Chapter Nine | Owen

I took my seat in the snug. It was funny how during our Salish Sea Society meeting we all sat in the same chair every Sunday night. The configuration placed me next to Ethan. And Noah next to Liam. Two sets of best friends set against each other. Ethan would always have my back.

And today, I had news.

"I have news," I said as everyone sat.

"That's a pleasant surprise," Noah replied. "What's up?"

I smiled. The joy behind it felt good. "Skylar kissed me."

"Wait," Liam exclaimed. "Back up. When did you start seeing him in person?"

"Two weeks ago. He came by my house to hold me."

Noah's eyebrows dipped. "I'm sorry … what?"

I sighed. "He knew I needed to be held. He gave me that."

"That sounds weird," Liam responded.

I glared at him. "If I remember correctly, you and Jamal started by holding one another."

Ethan nodded. "Owen has you there, Liam."

Liam rolled his eyes. "Fine. When did the kiss happen?"

"The following week. He'd given me some sketching supplies. He came by for me to sketch him. He was impressed with how I'd depicted him." I didn't mention the nude of Skylar I'd created from my mind and drawn. Even that sketch had pleased him. Maybe turned him on.

He'd asked to kiss me after seeing it.

No, it was more than that. His kiss had been tender and sincere. Not lust-induced .

It had been the most honest and raw experience of my life.

"Was the kiss hot?" Liam asked, his eyes alight.

"Honestly … best kiss ever."

"Nice."

"You're sketching again?" Ethan asked, changing direction. I hadn't told him yet. It had seemed like something private between Skylar and me. It was time to share.

"Skylar showed up with a pad of paper and sketching pencils for me the first night he came by." I looked down at my empty pint glass. "Brought me flowers the next time."

"Smooth," Liam said. "The guy has game."

For the second time, I glared at Liam. "It's more than that. I'm not a toy."

Fuck.

I hadn't meant to strike so hard. In the past, Liam had complained about feeling like a toy for the endless stream of men he'd fucked. It had been a source of regret and discomfort for him.

I shook my head. "I'm sorry, Liam."

"No worries," he replied. "I'm past it now."

I simply nodded. God, that had been a low blow. I needed to stop treating Liam like that. Skylar was right. These three men would always be there for me. Even Liam.

He deserved my respect.

"Carlos has a new project," Ethan announced, lifting the downturn in the conversation. "He's going to match me with one or two men and take pictures of us in loving and sexy poses. The plan is to upload the pictures to a stock photo site so people can use them for book covers."

"That's a cool project," Liam said. "You're really getting into this."

"Gotta do it while I'm still young," Ethan responded .

I grinned. "You are the baby of the group. Better live it up."

"Our little Ethan," Noah said, teasing. "An erotic model."

Ethan made a comical face that was anything but erotic. I loved his exuberance. "What about you?" I asked Noah. I was very interested in the process. "How are the adoptions coming along?"

"We've filled out the paperwork. We're waiting on a court date."

"Their parents actually signed them away?" Ethan asked, his expression incredulous.

"They don't even want updates on how they're doing," Noah answered.

"Jeezus, that's sick."

"They're happy now," Liam said. "That's the main thing, that they're happy and loved."

Ethan shook his head. "I can't believe the world sometimes. There's so much hate."

"Keep bringing the light," I said to Ethan and patted his arm. An arm that extended from a shirt with an assortment of kittens knitting sweaters. I loved my best friend.

"Jamal and I are going skiing next weekend," Liam said.

"He can do that?" I asked.

"He has a special contraption. I'm looking forward to having some alone time with him. Love his family but Jamal living with them makes intimacy difficult."

"Not long until you move in together," I reminded Liam.

"We can move in once we get back from Mount Washington. We're all packed."

"Give us the time and where you want us and we'll be there," I said and then leaned into my much lighter heart. "I love helping people move house." It was rare for me to joke around.

Liam stared at me and then started laughing .

Skylar's encouragement and support had turned a page in my life.

I'd never felt this settled and happy.

My stepbrother, Matthew, had contacted me, suggesting dinner. Just the two of us. Normally, we would have Matthew's wife, Deanna, join us. Matthew had sounded uneasy during our call.

As I sat across the table from him, in silence, I wondered what was going on with him. He was usually gregarious and loud. He'd barely looked at me.

