A Restored Man (44 page)

Ty chuckled. "I'm not, but I couldn't resist. Your ass is almost perfectly round."

Cole repositioned himself, resting his head on his crossed arms and closing his eyes. "Maybe you should bite the other cheek so it doesn't get jealous." He jumped seconds later and started laughing when Ty did exactly as he asked.

"Do you want to go to bed?" Ty asked, stroking his hand along Cole's body.

"I can't move," Cole said, barely able to muster the strength to chuckle. "I like the big, comfy couch. Come up here." He patted the cushion just above his head.

Ty walked around and sat, shifting his legs to bookend Cole's body.

"Mmm, perfect," Cole said, pulling himself up and wrapping his arms around Ty's waist, resting his head on Ty's stomach. "I love this couch and you're the best pillow ever."

Ty chuckled softly, running his fingers through Cole's hair. "Get some rest so you can build up your energy. I'm not finished with you yet."

"Mmm. Promise?"

"Yes," Ty said and proved to be a man of his word hours later.

* * * * *

"I will admit, I'm curious, but you're begging for my brother to lose it," Ty teased as he set the table for four. Curious didn't begin to capture how Ty felt about the impromptu dinner with his brother and the
guy
who Cole insisted captivated his interest. Aidan hadn't fessed up details about who he was attracted to when Ty had asked, but Ty knew there was something neither was telling him. He hadn't realized how private his brother was about his relationships until he thought back and couldn't really recall any of Aidan's prior partners, male or female. He finally teased Cole to the brink of insanity until he caved and gave Ty more information.

"I'm feeling a little guilty here. Like we're blindsiding him or something."

Cole chuckled, chopping up the ingredients for the salad. "My-Ty, we
are
blindsiding him."

Ty groaned and tugged on his dress shirt collar for the tenth time that night. "I'm not sure what type of first impression I'm going to make here."

"I've already told you, Jessie is awesome. Well…not perfect. I mean, c'mon, he's got the hots for your brother so something's off. But other than that, he's a great guy."

Ty walked up to Cole, removing the lettuce from the strainer and placing it in the bowl. "How long have they known each other?"

Cole stopped chopping the onion and pursed his lips. "About five…six months." He emptied the chopped ingredients into the salad bowl and reached into the refrigerator.

"And you're sure he likes Aidan?" Ty straightened the silverware again so they were perfectly aligned.

Still bent, looking into the refrigerator, Cole turned his head to look at Ty. "Um, yeah. No doubt."

Ty walked back into the kitchen. "He's going to kill us you know that, right?"

Cole leaned in and gave Ty a quick peck. "Then you should hide his bullet collection so he won't go looking for it."

The doorbell rang.

"That's Aidan. I gave him an earlier time than Jessie so we could warm him up. You get the door," Cole said.

"Oh God. He's going to massacre us and you gave him a window of time to do it?"

Cole patted Ty on the ass, nudging him toward the door.

Ty walked to the entrance, the weight of his shoes heavier with each step. He wanted to be closer to his brother and have the chance to be able to talk about anything. But now, he wasn't sure this was the best tactic. He took a deep breath and opened the door.

"Hey," Aidan said, walking in and immediately scowling. "What's wrong?"

Great. They had a window of time and he'd already alerted his brother that something was going on. Hopefully Cole had better skills or there would be bloodshed.

"Nothing," Ty lied and quickly turned, knowing he had the worst poker face. "Cole's finishing up dinner."

"Smells great," Aidan said. He walked into the kitchen and looked at Cole with a sideways glance. "Hi." He lifted the lid of a pot and looked inside, lowering his head to smell the sauce.

Cole crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "Hi? I've slaved over this meal and that's all I get from you?"

Ty's stomach twisted. Why the hell was Cole rattling Aidan's cage? He was lucky his brother gave him a cordial greeting.

"Fuck you," Aidan said, lifting the lid off the second pot.

Cole turned, hiding a smile. "That's more like it. Now I'm feelin' the love."

Aidan looked at him with a glare. "What did you make?"

"I made that stuffed chicken you like. See, I was thoughtful. Didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to visit someone's house for dinner and not bring something?" Cole reached into the cupboard and withdrew the glasses for the place settings.

