Chapter 14 #2
I smiled at him and opened my mouth to respond, but Ren seized my face and dragged my attention to his glittering hazel eyes. The corner of his mouth curled and the tip of his tongue poked out. His actions were subtle, but I read the message clearly—he was teasing Oli on purpose.
“We can’t—”
He planted his mouth against mine again, and I arched away from the Mustang, moaning as my cock brushed his.
He was a solid, comforting weight bearing down on me that I welcomed and savored.
He kissed me like the world had stopped around us and we had endless time, but also in a way that bordered on possessive.
His tongue breezed over my bottom lip. I opened myself for him, allowing him entrance.
Hell, at this point I’d give him whatever he needed. I was here to please him. And Oli.
The banging on the window behind my back vibrated the glass, a reminder of why Ren was doing this. Yes, he wanted to kiss me, but he was also pissing Oli off, too. And his plan worked.
He laughed, his breath teasing my lips, and I rolled my eyes in response.
I slapped his shoulder. “Stop it.”
“What are you doing?” Oli snapped from inside the Mustang. “Stop hogging him, you asshole.”
Ren’s laughter doubled and he leaned his forehead on my shoulder. His warmth surrounded me and I breathed in vanilla. The sweet scent tickled my nose.
“I should stop teasing the pissy little kitty, right?” He winked, and I huffed in response because he knew my answer already.
I wasn’t sure why he enjoyed infuriating Oli so much, but Oli had to learn not to bite. It was easy to get addicted to someone’s reaction when they gave you what you wanted.
He opened the door again, and I slid into Shakira. Behind me, Oli made a disgruntled sound.
“Are you sure you want him, too?” Oli grumbled. “He’s a prick, KC.”
“I know.” My lips quirked as I watched Ren make his way around the front of the Mustang, his strong body moving with grace and dominance, two things I hadn’t realized belonged together off a football field until I’d met Ren.
“You enjoy it,” Oli observed.
I hummed in response because it was true. Ren made me laugh, and as much as Oli pretended he hated Ren, I had a feeling he liked him more than he was letting on.
Ren slid behind the wheel, and soon we were on the road toward his apartment, a rap song playing gently from the speakers.
We were mostly quiet, but I didn’t miss each time Oli mumbled and it made me smile.
He really wasn’t giving up the act of someone annoyed and I found it adorable.
Ren and Oli were two completely different guys, yet I liked them equally.
They had their own quirks, their own positives, and there was something about the two of them that had me feeling relaxed.
“We should go on a date together,” I said as the Mustang reached the corner of the street Ren’s apartment was on.
“What?” Oli’s squawked indignance had me laughing.
“You heard him.” Ren winked at Oli through the rearview mirror.
“Fuck off.”
I sighed. Why did I find their bickering so damned cute? I should hate this—the arguing and insults—but I really didn’t. They made me smile. “I mean it, though. I want to go on a date with both of you. I like you two a lot.”
“Then we can arrange it.” Ren shrugged easily. “We want to make you happy. Don’t we, Kitten?” He peered into the rearview mirror again as he pulled the Mustang into his apartment building’s underground parking garage.
“I want to make him happy. Who knows about you?”
Oli was in the seat behind me, so I couldn’t see his face, but I heard the way his voice softened and that did things to me. My stomach fluttered, a wistful feeling that had me rubbing a hand over my abs.
After Ren parked his car, he popped the trunk, and I grunted in surprise when he pulled my duffel bag out.
“When did you get that for me?” I chuckled.
Oli sniffed. “He broke into your Jeep while you were playing football. He’s a thief, obviously.” He gave Ren the stink eye.
“Yeah, but a useful one,” Ren fired back. He hitched the strap of my duffel bag higher up his shoulder.
I chuckled as we walked to the elevators. Inside, I stood between them, staring at the door as the elevator moved. The back of Oli’s hand bumped mine and so did Ren’s on the opposite side.
The silence was heavy, but also peaceful. Calmness surrounded us, and being between them soothed me in ways I didn’t want to dissect. Could I really choose? I didn’t know, but I didn’t want to. I liked them both.
As soon as we were in Ren’s apartment, he dropped my bag on the floor near the door, and we all kicked off our shoes.
“Wow. This is an improvement,” I said.
He’d unpacked all the boxes that’d been here early in the week, leaving the space feeling bigger. The view from the windows wasn’t obstructed anymore, framing the star-dappled sky.
A bookshelf full of neat stacks of novels caught my eye, as well as a few framed photos and a couple of small figurines.
I couldn’t resist taking a walk over to the shelf and perusing the books.
There was an entire section dedicated to nonfiction about tattoos, including books about yakuza ink and the history of tattooing.
The male and female figurines probably came from an anime, but I wasn’t sure because I’d never watched any. They weren’t tall, but I suspected they probably cost a lot of money because collectibles usually did.
My gaze moved to the picture frames. One of the photos was of a kid version of Ren, around ten years old or so, with a girl who was a few years older.
She was pretty, with long dark hair and dimples at the corners of her big smile.
She had her arm wrapped around his shoulders and he leaned into her.
It was clear she was safe to him. Someone he loved a lot.
“Is this your sister?” I asked, aiming for a random guess. Usually, if people had photos like this, it was with their siblings, right? I didn’t know. I’d never had one. For a long time, it was me and Pa, and before that, it was me and my deadbeat mom, whenever she wasn’t leaving me alone.
Ren laughed and slid in behind me, a heavy hand resting on my shoulder as he leaned over the opposite one to stare at the same photograph.
Oli stayed near the kitchen island, shifting between his feet nervously now that we were back in Ren’s apartment.
