Chapter 38 Avery
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Avery
Today was a test on how good I was at keeping secrets.
I didn’t feel that good, to be honest. Sick, even.
I wished dinner with my brothers and best friends was something I could call in sick for, but it wasn’t.
They’d all show up at my doorstep and insist we watch a movie, just to keep me company—because that’s how much they loved me.
Germs be damned, we were having dinner together.
There was no escaping it. The whole reason our group was doing this was because of my falling out with my mom.
A text came through from our new group chat, titled:
Why NOT make a new chat?
Austin: I’m bringing BBQ
Evie: I thought we agreed on sandwiches
Austin: BBQ goes on sandwiches
Evie: it doesn’t because we all know you mean you got potato salad
Austin: hey now
Evie: Am I wrong?
Mateo: You’re not wrong, I saw the potato salad in his fridge
Dallas: I got bread and lettuce for like turkey sandwiches . . .
June: I made enchiladas
Evie: Dammit, June LOL
Mateo: we can all bring whatever we want and it’ll be great. Maybe missing some things like veggies, but great regardless
Dallas: hey, I said I got lettuce
Austin: I don’t think that counts, tbh
Levi: Do all of you always text this much?
I snorted and tossed my phone down on my bed, studying myself in the mirror.
I’d picked out a sleeveless lavender eyelet dress with a denim shirt tied at my waist. I folded the sleeves up my arm and rolled my shoulders, wondering if I was really going to be able to act like I wasn’t completely in love with Levi and Mateo.
At what point did I tell my brothers the truth? Should I even bother if Levi was leaving?
If. I wished it was an if. I wished he liked it more here. That this place felt like his home.
But I couldn’t ask him to stay.
Mateo was in the same boat. The two of us had ended up in this small town for different reasons, and neither of us could imagine trying to talk someone like Levi into staying.
He had a job and a big career and money and a home in a state that wasn’t Texas—all good things.
Even with H-E-B and the toasted nuts from Buccee’s and delicious Tex-Mex food, I knew it wasn’t enough to keep him here.
I forced a smile.
I would be convincing. I had to be. I could play pretend, right? I could act like I was totally fine with Levi leaving in eight days, and my oldest brother not knowing I was dating his best friends behind his back.
Right, right, right.
Except over the last couple of years, I’d gotten really bad at pretending to be totally fine. Clearly—given I still hadn’t talked to my mom. And frankly, I wasn’t going to until she came to me first. If she came to me first.
When did everything get so goddamn hard? I tucked my hair behind my ears and ruffled my bangs, pressing my lips into a hard line.
My ass cheeks were a little sore. Every time I sat down, I thought about being spanked by Mateo and Levi. Thought about them sharing me between them, about me taking their cocks at the same time.
I wasn’t ashamed to admit I wanted more.
I was kinky, I already knew that. But actually getting to have all the kinky sex I’d always wanted?
Made it even better and hotter. All of the sketches from our night in the art gallery were slowly turning into a series of paintings I had no business working on, but couldn’t stop myself from doing.
For my eyes only.
Another text lit up my phone screen. I leaned over and smiled.
Levi: I’m walking over. I’ll keep my hands to myself . . .
You don’t need to until everyone else is here
Levi’s knock echoed through my house and I was at the door in seconds. He leaned against the doorframe with a slight scowl, looking stupidly handsome and rugged and—
“I had a dream this morning that I woke up with you inside me,” I blurted out.
His brows shot up and he stepped into the foyer, caging me against the wall as he kicked the door shut. “Oh really?”
“Yeah,” I squeaked.
“What a wonderfully vivid dream.” He leaned down, his mouth brushing against mine. “I dreamed that Mateo and I fucked you together in your bed. You took my cock down your throat and he took your pussy.”
“Did you?” I gasped.
“No. But I’ve been fantasizing about that.”
“We should—fuck.” My words faltered as his lips sucked the tender part of my neck. A shiver worked up my spine. “Levi.”
“We should fuck?”
“No—yes.”
“We don’t have time.” He chuckled as another knock on the door interrupted us.
My mouth dropped and I glared, cheeks crimson. “Did you plan that?”
“No. Your brothers just have awful timing.”
He stole one more quick kiss and I covered my mouth as he turned to open the door, and I took the opportunity to flee down the hall because I was not that good of an actor. I needed a glass of cold water and a fucking horny tranquilizer to get through tonight.
I opened the fridge as my brothers’ voices echoed from the front door, followed by a few laughs. And then there was Mateo’s voice rising above theirs—more laughter.
I pulled a pitcher of water out of the fridge and downed a full glass right as Austin came down the hall holding a foil-covered tray.
The scent of barbecue filled my kitchen, and while we’d all agreed on regular sandwiches, I was glad he brought something aside from the potato salad he’d teased.
He smiled at me, completely oblivious to everything.
“Hey,” he said. “How’s it going?”
“Good,” I said, giving him a side hug. My gaze darted down the hall to where Dallas and Levi stood chatting. Mateo opened the door, and thank god—Evie and June came in holding stuff too. “I see you brought real barbecue.”
“Of course I did.”
“Did you grill it up?”
“Yep. Mateo has the potato salad. I think Levi was surprised I bought more. Dallas brought a few extra things. I think we’re all going to have too much food.”
“Probably. But then we all get leftovers. Does it need to go in the oven to stay heated?”
“Nah.” He put it on the counter as Evie sauntered down the hall.
As always, she looked perfect. Today, she wore a white sundress, and her blonde hair was pulled up into a casual chignon. Was it possible to feel proud of a friend for being so damn sexy? Especially when it was hotter than a pit of lava outside?
