Chapter Thirteen
Jakob
Declan’s lips seal over mine in what can only be described as a brutal kiss.
This is no fairy tale, sweet, oh-he-loves-me kiss.
No, this is demanding, domineering, and frantic.
He’s laying fucking ownership with this kiss as his tongue fights for entry into my mouth.
It takes me less than a second for my brain to catch up as I fist the front of his shirt.
Instead of shoving him back like my brain screams at me too.
I yank him closer into me. My dick thickens in my jeans in a way that it hasn’t in over four years unless I’m thinking about stupid fucking emerald eyes.
He comes to me reluctantly while his hands cup my jaw firmly.
His tongue slips through my lips, and I’m absolutely done for.
My tongue darts across his before tangling as we fight for dominance, both of us too stubborn to back down.
My hands roam down his chest, so goddamn hard as my fingers memorize every single dip and plane of his sinful stomach.
My hands fist the bottom of his too thin shirt and yank it over his head.
He gasps before turning me and slamming me into the wall just as his lips come back to mine.
He uses his hips to pin me in place, his hard cock pressing into my thigh.
I tilt my head back and groan into the empty space while Declan’s lips coast from my lips to the underside of my jaw, nipping my skin as he goes.
The scruff of his beard scraping at my neck causes my body to light up.
It’s too fucking much. My hands fly to his hair, pulling on his strands.
He growls in disapproval when I pry his mouth away from my skin.
“Don’t. Just five more minutes, Chaos. Please.” He practically begs as his fire and lust filled eyes lock onto mine. His eyes are so dilated that they don’t even look green anymore. I can’t lie that him pleading with me causes my dick to jump. A wicked idea ignites in the back of my mind.
“Ask nicely, Beast, and maybe I’ll let you.” I can see it in his eyes as he wars with himself while he decides on his next move. In the end he’s too desperate to deny what I’m asking.
“Please, Jakob. Just let me have a little longer before we inevitably fuck this up.”
I know I’m pushing it, but I can’t help it as my lips quirk up on one side, “You’re such a good fucking boy.”
I could give him the chance to respond, but you know I could also swim in a pond full of piranhas. It doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. So as soon as the defiance flashes in his eyes, I kiss him just long enough to feel it melt out of his stance before pulling away to begin my assault on his neck.
“I thought I was the one teasing here.” He groans as his head tilts to the side, giving me more access.
I smirk into his neck and let the back of my hand brush against his rock hard erection.
“And I thought you were going to be a good boy and let me taste you.” His hands grip the short strands on the back of my hair and pull my head back so we’re staring into each other’s eyes.
“Watch it, Jakob. It was cute the first time, but now you’re pushing it. I won’t be bossed around. You looking to be punished, Chaos?” He smirks wickedly at me before pulling away completely, leaving me slack-jawed that he has the willpower to stop this shit right now.
“What the fuck, Declan.” I practically explode as disappointment grips at my chest.
“Calm down. I can promise you you’re going to get more than you’re prepared to deal with right now if you don’t sit that fine ass on the couch so we can talk about our complicated past.”
I’d really rather not. I’ve bandaged that wound with red hot anger, and I really don’t see the benefit in ripping it open again. However, as I watch Dec take a seat on the opposite side of the couch from me and turn his entire body my way, I know there’s no way we aren’t talking about this.
“We need to talk about that night,” Declan says in his no nonsense tone.
“Which night?” I ask with a bite to my tone.
“Both, but I think we start with the night.” His emphasis tells me exactly what night.
“Do we have to?” I groan.
“Yeah, if you want to actually do something about whatever just happened.” He rolls his eyes.
So. Fucking. Frustrating.
* * *
Jakob
Twenty-five years old
I barge into Declan’s room just like I do most days, but today he’s in the shower.
He met his brother’s girlfriend tonight, and she has a kid.
He texted me earlier saying to come over, he had to wash the chlorine from the pool off of his skin before the game started.
He always gets extremely itchy after being in the pool, and I’m assuming the kid wanted to swim.
That’s not a weird thing for me to know about him either.
You try sitting beside him while he scratches his torso like a dog because we swam and he didn’t shower after.
Instead of waiting downstairs or some shit like that, I go ahead, flop down on the couch in his room and turn on the game.
The Declarations are playing the Flyers, and whoever wins takes the wildcard in the playoffs.
It’s a big game, and we’ve been talking about it all week.
My bar is covered, and my sister is hanging out with my brother and sister-in-law.
Michelle is about to pop with my niece, so she loves hanging out with my sister on dialysis days because they lounge around the house the entire time like lazy cats.
Dieter’s been worried about something the doctor told them last week, but he’s a worrier by nature, so I take his panic with a grain of salt.
He and Michelle are going to be the best parents.
They’ve been together forever, and with them just down the street from my house, I’m excited to barge in whenever I want to hang out with my niece.
I lean my head up so it’s resting on the back of the couch in the living room area of Dec’s room and close my eyes.
This week’s been hell between work and family stuff, so while Dec finishes in the shower, I’ll zen the fuck out.
I don’t know how long I stay like that before I open my eyes and see emerald green orbs staring down at me with a small smile on his infuriating face.
“You good, Chaos?” He’s called me Chaos since middle school. His Da used to say we looked like a tornado of straight chaos when we were together. We thought it was hilarious, and well, it just stuck.
“Yeah, just tired. You manscaping in there? Fuck, it took you long enough to come out.”
