Page 4 of Perfect Storm (Toronto Thunder #1)

Aidan woke with a pounding head and a nauseating combination of panic and relief swirling through his stomach. He’d told someone. And not even a Riley- or Landry-shaped someone.

Levi had been—Aidan rolled over, putting that thought on hold and gulped Gatorade from the bottle next to the bed, praying that hydration might save his life—well, Levi had been pretty cool about it. Chill, even.

And that was when Aidan remembered what else he’d promised last night. He’d promised to have sex with Levi. Levi Banks.

God, he’d even been a few inches away from literally groping Levi’s dick in those ridiculous neon yellow shorts.

The Gatorade he’d just drunk lurched unpleasantly in his stomach.

He flopped onto his back. Willed his organs to cooperate. When he was at least seventy-five percent sure they would, Aidan considered his options.

Riley hadn’t told him how long the trio of them would be staying in Michigan but there was no way they’d leave this soon. They were around for at least the next few days. Could he hang out with Levi and act like it was all cool between them?

There was the boat and the lake. And Landry had been making noises about going on a long hike one day.

Surely there was enough to do around here between goofing around on the water and workouts and meals to distract him from the fact he’d told Levi and Levi’s suggestion that they have sex about it. And not even now, but in a year.

And you, you stupidly agreed, his conscience told him. Who does that when they’re in love with someone else?

Conclusion: he’d been drunk and stupid and desperate.

Positively, he was at least not one of those things this morning, and maybe he could pull Levi aside and acknowledge the other two. Say, thanks but no thanks.

That very logical thought got him through getting out of bed and hauling his hungover ass into the shower. By the time he made it downstairs, his stomach had mostly calmed and he felt way less like death. If he never drank that much whiskey again, it would be too soon.

“Hey, it’s alive,” Riley teased as he walked into the kitchen. He was sitting on the counter, legs dangling off the edge, coffee cradled in one of his hands.

Landry turned from where he was at the stove, flipping pancakes.

There was no Levi in the kitchen yet.

Aidan let out the breath he’d been holding.

“How you feelin’ this morning, buddy?” Landry asked, grinning.

“Fine.” Aidan did not feel fine, but he was not going to give anyone the chance to give him shit about it.

“Coffee’s in the pot.” Riley shot him a knowing look. “Bet you need the whole carafe.”

It was difficult to pretend around these two who knew him so well. Of course, if that was really true, then why had Levi been the one demanding to know what was wrong with him?

Aidan steadfastly refused to sulk about it, though. He’d done enough of that yesterday. Instead, he moved over to the coffeepot and poured himself a big cup. It was strong and hot and his stomach settled a little more as he sipped it, watching as Landry filled a big platter with more pancakes.

“We were thinking of taking the boat out today,” Riley said.

Aidan glanced over at the big picture window. It was sunny and bright, not a cloud in the sky. “Sounds good,” he said. One day down, way too many to go.

“Levi’s in the shower.” Riley gestured to the spare cup in front of one of the empty barstools. Aidan hadn’t noticed it before. But of course, he was the last one down this morning. “Landry told him to hurry up, ’cause breakfast is almost ready.”

“Yeah, he said he was going to drag you out of bed if you weren’t out of it already,” Landry said.

It was clear from his completely normal tone of voice that he hadn’t meant it like that, but then why would he?

As far as Landry knew, Aidan was straight, and there’d be no funny business at all about Levi pulling him out of bed.

“Good thing I made it out first, then,” Aidan muttered weakly.

“Yeah, he’s not real nice first thing in the morning,” Landry said, laughing.

“Spoken like a true older brother.” Riley nudged him on the leg with a foot. “Those almost ready, babe? I’m starving.”

“Yeah, yeah, I got you.” Landry shot Riley a look full of gooey fondness.

Aidan looked away, fingers drumming on the counter. He was beginning to remember why he’d drunk three large glasses of whiskey last night.

Of course, that was the moment Levi decided to show up, wearing another pair of extremely short shorts, neon pink with a bright orange triangle pattern today.

Aidan’s eyes flicked down to his exposed thighs, thick and meaty and kind of gorgeous, actually, now that he was thinking about it. Then he remembered, suddenly, like he’d been electrocuted, that he’d groped that thigh last night.

He’d absolutely shamelessly put his hands on it and had even considered, in his drunken desperate stupidity, putting his hands on something else.

Aidan choked out an unsteady breath.

“Yo, dude, you’re awake.”

