Chapter 16 #2
“What about Travis?” she asked as he handed her one. He’d already taken off the tops.
“Oh, he doesn’t usually drink. Maybe a beer once in a while.”
But he had beer in the fridge?
“He keeps it here for us.” Tyler sat by her feet and leaned back, sipping at his beer. “So, what’s up?”
“Um, what’s up with you?” she asked in amusement.
“Not much, babe. I’ve got a bit of a situation in my apartment so I figured I’d come shower up here before I head to the club.”
“You’re going to a club tonight?” she asked.
“Yeah, Whip It, the BDSM club that Travis owns.” He continued to grin at her. “You ever been to a BDSM club, Caren?”
“Hmm, I went to the Twisted Thorn regularly when I lived in Dallas. And years ago, I belonged to one in London. It was called Club Slade.”
Tyler’s grin widened. “Nice. I had a feeling.”
He had? A feeling about what? That she was kinky? That she was a sub?
Travis walked back into the room holding a white blanket. He came to a sudden stop, glaring at them both. “Beer? Seriously?”
“What’s wrong with a beer?” Tyler asked. “It’s after five somewhere.”
“Aren’t you heading off to a shift at Whip It?” Travis asked.
“Yeah, but that’s not for another few hours.”
“Caren shouldn’t be drinking beer.”
Travis reached over to take her beer and she pulled it away from him.
“Give that to me,” he demanded.
“No!” she cried. “It’s my beer. Get your own.”
“I don’t want a damn beer. I want yours.”
He reached for it again and unfortunately as she drew it away, she jolted and it spilled.
“Oh no! Oh shit! I’m so sorry!” She jumped up from the sofa and the room spun slightly.
Then she was suddenly pulled into a firm chest, the beer taken from her hand. And the room spun for an entirely different reason.
Bugger it. She really, really liked being held by him. And she loved his scent . . . it was a mix of chocolate and spice and all things freaking nice.
She found herself melting against him.
“This is why you shouldn’t be drinking beer,” he muttered.
Oh bollocks! The spilled beer. He had a good point. Why was she so freaking clumsy?
“I’m so sorry, you’re right! Let me just clean it up.” She attempted to pull herself out of his hold, but he tightened his arms around her.
“Don’t care about a bit of spilled beer, Goldie,” he told her gruffly. “And Tyler will clean it up, not you.”
“That’s not fair. I spilled it.”
“He got it for you.”
“Don’t worry, Caren,” Tyler said. “I’m all over it. Oh, can I call you Goldie, too? Forgot Travis gave you that nickname years ago.”
She opened her mouth to reply yes, but Travis spoke first.
“No, you cannot,” Travis snapped.
Caren drew back to stare up at him. He really was being extra grouchy. Tyler whistled, walking back from the kitchen with a cloth.
“Good to know,” Tyler said as he cleaned up.
“Why can’t I have beer? Although I hope it doesn’t stain. I can pay for cleaning.”
“You won’t pay for anything,” Travis told her. “The couch is fine, it’s had worse done to it.”
Worse? Like what?
“Yeah, like the time that Clay and I were fighting over the last piece of pizza. Pizza sauce and white do not mix. But it came out. This couch is magical.” Tyler winked at her.
Magical. Right. Like the charisma that the two of them were pumping out.
“You can’t have beer because you have a concussion and you’re still dizzy. And Tyler shouldn’t be getting you all excited.”
Tyler had finished cleaning at this stage and just shrugged. “Can’t help it if my dick is super exciting, you know. It is what it is.”
Travis sighed and helped her sit on the other side of the couch.
Fuck. She hated to admit it but he was probably correct. Her head wasn’t in the right space for this much excitement. Or for any alcohol.
Idiot.
Travis grabbed the blanket and placed it over her, pushing a cushion behind her back before he sat and faced her. “Headache? Dizziness?”
“Um. Little bit.”
“Of which?” he asked.
“Both?” Oops. She didn’t mean to word that like a question. “Sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize,” Travis told her.
But she felt like she did. Like she was being a huge pain in the butt. She glanced at Tyler as he walked over.
“Think it’s probably me that should apologize. I got you all excited and gave you a beer. Shouldn’t have done that.”
“No, you shouldn’t have,” Travis told him.
She scowled up at them both. “I can make my own decisions about whether I drink. Or look at a man’s ding-dong.”
