Chapter 16 #2
Colt’s knuckles went white around his mug, and Jaxson filed that reaction away for later consideration. The tension between them had been building for months, ever since Jaxson had caught Colt watching Lan with that same hungry look that Jaxson tried so hard to hide.
“Some of us,” Jaxson said pointedly, “actually take our big brother duties seriously.”
“Is that what we’re calling it now?” Wei said, amusement dancing in his dark eyes. “Your ‘brotherly duties’?”
The double meaning hung in the air like smoke, making Jaxson’s ears burn. But he refused to be baited. Last night had been… special. Private. Not something to be dissected over morning coffee by his nosy brothers.
“Speaking of duties,” Colt drawled, methodically arranging his coffee mug on a coaster—because heaven forbid anyone leave rings on their scratched kitchen table. “When are you planning to actually live your life, Jaxson? You’re thirty, not dead.”
Sunlight streamed through their kitchen window, painting the chipped countertops in deceptively warm hues. Jaxson watched Wei’s practiced movements at the coffee machine, grateful for the distraction from Colt’s pointed inquiry.
“I live just fine, thanks for the concern.” Jaxson kept his tone light, though his grip on his mug suggested otherwise. “Weren’t we done with this conversation back in Season One of Harassing Your Eldest Brother? I must have missed the renewal notice for Season Two.”
Colt’s laugh held no humor. “Oh, you mean when you deflected just as skillfully as you’re doing now?” He reached for the sugar, measuring exactly one teaspoon. “That real estate agent from your office—Rebecca, right?—seemed interested. Unless you’re too busy playing house to notice?”
Rebecca? The thought of her carefully coordinated outfits and calculated smiles made something in Jaxson’s chest tighten with distaste. She couldn’t hold a candle to Lan. He cut that thought off before it could fully form, painfully aware of the phantom warmth of Lan’s lips still lingering on his.
“Some of us are too busy being successful to play the field,” Jaxson replied, taking a deliberately long sip of his coffee. The bitter taste matched his mood perfectly.
Wei leaned against the counter, cradling his precious coffee like a newborn. His dark eyes danced with unholy amusement. “Success is relative, dear brother. Some might say true success includes a fulfilling personal life.”
“I’m fulfilled just fine,” Jaxson muttered, then immediately regretted his word choice as Wei’s grin turned positively feline.
“Oh, are you now?” Wei’s voice dripped with suggestion. “And how exactly are you… fulfilling yourself these days?”
The image of Lan’s face as he came apart in Jaxson’s arms flashed through his mind—those dark eyes wide with pleasure, those perfect lips parted on a gasp, that beautiful flush spreading down his neck and across his chest. The memory was so vivid, so perfect, that Jaxson had to take another sip of coffee to hide his reaction.
Xander appeared in the doorway, his golden-blond hair performed an impressive impersonation of an avant-garde art installation, yet somehow he still managed to look like he’d stepped off a magazine cover. Even his yawn seemed professionally choreographed.
“Do I smell Wei’s coffee?” Xander made his way to the machine with the desperate focus of an addict seeking his fix. He poured himself a cup, inhaled deeply, and took a reverent sip. “God, this almost makes being conscious worthwhile.”
“Glad to see my artistry is appreciated by someone,” Wei preened, while Colt rolled his eyes so hard they were in danger of getting stuck.
Xander settled into a chair, his usual easy grace somewhat hampered by exhaustion. “What’s the morning entertainment? Besides watching Colt arrange his breakfast like he’s competing on Top Chef?”
“Jaxson’s romantic desert of a love life,” Colt supplied, ignoring the jab about his eating habits. “Care to join the intervention?”
“Again?” Xander’s eyes sharpened despite his sleepy demeanor. “Weren’t we just discussing this the other day? When you were adamant about being ‘too busy’ for dating?”
“And yet,” Wei chimed in, starting another batch of coffee, “he somehow finds time to monitor our little Shrine Maiden’s every breath.”
Colt’s knuckles went white around his mug, while Xander’s casual sprawl suddenly looked more calculated than careless. Jaxson caught the flash of something in Xander’s eyes when Lan’s name was mentioned—something hungry and possessive that made Jaxson’s hackles rise.
“Speaking of our resident sleeping beauty,” Xander said, his tone carefully neutral though his eyes were anything but, “isn’t he usually up by now?”
“He had a late night,” Jaxson said carefully, trying not to think about soft gasps and trembling hands. About the way Lan had arched beneath him, the way those small fingers had clutched at his shoulders, the way those dark eyes had looked up at him with such trust, such need.
