Too Much Testosterone

I claimed I didn't have a Friday post ready, but I just finished it up.  So instead of waiting until next Friday, I'll post this post, the main storyline post I was going to post tomorrow, as a bonus today!  Tomorrow I have part 1 of the story of Lauren and Alex, which you have all been waiting so patiently for for a very long time.  I hope everyone had a safe and fun New Year's celebration!
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On Saturday, Brody, Kinsley, Lauren, and I went to James's housewarming party.  I was still a little weirded out by James and Brody's budding friendship, but it was certainly better than the alternative.

"A plant?  I don't exactly have a green thumb..." James said, looking skeptically at the pot I offered him.

I grinned.  "Every house needs at least one plant.  And anyway, some people call this one a 'Mother-in-Law's Tongue.'  It's damn near impossible to kill."  He laughed and took the plant, thanking me.

Brody handed him the rest of our gift, a bottle of vodka.  "I bet this will kill it," he said, smirking at me.

"Sorry Liv, but this one is definitely a little more my style," James teased.  "Thank you guys.  Lauren and Kinsley are in the kitchen with Damien, but do you guys want the tour?"  James took us on a quick tour of the house, which was much larger and newer than his old place.  We ended in the kitchen, where Kinsley and Lauren were talking to Damien and another of James's friends.

We mingled, meeting some of James's other friends, and enjoyed the casual get together for awhile.  We ended up being some of the last people there, and Kinsley, Lauren, Damien, Brody, James, and I were standing in the kitchen again when the door opened and a loud voice called out, "Having a party without me?"  I froze, my head craned in the direction of the door that I couldn't see.

James jumped up from where he was leaning against the counter and hurried towards the door, throwing a quick, worried glance towards me and Brody on the way.   Brody looked at me, confused for a second, but then recognition dawned on him.

"Jordan, what are you doing here?" we heard James say.  My legs felt untrustworthy and I leaned back against the counter to steady myself.  The other sounds in the room faded away and all I could hear was Jordan's voice.  I squeezed my eyes shut and sucked in a deep breath, trying to fight the panicky feeling that was rising.

Brody took a step towards the door, but Damien casually moved into the doorway.  "Come on, man, you don't want to go out there," he said, calmly.

Brody regarded him, fingers curling into fists, as we heard James and Jordan's raised voices from the entry.  "I do, though," he replied, his voice deadly calm.  "Get out of my way."

"Why?" Damien asked.  "So you can go break his nose again?"  He leaned against the doorframe and easily met Brody's gaze.  He didn't seem at all intimidated by the couple of inches Brody had on him. 

Brody stepped forward again and growled,  "I only did what James should have done the first time that piece of shit put his hands on Liv."  The sound of my name snapped out of my anxious daze and I walked over to Brody.

"Brody," I said quietly, putting my hand on his arm.  "Don't bother, it's not worth it."  He didn't reply.

"Let's go outside," Damien suggested.  Brody looked from the direction of the door to me.  "Liv can come too.  Actually, we'll all go."

"Come on," I said.  I slid my hand down his arm and wrapped it around his clenched fist.  I squeezed gently before working my fingers between his.  His hand released and wrapped around mine but he didn't move.  "Brody," I pleaded softly.  "Please."  He looked down at me, then he turned towards the back door.  I breathed a sigh of relief as we all moved outside to the deck.

Damien stopped just outside the door, leaning casually against the wall.  I knew he was there to try to stop Brody if he changed his mind. It was chilly and I shivered as I stepped to the railing and leaned against it, trying to stop my legs from trembling.  Brody wrapped his arms tightly around me from behind.  Even now,  I could feel that all his muscles were tense, like he was still ready to fight.  I slid one hand up his sleeve and gently stroked his wrist with my fingertips.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly in my ear.  I nodded and leaned my head back against his chest.  I felt the taut muscles in his arms relax incrementally as he rested his chin on the top of my head.

When the door opened, we all turned to look.  It was James, and he was alone.  "You get him out?" Damien asked.

"I got him passed out in bed.  He's drunk as hell," James reported, rubbing his hand over his short hair.  He looked over to me and Brody.  "I'm sorry, Liv.  He wasn't invited.  I don't know why he even came here."

I shrugged as best as I could with Brody's arms wrapped around me.  "It's okay, thanks for dealing with him."  Brody remained silent, and I was thankful for that.  "I do think we'll probably go, though," I continued.

