Page 17 of Enemies with Benefits
I suppose that, despite everything, I hadn't really known much about Jace at all.
Thatthought was quickly shoved aside as I turned my attention to my sister, who, no longer having someone to focus her indignation on, was finally forced to look at me. I raised my brow and snorted when she looked at me for a moment before darting her eyes away with the smallest grimace. Alright, so apparently my sister was capable of keeping things from me. That was, until some evidence was presented, and then she was going to fold quicker than my ex after a few drinks.
I turned to Jace. “You fucked my sister?"
Of course, that had the exact response I was hoping for, and Moira gave me a solid punch to the arm. Now, anyone who looked at her slight frame and thought she couldn't do much damage would be in for a literally sore awakening if she decided to hit them. She had grown up around nothing but brothers, one of whom was a professional MMA fighter, and our father had been a boxer. Between our father's lessons when she was younger, Dominic's constant training for MMA, and just the experience of having brothers, she knew how to throw a punch. She might not be able to put the force behind it that someone my size or Dominic's size could, but she could still make it hurt like hell.
"Ow," I said with a laugh, knowing I had successfully pulled her away from her real indignation and back to one that was more familiar and comfortable.
"Don't talk about her like that," Jace snapped, which marked not only the return of his normal attitude with me, but sparked my annoyance.
"When I need one of her former fuck buddies or, God save me, exes to tell me how to talk to my sister, I'll find anyone other than you," I told him with a snort. "But that's my sister, not yours. I'll talk to her however the fuck I want, and I'll break the fingers of anyone who tries to do the same, got it?"
"That makes no fucking sense."
"Probably because you're an only child."
He could say whatever he wanted, but that was how things were. I could call my sister a bitch, a whore, a cunt, whatever I wanted, and she could call me a prick, a bastard, a self-absorbed bastard who didn't know how to connect with other people, that was just siblings for you. They were as brutal as they were loving, that was just a fact. But if any outside party tried to do something like that, it would go from a fact of life to an intolerable disrespect that would end with wounded feelings or broken limbs. My siblings and I hadn't gone through the treacherous gauntlet that was growing up together, not to know how to deal with the other swinging at them literally and proverbially, but neither were we going to tolerate anyone else taking such liberties.
Moira groaned. “Why, ohwhycouldn't I have just been a lesbian? Then I could have moved to some women's only retreat in some far-flung part of the country and never had to deal with another man again? But no, I had to have brothers, I had to be attracted to men, I had to find myself surrounded by stupid, testosterone-addled, ego-driven men!"
"You of all people should not be talking about ego," I scoffed.
"Yeah," Jace agreed, earning a mutually shocked look between the two of us, and then he blanched at whatever look Moira was giving him, and I was pretty sure I knew that look.
"See, that's the other fun part of siblings," I told him with a smirk. "You don't get scared off by them as easily."
She whipped a fierce glare at me. “Mason."
I smiled benignly. “I'm just letting him know, dear sister. Now, how about we ignore this apparent ego battle between him and me, and talk about how you apparently were...involved, in some way, shape, or form, with the very man you knew despised everything about me, and I believe you once called a thickheaded, petty child. How about that?"
Jace snorted. “If you're trying to piss me off, you're gonna lose. She called me that when we were dating too."
"Dating?" I asked in a high, interested voice as I rested my chin on my fist and stared at my sister. "Fascinating."
"I...damn it," Moira muttered, rubbing her forehead in frustration. "Why are you like this?"
"I was born like this, I think," I said in a lofty voice.
"Hold on, time out," Kayden interrupted, making a 'T' with his hands. "So let me get this right...you two used to date."
"Correct," Moira said with an air of irritation.
"You two are siblings."
"Yes," she said with an aggrieved air. I took no offense because...well, I'd earned that.
"You're twins, aren't you?"
Moira and I straightened in surprise, her cocking her head. “I...yes. How did you know?"
"Good question," Jace said, frowning at his friend.
"Hey, don't question it," Kayden said with a smirk. "Otherwise, I'll be forced to point out that you slept with one of them, which makes you some sort of cousin or Eskimo sisters with the guy you clearly can't stand."
"Kayden!" Jace barked indignantly.
"Good thing I didn't point it out," Kayden said with a shrug. "Now...the only thing I can't figure out is why you two hate each other. This is obviously a high school thing, but to bleed into the adult years? What the hell did you do to each other?"
