Stir (The Sizzle TV Series Book 5)

Chapter 20 – Finn

Natalie tips sideways and Nic manages to turn her just in time, a boneless heap in his lap, her back to his chest. He buries his face in her shoulder.

Ignoring the pressure in my pants, I kneel between their splayed legs and begin unbuttoning her blouse, taking care not to tear it.

“If we were home, I’d tear this to shreds.”

Her eyelids lift lazily, warmth burning on her cheeks.

“You’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever known.” I don’t care how many times or ways I have to say it. I could kill that bastard for making her feel like she’s less than incredible.

“You and me both,” says Nic, and I realize I must have said that last part out loud.

All that’s left covering her body is a scrap of lace some wonderful human designed into a bra. Nic makes quick work of the clasp behind her back, and a moment later, Natalie is bared for us both for the first time.

I look my fill because I’ll die if I don’t. When I make it back up to her face, the fear there is as naked as the rest of her, but with it, a core of determination. So brave.

I don’t have the words to tell her how much I see in her, how much it matters, how much she has come to matter, or how proud I am of her. How much I care for her.

I use my mouth to show her in other ways instead.

She comes again under my tongue, Nic’s hands teasing her nipples, stroking every inch of her he can reach. He hasn’t stopped kissing her either, and I wonder if he’s trying to convey a message of his own.

“I need one of you inside me,” she says.

That pulls me up short.

“Uh.” I look at Nic for help. He frowns, shaking his head slightly. “I didn’t exactly plan for hooking up at the office.”

Natalie leans up on her elbows, frowning now, too, though not without amusement. “You didn’t seem too bothered by it a minute ago.”

“I mean, I don’t have any condoms. They’re all at my apartment.”

Natalie looks back at Nic, who lets out a short laugh.

“Woman, I have never in my life fooled around at work before. Don’t look at me.”

There’s a collective air of disappointment. Natalie makes her way off the couch, reclaiming her underwear. Nic adjusts an impressive-looking hard-on through his pants.

Which reminds me.

“Hold up.” I push him back against the arm of the sofa before he can get to his feet. “I still think you bought this couch for office nooky.”

Nic laughs again. “That’s because you’re still certifiable.”

“Fine, maybe I’m wrong, but I tell you what, I cannot look at this thing without thinking about blow jobs.” His mouth drops open in a perfect O. He doesn’t resist when I hook my hands behind his knees and tug him lower in his seat, unzipping his pants and freeing his cock. Natalie stops the search for her clothes, coming closer, sliding a hand down my stomach.

“Blow jobs, plural?” she murmurs.

“Fuck, yes.”

I sit back enough to get my fly open, letting her pull me out. There are probably easier ways to do this, but I’m not about to stop now. Watching her wet her lips is distracting as hell, so I turn my focus to the task at hand before I lose my nerve.

Or in hand. Nic’s shaft throbs, already hard as hell from our tandem worship of Natalie’s body. A drop of fluid forms at the tip as I watch. I swipe it with my thumb, bringing it to my mouth to taste. Nic groans. He’s so thick I nearly can’t close my fingers around him.

“How do you take this, Nat? I can’t imagine having such a fat dick inside me.” Nic’s hips hitch at that, trying to force my hand to give him a stroke. I move with him, not giving him any friction, teasing him with pressure I know from experience is too light to satisfy. I know he likes this, hearing me talk about him like this. Like he’s some weird kind of voyeur, but not, because he’s right here in the room.

“It’s a lot to take,” she says, sliding her perfect mouth off me with a pop I can feel in my damn soul. “But once it’s in, it feels so good.”

Nic throbs harder. I can feel the desperation building in him.

“Tell me about it,” I say to her, wrapping her hand around the base of my shaft, guiding her lightly up and down, keeping the pace slow. Much as I’m dying to get off after tasting her, after seeing her incredible body, Nic’s going first this time, or I’ll die trying.

Natalie swallows, licking her lips slowly, her eyes meeting mine. “It’s so thick,” she says slowly. Nic’s breath comes faster. “I have to be really wet to take him, or it won’t fit.”

He slams his head back against the armrest.

