Page 31 of Jordan

“Your grandfather helped raise you. It’s no surprise Forest isn’t handling it well.”

“Yeah.” That didn’t change the fact my brother should help me pay off the mountain of debt. He didn’t want to lose the house any more than I did. Instead, he flew home to drown in his misery. I couldn’t help someone who didn’t want it. The pile of shit on my shoulders was already heavy enough. Forest was a grown man. He needed to handle his life while I took care of everything else.

Vail cocked his head. God, he was still so much the same, even after all these years. He’d always been inquisitive. Now he was probably studying me, trying to figure out how I was here on Jordan’s couch. “Are you and Jordan together?”

I choked on air and started coughing. Vail patted me on the back. It didn’t do anything, but I wasn’t about to shoo his hand away. Vail could strip me down and touch every part of me so I could live out those teenage fantasies if he wanted to. “I’m fine,” I rasped as I caught my breath.

“We’re not together,” Jordan said, stepping closer. His eyes held mine, hazel pools I couldn’t decipher. “I got Hartley sick with the flu. He’s here under my doctor’s care so he can get better.”

“And so Irene can mother me,” I added. She was one of the sweetest women I’d ever met. Not only that, but she handled Jordan easily. She wasn’t afraid of him, nor did she hold back her words.

“She’s good for that.”

“Is that why I’m here too?” Vail asked Jordan. “I caught whatever you have. Who told you though?”

“Dexen. He mentioned you’d told Dana you were sick and asked me what I did. Dexen’s lucky I fucking like him,” Jordan growled. It sent a shiver through my body. I shouldn’t get turned on by him but, fuck me, I did. With him and Vail in the same room, I was going to have to perpetually sit with a pillow over my lap. Flu or not, they were both gorgeous. My body reacted to them.

Movement by Vail’s side caught my attention. “You have a dog?” I asked stupidly. How bad was my tunnel vision on Vail that I didn’t notice the big dog standing beside him? It was just like when I was younger. When Vail was around, the world fell away.

“This is Tahoe. I was told to bring him.” His eyes shifted to Jordan. “He’s good with other animals.”

“Latte will have fun with him,” Jordan stated. “You can let him off the leash. He can sniff around and drop his hair all over. It will mix with Latte’s and give it some color.” Jordan said he didn’t like dog hair everywhere, but when he wasn’t looking last night, I saw the way he was with Latte. It was clear he loved her. “I’ll release Latte once Tahoe gets acquainted with my home.”

That brought me to another thing. I was sleeping in one of Jordan’s guest rooms. The room right next to his. In his fucking house. I still couldn’t believe he wanted me here. He said I was to stay until I was better. His doctor stopped by yesterday to test me. Sure enough, flu. I started the antiviral soon after.

“Come on, Jordan.” Vail grinned. “There’s not much better than having a dog in your house. You love that beautiful girl.”

He met Vail’s gaze but didn’t confirm or deny what Vail said.

“How do you two know each other?” I asked.

“I cooked dinner for Jordan and his guests,” Vail told me. “Then when I heard he got sick, I made him soup and brought it over. I wasn’t concerned about catching the flu, thinking I ate well, got the vaccine, and took care of myself. Damn, was I wrong. Now I have this illness and it’s not fun.”

I patted the cushion beside me. “Sit next to me. We can be sick together.”

“Oh good, Vail’s arrived,” Irene said, bustling down the stairs. “I just fixed up a bedroom for you. Have a seat and I’ll bring you some tea.”

“I can’t believe you want me to stay here,” Vail said to Jordan. “You could have just let me ride it out at home. It’s not your fault I’m sick. I knew what I was doing when I came here. I’m a big boy.”

Jordan hummed and dragged his gaze from Vail’s toes to his lips. It seemed Jordan looked at Vail like he did at me, with barely controlled desire. “If you’re here, I know you’re safe. This way, Irene can take care of you along with Hartley.”

“I told you I’m fine. I don’t need you to worry about my safety.”

“Wait, why wouldn’t you be safe?” If something happened with Vail, I wanted to know.

Vail finally took Tahoe off leash and let him roam so Vail could sit by me. He leaned heavily against the back of the couch. The flush of his cheeks told me he was running a fever. Hopefully, Alton would be here soon to help him. “Do you remember Gil?”

“Yes.”

“We didn’t have the best relationship. It was good for a while, but then… not so much.”

I sat forward, forgetting about the flu, Jordan, and the space we were in. “What happened?”

“I won’t go into details. Reliving the past isn’t my favorite thing. Let’s just say I have a PFA against him and leave it at that.” He had a protection from abuse against him?

“That piece of shit!” I yelled. “He fucking hurt you. How dare he! You should have told us. You could have stayed with Forest or me. We would have helped you.” I was torn between being so fucking angry at Gil for being an abusive asshole and agony at not being able to be there for Vail when he needed someone most. If I had known, Forest and I would have done everything we could have. My brother wasn’t always like he was now.

Vail’s fingers wrapped around my wrist. “Sit down, Hart. I’m okay.”

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