Two of a Kind Read online

  He nodded. “In the console thingee.”

  “I’m starving bueno to death.”

  Trey snorted at Braden. He didn’t know where Cole had gotten that saying. It didn’t make any sense, but they all said it like it did.

  “I am.” Braden inhaled the granola bar he’d found. “Do you like Uncle Ap at all?”

  “What? Of course I do. We’re family.” He didn’t even know Ap anymore, and obviously Ap didn’t think he was doing a bang-up job with the money and the kids, but once upon a time he’d considered liking Denny McIntosh a lot.

  “You hit him.” Braden sounded young all of a sudden. Worried.

  “I did.” Well, shit. He ought to apologize, but he wasn’t sorry. “It’s not the best way to settle differences, but it’s a fast way, I guess.”

  “It is, but it hurt your hand.” Braden chuckled. “Seems not worth it.”

  “It probably wasn’t, and I probably should have controlled my temper. I was mad.” Dammit.

  “Uncle Ap took his licks, so I guess he deserved it.” Braden shrugged. “Oh, better. I was too hungry to wait.”

  “You did a great job today. Seriously. Thank you.”

  “Thanks for letting me come even though Cole was here.” Braden gave him that shy grin he knew so well. “I can get my game!”

  “You can. We’ll go to Walmart tomorrow, if you want.”

  “Yeah? Thanks.”

  “No problem.” He needed lightbulbs. They got home a few minutes later, and he kinda hoped the big surprise was a catered meal.

  Hell, a meal was a meal. The girls loved to cook. Well, Ames loved it.

  Bella was okay at it, and Courtney was… well. Wow. Seven. Seven was young. “No making faces, even if it’s bad,” he reminded Braden.

  “I know. I promise.”

  They walked into a kitchen that smelled like parm and garlic and goodness.

  “Oh.” He breathed deep, taking in the slight funk of broccoli. “Broccoli Alfredo?”

  “With chicken from the grill!” Bella looked so pleased.

  “Wow! That’s my favorite!”

  “We know!” Court said, launching into his arms. “We told Uncle Ap!”

  “Hey.” Ap grinned at him from the stove. “I wanted to make it up to you, and the girls told me this was the way.”

  He winced at the black eye. “Well, I appreciate it. It smells great. Is Cole in the shower?”

  “Yeah. Or getting smell-good on or something by now. The girls say they’re hungry, but it will sit a minute if you two want to wash up.”

  “I think everyone will appreciate that. Braden, go get yourself clean.”

  “Yessir!” Braden actually hurried, and Trey couldn’t blame him. His mouth was watering.

  “I’ll be right back.” He stripped off his boots and his shirt in the laundry room. His cheeks were burning, because all the girls had been watching him, waiting to see his reaction. He wasn’t used to being behind the eight ball.

  Trey threw his shirt and filthy socks in the washer, before turning to head to his room. Ap stared at him, all wide-eyed and blinky. “You okay?”

  “Huh?” Ap licked his lips. “Sure. I’m fine.”

  “Supper smells good. I’ll rub a rag over me and I’ll be right there.”

  “Okay.” Ap’s voice broke weirdly, but he just smiled when Trey stared. “Garlic.”

  “Yeah. The good stuff.” He wandered down the hall and stopped to fix Cole’s tie on the way. “You have her home by midnight. I’ll see you at midnight thirty.”

  “Thanks.” Cole headed out, calling, “Save me some, Uncle Ap!”

  “You know it, kiddo. You have a good time and be careful.”

  He went to the master bedroom, grabbed some clean clothes, and headed to the bathroom to wash up. He didn’t know… well, anything.

  Part of him felt like he’d fallen into Bizarro World. Part of him had felt like that for six years. Ap was damn confusing, and that wasn’t helping. That Alfredo smelled like heaven, though.

  He needed to just eat and then find his recliner, rest his bones, and have a think.

  The girls were all scrubbing counters when he came back, and Ap was pouring pasta from the pot to the strainer. “Perfect timing. Bella, I need those plates.”

  “On it!”

  It was like having a mixture of ballet and Keystone Cops in the kitchen. Trey sat on a stool to watch, fascinated. Courtney was nowhere near fire or knives, which he appreciated. Amelia had the plastic lettuce knife, and Bella was Ap’s pinch hitter. Strangely enough, it worked. Plates of pasta, salad, and garlic bread appeared, with one saved back for Cole.