“If you want to see my dick you just have to ask nicely, ya know?” He tries to hold a straight face but laughs and shakes his head.
“Oh fuck off.” I grumble.
He jumps over the back of the couch and settles into his seat on the other side of the long black leather couch. He hands me one of the beers he’s holding as we both turn our attention to the game.
“How was ‘meet-the-family day’?”
“Dude, she’s amazing, like perfect for Rowan, and I fell in love with that kid instantly.
You should have seen him when he realized we could sign to him and understand him.
” Roe’s girl’s kid is deaf, so all the Byrne’s have been taking ASL lessons so they can talk to him.
It’s actually pretty cool that they’re so invested in making him feel included.
“That’s awesome, but unless you can convince him to like every Jersey pro team except the Horns, he may be a wash.”
We laugh as he shoves my shoulder, “Shut up, it’s starting.” We both turn our attention back to the game.
Declan told me that he thought he was bi when we were in seventh grade.
It never made a difference to me. He’s my best friend no matter where he sticks his dick.
I’ve always been straight, and I am. I mean still now, I am.
But about six months ago I started watching Declan a little closer.
I’m not gay or bi or anything, but subjectively, my best friend is hot.
Also, I wouldn’t be too pissed if he ever decided he had a thing for me.
I sound crazy. I don’t date men. I’m not attracted to them. It’s not men. It’s just him. That sounds so stupid. Just forget it, and anyway I don’t know how I’d ever tell him, so I don’t. I sit over here and listen to his stories about his hookups while jealousy grips at my insides in silence.
We watch the game while throwing back beers until we’re both drunkenly screaming commands at the teams. Like either of us could ever lace up a pair of skates and compete.
When the game is over we both lean back against the couch beside each other, laughing at the insult Declan just threw at the ref on the TV.
Our laughter dies down and I turn my head to the side to look at him.
He’s so fucking perfect. He looks like he’s half beast, half man.
His jawline is sharp and covered with a close cut beard.
His hair is short on the sides but longer and wavy on top.
As his drunken emerald eyes come to mine, he turns his head to face me too.
I bring my bottom lip between my teeth and begin to chew.
The next thing I know, Declan brings his thumb up and pries my lip from the abuse it’s receiving.
“Talk to me.” He smiles. Damn, it’s such a nice smile.
“You look half man, half beast. Do you know that?” Why the fuck did I just say that?
Dec’s eyes narrow in confusion before he smiles lazily. “Guess I fuck how I look then. At least, as far as I’ve been told.”
My cock twitches behind my zipper. “Full of yourself, aren’t you?”
“Too bad you don’t like guys, or we could test the theory.” His eyes dart down to my lips before slowly raising back up to my eyes.
“What if I don’t like guys, plural, but I do like one?” I look at his mouth and smile as his luscious lips grace me with a full smile that would knock me off my feet if I were standing.
“What are you saying, Jakob? I’m too drunk for riddles.”
And I’m just drunk enough to word vomit a secret I’ve kept for almost a year.
“I’m saying, I wouldn’t be mad if you kissed me, Beast. Honestly, I’d prefer it.”
That’s the only green light he needs. He leans over and presses his lips to mine.
Electricity zips throughout my entire body.
He’s slow and careful at first, but when I part my lips for him, it’s game over.
I lean back against the couch as he follows me the entire way until I’m on my back beneath him.
It took a few seconds before I remembered I had to kiss him back, but now there’s no holding back.
It’s the easiest thing I’ve ever done. The kiss is firm but exploratory.
When he slides his tongue inside to caress mine, I’m fucking done for.
I’m not sure how long we lay on the couch making out and letting our hands roam over each other’s torsos, but when a loud knock comes from the other side of Declan’s bedroom door we jump apart. He smiles at me and wipes his mouth, “So?”
“A fucking Beast.” I grin back at him.
The knock comes again, but this time louder.
“Yo, Dec. We gotta go, it’s Roe!” Kieran yells from the other side of the door.
In that moment I watch this man that I was convinced was as drunk as I was a second ago sober up in front of my eyes.
Declan’s the second in command for the Irish mafia, and I always forget until it’s thrown into my face like it is right now.
“I’m coming.” He jumps up and slides his feet into a pair of shoes before running to the door.
He stops right before opening it and turns back to me, “I’ll call you tomorrow.
The ball is in your court. We can act like this never happened, or this can be something.
The decision is up to you, Chaos.” And with that he’s gone, and I’m left sitting here with my head reeling.
I leave not long after he does when Dieter comes to pick me up.
“What happened?” He asks in confusion as I slide into the front seat.
“Mafia shit I guess, and I’ve been drinking too much to drive home.”
He nods and begins the trek to my house. “I’ll let it go for now, but tomorrow we’re talking about why you’re walking out of Declan Byrne’s house with a fresh hickey on your neck.”
What the fuck?
I pull down the visor and check the mirror, but there’s nothing there.
“I don’t have a hickey, fuckhead.”
He laughs, “Yeah, but if it wasn’t a possibility, you wouldn’t have checked at all.”
“Uh– I– Well–…”
“Jake, stop. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”
“Who’s the older brother here?” I mock glare at him.
His laugh is carefree. “You, but in life experience I think it’s probably me, seeing as I’m the one who’s been married for three years and has a pregnant wife.
” He grabs the back of my neck in reassurance, and he’s right so I don’t say anything in response.
The rest of the drive is spent in comfortable silence with my little brother.