James nodded.  "I don't blame you."

We walked back inside, and I put a hand on James's arm as everyone else walked towards the door.  When we were alone in the kitchen I said, "Are you okay?"

He laughed.  "I should be asking you that."  When I didn't reply, he sighed.  "I don't know, Liv.  His drinking is getting out of hand.  He's out of control when he's drunk.  I'm pretty fed up with him."

"I'm sorry," I said with a grimace.  "That's so tough."

He shook his head.  "I'll talk to him tomorrow.  I'm really sorry."

Brody appeared in the doorway.  "Ready, Liv?" he asked.  He glanced briefly at James, but didn't address him.

"Yeah, I'm coming," I replied.  I gave James a quick hug and walked over to Brody.  He took my hand as we walked out.  We said goodbye and headed to my car.  We were quiet as I drove us back to my house, and I wondered if something besides Jordan appearing was bothering him. 

I went straight to my bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth.  When I came out, Brody went in.  I laid down in bed and waited for him.  When Brody got into bed next to me, he immediately moved over against my back.  "I love you, Liv," he said, as we wrapped his arm around me and pulled me closer.

"I love you too," I replied.  "Are you done being all weird?"  He was quiet for a long time.  "Brody?"

"This wouldn't have happened if I was here," he said, finally.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, confused.

"If I hadn't gone to Miami," he replied.  "If I had been here the whole time, you never would have dated James and you'd never have met Jordan."

I lifted his arm off of me and rolled over to face him.  "Are you seriously blaming yourself for this?  Brody, you had to go to Miami.  And anyway, it wasn't that big of a deal."

"That's not true," he argued, pushing a piece of hair out of my face.  "I know what happened.  I can guess what else might have happened if James didn't happen to find you guys when he did.  I saw the bruise on your arm, and more importantly, I see how freaked out you are when we run into him."

"Yes," I agreed.  "The whole thing sucked, and it was scary, and my preference would be to never see Jordan again.  But it could have been a lot worse, and it wasn't.  And even when you are here, you can't protect me from all the bad things in the world."

"I can try," he said stubbornly.  I sighed and slid closer to him, pushing my fingers into his hair.  There was no point in arguing with an overprotective man.  Instead, I kissed him. 

"Why don't you put all that testosterone to better use?" I asked, wrapping one of my legs around his.  He rolled on top of me and kissed me hard, nudging my legs apart with his knee.  He pulled the flimsy straps of my thin tank top down and lowered his head, grazing his teeth gently across one breast.  I arched up against him and reached down for his shorts.  He grabbed both of my arms by the wrists and pinned them up by my ears, then kissed me gently.  The contrast of my pinned arms and the tender kiss drove me mad, and I pressed my hips against his and nipped at his bottom lip.

He shifted back and pulled off my shorts and then his own.  Then he lowered his head between my legs and I moaned as his lips and tongue moved over my skin.  I tried to pull him back up to me, but he was clearly on a mission and he didn't stop until I cried out.  He slid his hand up my trembling leg as he kissed his way back up my body.  I grabbed his arms and pulled him up, desperate to have him inside of me.

I guided him into me and he pushed slowly against me.  I arched my back and wrapped my legs around him, pulling him hard into me.  He got the hint and drove into me fast, causing me to gasp and dig my fingers into his arms.  By the time we were finished, we were both sweaty and breathless.  I curled against his side, my fingers absently trailing across across his chest and stomach.  "I needed that," I muttered.

Brody kissed the top of my head and pushed my damp hair back.  "That makes two of us," he replied with a laugh, stroking my shoulder gently.  "I feel a whole lot better now."

"Does that mean you're not going to protect me from the monster under the bed?" I teased.

"That monster doesn't stand a chance," he boasted.  I laughed.  "Seriously though, Liv, I protect the people I love.  I can't help it.  I know you don't want to be protected so I'll try to keep it reasonable, but I can't just stop."

"I get it," I said.  "And I guess that it's not the end of the world to have such a dedicated bodyguard, but I appreciate you trying to keep it reasonable." 

"It'll be tough, considering there's nothing reasonable about how much I love you," he said softly, squeezing my arm gently.

"There's nothing reasonable about me, so it makes sense," I joked, always ready to ruin a sappy moment.

"That's for sure," Brody agreed with a chuckle.  I yawned and snuggled into him.

"I love you unreasonably too," I managed, before drifting off to sleep.