I watched him from the corner of my eye to make sure he was okay.
“Nope.” Ren popped the p. “That’s my babysitter.
Andrea. She was more of a sister to me than my actual sister.
She cared about what I thought and supported me.
She talked to me and not at me. She was a sweet cherub walking the earth to everyone who met her.
None like her anywhere. To be in her presence was to feel like nothing could go wrong. ”
I studied his face and caught the darkness seeping into his eyes. It was subtle and quick, but there. Plus, I’d never heard him be sentimental about anything.
A bad feeling wrapped around my chest. “That’s nice that she’s important to you.”
“Was. She’s dead. Died by suicide,” he said easily, as though talking about the weather.
I froze, shock and sympathy pouring through me with the violence of a rough tackle. The words took my feet right out from under me as I processed them, letting them roll around in my head until I was sure I’d heard him right.
“Oh.” What was I supposed to do? Ask him how? Tell him how sorry I was? Ask him if he was okay? Of course he wasn’t okay. Who would be when someone they cared about so much died so young?
He grasped my shoulders, turning me to face him.
“Let’s get this back on track, sweetheart.
” He brushed his lips over mine so gently the kiss was nothing but a whisper.
A promise. Through a simple touch of his mouth against mine, I read his thoughts as though he’d said them aloud—he didn’t want to think about her.
Oli came over to us, hesitating at my side.
He let out a gasp when Ren grabbed the collar of his T-shirt and yanked him forward so Ren could slant his mouth over Oli’s.
Their kiss was different from ours. It was rough and angry and full of a spitting resentment that was sexy as hell.
I couldn’t tear my eyes away from how Ren sucked the life out of Oli.
I could’ve watched them like this forever, and I would’ve, if something didn’t move out of the corner of my eye. I jumped, bumping into Ren’s shoulder, when something furry brushed my foot.
“Holy fuck! Rat!”
I was a big man, standing over six foot, but I was also a sane one who had a reasonable and healthy terror of rats.
They were disease-ridden vermin, and if there was one thing I enjoyed being, it was alive.
So, excuse me while I freaked out about a big-ass rat in Ren’s apartment.
If I threw myself into Ren’s strong arms, then that was between me, him, and Oli.
Ren’s eyebrows reached for the top of his head and the corner of his mouth curved in amusement. He eyed the snow-white beast that had settled near his bookcase. “That’s Mr. Wiggles.”
“What?” I blinked at him, then at Mr. Wiggles. “Why the fuck do you have a rat?”
Oli laughed in real delight, loud and refreshing. If I wasn’t so busy panicking, I might’ve thought it was the most beautiful sound I’d ever heard, but Mr. Fucking Wiggles was a nightmare.
Ren joined in with Oli’s laughter and dragged me against his chest. “Mr. Wiggles isn’t a rat. He’s a ferret.”
“What?” I blinked at him. I loved animals, they were the best, but when I thought about pets, I expected a dog or a cat or even a bird. Not a fucking ferret. “You have a rodent problem. Do you understand?”
“Ferrets are part of the weasel family, not rodents,” Oli said easily, shifting slowly toward the animal. He crouched, and Mr. Wiggles hopped his way closer to Oli. He leaned up into Oli’s palm, taking the pets Oli offered him.
“Fine. He has a weasel problem. Same thing.” I was ashamed to admit that I snuck behind Ren, using him as a shield. I melded my chest against his back and crouched, peeking over his shoulder at Oli and his newfound friend.
“I think he’s cute.” Oli dipped down to kiss the rodent on its head, and I winced.
“Okay, why didn’t I see him the last time I was here?” I asked, eyeing the creature. I swore it was glaring at me. Its beady eyes narrowed to the size of pinpricks, teeth sharp as it snarled. Or maybe I was imagining the entire thing because it was a fucking rat and I hated them.
“He was at the animal daycare until I could get the place ferretproofed.” Ren grinned over his shoulder at me. Dickhead. Maybe I’d abstain from sex to teach him a lesson. Or fuck Oli instead while Ren whined. “I have a leash for him if you want to walk him.”
“Fuck off. I’ll put you on a leash and walk you instead,” I muttered.
The comment made Oli throw his head back and laugh again, the sound bouncing around the living room in the most delightful way. My stomach turned to mush, all warm and melty, and despite the giant rat—okay, fine, ferret—in the room, my defenses lowered.
“He’ll be here when we’re done,” Ren said, and I realized he was talking to Oli, which was strange because his voice was gentler than usual. Maybe seeing Oli turn gooey over Mr. Fucking Wiggles did something to him.
Ren turned, and my attention slid to his face. I took in the angular cheeks and sharp hazel eyes, clouded with lust that worked its way through me until my knees went weak. One stare and I was ready to collapse. How pathetic.
“It’s your turn.” He licked across the seam of my lips without asking for entrance, but I opened them anyway because I wanted to taste him.
He didn’t slide his tongue into my mouth, though, and I held back a pout.
His fingers worked on the knot in my tie, loosening it.
He grinned with feral intent that had my breath sawing in and out of my lungs nervously.
I didn’t know what he was planning, but I had a feeling this would be a long night.
My cock twitched. Damn.
He tilted his head toward Oli, eyes gleaming. “Oliver, come here.”
“Hmm?” Oli finally tore his attention away from Mr. Fucking Wiggles—and yes, I would be calling him that for good—to look toward us. He stood, tongue swiping over his bottom lip.
“Come.” Ren wrapped his arm around my waist, palm pressed firmly against my hip as he guided me toward his room, and I let him. He snagged Oli’s hand. Whatever was about to happen, I was ready and so very willing.