Page 78 of The Long Game

That explained why it was barely dawn outside. It didn’t explain why the fuck he was awake.

Then came a sharp and familiar buzz. It was hard to hear with the bedroom door shut, but it was definitely the front door intercom. Who the hell was on his doorstep at this hour and why?

It was hard to imagine it could be anything good.

Grady tried to slip out of the bed and was pulled in tighter by a sleepy, frowning Jack.

They’d been up late the night before, mostly making out like a couple of teenagers and eventually climaxing into each other’s hands again. Grady was thrilled he was allowed to touch Jack at all, let alone catalog all the ways to make Jack hum and shout and writhe and come.

The intercom buzzed again.

“Hey,” Jack mumbled. “I think someone’s at your front door.”

Grady kissed the top of Jack’s head. “Yeah. It’s really early, though.” He left theand I’d rather stay here with youunsaid.

“But what if it’s Colton?” Jack asked, suddenly far more awake.

Shit.Grady rolled out of bed and yanked on a pair of shorts as he stumbled out of the bedroom. Jack was right behind him, rearranging his twisted t-shirt so Grady caught a flash of the little—bright blue?—briefs beneath before they disappeared, along with the mystery ink, beneath Jack’s jeans.

Grady scrubbed a hand over his face and went to the door. Showing up at someone’s door at dawn wasn’t polite, but answering it with a massive boner was probably worse.

Grady reached for Jack’s hand as he pressed the speaker button.

“A very early good morning,” he rasped.

“Uh…sorry,” said a quiet, hesitant voice. They sounded young, but not like Colton, exactly. “Is this…Grady Samuel?”

The name slapped Grady fully awake. “It is,” he confirmed. “Who is this?”

“It’s…I’m your brother. Sam.”

Grady tried and failed to hit the speaker button three times before he managed it. His voice cracked. “Sam?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry about the time. I can come back when—”

“No! Come in. Please, god, come in. We’re on the second floor,” Grady babbled, leaning on the door release button with all his weight. Jack unlocked and yanked open the door to the hallway. Grady’s heart was racing so fast he could barely hear the footsteps running up the stairs.

A head appeared above the landing and Grady saw his brother for the first time in fourteen years. He tried to smile and failed utterly as he took in Sam’s pale face and familiar, darkbrown eyes. His hair was the same thick mess as Grady’s, his chin pointier like their mother’s.

He looked as lost as Grady felt.

Grady jerked forward with an instinctive need to grab up and cling to the young man. The thought that perhaps Sam wouldn’t want to be touched, let alone hugged, had barely registered before Sam was hurling himself against Grady’s chest.

“Oh god,” Grady breathed, holding on way too tight. Sam was easily a foot shorter than Grady, but he was strong, squeezing Grady’s ribs so hard they should have creaked. Grady buried his face in Sam’s hair and let the tears come. He wasn’t even surewhyhe was crying. He was just so happy to see Sam. So glad Sam had come to them.

A muffled sob escaped Sam and Grady’s own chest hitched.

Jack pressed a hand to Grady’s back, rubbing gentle circles.

“Why don’t we move inside?” Jack suggested, nudging them through the door and locking it.

Grady stepped back and scrubbed his cheeks against his shoulders.

Sam tried a smile but it was wobbly on his tear-stained face. He glanced at Jack and his eyes widened.

“Sam, this is my…”

Shit.

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