Full Tilt (Full Tilt #1)(26)

A gruff cough jolted me from my thoughts. The hot guy from the photos on the living room wall leaned against the counter, clad in a black T-shirt and jeans. His muscled arms, inked with tribal tattoos, crossed against a broad chest. His dark hair was cut short and a thin growth of stubble grew along his jaw. He was a bulkier, more rugged version of Jonah. It had to be his brother. But where Jonah’s face was handsome in its open, friendly demeanor, his brother’s was closed down, tense and dark. His angry gaze darted between Jonah’s medication and me, as if he couldn’t believe the two things could exist in the same space.

The feeling of being a trespasser again twisted my already unsteady stomach, then Jonah turned to me. The smile that broke over his face when he saw me warmed me like a summer sun.

“Um, hi,” I said. “Good morning.”

“Hey.” Jonah caught sight of his brother’s astounded expression, and shifted his own quickly back to neutral. “Kacey, this is my brother, Theo. Theo, this is Kacey Dawson. She’s going to be crashing here for a few days.”

“Nice to meet you, Theo.”

Despite his Death Glare from Hell, my instinct was to hug Theo; I was big on hugs. And because he was Jonah’s brother I immediately felt a sense of affinity for him. But his cold stare pinned me to my spot.

Theo’s eyes raked me up and down, taking in my messy hair, my long t-shirt that covered my shorts and made it look like I wasn’t wearing anything underneath. It was pretty obvious what Theo assumed was happening between his brother and me, and he didn’t like it.

“When did this happen?” He demanded of Jonah, not even bothering to hide the accusatory tone in his voice.

This? I’m a this? I don’t think so, pal.

Before Jonah could reply, I said, “This happened last night. We got married at one of those drive-thru chapels, didn’t we…Johnny? Jordan?” I snapped my fingers, my face scrunched up in confusion. “Wait, don’t tell me…it’s definitely a J name.”

Jonah smothered a laugh.

Theo glowered but ignored me. “She’s staying here? For how long? When were you going to tell me?”

“Yes, until Tuesday, and I was just about to, but Kacey beat me to it,” Jonah said. “And Jesus, you’re being rude as hell. Even for you.”

The mother of all awkward silences descended on me as the brothers stared each other down and held a private conversation; I could practically hear the thoughts passing between them like words.

Finally, I cleared my throat and pointed toward a grocery bag on the counter surrounded by creamers and sugars. “What’s all this?”

Jonah’s eyes slowly left Theo’s. “I went out and got a few things.”

“That’s thoughtful of you this early in the morning.” I sniffed at the air. “Decaf never smelled so good…”

“That’s because it’s regular.” Jonah pulled a UNLV mug from a cupboard, filled it, and handed it over.

“Thank you.” I moved carefully past Theo. His dislike of me was still emanating off him like heat from a furnace. I took a stool on the other side of the counter, tucking my shirt up a little to prove that I was wearing shorts.

I saw Theo’s gaze land on the sugar skull tattooed on my left thigh. For a brief moment, his expression loosened, grew curious. I started to strike up a conversation about his tattoos, when his Death Glare returned, like a door slamming in my face.

He pushed himself off the counter. “You ready, bro?” he said. “Let’s hit it.”

Jonah finished off his protein shake and tossed the cup in the sink. “I’ll be back in a few hours,” he said to me. “So you’re not left stranded for lunch.”

Theo’s eyes widened. “You’re not going to work through lunch?”

“First time for everything,” Jonah replied.

“No, I don’t want to throw off your schedule,” I said. “You have a lot of work to do. I’ll be fine here, really.” I glanced at Theo. “Really.”

“Really,” Theo said, deadpan.

“Really, I’ll be back for lunch,” Jonah said. “If you need anything else, there’s a convenience store up the street, about a ten-minute walk. Give me your cell number, and I’ll call if I’m running late.”

Theo watched darkly as Jonah and I exchanged cell numbers. “You’re still coming to dinner tonight, right?” he said. He looked at me, his lighter brown eyes stony and hard. “We do it every Sunday. Family only.”

Jonah scrubbed his hands over his face. “Jesus Christ, Theo.”

For half a second, Theo looked contrite, then turned to stone again. “I’ll be waiting in the truck.” He strode to the apartment door and shut it hard behind him.

“Nice meeting you,” I said to my coffee cup.

“I’m so sorry. He really has become a pain in the ass since…” Jonah laughed shortly. “Since birth, actually.”

“Does he work with glass too? Is that why he’s going to the shop?”

“No, he’s a tattoo artist.”

“Really? I was thinking about getting another tattoo. Too bad he hates my guts.”

“He doesn’t hate you. He’s just…protective. He helps me out at the shop sometimes. I have an assistant too. Tania. But she’s off on Sundays.”