“She’ll do it, too, if you’re not careful.” Caleb laughed and rubbed his hands together. “Now. What have you done so far to get on her good side? No, don’t answer that. It’ll only depress me. So far, all I’ve seen you do is scowl.”

Despite his better judgment, Spencer found himself being pulled further into the living room—and into this conversation. “I thought you were planning on asking her out for yourself?”

Caleb shrugged an indifferent shoulder. When he spoke, however, it was with a sincerity that Spencer had rarely heard from him. “She’s already told me eight times that I’m not her type. I think she might mean it. But if you like her—”

Spencer allowed himself to say the words out loud for the first time. “I do like her.”

The spreading grin started to return to Caleb’s face. Spencer didn’t trust it, but not for the reasons he’d have expected a few minutes ago. That wasn’t the grin of a brother who planned on swooping in and sabotaging his relationship with Ruby. That was the grin of a brother who planned on doing his utmost to facilitate it.

“Then let’s get to work—starting with whatever is happening with your shirt. Do you always have to button it up to the top?”

Spencer ignored this slight. As much as he relished this unprecedented show of support and camaraderie, he couldn’t help but feel there was a lot more to be said between them. “Caleb, about your parole and about us sharing the house—”

“You mean, about the fact that you’re standing on my side again?”

Spencer glanced down with a start. Sure enough, he’d once again made his way over the duct-tape line and into enemy territory. And he couldn’t even blame someone else for luring him over this time. He’d walked on his own two feet.

“Goddammit. Not again!”

Caleb laughed. “You must be getting soft in your old age. What’ll it be this time? More push-ups? We’re up to a hundred and forty now. I’m not sure you can make it.”

Spencer thought of the challenge issued him less than an hour ago in this exact spot and shook his head. After the agony of feeling his own weight in his hand, of watching Ruby watch him as he stroked himself, push-ups seemed like child’s play.

“Oh, I can make it,” he vowed as he started to loosen his shirt cuffs and get in position. “I could probably even do it with one hand behind my back.”

Chapter 11

“Sit.”

At the sound of Spencer’s low, stern voice, Wheezy sat.

So did Ruby.

So did Julio, Xavier, and Max.