Unwritten Law (Steele Brothers 1)

I have to wonder if it’s karma sending a student to me who’s a bigger smartass than I am.

Before I’m ready, I have to pull myself away and finish the class the way I always do—by getting the kids to attack me as if I were a real attacker.

“Who haven’t I picked on for a while?” As I ask this, the shy girl turns to avoid eye contact. Her little mouth moves frantically as if chanting, not me, not me, not me, and that’s when I remember her name. “Chantel. You’re up.”

She shuffles her way into the middle of the room where they’ve all made a circle.

“Okay, I’m going to get you into a choke hold, and I want you to get out of it,” I say.

“I’ll never be able to do that.”

“Yes, you will. You just need practice. I’m going to keep doing it until you get me on the ground. I don’t care if it takes all night, I cancel the rest of my classes, and all these guys go starving because they don’t make it home to dinner on time.”

Sometimes the kids need a little push. It can backfire, but Chantel is the type of girl who wants to stay out of the spotlight. By keeping her peers happy, she’ll be left alone.

I know Reed watches me the whole time without having to look at him.

It takes Chantel four tries, but then she nails the move, and I go down with a loud “Oomph.”

The rest of the small class of ten cheer for her while I catch my breath. When I stand, I hold out my hand for a high five, and she slaps it with the most enthusiasm I think is possible for an introvert.

“Next week, I expect you to get it first try.”

That makes her smile fall.

“You just proved you can do it, kid.” I hunch over, still trying to get air back in my lungs. She winded me when I hit the mats, but I don’t care about being hurt.

I pick on two more kids before the class finishes, and when it’s over, Reed turns to me as the kids file out the door.

“What time do you finish up here?” he asks.

“Six.”

“Would you … I mean, I assume you’re straight so this isn’t me hitting on you, but would you want to go to dinner or for a beer afterwards? The only person I’ve met since moving here is Anders. And, well, I may’ve fucked that up, because he’s ignoring me.”

The under-five’s class starts pouring in, and Elise, a little girl with blonde pigtails, runs up and punches me in the leg. Reed tries to hide a laugh. For a four-year-old, she packs a hit, and I have to grit my teeth to stop from swearing.

“Elise, honey, no,” her mother says and gives me that flirtatious smile she does every week. I’m not stupid enough to hit on the single mothers who pay me to teach their kids karate, so I give her a non-flirtatious wave back.

I’m too distracted and don’t have time to go over why it’s a horrible idea or come up with an excuse not to go out with Reed after work. “I could do dinner,” I say.

“Meet you back here at six?”

I nod.

What the fuck am I doing?

5

Reed

Sitting across from a guy who I’ve hooked up with when I haven’t actually hooked up with him is the weirdest thing ever. The noise of the pub is drowned out around us as we wait for our food and I study Law.

He eyes me warily. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Sorry. The resemblance is uncanny.”

He goes to open his mouth, but I cut him off.

“I’m not a dumbass. I know how the whole identical twin thing works. But there’s usually some differences, even if they’re subtle.”

“Anders has his eyebrow pierced if that helps. That’s usually how we’re told apart.”

“He wasn’t wearing it when I went out with him.”

Law flattens his lips into a thin line. “I’m going to be honest with you, and you shouldn’t take offence to this, but … you’re not his usual type.”

“Maybe that’s why he’s ignoring my texts.”

“Don’t take it personally.”

“I’m not. We had fun. Wouldn’t mind a repeat, but I’m not going to chase a guy who’s not interested. I’m not that pathetic.” I sip my beer. “Just thought I should clarify that seeing as I kinda ambushed you into having dinner with me. I might’ve scared your brother off with that too—doing the whole grade school will you be my friend shtick. I’ve never been smooth.”

“You don’t have a lot of friends?”

“Not here. I come from up north, and a buddy of mine from high school moved down here for uni and never came back, but he’s the only person I know, and I haven’t managed to catch up with him yet.”