“You’re going to kill me,” he grits out.

I squeeze him firmly enough that he goes still, relaxing by degrees as he backs off from the edge. Natalie leans forward and licks the head of my cock, demanding my attention. I look down.

“Do you think you could take him like that?” she asks, tilting her head coyly.

I know she’s performing for Nic, playing this game with me, but I’ve asked myself the same question more than once the last couple of weeks. We’ve never talked about it, not even like this, this sexy foreplay to wind each other up.

Nic has gone stone-still. I don’t even think he’s breathing. I can’t tell if he’s afraid of the answer or if he’s so hot for it, he’s about to come.

I lean down, taking his cock as far as I can go, gagging just a little, sliding my mouth over him until I hear him suck in air. I pull back just enough to answer her, looking him right in the eyes.

“I don’t know if I can… but I want to try.”

Nic buries his hands in my hair, pulling me back to his cock with a cry. I’ve never done this before, but I give him my best, trying everything I can think of to bring him off. I know it’s rookie work, but Nic doesn’t mind. All too soon, he’s panting, making all sorts of noise as he tries to pull my head back. I suck him hard, watching as he arches against that fucking leather as he comes. I swallow as much as I can, using my hand to milk the rest from him. I wrap my hand, wet and sticky with him, around my own cock, sliding my fingers under Natalie’s.

Smart girl. She’s been waiting for me, keeping her touch light. She picks up the rhythm as we work my cock together, slick from Nic. He’s watching us through slitted eyes, still catching his breath.

“You want this?” she asks, squeezing. I nod my head.

She grins and leans forward. She licks the head of my cock, still wet with Nic’s come. I make a sound mortifyingly close to a whimper when she licks around the head, still coy, kittenish even. She doesn’t stop until she’s taken the taste of him off. I keep my hands on the leather, holding on tight. Hottest fucking moment of my life… until she takes me deep. My fingers trace over her lips where she’s sucking me. Her tongue sneaks out for a taste, more of me and Nic together in her mouth, and that’s it. I’m fucking dying, coming so hard I shake.

I haven’t even managed to get my eyes open yet when Natalie speaks.

“If you guys don’t bring the condoms tomorrow, I will.”

Saturday morning,I extricate myself from the warm, tempting tangle of Nic and Natalie to head back to my own place to clean up for brunch with my sister and Sully.

The diner is short on class but big on piling up your plate. Callie flags me down as soon as I walk in.

“Got you coffee,” she says as I kiss her cheek. Sully slaps me on the shoulder with a menu as I slide into the booth next to him.

“Long time no see, stranger,” he says.

“Love you too, bro,” I say. I empty half the coffee cup and signal the waitress for more. Callie raises her eyebrows. “Late night?”

I clear my throat.

“So, how’s life at Hale House? Your roommates settling in all right?” I frown and look over at Sully. “Do we call them roommates?”

“Dude.”

“I’m not being snotty. I don’t know how you refer to them. Partners, maybe?”

Callie studies me carefully. Too closely, if I’m being honest.

“They’re my partners,” she says after a moment. “Something’s going on with you. What is it?”

I’m not ready for this conversation. I’ve spent the whole week on the verge of canceling this goddamn brunch so I wouldn’t have to tell them. But I’m also pretty sure I’m never going to be ready to have this conversation. But after I’ve only just gotten back on good terms with my family, I don’t want to blow it by keeping any more secrets.

“Is this about that girl you met on the balcony?” Sully asks. The waitress comes to take our order, buying me a couple more minutes to get my heart rate under control.

“You’re seeing someone?” Callie asks, all bright-eyed and happy, when the server walks away. Her smile is huge.

What the fuck. How am I supposed to explain this?

I suddenly have a whole new appreciation for the position she and West were in not too long ago, torn between keeping things to themselves and telling anybody what was going on. Least of all me.

Christ. Karma is a bitch.

Ignoring the twisting in my stomach, I gulp some more coffee.

“I’ve recently started dating.”

“That’s great!” Callie’s smiling. Sully elbows me and grins. “Is it serious? Will we get to meet her sometime?”