Ty's pulse sped. This wasn't a good idea and Cole was especially feisty tonight when he should have dialed it back a bit.

Aidan straightened and stared at Cole intently for a few seconds in a stare down. He reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew a key fob, placing it on the kitchen countertop. "This is for you. I can't believe you lasted four months, but you did. You've earned it. It's going to get a little crazy in the next few days with all the paperwork at the halfway house and all the stuff we've got going on, so I wanted to make sure you had this."

Cole looked down at the fob attached to the chrome
Calloway's
keychain then back up to Aidan with a smile. "Oh, honey, you get me such pretty things," he teased, but Ty could clearly see the emotion shining in those mismatched eyes. He looked over to Ty and his usual million-watt smile was especially charged.

Ty couldn't look away. He was so proud of Cole and knew how much effort he had taken to abide by the agreement.

"Why are there four glasses?" Aidan said. He took a few steps to the side and craned his neck to look at the dining room area. He instantly rounded on Cole with a death glare.

Cole immediately snatched the keychain from the countertop and shoved it into his back pocket.

"Cole, what did you do?" Aidan then turned slowly, oh so slowly, and looked at Ty. "What did you guys do?"

Ty's mind went completely blank. At that precise moment, his stomach decided to audition for the all-star gymnastics team.

Aidan turned to Cole again and extended his hand. "Give me the key back."

"Hell no!" Cole said. "You've got about ten minutes until Jessie's here and we're going to coach you on what the hell you should and shouldn't do during a dinner date."

"I'm not a Neanderthal," Aidan grumbled. He walked over to the other side of the kitchen island and sat on one of the barstools. He rested his elbows on the counter and hid his face in his hands.

Cole tugged on Aidan's hands, pulling them away from his face. "Then prove that to us tonight. You know you're crazy about him and for some god-awful reason, he likes you."

Aidan looked over to Ty and shook his head then pointed to Cole. "I can't believe you fell in love with this."

Ty smiled warmly, his stomach slowly settling.
Yeah, I did
. Aidan was temperamental but he wasn't angry. It was odd. He almost looked worried. Somehow, between their banter, it was as if he could finally see a layer pulled back to reveal a side of his brother he hadn't discovered. Even during Ty's time in the hospital, Aidan never showed worry. His brother was the decision maker, the one who kept things together and was always in control. It couldn't have been easy taking on all the details after their parents died and having a brother in the hospital. But his brother's strong character was the one constant that held true through the years. He never saw his brother waver, hesitate, worry, or get nervous. That just wasn't his nature. Yet now, he could see it, almost with extreme clarity. And all Ty wanted to do was comfort his brother and tell
him
not to worry, that everything would be okay.

Cole leaned forward, resting his forearms on the countertop facing Aidan, watching him carefully, waiting for him to speak.

"You've used up your credit with me," Aidan grumbled with a sneer.

"Get it all out of your system now so you're not so damn nervous. That way, when Jessie gets here, he can actually see the awesomeness under all those layers of asshole."

Aidan looked at Cole and didn't say another word. Ty walked around to where his brother sat and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "
That's
the guy I fell in love with. Deep down, he wants you to be happy."

Aidan sighed and sat silently for a moment. "Don't tease me when he gets here. And don't push me." He looked over to Cole. "And don't you dare push him."

Cole raised his index finger and pointed at Aidan. "I won't push if you let him see the real you. I know you actually show teeth when you smile and I know you can laugh. I heard it that one time at dinner at the HH when we were all together. Something tells me he needs to see that side of you. So stop covering it up." He straightened and crossed his arms. "We've got the perfect excuse. I called him over here so we could discuss his research on the parts situation at the shop and what we can expect as far as charges with the sting this week."

Aidan sighed. "I've already discussed that with him."

"Dumbass. It's an
excuse
," Cole said, stretching the word. "You can say it was to comfort me, give me peace of mind. I don't know. Make up some shit." He shook his head, turning to take out the rolls from the oven. "I'm setting the stage, you're playing your part. We're just here for support."

"I don't need support," Aidan grumbled.

Cole turned sharply. "No, apparently you need a script."

