Page 49 of Final Serenade

Sliding my bag inside, I shut the door. Heavy breathing swam through the darkness. Warm palms encircled the curve of my waist and glided down to cup my ass. He squeezed carefully, thrusting his erection against my middle. The pressure was perfect.Wow, that felt good.The man knew what he was doing. My knees weakened. Unable to stand still, I fell against the door. My hand patted the wall to my right in search of the switch. I rolled my hips to prolong the pleasure the friction of his cock against my sex gave me. The clothes needed to go.

Then came the noise.

I heard a shuffle. Frank’s hands froze. My fingers finally hit the switch and light filled the room.

A wave of dread washed down my spine. Heart in my throat, I shoved Frank aside. My brother was on my couch, his blond hair a bedroom mess. A large backpack lay on the floor next to the coffee table.

“Holy shit.” A grin spread across his face. He rubbed his eyes and jumped to his feet. “You’re Frankie Blade!”

Anger and shock rolled through me. “What the hell are you doing here, Ashton? Didn’t I say next week?” My chest swelled with primal rage. I scanned the living room. The Xbox was in my closet and I was ready to use all my artillery if the evidence confirmed that Ashton had gone into my bedroom to retrieve it.

Frank was being quiet when I glanced at him. One hand covered his erection. I was pretty sure it wasn’t because he wanted to hide it. At first, there was a flash of genuine terror in his eyes, but it didn’t last long. What I read was mostly a mix of disappointment and amusement.

“Shit!” A shriek rumbled through the living room. “You’re screwing my sister! Holy shit! That’s so gangsta.” Ignoring my questions, Ashton leapt over to us and held out his hand for a greeting. “You’re like my hero, dude.”

Unfazed, Frank shook it, then turned to look at me. “You never told me you had a brother.” A smile appeared on his face.

“Yeah, she’s like the worst sister ever.” Ashton kept on grinning. His tone wasn’t mean. Still, the fact that he ran his mouth in front of Frank grated on my nerves. Immediately, I questioned my sanity. Then I questioned genetics. Lastly, I questioned my decision to consider giving my brother a chance.

“Really?” Frank knitted his brows. “I happen to like your sister.”

He actually said the words in front of Ashton. The revelation startled me.

My legs shook. I didn’t have a response. Instead, I turned around and checked the locks on the door.

“Well…” Ashton drawled, raking his hand through his mop of hair. “She’s not that bad, actually. Only sometimes. When she tries to boss me around.”

A chuckle. “Boss you around, huh?” Frank shot me a sideways glance. I noted his amusement.

“What are you doing here?” I pressed.

Ashton’s gaze jumped to me. “I couldn’t find anyone to give me a ride next week.”

“There’s always the bus. Where’s your stuff?”

“At home.”

A groan of frustration left my mouth. “Do you even understand English or do I have to speak Cantonese?” Snapping my eyes shut, I pinched the bridge of my nose. Levi and I had massive editorial to work on this weekend. For this reason alone, I didn’t want Ashton here.

My brother switched his attention to Frank. “Can you sign my T-shirt, dude?” His voice boomed in my head, high and excited. I’d never seen him this enthusiastic about anything before.

“Sure.”

My eyes fluttered open. I gave Frank an apologetic smile.

He responded with a wink and neared the couch, where Ashton was digging through his backpack. My brother pulled out the Hall Affinity T-shirt I gave him on his fifteenth birthday and laid it out on the coffee table. “Hey, dude, do you think I can take a selfie with you too?”

“I’m afraid not.” Frank shook his head and settled on a chair, his forearms on his knees. He looked at ease. “It’s Ashton, right?”

My brother nodded. “Are you two like having a secret relationship?”

Frank ignored the question. “Do you have a Sharpie?”

I gave him one.

Watching them interact was like watching a scene from Pineapple Express. I didn’t understand a word they said. Suddenly, it was all men’s language. Ashton used to play some of the older Hall Affinity songs on a guitar. Obviously, before the video games came into the picture and destroyed his entire brain. My brother didn’t likeBreathe Crimsonas much as I did, but he could do a decent cover of almost any song fromHollow Heart Dream.I never understood why he stopped being interested in music altogether. Seeing him pick Frank’s brain about the band’s old material was refreshing.

“Can you putall’s fair in the world of sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll?”Ashton asked as Frank evaluated the T-shirt sitting in front of him.

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