Austin glanced up at her. “Hey, Evie.”
“Oh good, you brought more,” she said as she put three bags down on the counter. “I was worried there for a second.”
“What did you bring?” I snatched the bags like a gremlin and took a peek. “She loves us,” I sighed as I spotted an apple pie, a fresh salad, and paper plates.
“She loves you,” Austin corrected, his gaze still lingering on her.
“Sure do.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, diamonds gleaming under my kitchen lights. “All right. Avery, I’m taking over the kitchen. Go sit with Mateo or Levi and look pretty.”
My eyes nearly popped out of my head and her cheeks flushed as she realized what she said. Austin chuckled, though. “I’d rather her not do that with my best friends.”
Evie rolled her eyes and the second of tension melted away. “Whatever, Austin. Dallas!”
Her voice rang through my house with an air of command that had even me jumping. My other brother materialized with Levi, Mateo, and June in tow. Mateo smirked at me as I met his gaze, and I narrowed my eyes.
“You and Austin need to set up the tables outside.”
“We’re eating outside?” Dallas sighed. “In this heat?”
“There’s no way we’re all fitting in here,” I said.
“It’ll cool down,” June said. “It’ll only be ninety in an hour or so.”
Levi shook his head. “Too hot.”
“You won’t melt, Minnesota,” Mateo said, his arms crossed and mustache permanently in line with his crooked smirk.
They were standing too close together. I wasn’t sure if Dallas or Austin noticed it, but June and Evie sure did.
June cast me a side glance. “Let’s just set the tables up in here. Someone turn on music.”
It was a mess. Our little group was a tangle of chaos as we set everything up, and I did my best to interact with Mateo and Levi like a normal human being. One who hadn’t had them both inside her at the same time.
Evie and June were the best wing-women. Any time one of them caught me being weird, they’d elbow me. Or interrupt. Or do something to run interference.
It took about half an hour, but we’d rearranged my living room to squeeze together two card tables with fold out chairs.
They squeaked every time one of us moved, the tables were more wobbly than a newborn foal, but we made it work.
Our seating arrangement was pretty good, too.
Austin, Levi, and Dallas sat on one side, and I was between June and Mateo. Evie was on the other end.
With Levi being right across from me, it was hard not to stare at him. I kept catching myself focusing on the way the corner of his mouth lifted when he smiled, or the heat in his eyes when they met mine or landed on Mateo.
“Thank you all for doing this,” I said. “I know it’s in the middle of the week and we all have work in the morning. But I’m glad we made this happen.”
“Me too,” June said, smiling at me. “I needed it.”
“As did I,” Austin said. “Even though I definitely put off work to be here.”
“Uh-huh,” Dallas said, shaking his head. “You gotta stop working so much. You’re turning gray already.”
“That’s been proven to be a genetic thing,” Austin quipped, not hiding his tired smile.
“It’s also been proven to be a thing when you work sixty hours a week,” Mateo said. “Too much.”
“Well, someone has to do it,” Austin said. “Levi, when are you leaving Whynot? Soon, right?”
His shoulders tensed. I couldn’t help but look at him.
“Why? Trying to get rid of me?” he snorted, avoiding looking at me or Mateo.
“Of course not. I’ve just lost track of time. The last few weeks have flown by,” Austin said.
“You should stay,” Evie said casually.
“You absolutely shouldn’t stay,” Dallas laughed. “This place has nothing to offer you. I mean, I love it. I love our community. But you’ve worked so hard for your career, that would be such a wild change. Just make it your vacation spot and come visit us more often.”
“I think he should stay,” June said.
Levi opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Mateo stiffened next to me, his hand sliding under the table and settling on my knee. No one else could see it, but just feeling the weight of his hand calmed me just enough so I could breathe.
“My flight is Monday,” he said. “I’ll have to drive my car to the rental place in Odessa and then I’ll be heading back to Minnesota. My agent has a meeting set up for us the next day.”
“Any idea what you want to do?” Dallas asked. “I don’t know how the hockey world works. Honestly, I don’t even know anything about the sport itself.”
“I’m not sure yet,” Levi said. “My shoulder has been feeling a lot better now that it’s been rested. But . . . I don’t know if I want to go back.”
“You’ve worked so hard for it,” Austin said.
“He can change his mind though,” I said more firmly than I meant to.
Austin raised a brow and zeroed in on me. “I mean, yeah. He can. But that’s like you giving up your gallery.”
It wasn’t like that at all. Did Austin even know Levi? “I think it’s different. If he’s not passionate about hockey anymore, then why do it?”
“The money? The fact that he’s at the height of his career?”
“Okay,” Mateo interjected. “This is none of our business. Levi should do what’s best for himself. He will do what’s best for himself.”
Austin shrugged his shoulders and I wanted to launch myself across the flimsy table and choke him. And no, I couldn’t just let it go.
“I just think Austin needs to think about what Levi is saying before trying to pressure him into doing something that he doesn’t want,” I said.
Austin scoffed. “Why do you even care, Avery? It’s not like you know him.”
“I know him better than you do.”
Mateo’s grip tightened on my knee. The room was so silent that I could have heard a pin drop. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
“I just mean you aren’t listening,” I mumbled. My cheeks were hotter than an iron. I looked away, looking at June and pleading for some sort of interjection.
Evie was the one to rescue us. “I have some gossip.”
Everyone leaned in immediately, because she always had the best gossip.
Mateo’s grip didn’t lessen though.
And neither did the feeling that I’d just somehow fucked everything up.