  “Smells yummy,” Braden said, sniffing hard.

  “Come eat, Uncle Daddy!” Courtney carried the bread in a basket.

  “Eee-a-la! Look at all this!” He applauded, just about as tickled as a pig in shit.

  “Right? Uncle Ap says he can make lasagna too!” Amelia clapped her hands before hauling salad bowls over. “Not today, but he knows how.”

  “He’s a man of hidden talents, huh?”

  “Deeply hidden,” Ap murmured, pulling out his chair.

  “Yeah yeah. How’s the eye?”

  “Sore as a boil.”

  “I told him to put a steak on it,” Bella pointed out.

  “Waste of steak,” Ap shot back.

  “That’s all true. Use the bag of peas.”

  “Oh, good idea.”

  “It’s marked for bruises, right?” Amelia handed him a bottle of ranch.

  “Yes, ma’am. Uncle Ap can put it on his face.”

  “It feels so good,” Court said. “Makes the throbbing stop. I got kicked by the llama once. Uncle Daddy let me put it on my knee. I’ll get it.”

  Trey wasn’t grinning.

  He wasn’t.

  Honest.

  Ap chuckled. “After supper. Will someone try the pasta and tell me how brilliant I am?”

  Braden slurped up a noodle. “Oh. Uncle Daddy, eat.”

  Trey took a bite, then groaned deep in his chest. “Oh yeah.”

  That was good shit. Full of salty, creamy goodness, the pasta just al dente. He was impressed.

  The girls cheered, and Ap relaxed, that smile widening.

  He had three helpings, filling the hollow leg on both sides. “Uhn. That was fine.”

  Ap was grinning to beat the band. “Thanks, man.”

  “I’m stuffed like a tick!” Courtney patted her belly. “Ugh.”

  “Me too.” Lord, he was going to have to take a nap before he fed critters.

  “Uncle Ap barely ate.” Uh-oh. Amelia was scowling. She didn’t get low-carb eating at all.

  “He has to stay skinny to ride roughstock, baby.”

  “And you don’t?”

  “Nope, I can be all fat.”

  Ap snorted. “Uncle Daddy is so not fat.”

  “Like Santa Claus,” he teased, pooching out his belly as far as he could.

  “Santa is great, but so not sexy,” Bella said very seriously.

  “Uncle Daddy is not sexy, Sister,” Courtney intoned.

  “I bet he is to someone.” Ap’s eyes twinkled.

  “Nuh-uh. Uncle Daddy ain’t never going to get married. Miss Nanette says so. He’s a batch-or.”

  “I am a bachelor, you’re right.” And he was going to talk to Courtney’s dance teacher about gossiping about him in front of the girls. “I’m going to do the dishes.”

  Ap stood. “I’ll help you.”

  “Are you a batch-or?” Courtney asked.

  “He’s a cowboy. Everyone thinks they’re sexy,” Bella explained.

  “I reckon your Miss Nanette would say I was a bachelor, Court.” Ap winked at her.

  “Uncle Daddy? Are cowboys sexy?”

  “Yeah, Court. They are.”

  “Oh. Uncle Ap is kinda pretty.”

  “He is.” Lord, this was awkward. “How about y’all go and sit with your feet up since you cooked? Braden and I will clean up.”
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  Braden looked at him with exhausted eyes, and he knew he’d let the kid off if he didn’t bitch, which he didn’t.

  “Go sit, kiddo,” he told Braden once the girls were gone.

  “There’s cupcakes for later,” Ap said, ruffling Braden’s hair. “I got this with Uncle Daddy, okay?”

  “You sure?”

  “I am. Go take a nap, huh?”

  “Thanks.” Braden drooped with relief, trudging off like a man pardoned from a hanging.

  He waited for Ap to start in about how he was abusing Braden, working the kid too hard.

  “Worked hard, huh? He looked pretty happy when you got home.”

  That wasn’t too bad, maybe.

  “He did a good job. He earned his money. I promised to take him to the Walmart tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, he wants that new Assassins game.” Ap started rinsing plates. “Look, I was an asshole, okay? I’m not here like you are. You know how to divvy up the money.”

  “I’m not abusing the kids. I’m not making them suffer. I’m teaching them to work hard and earn their own money.”

