Page 38 of Harboring Secrets
Chapter 19
Brodie
Mybrothersdescendedonmy house like a plague. It wasn’t unexpected, but it was unannounced. Lucky for everyone, Liam and I had been on our best behavior all morning. Well, after the morning sex, and the shower sex, and the frantic frot when we walked in the door after shopping. It was almost a blessing that my brothers appeared on my doorstep, their boyfriends in tow. My dick needed a break.
Liam was in the kitchen when they arrived. After our shopping trip, he insisted on reorganizing my kitchen to his liking. His gaze flicked up to the sudden influx of guests and I saw his shoulders lift and his spine straighten.
“We thought we’d come with a housewarming gift.” Shane held up a couple cases of beer. “Didn’t know you had company.” His gaze slid over to Liam.
“That’s Liam,” I told them. “Liam, this is Shane and his boyfriend Archer.” I gestured at Kieran next. “And that’s Kieran and Clay. Everyone, this is Liam. Yes, he’s my boyfriend. No, you may not interrogate him, threaten him, or otherwise act like irritating brothers toward him.”
Kieran reached out and ruffled my hair. Shane scowled. Liam came over and slid an arm around me and tugged me into his side. He pressed a kiss to my cheek in front of everyone.
Archer tugged a case of beer out of Shane’s grasp and elbowed him. Reluctantly, Shane extended a hand toward Liam, who took it graciously.
“Good to meet you,” Liam said. “I have to admit that I almost feel like I know you already. Brodie talked about his family a lot.”
Shane glanced at me, looking surprised and pleased. “Only good things, I hope?”
I shot him a mischievous grin. “I’ll never tell.”
“Are you all unpacked?” Kieran asked. He’d taken the other case of beer from Shane and sat on the couch, pulling Clay into his lap.
“There’s a stack of boxes in my bedroom that I have to get through, but mostly, yeah. Liam and I tackled that this morning.” Unpacking had happened after morning sex but before shower sex. My face heated at the memories. It wouldn’t be long before Liam had me on every surface in the small house.
Tugging Liam with me to the couch, I took up space on the other end. Liam sat on the floor in front of me. He draped an arm over my lap, like he was claiming me as Kieran passed him a beer.
“So how long are you in town for?” Kieran asked.
My leg shot out and I kicked Kieran. He was unaffected by my assault, only pausing to look at me with a raised eyebrow to mock my attempt to inflict damage.
“I’m not interrogating him. It’s a question.”
Liam cracked his beer open and took a sip. He offered it to me and I waved him off.
“You don’t have to answer their questions, Liam.”
He leaned against me, pressing his side against my leg. My hands found their way into his hair and I ran my fingers through the short strands.
“I’m in town for as long as Brodie wants me to be.”
Liam was never leaving because I definitely didn’t want him to go. I liked having that little nugget of knowledge.
“What do you do for a living?” Shane asked. His big brother instincts had kicked in. He was standing at the kitchen island. Archer had taken up residence on one of the stools and had his arms looped around Shane’s shoulders.
“Right now? Nothing. I quit my job.”
I saw Shane’s expression darken. “You quit your job? And moved here? Whatever money you think you can get from Brodie, you’re wrong.”
I hated Shane for being presumptuous and judgmental, but loved him for being protective. Even if he was going about it the wrong way.
Liam squeezed my leg as though he wanted to reassure me that he didn’t take any offense to Shane’s ridiculous assumptions.
“My parents owned a pharmaceutical company. My sister runs it now. I never had an interest in it, but family obligation had me in college for a degree in business and then I got a job at the family company, mostly so I could make my dead parents proud of me. Even without my income, I have more money than I can spend. And if that ran out, I have a sister I could mooch off. Maybe she should come here and interrogate Brodie about his intentions with me.”
Liam looked up at me and grinned. “Whatareyour intentions with me?”
My intentions with him were definitely not something I could discuss in front of my brothers and their boyfriends. In lieu of listing all the X-rated things I intended to do to him the moment we were alone, I drew him into a kiss that tasted like beer. There was no doubt that the interrogation was going to continue with or without my permission, but knowing Liam gave as good as he got settled something in me. I’d been afraid that they were going to scare him away. I no longer worried about that.
