“So? It’s not a work get-together without Isaac Pierce.”
No, it wasn’t, was it? I was always going out—work friends, other friends, Hutch, men I wanted to fuck. It was basically how I spent my life. “And you wonder why I’m so cocky? How could I not be when you say things like that?”
“You don’t need me to say things like that for you to be full of yourself. And bring him, your brother. It’ll be fun. And how the fuck didn’t I know you have a brother?”
No one at work had met Lane, and I didn’t make it a habit of talking about him there. I shrugged. “Maybe next time.”
“Wow…when did you turn boring?” Steven winked, and I flipped him off. All a normal day at work for us. He slipped out of my office, and I finished up my responsibilities for the day.
The whole drive home I wondered if I should have gone with Steven and the others from work, or if I should have taken Lane with me. Maybe telling more and more people that I had a brother and it was Lane would help put a damper on my feelings for him. The more people that saw him as my brother might help.
When I got home and heard music through the door, I frowned. I’d lived by myself since I was eighteen, so I wasn’t used to coming home to someone being here or listening to… Was that George Michael?
I unlocked the door and slipped inside. Lane had the music playing loudly from his phone. He was in the kitchen, his back to me, wearing shorts and a tank top that I knew were both splattered with paint. They were old and faded, a hole in the top. He hadn’t brought a lot of clothes with him, but he’d done some shopping to get more since he’d arrived, so it wasn’t as if he didn’t have options. We were so different that even at home, I wouldn’t have worn it. The clothes would have been thrown out ages ago, but Lane wasn’t like that. They were worn and comfortable and that was all that mattered to him.
The countertops were covered in food. There was a pan on the stove, with something boiling inside. He had a headband on, keeping his hair out of his face while he danced and sang, using a spatula for a microphone and alternating between that and drumming on my marble countertops.
This was…definitely a new Lane. I’d never seen this when we were growing up. I couldn’t help but stand back and watch him, smile as he belted out about having faith.
He was…God, he was absolutely fucking ridiculous in the best way.
He spun, then stopped, socks slipping on the floor when he saw me. “You scared the shit out of me!” he said, then reached for his phone and turned it down.
“Don’t let me interrupt. I was enjoying the show.”
Lane pointed the spatula at me. “You were thinking of all the ways you could make fun of me. Don’t lie. I know you better than that.”
“Maybe a little,” I conceded, but I’d been enjoying myself too.
“I tried to respect your boundaries, but you don’t fucking cook. Or buy food. How do you not buy food, Isaac? I’ve been withering away, living off takeout and no snacks.”
“Clearly that changes today.” I went farther into the kitchen.
“Yes, it does. I swear I don’t know how you have such a great body with how you eat.”
“Like my body, do you?” I said, my voice low and flirty, which, fuck, that hadn’t been on purpose. I definitely wasn’t supposed to be flirtatious with my brother.
Lane didn’t seem to notice. He rolled his eyes and said, “You’re so conceited. I went shopping and I’m cooking. You put the groceries away.”
“Too close to cleaning for you, is it?” I set my bag on the table and loosened my tie.
“Hey, you knew how I am before you said I could stay with you. That’s your fault. Jayden was always giving me shit about my messes. Are you going to start now too?”
I hated that name. I could go through life perfectly happy never hearing it again. “I’m going to tease you about it because I always have and I don’t see that stopping anytime soon. But I won’t try to change you, and I learned a long time ago how to live with it.”
Lane frowned. “Does it bother you? I’ll work harder on—”
“It’s fine, Lane. As long as there are no more socks on the kitchen counter, we’re good.”
“Deal.” He grinned. “Now if you’ll put the stuff away, I’ll finish making us dinner.”
It would have been easier if he’d done that before he started cooking, but I let that go. I took my tie off and unbuttoned the top few buttons on my shirt before rolling up the sleeves and getting to work. He’d bought…shit, he’d bought a whole hell of a lot. I wasn’t sure my cabinets or fridge had ever been this full.