1. Chapter One #2
Julian squeezed him tight, and Ollie hugged him back hard. “I’m so happy you told me.”
Guilt swarmed through him that he’d kept his bisexuality quiet for so long.
It wasn’t like he didn’t love his family because he adored them.
His siblings might be spread out for college and shit, but the whole gang showed up for the holidays, birthdays, and any other damn occasion they could come up with.
And with five siblings plus Dad, it made for a full house.
Ollie had been tired of feeling like the afterthought though. The fuckup.
Yet again, he was back where he started after another failed relationship.
“Want to play a game?” Cal asked.
Ollie wrinkled his nose, and Julian’s shoulders deflated. Fuck, he wouldn’t let his brother self-sacrifice. “You go play, Jules. I want to chill for a little bit.”
Julian’s brows scrunched together. “But I brought you here. I’m not going to leave you by yourself.”
“Rude of you to disrupt my people-watching,” Ollie said. “If I get bored enough, I’ll pop over to check out Candyland or whatever the fuck you’re playing.”
Julian rolled his eyes. “You fucker. All the games on those shelves and you pick Candyland?” He gave him another sad puppy look. “Are you sure?”
Ollie lifted the latte to his lips and took a sip. “Shoo, already. There’ve been too many feelings today. I’m getting hives.”
Julian shook his head, and Cal slung an arm around his shoulder as they headed over to one of the open tables.
This wasn’t the first nor the fiftieth time Julian had tried to rope him into board games, but they just weren’t Ollie’s bag.
If he wanted to problem solve, he’d crack the lid on a Toyota Tacoma—the latest project at work—and tinker around.
Vehicles always spoke to him better, which was why he’d gone straight to trade school instead of college .
He settled in the seat and took another sip of the latte, letting the comfortable hum of Tabletop Tavern wash over him.
The door cracked open, and the breezes swept in, along with someone new.
Their short purple hair caught his attention first, a burst of color, but their sharp jawline and expressive eyes did next.
Even though they were about medium height, they had the sort of presence that dominated a room.
The leather jacket they wore, the tight jeans that showcased compact thigh muscles, all of it brimmed with danger, with adventure, and he couldn’t look away.
He wasn’t sure of their gender, but hey, he was bi, and hot was hot.
Sharp defined everything about them from their features to their energy to the way they walked up to the front.
“If I don’t get coffee, I’m going to collapse right here,” they said.
Hunter grinned and shook his head. “Okay, drama. I think you’ll survive. Getting an Americano?”
“To-go, yeah.” They ran their hand through their hair, revealing hints of a shave beneath. Ollie was transfixed, even though he was pretty sure he outright gaped at them.
They glanced back, and their gaze landed on Ollie. A slow, almost feral, smile rolled to their lips.
“Hey there, gorgeous,” they purred, their voice dripping sex. “Got space for me?”
Heat rushed through Ollie in a fierce wave. Holy fuck. This person was the hottest thing he’d ever encountered.
“Fin,” Hunter said, a warning note in his voice. “That’s Julian’s little brother.”
Ollie gritted his teeth. Fucking hell, this was why he couldn’t make this space his own. Because everyone saw him as Julian’s little brother, and trying to change that perspective was an uphill battle he didn’t want to climb.
“So?” Fin shot to Hunter, a hand on their hip. “Unless I’m hitting on Julian or his boyfriend, I don’t see how he factors into this.”
Okay, Ollie was officially interested.
Hunter raised his hands. “Fair point.”
“Got plenty of space here,” he called, his skin prickling with live wire electricity that skimmed the air between them.
Their gaze landed on him again, those wicked brows arching, their upper lip curling.
His cock was growing hard from the lascivious look, pure hunger in their gaze as they took their time skimming him from head to toe.
And then they sauntered his way.
Damn, he liked their stare on him a little too much, even if it made him shift in his seat.
Those hazel eyes held an intensity he’d never experienced leveled his way.
They plunked beside him and stretched their arms over the back of the sofa as if it belonged to them.
