Page 43 of Cuffed (Everyday Heroes 1)
“You were having a party?” Grayson sits up like a damn meerkat.
“No. No party. Go home.” Shaking my head, I unholster my weapon and walk the few strides to place it in the gun safe before turning back to my brothers and lifting my eyebrows. “I don’t see you moving.”
“Oh, that means Grant has a lady coming over,” Grayson harasses, drawing the phrase out and earning a laugh from Grady.
“No, it does not mean I have a lady coming over.”
“Good thing,” Grady says, “because she’d be sorely disappointed in your skills.” He makes a show of trying to thrust his hips.
“Says the man who could fuck a cheerio without breaking it,” I reply, just to shut him up, but I chuckle when Grady holds a fist over his mouth, points at me, and yells, “Burn!”
He never takes anything seriously.
“You really let him around Luke when he’s like this?” I ask Grayson. “No wonder mom took him for a while.”
“It’s nothing like that,” Grayson says, always one to defend whichever one of us is being picked on. “We treated the team to pizza after they won. We had beer and mom asked Luke if he wanted to spend the night. Of course he did—it’s Mom—so we figured we’d come over here and bug the shit outta you.”
“That is, unless you have a wo-man coming over,” Grady chimes in.
“No, I don’t have a wo-man coming over,” I say and throw a pillow at Grady. “Get your feet off the table.”
Grady laughs, tucking the damn pillow behind his head. “He so has a woman coming over if he’s telling us to get our feet off the table and shit.”
“You guys are fucking idiots.” I plop down on the love seat and glare at Grady until he plants his feet back on the floor.
“So, big brother . . .”
Nothing good ever comes from Grayson starting off the conversation with those three words.
“It’s been a long day, let’s not start whatever it is you’re trying to start,” I warn.
“Why do we come here? It’s nothing but abuse with him,” Grady says as he takes another sip of his beer.
“Exactly. If I’m so abusive to you little shits, don’t let the door hit you on the asses on the way out.” I know they’re not going anywhere, but I do our typical song and dance anyway.
“Not until we hear the scoop.” Gray sits forward and rests his elbows on his knees. “Rumor is you were at McGregor’s the other night with Emerson.”
“And?”
I can still taste her kiss.
“Well, obviously, you tracked her down, so what gives? You bumping uglies yet?”
I can still see that panicked look in her eyes.
“What is it with you guys? Can’t I go out with a woman for a few drinks and just be friends?” I ask.
I can still see the determination in her scowl when I walked away.
“No,” they both say in unison, and it prompts me to sip my own beer because I have a feeling it’s going to be a long-ass night.
The wood porch creaks as I sit on its steps and breathe in the fresh night air. It’s the first time I’ve had a chance to think all day, and considering Mutt and Jeff are inside catching up on the Giants game, I’m taking the liberty.
It’s fucking ridiculous that I have to go outside of my own house to relax, but it isn’t like they’ve listened to me the thirty other times I’ve kicked them out in the past three hours.
“Needing a break?” My father’s voice startles me.
“Dad?”