“My ding-dong?” Tyler said. “That’s a new one. Not sure if I like it or hate it. Ding-dong. Hmm, got a nice ring to it, I guess. Dinng-donnng.”
“Oh my God. Look what you’ve done.” Travis sent her a chiding look.
She shrugged. “Sorry?”
“No, you’re not,” he said tiredly.
No, she guessed she wasn’t. Because it was kind of funny listening to Tyler sing ding-dong.
“So? How’d you get the bruise on your forehead, Caren?” Tyler asked seriously.
Okay. He had such quick changes of mood that it was a bit jarring.
“Um, well, I . . .”
“She’d rather not talk about it right now,” Travis said firmly.
She sent him a look of utter gratitude. It had been hard enough to tell Travis about this. She wasn’t sure how she could explain this to anyone else.
“All right. But you’ll tell me if there’s someone who needs a lesson, right?” Tyler asked his brother.
“I’ve got it under control.”
He had what under control? Her mother? No one had her under control.
“Now, why were you showering in my apartment when you have one of your own?” Travis asked his brother.
“Rat.”
“Rats?” Travis asked.
“No, just one. Not plural. Pretty sure it’s taken up residence in my apartment somewhere.
And I’m not going in there until it leaves.
So, unfortunately, there might be a new tenant who doesn’t pay his rent on time.
Or you could get rid of him so I can move back in.
In the meantime, I’ll be living with you. ”
“A rat? Seriously, Tyler. Lay some traps.” Travis ran his hand over his face.
“You know I can’t set foot in that apartment now that I know there’s a rat. So if you want that rent money . . .”
“You don’t even pay rent for that apartment!” Travis said to him as he sat facing her once again. “In fact, the rat might be a better tenant.”
To her shock he actually winked at her.
Travis Andrews just winked at her.
Be still her crazy heart.
“Travis! You can’t let the rat move in! You can’t let him win!” Tyler grumbled.
“You’re going to have to get over your fear of rodents at some stage. Might as well be now. What would all those subs that follow you around adoringly at Whip It think if they found out that the big, bad Dom is scared of a rat?”
“You wouldn’t tell them!” Tyler said.
Travis shrugged.
“God, you’re a jerk. And after I helped you with the panic attack . . . wait, was that you having a panic attack, Caren?”
“Oh, well, yes. Thank you for your help.”
Tyler’s gaze narrowed. “You’ll tell me if you need any help, won’t you?”
“She won’t need to do that because she has me,” Travis stated.
Tyler’s face lit up. “Is that so? Do tell. What do the two of you mean to each other?”
“Nothing,” she said quickly.
“We’re friends,” Travis added. “That’s all.”
“Hmm. Sure. That’s all. Well, does anyone mind if I watch the game?” Tyler asked.
“Yeah, we do, actually,” Travis told him. “Caren needs to rest. She needs quiet. No phone, no computer, no TV.”
“I don’t think the TV would hurt,” she said to Travis.
“It will the way that Tyler watches it. He’ll be yelling and screaming and jumping up and down. And he has his own apartment to do that in. Plus, he needs to get to the club.”
“Not for another three hours. And my apartment belongs to the rat now. Please let me stay.” Tyler held his hands up in a begging position while giving him an innocent look.
It was all lies.
There was nothing innocent about him
“You can stay in one of the apartments. And watch the game there,” Travis told him as he tucked the blanket around her legs.
“But it’s so boring watching it by yourself.”
“Let him watch it here,” she said quietly. “It doesn’t bother me. And I’m the intruder here.”
Like usual.
To her shock, both men shot her chiding looks.
“You’re not an intruder and I won’t have you speak about yourself like that, understand me?” Travis pointed at her.
“Yeah, don’t know why you’d say an idiot thing like that,” Tyler told her. “We’ve known you for years, Caren.”
“And then I just upped and disappeared without a word.”
Tyler shrugged. “Everyone has shit in their lives that they can’t talk about. I’m sure you had your reasons. And you were a kid, right?”
“Fifteen, nearly sixteen.”
“Yeah, so a kid. Don’t sweat it.”
Don’t sweat it.
She wished she had a tenth of his easygoing nature.
“Tyler, you can stay as long as you keep the noise down,” Travis said. “I’m going to get you some water, Caren. You need to hydrate. If it gets too much, tell me, and you can go take a nap.”
“Ooh, water and a nap. Party on, brother,” Tyler cheered.
Travis just shook his head.
Oh, this was going to be a fun afternoon.