Chapter 17 Another Twin Secret
ANOTHER TWIN SECRET
Wyatt
This costume was not all it was cracked up to be, and the second I slid the mask over my face and looked back at my reflection, all I could think of was my hand wrapped up in a long red ponytail.
However, my bonus sister told me to dress up, and then last minute said it needed to be a superhero costume.
That left me with Batman, unless I wanted to drive into the city to a big box store and hope they had something to fit my tall ass—which I didn’t want to do.
I’d spent Wednesday evening with my fiery girl, which was fantastic, as usual.
Thursday, I stopped into Buns of Delight to drop a bomb shell on Ember, which I still felt horrible about.
Friday, Rae and I had our fun at Silk and Spice, which had ended in me having way too many emotions for one human like myself to handle, so I buried them.
The rest of this week had been shit after shit show.
Two clients had emergency’s earlier in the week that had to be dealt with, and then I wrapped up the week with a lovely emergency meeting with Julian last night to fix some bugs with the app.
Apparently, some of the anonymous people’s profiles were showing with their names and security photo for Silk and Spice.
Obviously, not something that would fly once the app launched.
Shit like that had to be worked out and perfected.
So I had to cancel our normal Wednesday and Friday night sex-a-thon and spend almost every evening this week in someone’s office with my computer, neck deep in coding files until I found the issue or solved their security issues.
I’d been upset about having to cancel, but at the same time, thankful. Maybe some time and space was what I needed to get my head back on straight and remember I wasn’t supposed to be falling in love with this mystery woman.
By the time I’d gotten home last night, I’d showered and then collapsed into bed, essentially dead to the world until Rowan called me this morning, reminding me of the party. Reiterating that if I missed it, he’d send Aspen after me.
So here I was. On the other side of our family’s ranch, forcing my feet up the stairs to where the beer was being kept.
I’d spent a decent chunk of the evening so far tending to the bonfire Rowan had started outside.
Oliver and I had taken over as a way to avoid the crowd of people in the house making drinks and saying hello, but now?
Now we needed beer, and it was my turn to fetch it.
I rounded the corner into the kitchen when a small woman ran right into my chest. I stood still while she bounced back, our gazes snapping together as if the universe itself had forced it to happen.
Her golden brown eyes peered up at me, and I never knew brown eyes were my favorite until right at this exact moment. Her deep red painted lips parted, and it took all of my power not to lean down and cover them with my own for the second time.
Did app rules apply out in the real world? Could I kiss her? We’d ditched the rules last week, but maybe that was momentary and not forever.
“Batman,” she said, her voice breathy just like it had been last Friday when I’d taken her from behind, spread her wide for the club to see, and she panted fuck, fuck, fuck as she milked my cock for all it was worth.
“Poison Ivy,” I replied. I hoped my voice didn’t sound as fucking pathetic as I felt inside right now. Every single part of me wanted to impress her. She was here. On my family’s ranch. At my brother’s house. Fuck, she was so close.
“Hey Batman!” I forced my gaze over, only to realize it was Ivy and Todd staring at me as if I’d lost my mind. I’d never been more annoyed over this party’s rules.
I cleared my throat and tipped my chin to them. “Super Girl,” I said to Ivy, but looking at Todd in his jeans and a hoodie, I struggled with the eye roll. “Todd.”
“Sup man, we’re going out to the bonfire. See you there.” He grabbed Ivy’s hand and pulled her around me, leaving me to stare back down into the soul-wrenching golden brown eyes in front of me.
“He seems like such a fucking tool,” she said quietly, and I couldn’t help the chuckle.
“Todd? Oh absolutely a fucking tool. Super Girl deserves a great deal better.”
“Do you know Ivy?” she asked curiously.
I smiled down at her. “Digging for information on my true identity, Poison Ivy?”
I caught the eye roll, even behind her mask, and fuck if I didn’t want to spank her ass and ruin her lipstick tonight. “You know me, Batman. A regular ‘ol brat who can’t help but break the rules every once in a while.”
I nodded as our gazes remained locked, and I wondered if she was thinking about the kiss too. I was suddenly thankful as fuck that these pants were stiff, thick, and uncomfortable, because her knowing I was fighting a massive hard-on from just staring into her eyes? Unacceptable.
“So what are you doing here?” she asked. I thought about an answer, because if she knew Ivy, she knew Aspen, which meant she knew Rowan. So couldn’t very well say it was my brother’s party.
“I was invited,” I said instead, which felt like a stupid fucking answer too.
She bit her bottom lip and nodded. “Not party crashing then? Or even better, stalking me? That’s good.”
