His eyes darkened as they locked on her.
Then the doorbell did its thing again.
“God, who’d show up here so early? I’m off this weekend, and I really don’t want any interruptions.”
Another ring told them the person wasn’t going away.
“I’m up,” he said without moving.
His erection twitched against his stomach.
“Yes, you are,” she said, laughing.
He rose, grumbling, and pulled on a pair of sweats hanging over a chair in the corner. She followed the long line of his muscular back and sighed.
“Stay here. I’ll get rid of them and be right back.”
Decklan strode down the hall, pissed at the interruption. He didn’t have many full weekends off, and he definitely didn’t spend the ones he did with the only woman he wanted in his bed.
He reached his front door and swung it open. “Go away,” he said, not caring who was there.
“What a way to greet family,” his brother, Gabe, said, grinning, his arm around his wife.
“Hi. And bye?” Isabelle waved a hand, blushing.
“Nope. We’re here, we’re staying.” Gabe pushed past him, pulling Isabelle along with him. “We have news.”
“And you couldn’t have called?” Decklan asked, folding his arms across his bare chest.
“It wouldn’t have been as much fun. What’s got you in such a mood?”
“We woke him,” his pretty wife said.
“She’s smart. Not that smart since she’s with you, but she did catch on quickly.”
“I’m thinking you have company.” Gabe smirked, enjoying being the pain in the ass that he was.
Isabelle tugged on Gabe’s arm. “We should go. We’ll call you later and fill you in.”
Decklan sighed and stepped back into the apartment. “No, come on in. You drove all the way out here. What’s up?” he asked grudgingly.
“You’re going to be an uncle,” Gabe said, placing his hand over Isabelle’s flat stomach. “Forgive me for thinking you’d want to hear the news in person.”
His brother’s happiness was both a blessing and a punch in the gut to Decklan, who’d never let himself think of having a wife or kids of his own. Lucy and Gabe were his family. He’d welcomed Isabelle because she made his brother happy, but it left him odd man out. He hadn’t let himself feel it too much—Decklan preferred not to feel at all—but now, a baby? His brother would be having his own family—one that didn’t include him.
“Congratulations,” he said with a combination of genuine and forced cheer.
He really sucked, he thought. Knowing how thrilled his brother was, he ought to feel exactly the same way. He pulled Isabelle into a brotherly hug, not wanting to give Gabe the chance to catch on that anything was wrong. Given time to adjust to the news, he’d be just fine.
“Thanks.” She squeezed him back. “Are you okay?” she whispered in his ear.
“I’m good. Promise.”
Gabe grabbed Decklan’s shoulder and physically separated the two. “Enough hugging.”
Decklan rolled his eyes and Isabelle laughed. “Back off, caveman. He’s my brother too.”
He grinned, pleased he could at least annoy Gabe as much as his brother could bug him.