The confidence, the command of a room…fuck.
He licked his lips, unable to help himself.
Their grin widened, sharp canines poking out. “The name’s Finley. They/them.”
“Ollie.” He tried to unstick his tongue from the roof of his mouth. “He/him.” Their scent was intoxicating, leather and patchouli, and when they widened their stance, their thigh bumped against his. Here he’d been trying to carve out space for years while they just owned it.
His mouth was parched from the feverish lust rushing through his body.
“So, what’s your deal, Ollie?” Fin asked. “Board gamer? Vanilla? Queer?”
“Not a board gamer,” he said. As for the other two…well, damn. “And I’m bi. ”
“Don’t think I missed the nonanswer,” Fin said, their eyes sharper than before as if they peeled his clothes off piece by piece. A shiver ran down his spine. He’d thought of exploring kink, but his mind tangled when he tried to imagine anything. Pain and his body were complicated.
“You always this brazen?” he asked.
Not like he wanted them to stop.
Fin’s eyes crinkled at the edges. “Absolutely. Why try to shove myself into a box? People either like me, or they don’t.”
“I’m not complaining.” Amusement bounced in his chest. They were fascinating, and he hadn’t been this interested in anyone for a long damn while. Not even his ex-boyfriend, which probably said something.
“If you’re not into games, what are you into?” they asked.
“Cars, bikes. I work at an auto shop.”
“Mm, bet you’d look good bent over the hood of a car.
” They didn’t bother to hide the heat in their tone or their gaze.
Ollie incinerated. Even though he’d explored with Asher, he’d done most of the topping, since Asher preferred bottoming.
However, the insinuation behind Fin’s words, how they sized him up like they’d knock him at the knees—fuck.
“That an offer?” he teased. As much as his breakup had dragged him through the mud, he could flirt on autopilot. And Fin was about as subtle as a tractor trailer.
“Depends,” they said. “I only top. And I’m in the mood for a rough tumble tonight.”
Ollie swallowed hard.
The idea of getting pinned to the ground and fucked…
holy shit. His cock stiffened, testing the confines of his pants.
He was pretty sure he shouldn’t be getting hard as stone in his older brother’s fo rmer workplace, but here he was.
He moved the latte in front of the evidence, as if that might shield him.
Fin’s eyes glinted with amusement. “Since you didn’t tell me to get the fuck away, I’m guessing you’re not opposed?”
“I’m down,” he rasped out, his voice wrecked with lust.
He’d been skating on an edge earlier, searching for something—anything—to pull him out.
Fin had walked in like a hurricane, and he couldn’t help but get swept away.
“Your Americano,” Hunter called.
Fin hopped up and strode over to the bar. Hunter passed them another warning look, which they promptly ignored. Ollie’s pulse thrummed hard. Fuck, he loved how they strolled in, demanded what they wanted, and didn’t hesitate to tell him either. Take it or leave it.
And goddamn, he wanted to get taken by them tonight.
However that manifested.
He glanced over at Jules, who was deeply invested in what looked to be a long, complex game with Cal and a few others. A little guilt pinged through him at darting off, but with the way the itch made itself known, he needed to grab hold of this distraction and run.
“Want to go for a ride?” Fin asked, their double entendre clear in the curve of their lips.
“Depends on what you’re driving,” he teased back.
“You won’t be disappointed.” The smokiness of their voice, how their eyes glimmered. Fuuuuck. “I’ve got a Ducati Multistrada V4 if you want to take a spin.”
Oh, fuck yes.
A ride was the exact thing he needed right now—in both senses of the word.
“Sign me up,” he said. “Let me just say my goodbyes.”
“I’ll meet you outside.” Fin flashed him a heartbreaker grin. They sauntered away, the tightness of their jeans putting their muscular ass on clear display.
Ollie’s veins hummed like he’d shoved a stick of dynamite inside them.
Whether this was a good or bad idea would be determined, but tonight, he would dive into this maelstrom and see where he landed.