A Perfect Ten (Forbidden Men #5)(116)

Brandt started choking on a tortilla chip. While I patted him on the back, Gamble turned his attention to his middle brother. “You okay?”

Brandt couldn’t look him in the eye while he nodded. “Mmm hmm. Fine. Great. Wonderful. Splendorific.”

Gamble glanced at his wife. “Why’s he acting so weird?”

While Shakespeare shrugged, honestly clueless, Caroline answered, “Probably because he’s a dork.”

I laughed. “I’ll second that.”

Caroline glanced at me, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “All in favor?”

She and I both raised our hands. When no one else seemed to catch on that we were voting on Brandt’s dorkhood, I grabbed Colton’s arm and lifted it for him.

“Three against two,” I said. “It’s official. Brandt’s a dork.”

While Brandt cried, “Hey, that’s not fair,” Caroline and I grinned across the table at each other...until her smile fell. “Oh my God, you really do have a new bruise. Right around your left eye. The one Zoey gave you was around your right.”

“See, I thought so.” Gamble pointed victoriously. Then he snickered. “Who’d you piss off this time?”

Brandt’s head snapped up, his eyes huge. He must’ve thought I was going to rat him out. But I just shrugged. “It’s hard to tell. I’ve gotten so many lately, it’s impossible to keep track without, like, a spreadsheet or something. Honestly, I think they’re starting to spawn and have babies together.” Colton giggled at that. So I kept going, pointing at my throbbing eye. “I swear this one’s the great-grandkid of the one you gave me last year, Gam.”

But Gam wasn’t amused. Narrowing his eyes, the bastard scowled at me. “Why are you avoiding the question?”

I scratched my jaw and shrugged with clueless abandon. “What question? You didn’t ask a question.”

“Who gave you the black eye?” he asked slowly.

Just as slowly, I answered, “I’m not telling. It’s f*cking embarrassing, man. Felt like I got slapped by a little girl.”

An incredulous sound gurgled from Brandt’s throat as he whipped around to frown his offence at me.

“Did Hamilton hit you again?” Gam asked with a sigh. “You hit on Zoey, didn’t you? That’s why you had to come over here tonight?”

I slapped a hand to my forehead and groaned. “Oh my f*cking God. You are so clueless. Really?”

“What?” Gam demanded, clearly perturbed.

Shakespeare stood up suddenly, saying, “You know, Colton. I think it’s time for your bath.”

I wanted to point at her and tell her hubby, See, even she gets what’s going on here, but I glanced at the kid. “Dude, you still take baths?”

He blinked up at me. “Yeah. Why?”

“Why? Because showers are so awesome. They’re like a million little wet fingers massaging your entire body.”

“Wow.” Gam snorted out a laugh as he sent me a strange look. “Look who sounds all poetic tonight.”

I shrugged and hooked my thumb toward his wife. “It’s because of Shakespeare. Some of her literature shit is rubbing off on me.”

She tittered and grinned at Caroline. “I so love that nickname.”

Gam just sighed. When the phone rang, he pushed to his feet and left the kitchen to answer it. Aspen followed Colton from the room to help him get ready for bed, while Caroline hauled off and smacked Brandt in the arm. “Oh my God, did you hit Oren? In the eye?”

“What?” he hissed, ducking away from her. “You were crying. I thought he’d made you cry.”

“He did not make me cry.”

“Yeah, I figured that out already,” Brandt mumbled. “I’m sorry.”

Caroline smacked him again, but I lifted my hand. “Hey, hey, hey. Children, behave.” I lifted my gaze to Caroline. “If it makes you feel any better, the younger one hurt me more when he jacked me in the junk.”

“He...Colton racked you?”

When I nodded, she smiled softly. “Aww, that’s so sweet that he was looking out for me.”

“What do you think I was doing?” Brandt demanded, lifting his hands incredulously.

Caroline scowled and slapped him again. “I guess next time you should know to go for the nuts, too.”

“Whoa, hey.” I laughed uneasily. “Maybe you all should just leave this area of my anatomy alone completely.” I made a sweeping motion over my lap. “It’s off limits.”

Batting her eyelashes at me, Caroline asked, “Does that include me too?”

I was about to tell her she was the only person allowed in that zone when a scream echoed through the house. I flew out of my seat, prepared to see someone else passed out in the hallway. But when I plowed out of the kitchen, with Brandt and Caroline piling after me, I skidded to a shocked halt when I saw Shakespeare laughing and crying and hugging Gam.

“What the hell?”

“I got the job!” she screamed and let go of her husband to launch herself at me. When she hugged me hard, I stumbled back a step before catching her and hugging her back.

“Well, congratulations, Shakespeare.” I patted her back as I untangled myself and passed her to Brandt. “I knew you’d get it, though. You’re a kick-ass teacher.”