Shit, now there’s a question. I should probably have talked to Nic and Natalie about this first. Fuck. What the fuck am I doing? Fuck.

“It’s still early days,” I hedge. “But it’s kind of serious. At least, for me.”

“What’s her name?”

Oh, boy. Time to cowboy the fuck up.

“Her name is Natalie.” I swallow and send up a prayer to whomever might be listening. “And his name is Nic.”

Clattering from the kitchen, other customers chatting, oldies radio playing over the speakers; I hear diner sounds but not a word from anybody in my family.

“Is that supposed to be a joke?” says Callie faintly.

“What? No.”

“What the hell are you talking about, Finn?” asks Sully.

Eyes on my coffee mug, I wrap my hands around it tightly, holding on despite the intense heat against my palms.

“I met a girl. And a guy. We’re dating. All three of us. I hear you’re familiar with that kind of arrangement.” I sound like a defensive teenager, even to my own ears.

“Since when do you date men?” asks Sully.

“Much less as part of a triad,” says Callie flatly.

“It just happened. And yes, I’m aware of how stupid that sounds.” I flex my hands, exasperated. “She was at his apartment a few weeks ago when I met her. Natalie works for Nic, who happens to be my next-door neighbor.”

Callie’s eyes go wide. Sully huffs a laugh and says, “No way for that to go wrong.”

Tell me something I don’t know.

“We’ve been seeing each other for a few weeks.”

“So you’re saying you’re bisexual.”

The way she says it chafes. “Yeah. I guess I am.”

Silence again.

“Well, thanks for telling us, I guess.” Now Callie’s the one looking at the table. Sully’s staring out the window.

Our food is delivered, giving all of us a minute to digest this. So to speak.

“Hang on,” I say. “You can’t actually be upset about this. You’re living with your two lovers.”

“It’s not that. I’m the last person who’d judge you for an unconventional relationship,” says Callie, moving her food around with her fork but not actually taking any bites.

“Then what is it?”

She looks at Sully like she’s asking him for help.

“I think what Callie is getting at is, maybe you haven’t thought this through.”

“Excuse me?” I turn to look at my cousin, the closest thing I have to an actual brother and the only other family I’ve got left.

“You don’t really do serious, Finn,” says Callie, concern and something like sympathy written all over her face.

I get a hold of my temper with both hands so as not to lose it in the diner.

“Maybe I never had a reason to get serious before,” I say. “You ever think of that?”

“What happens to these two when you’re off on your next job? Or decide maybe a three-way relationship is a bit too crowded? That happens all the time, you know,” says Sully, all matter-of-fact, like he somehow knows the fuck what he’s talking about.

“What the hell do you know about it?” I ask.

He just shrugs.

“Let me see if I’ve got this right,” I say. “You don’t have a problem with the idea of me getting involved with another man.”

“It would be pretty hypocritical if I did,” says Callie, trying to smile at that. But I’m not laughing.

“You think this is just a whim for me, me being with them?”

Sully sighs. “We talked about this, Finn. You don’t have a great track record when it comes to commitment. We don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Big of you.” I stand up, grab my wallet, and throw some bills on the table.

“Finn, wait,” says Callie, but I shake my head.

“This was a mistake. Forget I said anything.”

I’m out the door before Sully can get out of the booth to follow me.

Jesus, if this is how Weston felt when I found out about him and Callie and Lee, I deserved a lot more than getting punched in return.

The worst part—the part that makes me sick to my stomach—is they’re not wrong. I don’t have much attention span, not for work, and I sure as hell don’t do long-term in relationships. What the hell was I thinking, telling them about Nic and Natalie? We don’t even have a relationship. If anything, we have an arrangement, something convenient for now while I’m watching their office.

And sure, it doesn’t say much for my professionalism that I got involved with the people I’m guarding. But goddamn it… they are worth it.

Aren’t they?

Maybe Callie and Sully are right. I haven’t tried to stick with anybody since Susan left. I thought it was a conscious choice, but maybe it’s just the way I’m made.

Instead of heading up the stairs when I get home, I turn around and hit the pavement for a long, long walk. I need to think.