Chapter 31
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
SINCLAIR
"I should have known you assholes were here long before I was." Coast glared at Phoenix and Javey before leaning in to kiss my mouth. His hair was damp from the shower and he still looked half asleep.
I kissed him back, but stepped to the side to grab my coffee.
Phoenix grinned. "You really should, bro. Where else would any of us be?" He bit into the corner of his toast. He was standing in my kitchen wearing only track pants and a smug face.
I couldn't help admiring his chiselled body. He seemed absolutely comfortable in his own skin this morning.
"What he said," Javey mumbled. He was dressed the same as Phoenix, but had a banana in his hand instead of toast.
"You both suck," Coast said. "I don't mean dick."
Javey and Phoenix exchanged meaningful glances. Dick was exactly what they were thinking.
"We were going to call you," I started.
"No we weren't," Phoenix said. He shot Coast a lopsided smile, then nodded towards the coffee machine and the empty cup on the bench beside it. "We figured you'd show up sooner or later."
"Like a bad smell," Javey said.
Coast flipped them both off, a finger for each, but didn't stop smiling. He filled the mug and set it aside for a few minutes to cool.
"So, you assholes didn't run." He leaned back against the counter, took my hand and drew me to him so my back was pressed against his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and held me hard.
Javey frowned, confused.
Phoenix didn't even seem surprised. "Told you you're an asshole. Of course we didn't run. Do we look guilty as shit?"
I glanced back over my shoulder. "You knew?"
He squeezed me tighter. For a while I thought he was angry.
He huffed a laugh. "Of course I knew. Aidan trusts me. Apparently none of of you do."
"I trust you, I just had more important things to do last night." Phoenix casually continued eating his breakfast. We could have been talking about the weather.
Javey watched Coast with dark eyes but no words. He didn't need them. He didn't completely trust Coast. Not even after the night we all shared. What would it take?
"I appreciate that fucking Sinclair is much more fun and a somewhat higher priority than telling me you're not sure whose side I'm on, but for the sake of team unity, you could have made a quick phone call. Or even a text." That was as pissed off as I'd ever heard Coast.
"We should have," I said quickly.
"For what it's worth, we didn't call Javey either," Phoenix said. "He turned up outside."
Javey gave him a ‘thanks for throwing me under the bus,’ look and shrugged. "I was keeping an eye out for trouble."
"For me?" Coast’s tone was stone cold now. Could he feel me tremble? The way he was holding me should have been reassuring, but I was becoming more and more anxious.
"Not for you specifically," Javey said. "For trouble in general. If you're planning to cause any…"
"I could suggest the same of you," Coast said. "Both of you." Apparently that didn't include me. Or maybe he thought I was easier to deal with.
"We're all on the same side," I managed to say. "What did Aidan say to you?"
My mind was turning over and over. I had too many questions and not enough answers.
Was this about Aidan trying to catch us out?
Had he used Kylie to do that? Did Elenna know about any of this?
I liked to think if she did, she would have come to me and told me.
Her loyalty was with Aidan, but she couldn't possibly think I was the enemy.
Could she?
"He said someone from the list pointed a finger at Phoenix, and if Phoenix ran once he found out, that would confirm it. I saw you pick up Sinclair from the arena and I knew she wouldn't be able to resist saying something." He leaned forward, his breath stroked my cheek.
"I know how much you hate keeping secrets, especially from people you care about. And I know how good Phoenix is at getting secrets out of people. He's almost as good as Ice. A lot more subtle though."
"You knew I'd babble," I concluded. I sounded pathetic. He was right though. I was better at keeping secrets for people I loved, not secrets about them.
Wait, love? I'd said it to Javey, but the other two guys? That was something I'd have to think about later.
"I wouldn't call it babbling, just being honest," Coast said. "Something Phoenix apparently has trouble with."
Phoenix snorted around his last mouthful of toast. "You knew what was going on and didn't tell us either. Don't be a fucking hypocrite."
Coast tensed.
For a few moments I thought he was going to reach for a knife, or a rolling pin.
Finally, he relaxed and let out a breath that tickled my neck. "Yeah, I guess so. I let Aidan get into my head the same way you let Kylie get into yours."
Aidan also got into our heads, but now wasn't the time to bring that up. We didn't need more problems right now.
"So, we've all established that Kylie was full of shit," I ventured. "It seems likely she's working for the enemy."
