The Bet: A Bully Romance(70)

“What the hell, son, the game’s on, and Jules and I are…”

Lex’s gaze sweeps over me. “Hey, Dad. Jules.”

Dad and Jules come walking around the corner a moment later.

“Well, I’ll be damned. I’ve got all my boys back at home again.” Our father wraps Lex in a tight hug. “You’re staying this time, right? Please tell me you didn’t re-enlist.”

“No, I’m home for good now,” Lex responds, the emotions are cut off from his face, almost like he’s hiding them, or he isn’t letting himself feel anything just like Jules did and if that’s the case then I feel incredibly sad for Lex.

“Thank goodness. I’ve missed you, son, how are you? How was your flight in? If you had let us know you were coming home, we would’ve had a party or something.”

Lex shakes his head. “And that’s exactly why I didn’t tell you. Sunday dinner with my family is all that I could ever ask for.”

Humble, kind, determined, and stubborn, those were just a few words to describe my brother. Joining the Marines was all he ever wanted, and I think it was good for him, gave him discipline. But now I wonder what seeing the dark parts of the world had done to him.

“Jules.” Lex winks at her, and she shakes her head, walking up to him. She wraps her arms around him, and he squeezes her tight to his chest.

“I presume that Seb and Rem are still driving you up a wall?” he asks.

“You have no idea,” she squeaks as he gives her a final squeeze.

“Are you hungry?” Seb asks.

“Do you even know me?” Lex laughs and it’s deep, hearty, something that will take me time to get used to hearing. I love my brother, but he also left when we needed him. Like always, I had grown accustomed to those I needed in my life, leaving.

“Well, let’s eat.” My father slaps a hand to Lex’s back, and we all head into the dining room. I grab an extra set of silverware, plate, and cup and place them on the table in Lex’s usual spot. He settles into his seat, we chat and eat. Lex tells us what he’s been doing for the last two years or at least the parts he can share with us. Followed by how he is going to use his GI bill to attend classes here at the university.

“If you need help with anything, let Rem or I know. I’ll be in the admin building and Rem, well, he’s a student so he can help, I guess. Oh, and Jules too,” Sebastian offers while Lex takes a drink of his water.

“I’ve already got an apartment. I’ve just got to register for classes,” he announces. Obviously, he’s been planning this for some time, the question is, why didn’t he call to tell us he was coming home? There were a lot of question about Alexander's reappearance in our lives, and not a lot of answers.

◆◆◆

“Are you happy to have Lex back home?” Jules asks later that evening after we’re back at her house. I strip down to my boxers, and she’s wearing her Mickey Mouse t-shirt.

Seeing her in that thing makes my dick hard. We haven't done anything more than kiss, and I’m fine with that, but I wouldn’t be a man if I didn’t say holding her in my arms, feeling her soft curves against my hard planes, and listening to her soft whimpers while she sleeps didn’t leave me wanting her on a deeper level. A level that includes putting my dick inside her.

“Of course I’m happy to have him home. But unlike Seb and my father, I know that he’s not the same.”

“What do you mean?” She leans into me, giving me a puzzled look, her tiny hands skimming over my chiseled abs. Fuck. If she keeps touching me like that, I’m going to come. Come like a teenage fucking boy.

“I mean, he’s got a look in his eyes. I don’t know if I can pinpoint it. All I know is that he didn’t have that before he left. I’m used to people leaving and I know when, and if, someone wants to come back. I just know Lex is hiding something.” I meant to say the last part more to myself than to her. I don’t want her worrying about anything but herself right now.

She’s going to therapy to deal with the nightmares and all the trauma that happened in the last couple of months. I want her to get healthy and be happy before she starts worrying about me or anyone else.

“Kiss me,” Jules whispers, nibbling on her bottom lip with a seductiveness I haven't seen in what seems like forever. As if I could deny her such an easy request, I kiss her, cupping her by the cheeks and pulling her into my lap. Her heated core presses against my stomach and I feel the dampness of her panties against my skin.

She wants me...she fucking wants me, and I feel like the luckiest bastard in the universe because I get to keep her.

I pull away, breaking the kiss, leaving us both panting. “We don’t have to do this yet. We have all the time in the world, Jules,” I assure her, brushing a few strands of her blonde hair behind her ear. She’s angelic, absolute perfection and God was more than looking out for me when he put her in my path.

“I know we don’t have to, but I want to, Remmy. I want to feel close to you again. I want to feel you inside me. My body craves yours. You’re the healing balm, the one thing that grounds me to this world, that keeps me sane when all I want to do is block everything out.”

Her confession is all I need to hear for me to take the lead on worshipping her body. I have both of us undressed in seconds, her pink nipples hardened even before I take one into my mouth, sucking on it. A whimper escapes her mouth as she clings to me, her lips moving over my throbbing pulse.