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"A word," he said through his teeth, then turned on his heel, striding out the back door

Jared sighed heavily "Well, fuck," he htly before standing and following his brother

I could i his brother out for what he’d have taken as a direct come-on And certainly his brother was capable of that They both were But I didn’t think that had been what Jared was about He was a genuinely nice guy, and I really thought he had just been offering co a few too many aard questions

I’d told Jared that I would consider going out with hiain, but I had to wonder if that was even an option I knew, just knew, that if I dated Jared, it would drive Tristan insane, nofriends What a ht

Leticia came to sit beside me Her eyes were on the back door, her brow furrowed I ain at how lovely she was as she turned her dark eyes on ht over you, are you?" she asked softly, glancing at the back door It was sliding glass, but the brothers had ht after they’d closed the door

Her words struck me as a little hostile, but she didn’t seem hostile, just concerned

"I’m not" My words were soft, and even to my own ears they lacked any conviction That made me defensive "Tristan and I are strictly friends"

She shot ar to me so far, but I saw the spicier side to her personality in that one look

"You’re a sirl, but that’s not a smart assessment Strictly friends? Do you really believe that?"

Myreally hard to keep it that way It’s what’s best for both of us"

She tossed her hair, and rolled her eyes It ood luck to you, but I think you’re fighting a losing battle And God help you if Tristan decides he wants more He’s just like his father, and his father was i a bastard God, I loved that bastard I named Tristan after him, in the hopes that he would be like that His father could be callous, but…so charis he wanted out of life I wanted my son to be like that"

"You named him after his father that left you both?"

She did her little hair toss/eye roll "I did, and I don’t regret it Tristan hates that I did that, but it makes perfect sense to me"

It did notwith Tristan on that one, but I held u that was none of my business

"And what about Jared? Did you name him after his father?"

"I did I loved him, too"

"And did he leave, too?"

I knew I’d overstepped with that one, but it didn’t seem to faze her

"He stuck around for years actually He was a very nice man If you want to know the difference between the fathers, just look at the brothers"

That ry I didn’t think it was fair to compare Tristan to a ain, I had very sie, so I was a touch sensitive about it

"Has Tristan knocked up any girls, and then run in the other direction?" I asked, feeling riled

She pursed her lips, sendinglook "He hasn’t Not yet, anyway You don’t have to defend hiive him a little credit"

She waved her hands in the air, as though erasing the conversation "Enough of the serious talk I love my boys That’s all I meant Don’t make them hate each other"

"I would never--"

"Good Then let’s move on Do you like mota?"

I just blinked at her, confused "Mota?"

Hair toss Eye roll "Marijuana? Do you like?"

I shook orously In my experience, only losers smoked pot, and so I’d always stayed far, far away from the stuff

"Well, I like, so I hope you don’t ain "It’s your house…"

The brothers were both s as they filed back into the house, which I found reassuring, but I was a little shocked when Leticia casually handed Jared a lit joint, and he just took it, thanking her

Was this normal? Was I really such a prude?

She offered one to Tristan, but he waved her off, glancing at me

"Don’t deny yourself on h I really didn’t want him to I hated the stuff

He shook his head "No, I’ood"

"What the hell was up with thatdinner?" I asked him later as he drove us home in my junker of a car

"H face were all innocence

"You knohat The hand on hed, dropping the act "Fuck, I’ you eat with that look on your face… I losta tease I’d recoame withall sorts of intrigued with the idea