"I wouldn't assume anything," Phoenix said. "I wouldn't put it past Aidan to plant her there to do exactly what she did, so he knew exactly who he could trust."
"That sounds like the kind of dick move he'd make," I agreed.
"My money is still on Tank and BJ," Javey said. He didn't seem to give a shit whether Aidan was setting any of us up or not. He knew where he stood with me and vice versa. As far as he was concerned, that was enough.
"Mine too," Phoenix said. "I think at this point, we've whittled that list down to only them and possibly Kylie. If Aidan has a list that had us on it, it doesn't now." He fixed Coast with a look that said he better make sure that was the case.
"I think we can agree on that." Coast loosened his grip on my wrist but brought my hand up to kiss my palm. "What's this I hear about a nude calendar?"
All eyes were on me now.
Javey almost choked on his last mouthful of banana.
"Um." I glanced down toward the hardwood floor. It could use a bit of sanding and re-staining. The whole house could use some work, to be honest. Phoenix and Coast were right about the lack of security, but it was home to me.
I forced my eyes back up. "Just one of those, you know, tasteful calendars featuring you guys. With strategically placed props in front of your junk, of course."
"Of course," Coast said smoothly. "Wouldn't want to shame the rest of the male population of Australia." He nudged the bulge in his jeans against my leg.
Phoenix snorted a laugh. "You said ‘embarrass yourself’ wrong."
"No, I did not," Coast said. "You already know I have nothing to be embarrassed about. None of us do."
"You really don't," I said, a flush creeping up my cheeks. "Does that mean you'll pose for it?"
"I will if you're there," Javey said. "If you want me to, that is…"
"Of course I do," I said quickly. "You three are the hottest guys on the team. You'd sell the most calendars out of any of them."
"That's the most truthful and correct thing I've ever heard," Coast said, with a chuckle. He pressed a hand to my belly and nuzzled into my neck. "Are you sure you want to share us with the world?"
"Now you mention it, that's a good point." I dropped my head to the side to give him better access. "I might have to poke out some eyes if people stare at your photos for too long." I was joking, of course.
The guys all had social media profiles and plenty of photos of themselves on the Internet in a professional capacity.
In the case of Coast and Phoenix, in a personal capacity.
Only Javey didn't have a personal social media presence, as far as I could tell.
That wasn't surprising given how private a person he was.
"It would be worse if it was a calendar with a photo of you on it," Coast told me. "We'd have to hunt down and kill every single person who bought a copy. Starting with the photographer. That would quickly become a full-time job."
I didn't think anyone would pay for a calendar with me in it, but I had no intention of posing for one anyway, so the photographer was safe on that count.
"You're the famous ones," I said diplomatically. "You're the ones people want to see. I might organise some baby animals for the shoot as well."
"Can I have a snake?" Phoenix asked. "I love snakes."
Coast shuddered. "Bro—"
"What?" Phoenix shrugged. "They're cool. And not because they're long and thick." He glanced sideways at Javey, then back at Coast.
"I'll make sure you get a puppy," I assured Coast. "Unless you'd prefer a tarantula or something like that?"
"I thought you liked me," he complained. "Spiders are even worse than snakes."
Javey smirked. "What else are you afraid of?"
"I'm not afraid of anything," Coast retorted. "I just don't like them, okay? I'm fine with puppies. And kittens." He slipped his hand down my stomach. "And pussies." His palm rested over mine, heat radiating from his skin right to my clit.
"Are you going to pose with a spider?" Phoenix asked Javey, probably to goad Coast as much as out of curiosity.
"There are no spiders in this country big enough to hide my cock," Javey remarked.
Coast grunted. "Can you stop talking about spiders near your junk? That's fucked up in too many ways. Those things could latch on and make a web or some shit. Or bite your cock off."
"To be completely fair, a kitten could bite off your dick too," Phoenix remarked.
"I'm starting to think this whole calendar thing is a bad idea," Coast said.
"No it's not," I said. "It's a good idea. Nothing is going to bite your cock. I promise. Not unless you ask nicely." I looked back at him and smiled.
His tongue swiped over his lips. "I don't know about biting, but I could use some sucking." He turned me around to face him and gently pushed me down to my knees.
I smiled up at him and undid the front of his jeans to release his already straining erection. Balls cupped in my hand, I massaged them lightly while swirling my tongue around his tip and tasting the salty bead of moisture that leaked from him.