Hell & High Water (THIRDS 1)

Cael paused, as if thinking. “No. Wait, when he’s asleep. Most of the time.”

“Great.”

“I love you, bro.” Dex reached out and pulled his brother over to plant a big kiss on Cael’s head, earning him a noise of disgust and a shove.

“Gross! We’re in the showers.”

Dex laughed off his brother’s horrified expression, turning on the shower and testing the temperature. “It’s not like we’re sharing one. That was when we were kids. You should have seen him. He was so cute. He had this teeny little—”

“Dex!”

“What?” Dex blinked at his brother innocently. “I was only going to say penis.”

Sloane let out a choking noise and quickly turned away, putting a hand to his mouth to keep himself from laughing. That idiot. Calvin had no such luck and he burst out laughing.

Cael obviously wasn’t as amused as the rest of them. He gave his brother a murderous glare. “I hate you so bad right now.”

“I’m sure you’re not alone in that,” Ash pitched in.

“I’m messing with you. I’m sure your penis has grown way more since then.” Dex wriggled his eyebrows as he started lathering himself up, and Sloane forced himself to look away. Dex was not amusing, and he sure as hell was not cute.

“What’s wrong with you?” Ash shut off his shower and grabbed his towel to wrap around himself.

“Relax. We’re brothers. It’s what we do.”

Ash’s expression said he was underwhelmed. “I feel sorry for you, Cael, I do.”

“Hey,” Dex jutted his citrus shower gel at Ash. “You might have fallen for that I’m-so-adorable-I-should-be-in-a-boy-band look, but I grew up with him. I know the evil that lurks inside him. Did he tell you about the time he drugged me, shaved my head, and dyed the fuzz neon green? I went to the prom with my head looking like a giant tennis ball.”

“Oh yeah,” Cael chortled. “That was pretty funny.”

“Go Cael.” Ash and Cael bumped fists; Dex didn’t look pleased.

Is this what it was going to be like all the time? Usually it was Ash who was always getting on everyone’s last nerve. Looked like his best friend had some fierce competition in that department, and they all knew how much Ash loved competition. Fun-fucking-tastic.

“Sure, laugh it up. It’s all fun and games until you end up with tennis ball head.”

Cael shut off his shower, wrapped himself up and snatched his toiletry bag before turning to his brother with a deadpan expression. “Remember when I said I was glad you were here?”

“Yeah?”

“The novelty has totally worn off.”

Dex threw his head back and laughed. After rinsing himself off, he shut off the shower and gave Sloane a big grin. “I think I’m gonna like it here.”

God help them all.

Chapter 4

“YOU COULDN’T stay put, could you?”

Dex followed Tony out of the elevator, eager to finally get a look at his workspace. He was far less anxious now than he had been before he met his team, though he had plenty of other concerns.

“I think it went well.”

“Well? It was a disaster! Your new Team Leader beat the shit out of you, which, by the way, is starting to become a disturbing habit.” Tony stepped to one side, that vein pulsing in his head, the same one that had been pulsing when he found Dex getting dressed in the locker room and not in the lounge as he’d instructed. After a few choice words, and after he sent the rest of the team to the briefing room to wait, Tony had looked at Dex, opened his mouth, then closed it, before marching off and barking for him to follow. “Do you think this is a joke? I stuck my neck out for you, and you couldn’t even wait for me to make the proper introductions?”

Dex frowned. “You act like you don’t know me. I like to do things my way because my way works. I’m not going to change who I am because I’m on the demolition squad. I appreciate what you’ve done for me, you know I do, and I’m grateful to be here, but you need to trust me. I know what I’m doing.”