“God, it’s too early for those,” Aidan complained, gesturing to the shorts, “and definitely too early for yo or dude.”

“Come on.” Levi grinned, slapping Aidan on the shoulder. “You know you love it. All of it.” His shameless smile made it clear that he wasn’t going to be pretending that last night hadn’t happened.

Aidan guessed he should be grateful at least that he wasn’t bringing it up in front of their brothers.

“Hey, dude,” Riley teased, “can you grab the fruit from the fridge? We got the pancakes and the bacon.” He hopped off the counter and was about to use the edge of a kitchen towel to pull the pan of bacon out of the oven, but before he could, Landry noticed and made literal tsking noises.

“Use a fucking oven mitt,” Landry insisted, holding one out.

“God, you’re such a mom,” Levi complained, as Riley took the oven mitt, rolling his eyes the whole time.

“No, I’m a tight end who wants his quarterback to not burn his fingers off two months before training camp starts,” Landry said.

“Sometimes, I’m really not surprised that you and Aidan are friends,” Riley said.

Aidan refilled his coffee mug and then moved to the kitchen table, collapsing into one of the chairs. “Shot right through the heart,” he proclaimed dryly.

“He means it with love,” Landry said, tone brimming with unspoken loyalty.

“Sure, babe,” Riley said impudently, the look in his eyes brimming with just as much fondness as Landry’s had been earlier, making it clear he didn’t mind in the least.

Levi set the big bowl of fruit on the table and took the chair next to Aidan’s, even though there were other spots. Aidan told himself it was just coincidence, but then he swore he felt a foot brush his own before he moved it back.

Waggling his eyebrows at Aidan, Levi grabbed the platter of bacon from Riley and took a handful.

It was by no means the first time they’d all sat together like this, eating a meal. Sometimes Logan was there, and after he’d started dating Dylan, he’d come too. Occasionally even Lyla deigned to grace them with her presence, but they’d all been hanging out together for years.

But this felt like the first time.

It’s just the hangover, Aidan told himself firmly as his fingers trembled around the fork and he gripped it harder, trying to stop the giveaway shake.

But it was hardly the first time he’d been hungover around Landry and his brothers.

“You’re being really quiet,” Riley said, after he’d demolished a whole stack of pancakes and was going back for a second round. He pinned Aidan with his intense light blue stare.

“Dude, he’s practically dying. Cut him some slack,” Levi inserted. His glance over at Aidan was pointed. Like, get your shit together.

Aidan wanted to bury his head in his hands and cry. If I could do it, if I could actually fucking pull that off, I’d have done it already.

Riley’s gaze narrowed. “Maybe.” He didn’t sound particularly convinced.

“Ri,” Aidan said, sighing heavily. “I sorta am.” He didn’t say why. Was perfectly okay with Riley believing that his hangover was the only reason.

Riley’s expression softened. “Want some more coffee?”

“Yeah, that would be great.”

Riley got up and poured him another full cup and thankfully didn’t say anything else about how weird Aidan probably was this morning. Trust him to notice when he was not just sober, but suffering.

By the time the food was gone and Aidan’s cup was empty, he felt marginally more human again.

“You really okay taking the boat out?” Landry asked, stopping Aidan from rising from the table with a hand on his arm. “If you’re not feeling it, we can go without you—”

“And leave you two lovebirds alone with Levi? I don’t think so.

” Aidan snapped back a little meaner than he’d intended.

A headache was still teasing at his temples, and there were the hundred knowing looks Levi had sent him during breakfast. And then, worst of all, the empty chasm of his heart after Mo had looked at him, so fucking sympathetic, and turned him down.

Considering all that, it wasn’t really all that surprising how tightly he was wound.

Landry paused. Staring into his eyes. “Aidan,” he said softly. Aidan suddenly worried—abruptly and horribly—maybe he’d recognized Aidan’s sulk after all.

“No, no, sorry. I’m fine. We’ll take the boat.”

Landry let it go, but there was still concern lingering in his eyes as he watched Aidan take the empty plates to the kitchen, piling them up in the sink.

He’d hoped that maybe in the chaos of getting ready to go on the boat he could corner Levi and clarify that he’d been drunk and stupid and desperate last night and it turned out the whole triad was required to agree to insane sex bets with your brother-in-law.

But Riley conscripted Levi to make sandwiches as Riley piled bottles of water and Gatorade and beer into the cooler, and there was no way to get him alone.

Just when Riley finally ducked into the pantry to gather together a few bags of chips—not the best opening in the world, but Aidan was desperate—Landry showed up.