The doorbell rang.

Aidan stiffened.

Ty grabbed the back of Aidan's neck and squeezed, feeling the tension in his brother's muscles. He neared his brother and whispered, "Trust him."

Ty looked up when Cole opened the door.

"Hey," Cole said, luring the smaller man inside.

"Is this okay?" Ty heard the man ask, running his hand down his jeans.

Cole laughed and pulled the man into an embrace. "Perfect. I think this is the first time I've ever seen you without a suit." He took the bottle of wine from Jessie's hand and guided their guest into the kitchen area.

Jessie stood about an inch shorter than Cole, but his lean form—more than his height—contributed to his small stature. Then again, most people looked lean compared to Cole's stocky build. Jessie had short dark brown, almost black, hair and blue eyes, which contrasted boldly against his light skin. "You know Aidan and this is his brother Ty." He looked at Ty and smiled. "This is Jessie."

Jessie immediately walked up to them and extended his hand in greeting. "It's nice to finally meet you," he said to Ty then turned to Aidan. "Hi."

Aidan turned to face Jessie, his features softening. "Hi," he said in a tone lower than usual. Ty watched his brother interact with Jessie. He was accommodating, pleasant, and occasionally looked away as if embarrassed when he spotted Ty watching him. They walked over to the couch and sat. Aidan immediately grabbed the remote and channel surfed while Jessie occasionally glanced to the side in his direction or pointed to the television at one of the shows. He and Jessie exchanged few words, but their unsaid words spoke volumes. The hinted smiles, the visible chill that traveled Aidan's body when Jessie shifted and bumped his arm.

Ty was mesmerized watching them and hadn't noticed Cole sneaking up on him. "Careful, they'll start charging you for the peep show."

"I'm shocked." Ty looked away, feeling a flush of color on his face.

Cole added the dressing to the salad. "By what part? The fact that your brother is human, has a soft side, or that he didn't shoot me on the spot when he found out what we were doing?"

"All of the above." Ty glanced up at them again then looked away when he caught himself. "I'm especially surprised you guys actually do get along."

Cole shrugged. "He's not a bad guy. A bit of a hardass, but I can deal with that." He reached for the basket of rolls. "Here, help me get the stuff on the table."

Ty worked with Cole to prepare the dinner items, all the while sneaking glances at his brother and Jessie. He called them over when everything was set and he continued gawking at their interaction over dinner. They were casual, familiar, and when they spoke, it was in almost intimate whispers—regardless of what was said. Passing the salt had never sounded so appealing. Aidan never spoke about his private life and now Ty understood why. It felt voyeuristic. Too personal to share with any outside forces.

Cole looked at Ty with a pleading expression. No doubt feeling the same. "So, Jessie, tell me, what are we looking at?"

Jessie turned and looked at Cole with a lost expression on his face, as though he had been teleported from another dimension. He screwed his eyes shut and quickly opened them again. "Uh, sorry." He turned in his seat slightly, having subtly shifted to face Aidan during dinner. "We have sufficient supporting documentation to bring federal charges relating to the counterfeit parts."

"But how, if it's my name or my dad's on the orders?" Ty interjected.

Jessie looked in his direction and smiled. "I found a link between several of the newer part vendors and Robert. He set up a few fictitious name registrations and small corporations. Nothing major but enough to let him perform a few transactions under the business names rather than his own. I cross-checked and found one of his businesses was a small percentage investor for several auto part vendors. The same new vendors that supplied the parts for these bad service tickets to your shop. So we've got him linked to the business and we've got his signature on the contracts authorizing the new vendors while he was still managing the day-to-day at your business. It's enough to tie him without needing to get him to confirm it."

"Stacie didn't find that and she's good," Ty said.

"Jessie is the master of research," Aidan absently commented, taking another roll. He looked up at Cole then at Ty. "What?"

"Nothing," Cole said with a grin. "You're doing just fine."

Aidan looked down and focused on his roll. Jessie reached out and gently placed his hand on Aidan's forearm, drawing his attention. Aidan looked up and smiled. It seemed Jessie was, without question, a lion tamer in another life. He may be the master of research, but the way he mastered Aidan without effort was mesmerizing.