Breaking through the Bond (Espen Jetties #2)

5. King

5

KING

I was sitting on the couch waiting for Hayes to hurry up so we could leave. If he didn’t move faster, Ma was going to have our asses when we got there. She didn’t tolerate anyone being late. And her way of punishment would be withholding dessert. I’d be damned if I didn’t get a slice of whatever pie, cake, or deliciousness she made.

“Let’s move it!” I called.

“Almost ready!”

Dropping my head back on the cushion, I closed my eyes and tried to think of something else so I wouldn’t bang on his door, which would only piss him off and slow him down. Last night with Jamie was the first thing to come to my mind. Fuck, he was sexy. He took my cock so well. But that wasn’t all there was. Something else was brewing between us. More of a connection than a one-night stand. At least I thought so.

We exchanged numbers before he left. It wasn’t like me to do it, but I couldn’t let what we did only happen once. I didn’t get nearly enough of him the first time.

I was so comfortable with him. I wasn’t sure how else to explain it. Like I’d known him a long time, even though we just met. I hadn’t felt like that with anyone since I met Hayes. I hoped Jamie didn’t end up in the friend zone too.

For all my screwing around and having a good time, it was tiring. The more Hayes wanted to stay home, the more I thought maybe I needed to slow down. No, twenty-seven wasn’t old, but I wasn’t getting younger. The years I’d spent playing hockey beat the hell out of my body. I would love to have someone to come home to who’d accept me for who I was. Who’d like to have fun but also knew when to stay in. Someone who could maybe rein me in a little.

Basically, I wanted to merge Hayes and Jamie and find my perfect someone in the middle. I snorted a laugh. Sure. That was possible. I’d just wave my magic wand.

Then another thought hit me. What happened when I did find someone? Would they move in here with me and Hayes? Would Hayes leave? My chest tightened at the thought. I couldn’t imagine him not being here. He was my best friend. It was selfish, but I wanted to keep him and have someone to love. The best parts together.

Fuck this. I was working myself up for no reason. One night with someone didn’t mean we were going to walk down the aisle. I’d have to take it one day at a time. See how things went. If we did see each other again.

Standing, I was about to head down the hall when Hayes appeared. Khaki shorts and an untucked maroon polo shirt, he looked good. He was trying to show me up.

“Why do you always do that?” I groaned.

“You’re going to have to be more specific.”

“You know what I’m talking about. I dress like a slouch, and you look like… that. Ma is going to give me shit.”

“It’s not my fault you don’t want to put on a decent pair of shorts for dinner.”

I looked down at my black basketball shorts and dark gray T-shirt. “I wear this all the time.”

“That’s my point.”

“Whatever. My brother won’t look much better. Jude can get on you about being a suck-up too.”

He laughed. “Jude is still trying to impress Ashlyn. They’ve only been dating for six months. And Elliott has that young, professional vibe going for him.”

“I forgot about Ashlyn.”

“Of course you did.”

“I need to change.”

“If you do that, we’re going to be late.”

There was no winning. I should know better. Screw it. This was who I was. I always dressed comfortably around family.

Hayes and I took the elevator down to the garage and got into my car. It was a little BMW 840i coupe that I loved. I also had a Jeep Wrangler for when the weather was bad, but it was gorgeous today. Hayes drove either of my vehicles when he needed to go somewhere I wasn’t also going to. He didn’t have a car of his own. Didn’t see the point since we lived in a city with other ways to get around. Plus, he could borrow mine, which I was fine with.

The drive to dinner didn’t take long. My ma lived a few blocks from the beach in the home I grew up in. Two stories with light blue siding. There were wraparound white decks on both levels. It wasn’t a huge home that would get a lot of money if it was a vacation rental. Big enough for our family with literally no space to spare. When my parents got married and bought it, there were only three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms. As our family grew, they converted the attic into another bedroom, which I moved into. They also took the half bath and made it a whole. There was still fighting over the bathrooms and who got all the hot water, but we fought about everything growing up.

I pulled into the driveway and saw Jude’s SUV, Elliott’s sedan, as well as Maia’s minivan which was brand new. My sister was only twenty-four but her and Tag were high school sweethearts, who married when she was twenty-one. We all teased her about the van. She and Tag were trying to have kids. Her old car died, and they needed something new, so she decided to buy a mom van.

Elliott was leaning on the railing on the downstairs deck, phone pressed to his ear. Nice jeans and a white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up made him look just as put together as Hayes said. He was only twenty years old and looked like he was about to take over a company.

“Who do you think he’s talking to?” Hayes asked. We were still sitting in the car with the engine off.

“Ma said he’s been dating a guy he goes to college with. He lives in Montana or some shit. They must be apart for summer break.”

I got out of the car, closed the door, and walked up to my brother. Hayes was right behind me. I grinned at Elliott, not giving a shit he was on the phone, and that it might be important. “Who ya talking to?”

He pulled the phone away from his head, covered the bottom, and whispered, “None of your business.”

“Is it your boyfriend?” I made sure to drag out the last word.

“Fuck you, Kingston.” Elliott and I had always been like oil and water. I loved him and would do anything for him, but we weren’t overly close.

“Well, that’s not very nice. Does your boyfriend know you say such things?” I leaned closer. “Or does he prefer your mouth dirty?”

