Unwritten Law (Steele Brothers 1)

“And how’s that going for you?” Law gestures to the speakers where the music is playing.

“I’m freaking out, obviously. But I’m going to do it. I called to tell you until Reed informed me it was the middle of the night. I lost track of time.”

“Are you sure that’s all it was?” Law asks.

Anders swallows hard as he looks away. “Yup.”

Law sighs. “Okay, you’re lying, but we’ll be in my room if you need us. I’m wrecked.” He grabs my hand and leads me to his bedroom, closing the door behind us. “Mmm, bed.” He flops down on his mattress in his otherwise barren room.

“Who decorated in here?” Even my apartment has more flair, and I’ve only just moved in. I’m almost curious to sneak across the apartment into Anders’ room. If I had to guess, I’d say it’d be cluttered with crap. Law said they try to be polar opposites when it comes to personal choices.

“Mmmhglerh.”

With a laugh, I strip down to my underwear and climb into bed next to a fully dressed Law. “Go to sleep, baby.”

He’s already out of it.

Anders’ pacing sends tremors through the small apartment with each heavy footstep, and I wonder if I should go out there and check on him, but it’s not my place. I’m also reluctant to leave Law. Now that I have him, I don’t want to be away from him, even for a moment. A little voice inside my head that sounds a hell of a lot like my ex’s rings through my head warning me not to be clingy, but there’s a difference between wanting to be with someone always and needing to be with someone.

I need Law in my life, there’s no doubt about that, but that doesn’t mean I have to live in his pocket. I just want to.

I stare at his unfairly good looks, his relaxed face, and slightly parted lips, and I know without a doubt I’m so far gone for this guy I’ll do anything to make him happy.

It takes a while for me to fall asleep because I have the irrational fear that when I wake up, he’ll be gone. At some point during the night, I wake to an empty bed, but hearing Law’s and Anders’ voices travel through the walls lulls me back into sleep. When I wake again, there’s some random guy next to me, staring at me with a wide smile.

“What the fuck?” I flinch back and scramble out of bed.

The guy laughs. “What, you don’t recognise your own boyfriend?”

My heart rate calms but not enough. I grab my chest. “Your beard. It’s …”

“Anders made me shave it to prove he’s going to do better. Is it really that bad?” Law rubs over his jaw and chin.

I mockingly assess him. Without his beard, Law’s even hotter than before. His jaw is predominantly square, which is only emphasised by his naked skin. “Might have to see if your brother is still available,” I joke.

“It’ll grow back.”

I grin. “You still look hot.”

Law reaches for me and pulls me down on top of him. His smooth skin moves against the stubble on my own face.

“Feels weird,” I whisper. “I got used to the beard.”

“Well, now you can get used to the smoothness.” When Law kisses me, I can’t hold back my groan.

“No more beard rash,” I say.

“No more lying.”

“No more handling everything on your own.”

Law smiles. “Here’s one for you, no more committing perjury to save my ass.”

“How about no more getting arrested?”

“That’ll work too. But seriously, if anyone found out you lied to the cops for me …”

“I’d do it again in a heartbeat. You mean the world to me, and I’ll do anything to protect you. Some lies are worth the end result.”

“Love you,” he whispers.

“Love you too.”

17

Lawson

SIX MONTHS LATER

“Our little boy’s all grown up.” I wipe away a fake tear.

Reed smiles. “He hasn’t gone through with it yet, and by the look of him, he might faint. Or throw up.”

We stare at Anders from the other side of the restaurant while he tries to break up with his recent guy. The sweat on his brow is visible from here. I want to sit back and let him do this on his own, but my protective instincts urge me to go over there and save him.

It’s the first time he’s been with someone since I shaved my beard. Without his safety net, Anders hasn’t been game enough to date, but he’s getting there. And if he can do this, then Reed and I can break our news to him.

Reed reaches for my hand across the table. “If he can’t do it, it’s not a big deal. We’ll wait.”

“We need to tell him soon,” I say. “Our lease begins in a week.” In a house, not an apartment. I haven’t had a backyard since I was a kid, and I’m kinda excited about it. Embarrassingly so.