"Okay." I set down my cutlery with a clatter on my plate. "What the fuck is going on?"

Matthew sighed. "Deanna is going back to school to become a registered nurse."

"And that has you in a funk? I don't get it. Deanna has always worked."

"She needs to make more money. We formulated a plan."

I grunted, annoyed. Where the fuck was this leading? "Expand on that, please."

He looked up at me and I was struck by the sadness in his beautiful blue eyes. In the past, they had complimented his blond curly hair. Now, they looked dull.

Jeezus.

"Are you and Deanna splitting up?"

Matthew nodded.

"Why? You two are great together."

Tears spilled down his cheeks. "I'm gay."

I had to rein in my rapid pulse. I had not been expecting this … at all. My gaydar needed to be recalibrated. My stepbrother was the straightest guy I knew.

Straightest acting guy.

The man deserved an Oscar.

"When did you know?" I asked .

Matthew blinked at me. "Please don't make me say it."

You've got to be kidding me.

"High school," I guessed. "When we started sharing a bedroom?"

A long sigh. "I hated lying there across from you. I wanted to …."

"Be in the same bed as me," I finished for him.

"Yes," Matthew confirmed. Well, wasn't this a kicker. I'd been lusting after my stepbrother, and he'd been lusting after me right back. Jammed together on the couch gaming took on more significance. We'd both craved that closeness. I'd never even questioned his reason for doing it.

Just knew I loved it.

"I'm seeing someone," I said. I wanted to get that out of the way in case Matthew was coming out to me and hitting on me in one daring swoop.

His brow furrowed. "That's not what this is, Owen. I'm over you."

"Good." His rejection should hurt more than it did. Maybe I was over him too. Speaking my attraction aloud for Skylar to hear seemed to have released Matthew from my heart.

Or maybe cuddling and kissing Skylar had.

"Is this a new guy? Mom was hoping you'd bring someone home at Christmas."

"It's only recently become something."

Matthew smiled at me. "Tell me about him."

"Mm. First off, Skylar is brilliant. Had his PhD in two sciences by the time he was twenty-one. He has incredible insight and wisdom. He's guided me through a lot of my hang-ups. He's kind and nurturing, and so beautiful. We kissed for the first time last week. His lips … were as soft as if I found my way to heaven. Like I'd snuck in and been kissed by an angel. "

Matthew laughed. "Brother, you sound like you're beyond smitten."

"Unfortunately, it's crazy complicated."

"Is the complication a deal breaker?"

"Two months ago, I would have said yes . Not anymore." I trusted Skylar to ascertain whether the relationship between us would work. That he knew the details better than me. That I needed to continue being open and honest with him. That he'd keep me protected.

"Dating isn't even on my radar." Matthew chewed on his bottom lip. "To be honest, I'm terrified. I'm a thirty-seven-year-old gay sex virgin."

I smiled. "Believe it or not, it'll come naturally. You know what makes you feel good. Any guy you're with will have that in common with you. Women are a guessing game."

"I've been watching gay porn."

"Oh, god." I laughed. "Don't do that. You'll find your way just fine without it. I'm telling you the truth. Gay sex will be the most honest thing you've ever done in your life."

"I'm sure you have stories."

"I am not sharing those with you." Especially my horror stories. My dating and sex history played like a dark comedy. I wouldn't want to put Matthew off. He was gorgeous and friendly and had a playful side. He'd fare just fine out in the gay world.

Matthew wanted to know more about Skylar. Now that we had our past attraction to each other out of the way, I felt more comfortable with my stepbrother.

I filled him in on the details of my developing relationship with Skylar, including the presence of Chad in the capacity of being Skylar's husband. He listened and asked respectful questions. Not once did he judge me. This was all new to him and he was open to it all .

I did not tell Matthew I had an aggravating attraction to Chad. Annoyingly, Chad gave me shivers. And I wasn't sure what to do with that. It would be the one thing I kept from Skylar for now. My gravitational pull toward Chad would complicate things for Skylar and me.

As we finished dessert, my phone rang. It was a client. They wanted to make an offer on a house. I looked at my phone after the call. It was almost 7:30. Real estate never took time off.

"I have to go." I rose to my feet and removed my wallet from my suit jacket's inner pocket.

Matthew raised his hand. "No, this one is on me. I unloaded a whopper."