  “I get that.” Ap shrugged. “I just had this image in my head, you know. That my money was maybe getting them school clothes and movies and stuff too.”

  He didn’t know what to say. “I didn’t want you to think I misused it. I’ve always been careful.”

  “I know.” Ap just scrubbed, but he was smiling. “It’s just gonna take some getting used to. Putting reality in place of the fantasy, if that makes sense.”

  “Yeah, there’s no fantasy here.” No, just hard work, running kids back and forth, and long nights.

  “There is, though.” Ap hunched his shoulder a little. “Having a place, having a routine. I reckon it sounds nuts, but it sounds really nice.”

  “You have a place here.” He was tired of this. Ap had a place with them.

  “I know.” Ap shook his head, blowing out a breath. “I suck at this talking shit. What I mean is, when you’re on the road, you have all these white-picket-fence thoughts. It’s all idealized.”

  “Sure. I bet. I wish I wasn’t spending every night alone here.”

  “What, you didn’t get any on your little vacation?”

  He thought, just maybe, Ap was joking with him like he would with a buddy on the road. There was an edge to it, though.

  “Shit, I don’t even know how to pick someone up anymore.” And that was the God’s honest truth.

  “I don’t either.” When he raised an eyebrow, Ap just laughed. “There have been some friends with benefits over the years.”

  “You’re sexier than me, remember? You’re a cowboy.”

  “So are you, Trey. The hardest working one I know.” Ap rinsed the big skillet.

  “Thank you.” That meant a lot. Like all the lots.

  “It’s true. Even if you have an ostrich.” Ap flipped a towel at him.

  “And three miniature yaks.” He waggled his eyebrows at Ap.

  “A baby one, even. Who ate well this morning, by the way. Bella’s getting good with him too.”

  “She’s something else. She’s a rancher, all the way.” She was a cowgirl.

  “I adore them all, but she’s freaking amazing.” Ap leaned back against the counter once the dishes were done. “So now that I’ve apologized, I been meaning to ask.”

  “Yeah?” He waited, forcing himself to not get all tense.

  “Well, I don’t want to sound skeezy, but I meant it when I said we could share the bed. It’s silly for you to sleep in the recliner. I share a bed, platonically, on the road all the time.”

  “Fair enough. You going to be able to stay for a while?”

  “I’m gonna stay through Thanksgiving, then go to finals. I’ll come back for Christmas, though, and stay through to—well, I can’t make any promises, but I’m thinking on skipping Denver and Fort Worth and not heading out until March.” Ap looked so hopeful.

  “We’ll be right here. You are always welcome.”

  “Thanks.” Those shoulders had come all the way down, relaxed.

  “Thanks for supper. It was good.”

  “I like Alfredo. It’s pretty easy, even if there are lots of parts.” Ap perked right up, looking so pleased.

  “I like it too. A lot. You want to come watch a show before we go feed?”

  “I do.” Ap came and put a hand on his arm. “Maybe close your eyes for a minute too.”

  “Maybe, yeah.” Oh, that touch made his heart hiccup. His skin was all tingling.

  “Come on. We’ll watch… Homicide Hunter?”

  “Oh, I like that.” I like you, Ap.

  “Yay!” Ap kept hold of him, sliding that hand down to his wrist. How was he ever going to sleep in the same bed as this guy?

  He was going to be sporting permanent wood.

  They settled, him in his recliner, Ap close to him on the couch. The girls were all asleep, their busy day catching up with them.

  He relaxed, letting himself breathe, melt into the chair.

  Ap turned the TV to Homicide Hunter after turning down the volume, then put his feet up and leaned back.

  He didn’t even make it to Joe Kenda’s first smartassed comment before he was asleep.

  Chapter Ten

  AP stepped out of the bathroom, a billowing cloud of steam following him like ghosts. God, he’d needed that. Really, really.

  He’d put hand to cock, and he was feeling loose-limbed and easy in his skin. Damn, that felt good, and remembering how pleased Trey was with supper made him feel ten feet tall.

  Trey was in a pair of shorts and nothing else, sitting on the edge of the bed, playing with his phone.

  Good thing he’d worn a towel. He smiled, glad Trey was ready to come back to his own room. “Hey. Did I hog the bathroom?” Trey had showered after feeding, saying the washcloth hadn’t done it.