I cleared my throat to steal a moment before I said something stupid—like how many times I had to remind myself that stalking was bad and I couldn’t use my job to my advantage and show up at her house. “Yeah, I’m uh, getting a beer before heading back down to the bonfire. Did you want to join me?”
“I’ve had plenty to drink, but I’m sure I’ll see you down there, Batman,” she said with a wink before she walked around me and out the front door.
Fuck me, I needed to go find her as soon as possible because if some other superhero tried to scoop her up? I’d end up fighting someone on my brother’s lawn.
I walked back down to the bonfire, pep-talking myself the entire time.
This was the first time we’d been in the same place without it being a prearranged meeting for sex.
It was a perfect time for me to actually talk to her, get to know her, and show her I was a real human. At least, that was my hope.
I had big dreams it seemed.
I’d been nursing the same beer for over an hour, glaring at anyone who thought to look at her too long, because leaving her side felt like the worst decision I could make.
“So, are we talking, or are you more of the internal monologue type when a woman isn’t tied up beneath you?” she asked from next to me, her voice soft and the words just for us.
Oh yeah, I hadn’t spoken to her or anyone since I came back to the group with my beer.
“I can talk, I just save my words for things worth saying.”
“And you can’t think of anything worth saying, Batman?”
I glanced down, the fire reflecting off those now familiar brown eyes. She was smiling up at me, the brat in her eager to stir the pot—a common theme between us.
“Well, I am known to be quiet and brooding, right?” I shot back.
“True, I guess I’m no Cat Woman after all.” Her gaze returned to the flames, and it took all of my control not to wrap my hand around her throat.
Instead, I leaned down slightly to ensure no prying eyes and ears would hear what I had to say. “I’d pick you in every multiverse, Rae. The writers never got it right anyway. It’s always been you and me.”
Her eyes locked with my own—wide, lips parted just slightly. Fuck she was a vision. “I wish I could kiss you right now,” I found myself whispering.
She blinked, and it was as though that small movement broke the minuet spell that had previously held us in its grasp.
“I should get home. Early day of work tomorrow.” Her soft voice between the crackling of the bonfire stirred something inside of me, and I wanted more.
“Doing what?” I questioned with a smirk.
“Ha!” she laughed sarcastically. “Wouldn’t you like to know.” Without another word, she turned and walked over to the Jeep I knew she drove.
It wasn’t until I could no longer see taillights that my mind half returned to the party. The bonfire the only thing keeping me busy and not running after her.
“Are you finally starting to win over Ember?” Aspen’s question caught me off guard, bringing me out of my thoughts. I looked around and realized the party was finally winding down. I grabbed a bag so I could start helping Aspen collect trash and clean up.
“Uh, not that I can tell. Why? Did she say something to you?” I tried not to sound desperate.
I didn’t even truly care if the woman liked me or not; it would just make working together easier.
I’d been able to set her up with new accounts, along with the information about her father, but I wanted to help her out more.
Something about her made me want to make her smile and see what she looked like when she truly relaxed, which I had a strong feeling she didn’t do often enough.
“No, but I saw you talking to her at the party, so I guess Rowan and I just assumed you two were being…civil.”
“The Halloween party? Like, tonight?” She nodded her head slowly as if to say obviously, dumb ass. “The only person I talked to was my…um—Poison Ivy, so I’m not sure what you—" I stopped talking when a slow smile spread across her face, and it clicked what she was implying. “Poison Ivy was…is...”
Aspen just nodded her head again as she bit her bottom lip to contain the laugh that was trying to escape her mouth, if the breathy sound coming out of her nose was any clue.
“No, but that would mean…” I felt the blood drain from my face as I realized what that would mean. I dropped the trash bag on the ground, and I felt like my brain was going to explode.
That was when Rowan decided to walk in, looking between the two of us. “Ya okay, bro?” he asked.
I stared at the mountains in front of me. Was I okay? I wasn’t sure.
“I just revealed that Ember was Poison Ivy.”
Rowan looked at Aspen before looking over at me, his eyes wide.
“Wait…as in…your Poison Ivy? Oh, no damn way! That is just too fucking good.” Rowan started laughing before he slapped my back. “At least now you know. Good luck, bro.”
Aspen sighed. “This is another twin secret, isn’t it. Fucking twins,” she muttered as she got up and walked up the stairs. “Good luck, Wyatt! Sounds like you’ll need it.”
And fuck wasn’t that the biggest fact of the century, because if Ember Brady was my Poison Ivy? Well, I was fucked.