Stir (The Sizzle TV Series Book 5)

Chapter 29 – Finn

Ireally ought to spring for a better coffeemaker, but considering all the time we’ve been spending at Nic’s, it’s kind of hard to justify.

Maybe I should run over there and bring his here? Maybe not. Swapping appliances is probably crossing some kind of line.

Nic’s is usually where the three of us have been spending our time since this whole thing got started. He’s got the bigger bed, not to mention Cat, who’s still protesting last night’s move to my kitchen.

I’m not taking any chances. Until Nic’s brother turns up, one way or another, Nic stays with me here in my apartment. Natalie, too, if I can talk her into it. She thinks I haven’t noticed she never agreed to stay here until Barry’s found, but I’ll talk her into it. I have ways of making her pay attention. Not all of them are naked ways, either.

“It’s too early for plotting,” murmurs Nic, sliding his arms around my waist from behind, kissing the back of my neck and making me shiver.

“What are you talking about?”

“That look on your face,” he says, rubbing his cheek over the spot he just kissed. He hasn’t shaved yet. Being Saturday, he might not shave at all.

I might have a thing for his stubble. And maybe he knows it.

“Just thinking about how to keep Natalie here.”

The words sounded normal in my head, but out in the world there’s weight to them I didn’t mean. Or rather, I meant it… I just didn’t mean to say it out loud.

“Keep her, huh?” I can feel his smile against my skin.

“You know what I mean.” I clear my throat. “Until your brother shows up.”

“Oh, I know what you meant,” agrees Nic. “But that wasn’t it.”

The coffee isn’t finished yet. Might as well work on waking up other ways. I lay my hands over Nic’s, where he’s wrapped around my waist, and start pushing them lower, catching the waistband of my shorts on the way until our joined hands are sitting right over my cock. Nic shifts, stepping closer, hips bumping up against mine. I can feel him, already hardening, rubbing up against my ass through the thin mesh of my shorts.

“Are you naked?” I ask, turning my head. Nic tightens his arms, not letting me go. When his hands finally wrap around my dick, I give up trying, my head dropping back to rest on his shoulder.

He takes up a rhythm, stroking slowly and grinding his cock against me.

“Someday,” I mutter.

“Someday, what?” he asks, using his teeth on my shoulder between the words, turning the shivers into a shudder.

I reach behind me, grab on to his hip and squeeze him.

“Like this?” he asks, pressure behind me shifting to a roll as he drags that insane, thick cock over the crevice between my cheeks. My dick jerks in his hand, getting harder.

“If you keep it up, this isn’t going to take long at all,” I manage.

“Hmm,” he says. “Bet I can make it take all day.”

That image is electrifying—me, bent over the counter, entirely at his mercy. I’ve seen him take his time with Natalie. Having all that incredible focus turned on me as he drags it out as long as possible.

I might die. But I bet I’d die happy.

A loud knock on the door has us both going still.

Nic blows out a breath against my back, his forehead resting between my shoulder blades for a moment before he removes his hands from my dick.

“Maybe they’ll go away,” I say, not moving, hoping he’ll agree and we can get back to what was happening ten seconds ago.

He pulls my shorts up to cover my erection, tenting the fabric in an obscene way.

“Anybody knocking on your door at this hour on a Saturday morning probably has good reason to be doing so.” He sounds less mad about the interruption than I am, but I guess it’s no secret he’s the real grown-up around here. And he’s got a point. Doesn’t mean I have to like it though.

I grab a T-shirt, aiming for decent, if not presentable, and head to answer the door.

A peek through the peephole has me pulling open the door quickly.

“Callie?”

My sister smiles, offering a cup of coffee from the two in her hand.

“Peace offering,” she says. “Can we come in?”

Only then do I see West and Lee standing back a few feet away.

“Uh,” I say, glancing over my shoulder.

Callie raises her eyebrows, still smiling. “Is there a problem?”

“Callie.” West’s warning is a hint.

Nic’s standing in the living room, fully dressed now. Natalie must still be sleeping, though. He gives me the nod.

Guess we’re doing this, then.

“Come on in,” I say, letting them pass. Callie walks over to Nic, her hand outstretched.

“I’m Finn’s sister, Callie,” she says, shaking his hand. Nic’s wearing his professional face. It’s weird to see it in my living room. While he’s wearing pajama pants, no less.

“I’m Nic.”

“This is West and Lee,” I say, pointing them out. “Callie’s partners.”

Everybody tenses, waiting to see what the reaction is to that word. Naturally, I can’t help but roll my eyes.

Nic doesn’t even blink.

“Pleasure to meet you,” he says, somehow including them all when he smiles. It warms me up from the inside, which I didn’t expect.

