Page 126 of Cash

Brick had glued himself to Jules’s side, sated and happy, and he was actually in danger of dozing off. It didn’t help that Jules was rubbing his back with one of those big strong hands of his, and Brick was becoming more relaxed by the second.

His eyes closed, he yawned, and he was just about to—

“Hello? Jules?” There was an unfamiliar voice calling out cheerfully from somewhere in the house. “Where are you?”

“The fuck?” Brick shot up in a panic.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay.” Jules put a comforting hand on Brick’s shoulder. “It’s my brother and his husband. This is their place, remember?”

“Well, yeah, but I didn’t think they were coming here!”

“Yeah, about that.” Jules held up his phone to show a brand new text message. “Neither did I ’til just now.”

“What the hell?”

“My brother is a sneaky fuck.” Jules chuckled affectionately, and he rolled out of bed. “He loves his fuckin’ surprises.”

“Shit, shit, shit!” Brick bolted into the closet to find something to wear.

He wasn’t just meeting Jules’s brother—he was going to be meeting the Mafia King of Strassen Springs.

Something told Brick that rainbow briefs were not going to be appropriate.

Yeah, ha, no pressure at all.

Brick scrambled to put on a pair of white Bermuda shorts and a floral Hawaiian shirt in a lavender and pink pastel palette. He couldn’t track down a belt and decided to leave his shirt untucked. He tried to fix his hair or at least smooth it down so it didn’t have that whole just-got-fucked fluff to it.

Fuck, he was nervous.

No, screw that. There was no reason to worry. He could do this.

Brick had literally kicked the shit out of his own kidnappers and shot a man who had tried to kill him. He was an absolute badass. He could totally handle meeting his boyfriend’s brother and his brother’s husband.

After taking a few deep breaths, he emerged from the closet to find Jules and the others.

Just outside the master bedroom was a spacious sitting area with more big windows and lush furniture. State of art electronics were mounted to the wall above a giant fireplace, and there was a large fully stocked wet bar with a beautiful view of the beach outside.

Two men were standing with Jules by the bar, and Brick recognized them from their photographs as Jimmy Poe and Roderick Legrand.

Jimmy had on shorts, flip-flops, and a red polo shirt. His smile was absolutely gorgeous, and he was glued to Roderick’s side. Roderick was wearing a sleek black three-piece suit in spite of the hot weather, and his gaze was a thousand times more cutting in person.

Especially when it fell right on Brick.

“This is him?” Jimmy grinned.

“That’s him.” Jules beamed.

Jimmy peeled himself away from Roderick to greet Brick, shaking his hand excitedly. “Hi! It’s so nice to meet you! I’m Jimmy Poe.”

“Hey! You too!” Brick smiled. “I’ve heard so much about you guys. Uh, I’m Brick Brixton. Cho, really, but everybody calls me Brick.”

“I can see why. Wow.” Jimmy laughed and then ducked his head shyly as if he hadn’t meant to say that out loud. He cleared his throat, ushering Roderick over. “This is Roderick.”

“Hey. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Brick offered his hand, and he was really glad that he was at least taller than Roderick was. It was a little easier to deal with that icy stare looking at it from above, though it was still quite intimidating.

“A pleasure,” Roderick said smoothly as he shook Brick’s hand. “I trust you’ve been enjoying your stay here?”

“Yes. Very much. Thank you.” Brick retreated to stand next to Jules. “It’s absolutely beautiful.”

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