Love Lessons (Surf City Littles #1)

Chapter One

James

Walking with his two brothers down the stairs of his garage apartment, James was ready for them to go.

He loved his brothers. He did. And James was glad that Michael had made the trip for Christmas with his two partners, Finn and Jackson.

It was just time for Michael to go back home. And take Scott with him.

“I can stay,” Scott said as they reached the bottom step.

Don’t roll your eyes. Don’t— James rolled his eyes since it was the fifth time Scott had said those words in just the last five minutes. Scott had been saying them for two days now. “You want to go back home and see your old friends,” James reminded him.

Scott pushed out his bottom lip. “But you’re going to be all alone.”

“I’ll be working,” James reminded him. Again. “The entire reason I can’t go with you is because I’m on call.”

“Are you sure?” Michael asked. “I can talk to Finn and Jackson. We might be able to stay a few more—”

Fuck no! Michael meant well but James was twenty years old and didn’t need his older brother constantly on his heels.

Plus, James wanted to be alone.

Christmas had been great but watching his older brother with his two partners had been confusing. Maybe in a good way? Michael identified as a little and while James had known that, it was different seeing his older brother engaging in front of him.

Michael was obviously loved. The dynamic between the three men special. Daddy Finn doted on Michael and even Jackson bent over to do Michael’s bidding. Their relationship was interesting. Leaving James with a yearning that ate at him.

He needed time alone to think. The thoughts he’d been having were different.

“No, I’ll be working. I have shifts at both the fire station and the coffee house.” James wanted to shout at them to just go. That would be suspicious. James didn’t yell. His one job as the eldest twin was to look out for Scott. He pushed down his impatience.

His response made Michael’s lips turn down farther. “I still don’t understand why you’re working two jobs. We have money. If you need help covering bills, I can send more.”

As much as James loved his older brother and his twin, neither understood him.

James didn’t work two jobs for money. Okay, when he and Scott had first moved to the university town of Surf City, they had needed the money.

Michael had just started dating his partners and neither Scott or James would take money from his brother’s boyfriends. Either of them.

That was over a year ago. A lot had changed over the past year and a half.

“I don’t need money,” James assured Michael. “We don’t need money.” Clarification was needed or Michael would force money on Scott during his visit. Not that James didn’t suspect that wouldn’t happen anyway. Scott could keep that money though. Use it for his next book purchase or whatever.

“Then why?” Michael insisted.

Lifting his gaze, James met that of one of Michael’s boyfriends. The one that he was pretty sure would be on his side. The crazy one.

Jackson grinned as he leaned against the passenger door.

James widened his eyes, pleading for help.

Jackson’s grin grew.

Fucker couldn’t be bothered to help? Fine.

It was probably because James had refused to allow Jackson to take a ride on the motorcycle that Jackson had sold to James for twenty bucks.

But Michael had begged James not to tell Jackson where the keys were hidden.

Not that James believed that Jackson couldn’t have hot wired the motorcycle if Jackson really wanted to.

Jackson was unique. Scary. Possibly dangerous.

James turned his head to the responsible member of his brother’s poly relationship. Finn was Michael’s Daddy. He should be able to get Michael to back off. Except Finn was wrapped around Michael’s little finger and usually did whatever Michael wanted.

The door to the house across from them opened and the bane of James’s existence stepped out with a trash bag. Great. Just what he needed.

“Jacob!” Michael called before hurrying over.

James relaxed as Scott followed behind Michael and they quickly got into a conversation with the professor that James and Scott rented the apartment from.

Well, Scott rented the apartment from the professor.

James wasn’t exactly welcome so he normally tried to avoid the professor when he could.

Asshole had even called to tattle on James when he’d bought Jackson’s motorcycle.

And gotten his first tattoo. Also, when James had accidently, maybe on purpose, trampled the professor’s bushes. The man was a narc.

“Still not getting along with the landlord?” Jackson asked as he joined James at the bottom of the steps.

James was not taking one step closer to the professor.

There would be no telling what the asshole would try to get him into trouble for this time.

Luckily for him, the professor had been visiting his own brother for the holidays, so James hadn’t had to worry about him for two weeks.