He scowled at me. “You’re such a prick.” Then he stalked off around the side of the house.

I busted out laughing. Riling people up was my favorite.

“You couldn’t leave him alone, could you?” Hayes asked. When I turned, I saw the smile on his face. He loved the way we interacted. Hell, he was one of us, considered family.

“Fuck, no. The second-best part of coming here on Sundays is to piss everyone off.” The first was the food. Always food with me. My stomach growled to remind me I needed to eat soon.

Opening the front door, we stepped inside. That wasn’t where the smell of food was. No, that was out back on the deck, where I had no doubt Jude was grilling for us. Maia would make potato salad, macaroni salad, whatever she was in the mood for and Jude would grill the meat Ma bought. Ma would make other sides and dessert. It was too warm out to run the oven, even with the air-conditioning on. It would heat the house too much.

In the kitchen, I found my ma and Maia. I wouldn’t see my other sister, Ember. Last I heard, she was spending the summer in Florida where she was going to college. She didn’t want to head home. Not that I blamed her. She had an apartment she shared with friends and was having fun, working full time now that school was out. She wanted to find a different job there once she graduated. She only had another year to go before she got her bachelor’s degree.

Luckily, both myself and Elliott got full scholarships for college. Ember got a partial. Maia and Jude didn’t go. Neither had any interest. Money was tight growing up, but not to the point where we didn’t know where our next meal was coming from. It was vastly different from Hayes’s upbringing.

His dad ran off after he was born, leaving his mom to raise him on her own. She worked multiple jobs to afford a small apartment and so they could have food on the table. Hayes had to grow up fast. He would be babysat by a neighbor since they had no other family. As he grew older, he was alone more than not. He understood why and never was angry at his mom for not being home often.

When he was twenty, he got a contract with the AHL then moved to the US with his mom. After that, shit went downhill. His mom was diagnosed with cancer a year later. She begged him to focus on hockey since she knew how much he loved it. So he did. He played his heart out for her. She passed away when he was twenty-two.

Hayes was traded shortly after to another NHL team and assigned to their AHL affiliate. He knew he couldn’t give up his dream of playing in the NHL nor would his mom want him to. At twenty-three he moved up to the NHL.

Hockey had been one of the most solid things in his life since he lost his mom. When I met him and we became close, one night over a bottle of tequila, he shared his past with me. I wasn’t nearly as drunk as him. I never forgot his words. The sorrow in his tone. The way his hand shook when he brought the bottle to his lips. I vowed right then and there I would be a constant in his life. I’d never let him down or leave him to feel like he was alone.

My ma turned around when she heard us come in, a big smile on her face. “There are my boys!” She came over and hugged us at the same time. Five foot three, with the same red hair as me, she was a force to be reckoned with. Full of fire and love.

She pulled back to look us over. To me she said, “You went out drinking last night. You need to hydrate more.” Then she turned to Hayes and said, “You stayed in and look well-rested. Good boy.” I swore, the woman knew everything without us saying a single word.

“It was the parade yesterday, Ma,” I said in my defense.

“I’m aware. We were there cheering you boys on, but you should have drunk more water. You look terrible. Go get a glass and start hydrating.”

“I’m so glad I came here for a lecture.”

“That smart-ass attitude won’t get you any cake.”

That had me freezing on the spot. “Cake?”

Maia moved around Ma with a big bowl in her hands. She sat it on the counter. “Did you honestly think she wasn’t going to make a dessert? It’s like you don’t know anything.”

“Shut up. No one asked you.”

When she walked past me again, she slugged me in the arm. “Don’t tell me to shut up.”

I was about to get her back when a hand landed gently on my arm, grounding me, keeping me from saying something that would make dessert disappear.

I turned to find Hayes right behind me, his body close enough where I could feel his warmth. I wasn’t sure how he did it, but he always had a way of calming me when I needed it. Not that I got angry often. This was typical Walker sibling bickering, but he knew how much I wanted that cake.

“King’s going to behave. Aren’t you?” Hayes asked in that tone of his that brokered no argument. I wanted to whimper. Because every time he spoke like that, it made me wonder what he could command me to do in the bedroom, which was not where my mind needed to go.

Instead of responding with words, because honestly, I couldn’t, I pretended to zip my mouth shut and hand Hayes the key.

Maia scoffed, “Like that’s going to work.”

I wanted to say something, but then Hayes nudged my chin to the left where I caught sight of the cake Ma made with dark chocolate icing and shaved white chocolate curls. Damn cake. It was my kryptonite.

“We saw Elliott outside,” Hayes said, changing the subject. “I heard he has a boyfriend.”

Maia put down the spoon she was using to stir something and turned around. “Oh my god, you should see how cute he is. Blond hair, baby blue eyes, I could eat him up.”

“How did you see him?” I was close to pouting. I wanted to meet the boy my brother was crushing on.

“They were on video chat when he first called. I walked behind Eli and stuck my face over his shoulder so I could see. I was shoved away, and he bolted for the door. They’ve only been dating a couple months.”

“Baby brother’s got game.” He was the youngest of the five of us.

“More than you apparently.”

“Hey! I’ll have you know I had a hot guy in my bed last night.”

Hayes muttered, “Here we go.” He faced Ma. “Anything I can take outside for you?” She filled his arms and sent him on his way while Maia got details on one very sexy man named Jamie.