Okay. Maybe this isn’t so terrible.

We enter the bedroom, and CJ kicks the door closed behind us and lowers me to my feet. He takes my face between his hands and looks at my eyes, my mouth. He runs his thumb over my cheek, assessing me.

I know CJ is close with his brother. And I’d hate for their reunion to start off on a sour note. Besides, maybe Jake just saw a lot of leg? I can be okay with that.

Smiling up into his serious face, wanting to ease him, I grip CJ’s hips above the waistband of his shorts and step closer. “It’s nice that he’s here for a visit,” I say. “How long has it been?”

A deep-set V forms between CJ’s brows. He blinks, looking all kinds of confused. And all kinds of hot, too. “A little over a year,” he answers. “He just got finished with his third tour over in Afghanistan.”

Wow. His third? I can not imagine that.

“Then you better go out there and give him his welcome party. He deserves it.” I pop up onto my toes and give CJ a quick kiss, spinning around and slipping out of his hold to get to the dresser. “You go ahead. I’ll get dressed and be out in a minute. Oo!” I whip back around and clap my hands together. “Tell him about the fireworks celebration. Maybe he can go!”

CJ stares at me for a breath, face expressionless, as if he is trying to play catch-up with his thoughts, then he closes his eyes through a shake of his head. His chest rattles with a low chuckle. “Jesus. You got over that pretty damn quick. I thought you wanted me to leave you out there to die?”

“I’m just focusing on the positive,” I tell him, arms crossing under my chest, which apparently does something stareworthy to my boobs, because CJ drops his eyes immediately and blinks slowly at them. “And you seeing your baby brother after a year of not seeing him trumps my butt hanging out. This is important.”

He lifts his eyes to my face. “So is that talk we were having that got interrupted,” he points out, cocking his head.

Talk about starting off on a sour note. Yikes.

“It is,” I agree, backing away slowly and maneuvering around the bed, while also maneuvering around this conversation. “And we’ll get back to that after you go out there and welcome him.”

I’d hate for CJ to not take our talk well and have it affect him and Jake’s time together. I can wait another hour. Or two.

“All right,” he says, jerking his chin at the dresser against the wall. “Toss me a shirt, will you?”

I grab a t-shirt out of the bottom drawer and toss it to him. He pulls it on as I’m grabbing some clothes for myself—jean shorts, a bra, and my Beach Don’t Kill My Vibe tank top. I lay everything out on the bed.

“Don’t take too long,” CJ says, giving me a look before turning toward the door, like he’d come get me and drag me out of this bedroom if I do just that.

Tempting . . .

CJ steps out and pulls the door shut behind him. Seconds later, I hear the loud, boisterous welcome he gives his brother as I’m stepping into my shorts. Jake’s voice is carrying down the hallway too. I can’t make out what they’re saying to each other as I finish getting dressed, but there is a lot of laughter. It’s sweet to hear.

After taking a minute to brush out my hair, doing this so they have a little extra alone time, I step out of the bedroom and make my way back down the hallway.

Jake is sitting at the kitchen counter with a glass in front of him, digging Fritos out of a small chip bag and popping them into his mouth. And CJ is standing across from him at the sink, arms pulled across his chest, smiling, looking happy as anything to be watching his brother chow down like a starving man. They’re not talking anymore so I don’t feel like I’m interrupting anything when I walk into the room. But I do gain both of their attentions.

“Come here, darlin’,” CJ says, motioning with his head for me to join him while giving me the smile he was just putting on Jake.

I hurry over and tuck under the arm he’s holding out, getting that draped around my shoulders. My hand curls around his waist, and I give him a squeeze, smiling up at him.

“Riley, this is my brother, Jake.” CJ lifts his head and looks across the counter, and I follow his eyes while his arm around me tightens and draws me closer to his body. “Jake, you rude motherfucker, meet my girl.”

Jake snorts.

I do not snort. I inhale a sharp breath as bliss warms me all over.

His girl.

God, I love the way that sounds.

I uncurl my arm from around CJ and extend my hand to Jake over the sink. “It’s nice to meet you, Jake. Now that I’m dressed . . .”

Jake smiles, looking from his brother back to me, then he wipes his hand off on his shirt and takes a hold of mine, shaking it.

Even though he’s younger than CJ, Jake has this tired look about him, as if he’s lived more years than his age. Shadows circle his dull blue eyes. He looks like he could sleep for months. He isn’t smiling at me the way CJ does. He’s being friendly, yes, but it almost feels forced, like he doesn’t have the energy but he knows it’s the polite thing to do.

I amp up my smile, appreciating the effort. I’m sure he is tired. He just got home after God knows how long.

“Complicated, huh?” Jake directs at CJ after releasing my hand. “The fuck happened to that?”

“What?” I ask. I turn to CJ, watching him glare at Jake and shake his head.

“Nothing,” he mutters. “He’s being a dumbass.”

Jake laughs under his breath.

“Would you like me to make you something to eat?” I ask, watching Jake hit crumbs in his bag, tip his head back and knock the last remaining Fritos into his mouth. “I made taco lasagna last night. I could heat you up a plate. It’s . . . well, it’s exactly how it sounds. Tacos in the form of lasagna.”

He crushes up the empty bag in his hand, shrugging. “Sure. Yeah, that sounds good. Thanks.”

“No problem.” I look up at CJ, meeting his eyes. I wonder how long he’s been looking at me? “Are you hungry? Do you want some?”

“Yeah. Do you mind?”

“Not at all.”

CJ kisses the top of my head, murmuring his appreciation, then releases me so I can go about fixing him and his brother a plate.

As I’m scooping out their servings and heating them up, I listen to their conversation.