“Oh?” Wei’s eyebrows climbed toward his hairline. “And what exactly were you two doing that warranted such a late night?”
Jaxson’s coffee suddenly became fascinating. “Just… helping him with some things.”
“Things?” Colt’s voice could have frozen hell itself. His methodical stirring of coffee took on an almost threatening rhythm.
“I can go wake him,” Xander offered too quickly, already half rising from his chair. “Make sure he doesn’t miss breakfast.”
“He needs his sleep,” Jaxson said sharply, then forced himself to soften his tone. The possessive beast in him wanted to snarl at the mere thought of another touching what was his. “He’s still growing.”
The possessive edge in his voice was unmistakable, and judging by the way Colt’s eyes narrowed and Xander’s smile tightened, they’d both caught it.
Jaxson couldn’t bring himself to care. After last night, something fundamental had shifted between him and Lan.
The boy might not be his completely—not yet—but Jaxson had staked his claim in ways his brothers couldn’t begin to understand.
“Funny. I don’t I don’t remember you being this… accommodating when I was that age. Or any of us, for that matter.” Colt’s words cut through the air like ice shards.
Wei’s dark eyes sparkled with glee. “Yes, do tell us what makes our Little Fairy so special that he gets the five-star treatment. Including personal sleepovers in the master suite.”
Because he’s everything, Jaxson’s traitorous mind supplied.
Because his smile makes my world spin, and his touch sets my soul on fire, and the taste of his lips is more addictive than any drug.
Because when he looks at me with those dark eyes, I’d burn down the world just to keep him safe. Because he’s mine—has always been mine.
“He’s different,” Jaxson managed, knowing it was the wrong thing to say even as the words left his mouth.
Xander’s cup clattered against its saucer with more force than necessary. “Different how?”
“More delicate?” Colt’s suggestion dripped with sarcasm. “More precious? More in need of your constant attention?”
“More deserving of your… protection?” Wei added, clearly enjoying the show.
Yes to all of the above, Jaxson thought but didn’t say. Lan was all those things and more. He was sunlight after a storm, warmth in the dead of winter, the missing piece Jaxson hadn’t known he was searching for until it fell into his arms.
“Speaking of protection,” Xander interjected, his usual easy smile looking slightly strained, “I know this great girl from the bar. Smart, gorgeous, exactly your type—”
“And there’s Season Three,” Jaxson muttered into his coffee.
“—she’s actually looking to buy property,” Xander continued as if Jaxson hadn’t spoken. “Perfect excuse to mix business with pleasure.”
“I know that look,” Colt said, pointing his spoon accusingly at Jaxson. “That’s your ‘thanks but no thanks’ face. The same one you gave that interior designer last month.”
“And the yoga instructor,” Wei helpfully supplied.
“And the coffee shop owner,” Xander added.
“And let’s not forget the—”
“Enough.” Jaxson’s voice cut through their listing like a blade. “My love life isn’t up for committee review.”
“No,” Colt agreed, his precise movements becoming almost militant as he arranged his napkin. “Because that would require you to actually have one.”
“Some might say,” Wei mused, “that your dedication to certain… domestic duties is preventing you from finding real happiness.”
The double meaning hung in the air like smoke.
“I am happy,” Jaxson insisted, even as last night’s memories threatened to drown him—Lan’s fingers clutching his shoulders, those perfect lips parting on a gasp, the way he’d trembled and whispered Jaxson’s name like it was sacred.
“Are you?” Xander’s question was soft but pointed. “Or are you just hiding behind your big brother routine?”
“The routine that seems to apply exclusively to one particular brother,” Colt added, his coffee cup hitting the saucer.
A thunderous cascade of footsteps and laughter erupted from the hallway. Nico’s friends—Chris, Ben, and Josh—tumbled into view, looking like they’d been through a war zone. Their clothes were rumpled, hair wild, and eyes bright with the manic energy that came from pulling an all-nighter.
“Morning, everyone!” Chris called out, attempting to hop into his sneaker while simultaneously zipping his backpack. The laws of physics seemed to object to this plan.
“Late again?” Jaxson asked, grateful for the interruption. He eyed their disheveled state with knowing amusement. “How many rounds of that new game did you manage?”
“Lost count after midnight,” Ben explained, wrestling with a textbook that clearly had no intention of fitting into his overstuffed bag. “But Nico swears he was just one boss fight away from—”
“Which turned into five boss fights,” Josh cut in with a grin.
“Coffee before you dash off to certain doom?” Jaxson offered, but Wei made a sound like someone had suggested using instant coffee in his presence.