"I'll get the next one."

"Thanks for being supportive. Deanna is still struggling. I haven't told anyone else."

I winked at him. "Welcome to the club. Contact me any time you need advice."

"I appreciate that."

My client's house wasn't far from the restaurant in Oak Bay. They were exchanging one home in Uplands for another. Slightly less square footage. Their children had both married and moved out, leaving them living in a big empty nest. The lead Chad identified had paid off.

Even though he'd pissed me off when he'd done it. I'd been convinced he was trying to scoop my client list. I chuckled as I turned into the client's driveway. He absolutely had been.

The guy was incorrigible.

I was welcomed into the beautiful home. I had the perfect buyer for it. They'd been looking for months. This elegant chateau-style house was exactly what they were looking for .

I sat at the dining room table, opened my folder, and spread out my papers. My clients waited patiently while I filled out the basic information on the form.

I looked up at them. "What number were you thinking of offering?"

They were confident. "Three point eight-six-nine-five."

"That's an excellent starting point." I filled in the line and then raised my head. "Subjects as we discussed? Property inspection and sale of this home?"

The couple looked at each other and then back at me. "We can manage without selling here first."

"Excellent." I smiled at them. "That'll make for a stronger offer."

Once we went over the contract line by line, I fed the document through my portable scanner and sent it to Chad. The other home was one of his listings.

"Would you like a cup of coffee?" I was asked.

I shook my head. "No, I'll never sleep if I have one now."

Ten minutes of small talk later, my phone rang.

It was Chad.

"If you'll excuse me for a minute." I headed for the front door and stepped outside, closing it behind me. I answered the call. "Why are you calling me? We have an offer on the table."

"I want to know how much wiggle room your client has."

"For fuck's sake, Chad. I'm not discussing this with you. Put in a damned counteroffer."

Chad grunted and ended the call.

Two minutes later, I received an email from Chad with the counteroffer. It was a reasonable offer. My clients had me submit their own counteroffer to it. Hopefully, Chad's clients would accept, and we could all go home and relax, a new sale under our belts.

My phone rang. It was Chad again.

Fuck .

I rose to my feet. "I'm sorry. I have to take this." Back outside into the cold.

"Okay," Chad said. "My clients really want to sell this house. They have their eyes on another home, and they need to submit an offer by tomorrow morning."

"Then tell them to stop pissing around."

"Come on, Owen. What's your client's number?"

"I'm not impressed, Chad."

"I want to go home."

"Don't we all." I released a long sigh. "Only counter by another 20k and we'll have a deal."

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

As expected, the new counteroffer pleased my clients, and we had a deal. I could finish up the rest of the paperwork once I got back to my home office.

I should have slept after lining my pocket with another 100k. But I was fuming, annoyed by Chad's antics tonight. That's not how I liked to do business. It wasn't ethical.

What the hell had gotten into me?

The next morning, after a restless night, I dragged my ass to Chad's office door and pounded on it. Instead of calling out for me to enter, he yanked open the door. He'd known it was me. I shoved him until he took several steps back, then slammed the door closed behind me.

He smirked at me as he leaned against the front of his desk.

"You look pissed," he said.

"Don't ever phone me during a deal again."

"But it worked out so well."

"You manipulated the deal." I clenched my fists. "You compromised my integrity."

"Pretty sure you did that all on your own. You didn't have to play ball. "

I contemplated punching him in his smug face. "You're a menace."

Chad stepped forward and pounded his finger on my chest. "Who managed to pull you off your high goddamned horse. How does it feel being down here wallowing among the rest of us?"

"Fuck off!" I knocked his hand away.

His expression tightened. A downturned mouth but fire in his eyes. He gripped the front of my jacket, clenching my lapels. Nearly knocked me off my feet as he pushed me to the other side of the room. My back slammed against the blinds drawn over his window to the hallway.

It rattled.

That's the last thing I remember before his lips came crashing down on mine. I slipped from fury to lust in less time than my brain could register. As his mouth devoured mine, I launched a famished response. It was a meal we'd both been longing for since the day we met.

I jammed my fingers into his hair and hauled him closer.

When he ground his hard cock against my thigh, reality hit me, and I pushed him away.

"Get the fuck away from me!" I shoved my way around Chad and flung open the door.

What the hell had we just done?