14. Adam

There was a sharp knock on my kitchen door. I knew exactly who it was when I heard the door begin to open. I spun around, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around my waist. My twin brother came striding in. Kenan’s eyes widened slightly when he saw me.

“Hey, are you making coffee for me?” he teased.

Before I could tell him to turn around and get the hell out of my kitchen, Tessa came walking out of my bedroom. “Hey, do you know—” Her words sputtered, and her feet slid on the floor as she stopped moving.

Glancing over, I saw her mouth was agape. She snapped it shut. “Hi, Kenan.” Her words were clipped.

Kenan looked from me to her. As twins, maybe we couldn’t technically read each other’s minds, but we could read each other well enough. Thank fuck he sensed I needed him to play it cool and not make too much of this moment.

“Hey, Tessa,” he said easily. “I was just dropping off—” He paused. I knew he was formulating some excuse. “The keys to one of the work trucks.”

He reached into his jeans pocket, pulled out some keys, and tossed them to me. I caught them with one hand before lifting the mug of coffee in my other hand to take a fortifying swallow.

Just when I thought maybe he would turn around and leave, Tessa spoke. “Please don’t say anything. To anyone. Ever.”

My brother’s gaze flicked from me back to Tessa. “I would never,” he said solemnly. “I really have no fucking idea what’s going on. Did you have a flat tire or something this morning?”

Considering that I was wearing a towel, and Tessa’s curls were damp, her feet were bare, and she was wearing one of my T-shirts that hung to just above her knees, that was so obviously not what was going on.

The worried look faded from Tessa’s eyes, and she nodded. “Yes. That’s what happened. Adam happened to see me on the road and stopped to help.”

“That’s Adam. He’s a helper,” Kenan said with a barely suppressed grin. He cleared his throat. “Well then, I’ll be seeing you around.” He glanced toward me. “See you at the office later. With that work truck.”

“You got it.” I knew now that I was, in fact, picking up a work truck for my brother.

With a wave, Kenan was gone. Tessa met my eyes. “Are you really picking up a work truck?”

I smiled. “Now I am. That’s my toll.”

“Your toll?” She walked into the kitchen, stopping beside the counter and curling one foot over the other. It was so endearing I wanted to kiss her.

“Kenan will keep this quiet no matter what. But he was probably supposed to pick up one of the work trucks today, and I’ll do it for him now,” I said dryly.

Her lips curled into a small smile. “Oh.”

“Coffee?” I gestured to the mug I’d set out for her beside the coffee pot.

“Yes, please. Thank you.” She filled her mug and took a few sips.

“No cream or sugar?” I prompted.

“I like my coffee black.”

I filed that detail away. I wanted to know every little detail about Tessa.

After several sips, she cocked her head to the side. “Are you sure Kenan won’t mention this to anyone?”

“I’m positive. We’re twins. Even in a family as big as ours, we keep secrets for each other. Am I your dirty secret?” I teased lightly.

She shook her head quickly. “No. I just can’t have Rich finding out. Before you go thinking I care about it for myself, I don’t. It’s for Eric. If Rich makes my life hell, he makes Eric’s life even worse. Because that’s how he gets back at me.”

The resignation in her weary tone made my heart ache. I wanted to fix this for her, but I didn’t know how.

“Understood,” I said.

We shifted into a mundane conversation. Neither of us mentioned that when we’d woken together, I’d tugged her into the shower with me and fucked her against the tiled wall.

I considered myself a man with discipline and control. Tessa had snatched it away, and I’d never even seen it coming.