Page 35 of Winning You
“I can tell,” Frankie murmured back. He glanced at his brother. Fallon was wide-eyed and clearly in some kind of shock. “I need to get my brother inside. He doesn’t look very good.”
Lucas tightened his grip. “Promise me you won’t hit him. I don’t want him having any kind of moral high ground.”
Frankie clenched his jaw, but he knew he wouldn’t be any good to his brother if he was locked up for assault. And that wouldn’t look great for his adoption case with Elodie. “I’ll be good.”
“I don’t believe you,” Lucas said with a small laugh, “but I trust you.” He started to release him, then tightened his grip again. “Come over tomorrow for breakfast. Bring your brother. I’m going to cook a comfort meal.”
“You don’t need to?—”
“Frankie. Do as I fucking say.”
Frankie’s jaw snapped shut, and he realized that maybe—just maybe—he’d gotten it all wrong in the shower. Maybe he wasn’t the one to do any of the bossing around. Shit. He gently pried himself out of Lucas’s grasp and turned, gripping his bicep. “Yes, your highness. We’ll be there.”
Lucas smiled. He wasn’t wearing his prosthetics, so his long, dark lashes fanned downward. Everything about him was so fucking pretty. “I’ve always wanted to be a princess. Anyway, see you then. Show up hungry.”
Frankie wanted to say something else, but he couldn’t find the words, so he just squeezed Lucas’s arm once more, then let go and stepped over Charlie to get his brother. Fallon moved like he was on autopilot, and Frankie gave him a push towardthe door before turning back to Gage, who looked like he was just barely holding back from beating the face off Fallon’s boyfriend.
Hopefully ex-boyfriend, if he was being honest.
“You need to leave,” Frankie told Charlie.
“Fine. Tell Fallon?—”
“No,” Frankie said darkly. “You will stay the fuck away from him. You have three days to get your shit out of his apartment. He’ll be home this weekend. The only thing in there of yours better be the key.”
“You don’t get to decide for him. He’s a fucking adult.”
“Yep. And so are you. Which means I can beat the shit out of you in a back alley, and it’ll be your word against mine.” Frankie took a deep breath. “I don’t think you want to test me. You have no idea where I’ve come from.”
“Is it wrong that I’m kind of turned on?” he heard Lucas murmur.
Frankie glanced over his shoulder in time to see Gage smack him and whisper back, “Dude, he can hear you. Shut up.”
Frankie couldn’t smile right then, but something went alight in his chest as he took a step back to give Charlie room to climb to his feet. “When Fallon’s calmed down, I’m pretty fucking sure he’s going to tell you the same thing. You don’t want to play with my family, Charlie. That would be a terrible, terrible mistake.”
Charlie said nothing, and after a beat, he stormed down the hall, and the mood immediately dropped. The hallway was silent and very somber.
“What did you actually see?” Frankie asked, turning to Gage.
“Nothing. Lucas heard it happen.”
Lucas swallowed heavily. “I heard your brother come into the hallway. They were arguing by my front door. The guy was trying to drag your brother out of the building, and your brother put up a fight. He said he was going to get you and the boyfriend—whatever—he called him a…” Lucas’s mouth closed quickly. “A nasty word. Kind of rhymes with hussy—starts with aP.”
Frankie let out a shaking breath. “Got it.”
“I opened the door right when he hit your brother. I heard it. I heard Fallon go down. Gage was right behind me and knocked Charlie to the ground.”
Frankie looked at Gage. “I owe you. I don’t even know what to say.”
“You don’t need to say anything. I am not going to stand by while one more fucking person gets hurt because people don’t know how to act like people.”
Frankie knew there was more weight to his words than he was saying, but it wasn’t his business. “Will you be around tomorrow morning?”
Gage shook his head. “No. I have to take off first thing. But I’m sure I’ll see you around.” He froze, then looked Frankie up and down. “Hold the fuck up. You’re the guy from earlier?—”
“Yes, he is. Moving on with life now,” Lucas said, giving Gage a shove toward his door.
“But—”