The warmth rises enough to irritate my neck, where I can feel the beard burn he left behind last night and again this morning. Shit. Nic looks sexed-up, too, with hickeys on one side of his neck where Natalie spent some extra time and attention after that crazy confrontation last night.

Swear to God, I’ve blushed more in the last month than my whole life combined.

“What’s going on?” Natalie’s voice comes from the hall, and holy shit, speaking of sexed-up.

She’s covered, if you can call it that. Stretchy sweatshirt gaping over one smooth shoulder and tiny shorts she told me she only wears for home workouts because they’re not fit to wear in public. And sweet Jesus, the sex hair. Her curls are everywhere, from sleep, Nic’s hands, and my own. She looks like sex on wheels, and everybody in the room is thinking it.

My sister, God bless her, marches right up to her. “Hi. I’m Callie.”

Natalie blinks and shakes her hand. Blushes to the roots of her hair. “Hi, Callie. I’m Natalie. I’ll be right back.”

She whirls around and makes a beeline back to the bedroom.

“So, this is awkward,” says Lee after a beat of silence.

Nic snorts.

West looks me right in the eye. “I told her she should call first.”

“Well, she didn’t.”

“You’re my brother,” she says. “I’m allowed to check up on you if I need to.”

“Since when?” I ask. I’m not half as annoyed as I should be, but considering Callie could barely even leave her own house until a few months ago, she’s got a ways to go before I’m going to be upset about it for real.

She flushes.

“Would you like some coffee?” Nic says to Lee, who drained his coffee cup right after they walked in.

“Sure,” Lee says, beaming.

“Come with me,” says Nic, leading him back to the kitchen, leaving me alone for the moment with Callie and West. Their voices are low, but the apartment is too small for much privacy.

“Made himself right at home, has he?” says West.

“If you’ve got something to say about it, do it now.”

He folds his arms across his chest. “I don’t see what you have to be defensive about. Unless there’s something else you haven’t told us yet.”

“You’re a real prick, you know that?” I drop down onto the couch, pick up my coffee, and take a pull. God knows I’m going to need it to get through this visit. “There aren’t any more secrets. I’ve told you all of it.”

West raises a single eyebrow. Callie frowns.

“You’ve now met my boyfriend and my girlfriend.”

“Our girlfriend,” calls Nic from the kitchen.

My face goes nuclear. “Our girlfriend. So unless you’re asking me to start sharing the details, I think I’ve told you everything.” West throws up his hands and Callie puts her fingers in her ears. “Yeah, I thought not.”

Silence reigns for a long beat, and then Callie grins at me. “Boyfriend and girlfriend, huh?”

“Oh, you’re one to talk.”

“Sorry about that,” says Natalie, coming into the living room in a rush. Nic and Lee join us, and Nic hands her a coffee. “Thank you. What did I miss?”

“You’re our girlfriend,” says Nic glibly, taking his usual seat in the chair across from the couch.

Natalie blinks, her mouth opening in a small, perfect O.

“Um, is that the official term?” she asks, staring over my head at the wall like she doesn’t know quite who to ask.

“There are a couple options if you don’t like that one,” says Lee, smiling at the room at large.

The next hour is one of the strangest and best of my life. Natalie and Callie hit it off like old friends, well enough that I have to school myself for feeling jealous. Which makes no sense whatsoever.

Nic and West get into pissing contest territory once or twice, but Lee turns out to be an excellent moderator, walking them back to friendly conversation with no apparent effort. Eventually, they realize they’ve got multiple mutual acquaintances and, before long, are trading stories about the people they know.

I end up standing next to Lee as we finish off yet another pot of coffee.

“Was this little field trip your idea?” I ask him. His lips twitch.

“Plead the Fifth.” He drains his cup and sets it on the end table. “But showing up unannounced was all Callie. I had nothing to do with that part.”

Sounds about right. “I’m glad you did.”

Lee does a double take.

What can I say? Considering where I was a few months ago, where we all were before Alex’s wedding, this is better than I ever dreamed. If Nic’s brother would back the fuck off, life would be damn near perfect.

Well, except the part where I wouldn’t be working with Natalie and Nic anymore. If his brother cleans up his act and stops threatening Nic, they won’t need me hanging around every day.

Which is… not a nice thought.

Fuck it. This is still a good moment, and closing in on a great morning.

Now if only they’d just leave, so we could get back to what we were doing before they got here.

Lee catches on that I’ve checked out of the conversation entirely. He clears his throat. West looks up, catching his eye immediately, which is a pretty fucking neat trick. Not sure I’ll ever get over seeing my old friend like that over another man.

But then I share a glance with Nic and Natalie. Who knows? Stranger things have happened.