Not that it should even be a concern. He didn’t know why the professor had declared himself as the authority over everything they did.

He was renting them a small two-bedroom apartment over his garage.

That was it. They didn’t need a fucking keeper.

James was nearly twenty-one years old. He paid all the bills for him and Scott.

Made sure Scott had everything he needed for school.

James took on all the worries so Scott could use his brilliant brain to figure out how to save the oceans or whatever shit that his twin was constantly droning on about.

“Guy is an asshole,” James commented quietly. He might not like Jacob but James wasn’t a rude person. Add in the fact that Jacob was the most attractive man that James had ever seen just made the professor’s assholeness even worse.

“He’s a millionaire who spends his time teaching college students. He can’t be that bad,” Jackson replied.

James grunted. “You don’t live in his backyard.” While James loved the view, Jacob was that hot, James also went out the way to avoid Jacob. It was just safer that way.

“That’s true.” Jackson rocked back on his heels. “He does call Michael weekly with an update.”

Just hearing the words pissed him off. James took a deep breath, knowing that it wouldn’t do him any good to complain.

This was his life now. The only solution was if they found another place to live.

James had stopped looking after the first few months of having to live next to the professor.

The rental prices in this town were crazy.

Forget actually owning something in town.

James could work five jobs and wouldn’t have enough money saved for a house of his own.

Surf City catered to the university students and the surfing community. It was a gorgeous city with lots of open space but very few rental properties or apartments. The only options were the beach houses on the coastline. The very expensive beach houses.

“So what are you going to do with two weeks alone?” Jackson asked with a nudge to James’s arm, drawing James’s attention once again.

“Work,” James replied. That was what he spent most of his time doing anyway.

“All work and no play makes James a dull boy,” Jackson teased.

“Dude,” James groaned. “Really?”

“I’ve noticed the hot eye candy walking around,” Jackson said. “Not a bad view. Surely there’s been someone who’s caught your eye.”

Very deliberately James did not glance back toward the professor.

There was no way that Jackson could know about the dirty thoughts James had about Jacob Lambert.

“Does my brother know that you look at other men?” James asked.

He would never complain about the half-naked men that ran around in the summer.

Nothing wrong with looking. He’d never seen Jacob even dress casually and never dressed for the beach.

The professor probably never even enjoyed the beach.

That would be fun and Jacob probably didn’t know the meaning of that word.

“Who do you think was with me and pointed out the hottest ones?” Jackson replied with a grin.

That was not something James ever wanted to think about. It was close to knowing that your parents had sex. Yuck!

“Go pull my brother away and get him in the vehicle,” James ordered. He pushed Jackson where Finn had joined Jacob, Michael, and Scott looking over the professor’s garden. Like why did five grown men need to look that intently at plants?

James followed slowly, dragging his feet but stopped to pick up the trash bag that Jacob had left on the ground. He carried the bag toward the trash bins that were stashed under the stairs up to the apartment. James was the one that took the bins to the curb to be emptied every Monday and Thursday.

James dropped the professor’s trash inside and replaced the lid of the bin as Michael squeaked.

He turned in time to see Jackson running to the SUV with Michael thrown over his shoulder.

James laughed as Michael squirmed in Jackson’s hold. Scott was running behind them as Finn and Jacob brought up the rear.

“We’re never get on the road if you don’t stop giving the professor tips on gardening,” Jackson was saying. “I was promised those cinnamon rolls from the diner by the interstate.”

“Cinnamon rolls!” Scott did a little dance all the way to the back driver door.

James was just glad to see that his family was finally headed toward the vehicle.

“Wait! I need one more hug!” Michael was kicking his feet.

Jackson turned to face James.

James rushed forward and grabbed Michael’s upside-down face and kissed his forehead. “Seriously, I will see you in a few weeks when you bring Scott back.”

Michael gave a lopsided grin. “Don’t miss us too much.”

“Just for being a brat, I’m letting Jackson borrow the bike when you come back,” James threatened.

“No! You promised,” Michael yelled.

Jackson cackled and slapped Michael’s ass.