  “Nah, I was just wanting to sit.”

  “Oh, cool. You don’t get to a lot.” He admired the breadth of Trey’s shoulders, the muscles that bunched and moved. Christ. There was nothing as hot as a big old boy. Like a mountain ready to be scaled.

  He tightened the towel, making sure the hard-on that was threatening stayed hidden.

  “You used my soap. It smells good on you.”

  “Thanks. I should have got some at the store, I guess, but I’ve always liked that smell.”

  “I like it. It suits you to the bone.” Oh, that was the hottest thing anyone had ever said.

  “Good deal.” He didn’t know what else to say, so he sat on the other side of the bed.

  Trey stood up, swaying a little. “Someone had the dogs in the house.”

  “Huh.”

  Trey bent over, showing off that fine, fine ass, before coming up with a beat-up tennis ball. “Dogs.”

  “Is that bad? I thought Phineas and Ferb were allowed, at least.”

  “Only when I step on toys. They’re all house trained.”

  “Okay.” That way he didn’t have to apologize for playing ball with the corgis.

  “It was you, huh? Trying to bring me down?” Trey grinned at him, eyes warm, twinkling.

  “That’s got to be it. Trying to get you all hobbled.”

  “Lord, it was bad enough that time when Hobbes kicked me and busted a bone in my back. Cole was thirteen, and I thought he’d never get me to the truck to drive myself in to the doc’s.”

  “Oh, holy shit. What the hell did you do?”

  “Wore the back brace.” Trey chuckled. “Wanna see? I have a hoof-shaped thing.”

  “Uh-huh.” How had he not known about this?

  Trey eased down the shorts, the U-shaped scar clear as a bell.

  He touched it without even stopping to think. Ap traced the scar, thinking how lucky Trey had been that it wasn’t right on the spinal column.

  The soft moan surprised the hell out of him, Trey shivering.

  Ap froze, hand against Trey’s skin. “You, uh, you okay?”

  “Uh-huh. Sorry. I—sorry.�
� Trey moved away and headed for the bathroom, sporting a heavy, fine erection.

  “Hey.” He lunged, grabbing Trey’s arm, all good sense going out the window. “Why are you sorry?”

  “Because… fuck, I don’t know. I don’t want you to think I’m… but I do.” Trey turned to face him, that confusion clear.

  Ap nodded. “I do too.”

  Then he took the bull by the horns, so to speak, and cupped Trey’s cock.

  Trey’s eyes went wide, his mouth falling open. “Oh, holy Jesus.”

  “Yeah.” Oh, feel that…. He pressed and squeezed gently, utterly fascinated.

  One huge hand landed on his shoulder, hot and solid. “Ap.”

  “Uh-huh. I dream about you, Trey. I have for years.”

  Trey’s eyelids went heavy, the look pure lust. They swayed toward each other, and Ap had to take a kiss. A hard one to make up for lost time.

  Had Trey always tasted this good? Had he always been so hard and hot where they rocked together? He could barely remember, so he needed to do this now to remind himself.

  Trey grabbed him, hands huge on his ass. Damn. He locked his arms around Trey’s neck, loving how strong this man was. Trey held him like a boss, like he weighed nothing at all.

  They started moving together, rocking and rubbing, their skin hot as fire.

  “I want….” Trey groaned and bit his bottom lip, making it sting.

  Ap pushed Trey’s shorts down and brought their cocks together, stroking as hard and fast as he could.

  “Jesus. Jesus, please.” Trey bucked under him, the best ride he’d had in eons.

  “Uncle Daddy! Uncle Daddy! There’s a spider!” Amelia’s scream was pure terror.

  Trey damn near killed them both springing away to yank up his shorts. “I’m coming, baby!”

  Courtney started to cry, harsh sobs. “It’s coming! Uncle Daddy! Save me!”

  Slamming out of the room, Trey grabbed a boot. Ap yanked on his pajama pants before following, getting there just in time to see the demise of an enormous wolf spider.

  “Fuck, look at that!”

  “Throw it away!” Amelia was rocking, poor baby obviously scared out of her mind. “Make it go away!”

  “Ames! You’re scaring your sister.”

  “She’s going to end up in the looney bin one day.” Bella had that disdain that only a big sister not scared of spiders could have.