still half convinced with the way Riley kept bringing Levi up and what he kept freaking saying that he knew something. “Ri,” he warned.

Riley just laughed though. “Oh, dude, you hug people. Don’t even try that with me.”

He was doing a hell of a lot more than just hugging Levi these days.

“Okay, fine. Sure.” He didn’t mind promising. Hugging wasn’t really something he and Levi were doing, but it would give him an excuse to close any distance between them when he stepped through the front door, and Aidan was taking every single one of those opportunities these days.

“Good luck in your game. You’re playing, right?” Riley asked.

“Yeah. A series. Maybe two.” Riley had already played in his preseason game and wouldn’t be taking the field again.

“You’re gonna kill it,” Riley said with the upmost confidence.

“Thanks,” Aidan said dryly.

He hung up the call right before he turned into the garage. After parking, he grabbed his bag and headed towards the elevator.

When he opened the front door, he heard the sound of a blender in the kitchen, and when he walked in, Levi was in there, no shirt and only a ratty pair of Seahawks shorts that looked like he’d had them for twenty years, not seven.

“Hey,” Levi called out. “Made you a protein shake.”

Aidan hadn’t texted Levi that he was on his way home, but apparently Levi was psychic that way.

“You a mind reader now?” he asked, walking into the kitchen. Levi had just finished pouring the shake into a glass and had turned towards the sink to rinse out the pitcher.

It was so easy—especially because he’d promised Riley he’d do it—to put his arms around Levi. Tug him back against his body.

Levi made a surprised but pleased noise. “No, but I think you must be. Knew I wanted you.”

Hooking his chin over Levi’s shoulder, secretly glad he was just tall enough he could do this, Aidan said, “You did?”

“Don’t sound so surprised, bro,” Levi teased.

“I’m not.” But he was, kind of. He knew he wanted Levi. Badly, in fact. But Levi was more chill, less intense all around about everything. He could want Aidan and he could want a bunch of other people too, and Aidan wasn’t sure he’d ever know the difference.

That thought didn’t feel good, so Aidan pushed it away.

“You ever gonna tell me why you knew I was on my way home or is that a Levi secret?”

Levi chuckled. Turned in his arms. Pressed a kiss under Aidan’s jaw. “I texted Wes to ask him a question and he said you’d just left. Thought I’d have your shake ready for you, ’cause I know you like it right when you get home, especially if you didn’t eat dinner.”

“I had a chicken wrap,” Aidan said, but Levi wasn’t wrong.

“Oh, yeah, like that’s gonna be enough.” Levi grinned. “I know you, dude, you’re a hungry guy after a long day like that one.”

“Walkthrough tomorrow. Should be chiller,” Aidan said. After that, they’d take the long flight to California. And then back right after. It sucked to have to travel so far for a preseason game, but Aidan was sadly used to the way the NFL schedule liked to fuck with them.

“Yeah,” Levi said. “About that. I’m sort of counting on it.”

A spike of worry speared through Aidan. He tried to tamp it down with no success. “You okay? You nursing an injury?” He hadn’t seen Levi on the injury report, but vets could be cagey. Afraid to report things, afraid to be held out, especially if their playing time was up in the air.

Levi’s wasn’t, but he was still pushing through the last of Zane’s reluctance to make him the starting left tackle, and Aidan could imagine that right now, Levi wouldn’t want to draw attention to himself or rock the boat in any way.

Levi just laughed though, tucking his face into Aidan’s neck, arms winding around his waist. Somehow he was even closer then. Aidan knew he should drink his shake—Levi had made it for him, after all—but that would mean letting go of Levi and he really, really didn’t want to.

“No, bro, I’m good. I’m so good. I just . . .thought we could take advantage of the light day tomorrow.”

Levi shot him a knowing look, but Aidan wasn’t sure what that meant or why Levi was being so cagey. He typically had no issues asking for what he wanted, now that they were doing this.

It was Aidan who had all the neuroses about expressing his desires.

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Bro.” Levi sighed with exaggeration. “I forget you’re new to this.”

Aidan decided he was going to take that as a compliment. “Yeah.”

Levi nudged his hips flush against Aidan’s. “Want you to fuck me tonight.”

Maybe he shouldn’t have been surprised. Of course that was a thing queer guys did together. Aidan had watched enough porn with fucking during his own sexual awakening to know he’d be into it.

He’d always imagined it with Mo. Kind of imagined that maybe Mo might want to do it to him, and Aidan wasn’t against that at all.

But the thought of fucking Levi filled him with heat.

“Uh, yeah. Yes.”

Amusement bloomed across Levi’s face. “You’d be into that?”

“Yeah,” Aidan said. “And um . . .maybe someday, the other way too? If you are.”

Amusement melted into pleased astonishment. “Oh yeah. I didn’t think—”

Aidan flicked his shoulder, then smoothed his palm over the muscle there. “Shouldn’t be making hetero-normative assumptions, Banks.”

“No, I really shouldn’t. Yeah, we can do it that way too.

I just . . .” Levi’s eyes went dark, heated, and Aidan’s cock twitched in his shorts.

Okay, he really wanted. Hadn’t even thought about it really, not until now, because what they’d been doing had already been so good. “I just really want it tonight.”

Aidan was having trouble thinking of any good reason to not immediately drag Levi to his bedroom. His whole brain had short-circuited and practically gone offline, just at the thought of it.

His hands tightened on Levi’s skin. “Yes, yes, let’s—right now.”

But Levi just laughed. It was such an easy, effortless sound. Every time Aidan heard it, it felt like it sucked out just a little of his hurt and his anxiety and his worry. Even the pain of Mo turning him down, diminishing little by little.

“What?” Aidan couldn’t believe he’d suggest it and not want to go to the bedroom now.

“Dude, at least drink your shake.” Levi fluttered his eyelashes. They were dark and surprisingly long. “Gotta keep your energy up if you’re gonna keep up with me.”

“Fuck,” Aidan said.

Only the thought of what was waiting for them when they did finally make it to the bedroom allowed him to let go of Levi and slide the shake over.

He took a big gulp and swallowed. It was perfect. Exactly the way he liked it. He hadn’t thought Levi was paying that much attention, but his thoughtfulness—though not exactly obvious—was doing things to Aidan. Things he couldn’t define. Things he couldn’t deal with.