45. Ashes
ASHES
I flipped my lighter open and closed five times before staring at the flame. I missed Sirena. Even though we still saw her, it wasn’t the same.
I stared up at the ceiling in my bedroom, tired off my ass. We’d gone out and burned last night. Cady kept throwing up. She’d ruined my shoes with it. We’d called it a night early, and Church bitched the entire way home because I smelled like vomit.
I’d barely slept. I almost went to Sirena last night and begged her to come home, but I forced myself to stay in bed. Stitches told me he messed around with her with Shadow. He seemed impressed by the entire situation, saying we should all work on our dick game because we may need it.
Church rolled his eyes at him. Sin said nothing. And me? I contemplated his words because they made sense. Shadow had ages to memorize everything, and I was sure he used it to his advantage.
My phone buzzed on my nightstand, and I reached for it, surprised and elated to see a video call coming in from her.
Immediately, I answered it.
“Hey, heaven,” I greeted her, taking in how pretty she looked in her soft pink dress, the straps tied in dainty bows on her shoulders. “How’s my girl?”
She signed to me, her eyes bright. I nearly dropped the phone.
“You’re coming home? Today?” I sat up, my heart pounding. “Fuck yes, baby. When will you be here?”
She bit her bottom lip and signed again.
“Uh, yeah. Yeah, that’s fine. This evening is perfect. I’ll tell everyone.” I stared at her through the screen. “I’m so excited. I miss you like crazy.”
She smiled and signed that she missed me, too.
We stared at one another for a moment before I asked her the thought plaguing me.
“Did you and Shadow, uh, have sex?” Stitches had mentioned it might be what was holding her back from coming home. That and her worries about Sin still.
Her cheeks flushed pink, and she nodded, her bottom lip pulled between her teeth.
“Oh. Wow. Uh, how-how was it?”
Her grin widened, and she wiggled in her seat before signing amazing .
“That good?” I smiled back. “Guess I’ll have to up my game, huh?”
Her eyes sparkled as she signed to me.
I love the way you fuck me.
“You come home to me, and it’s the first damn thing I’m going to do,” I said in a husky voice. “I’ll take your pussy and let Stitches fuck your ass. He said he wants to use his rope on you. I’m pretty sure that means he’s going to tie you to his bed and we’re all going to take turns on you.”
I’d like that.
I smirked at her answer.
“Me too, heaven.” I paused. “Where are Asylum and Shadow?”
Bathroom. Therapy.
I nodded at her answer. I assumed Shadow was at therapy. If I remembered correctly, he did Saturday mornings with the anxiety group, although nothing about him suggested he had anxiety. I wasn’t a doctor, though. Plus, Asylum had slept on our couch last night and only left a few hours ago. He said Shadow was going to fuck her finally, and he wanted to give them privacy.
So he’d been a weirdo on our couch, eating Cheetos with a fork and playing video games with us.
Despite his oddness, he was growing on all of us. I had a deep respect for him and his devotion to Sirena.
Strange how times could change so fast.
“Hey, torch,” Asylum greeted me as he flopped onto the mattress next to Sirena. “Guess what I came home to this morning?”
“No idea. What?”
“Firefly telling me she’s leaving and taking Shadow with her. I need a new roommate. Want in?”
“I’m good man.” I smiled at him. “Maybe you can take Cady in.”
He wrinkled his nose at that. “That… sounds like a terrible idea.”
Sirena slapped at him, making him laugh. I watched him grab her hands and pull her close. I almost thought he was going to kiss her, but he suddenly tweaked her nose and got to his feet amid her eye roll.
She was different with him. I suppose she was different with all of us. We each gave her a little something she needed.
Asylum disappeared from the screen, leaving me with my little slice of heaven.
“I love you, baby,” I said, smiling at her. “I’m going to go tell the guys. I can’t wait until you’re here with us again.”
She bit her bottom lip and held her fingers together like a heart before disconnecting the call.
I sat with myself for a few minutes before getting to my feet, excited beyond anything that our family was coming home.
* * *
“Where is she?” Church paced the living room. “She’s late.”
“She’s not late. She said this evening.” Stitches stretched out on the couch and took a hit from his joint and blew out the smoke.
“And it’s this evening,” Church shot back, going to him and taking the joint. He inhaled his hit deeply before blowing out the excess.
“She’s fine,” Cady said, snacking on apple slices. “They probably stopped at the vending machines or something.”
Sin said nothing, opting to sit quietly at the end of the couch.
Footsteps on the front patio sounded out. Sin snapped to his feet and stood at the edge of the couch, his jaw tight like he was chewing the words he didn’t trust himself to say aloud. His hands curled into fists on the back of the couch. He didn’t blink.
I glanced at Stitches, who sat up, and at Church, who paused his pacing for a moment before he went to the door and pulled it open.
He dragged Sirena into the house, kissing her as he brought her into the warmth.
He didn’t have her for a moment before Sin pushed him aside and took her from him. He hauled her against his body and held her tightly, whispering things to her none of us could hear.
And that was it. He lifted her and hauled her straight to his bedroom without another word, leaving the rest of us to stand in stunned silence.
“Well, what a welcome home,” Asylum said brightly. “Who’s taking me to their bedroom? Stitches?”
Stitches laughed. “Not a fucking chance, man.”
“Too bad. I bet you’re fun in the sack.” Asylum whistled, stepped deeper into the room, dropped Sirena’s bags on the floor, and removed his boots.
I smirked at Stitches, who shook his head. I turned to Shadow, standing awkwardly at the door with his bag in his hand.
“Welcome, man,” I said, holding my hand out.
He took it, and I pulled him in for a hug.
“Thanks,” he said, offering me a nervous smile.
“Leave your bag there. Come and sit.” I gestured for him to sit on the couch. I went into the kitchen, grabbed drinks for everyone, and returned, handing them out.
“How was last night?” Stitches asked as Shadow took a drink from his water.
“Oh, uh, it was really good.”
I glanced around at everyone.
“Just really good?” That didn’t seem right. Sirena was a bombshell in the sack.
Shadow’s cheeks reddened, and his leg bounced.
“Don’t hold back,” Church said. “We want to know. We know you fucked her finally. Tell us.”
“OK, well, I’m going to go upstairs.” Cady stood, taking her apple slices with her. “Tell Rina I’ll talk to her after you guys critique this new weirdo.”
Cady left the room, leaving just us guys.
“Continue.” Church sat back in his chair and stared at Shadow.
“Were you able to get through it without fucking it up?” Stitches asked.
“I did. I went slow. I think once I got out of my head and stopped overthinking, it helped.”
“He fucked her five times,” Asylum said. “Pretty damn good for a novice.”
“How do you know that?” I asked.
Asylum tapped his head but didn’t elaborate. Since Shadow didn’t deny it, I assumed the information was correct.
“Tell them what you did to her,” Asylum continued. “Your big accomplishment.”
Shadow’s cheeks darkened further.
“What the fuck did you do?” I demanded. “She wasn’t hurt, right?”
“No.” Shadow shook his head, his curls bouncing. “I’d never hurt her. I just… I studied her. I have been studying her. Learning what she likes. Watching Church and Stitches with her. The way her body reacts. I read. Watched videos. Learned things.”
“And?” Stitches prompted.
“Cervical orgasm,” Shadow mumbled. “I gave her one.”
I blinked and looked at Church, who sat forward.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
Shadow nodded. “She just kept coming for me. She flooded the fucking sheets. Me. Everything.”
“And here I thought your dick might not be big enough,” I teased, clapping him on the shoulder. “Nice. I’m glad.”
“Wait, so I’ve been doing it wrong?” Stitches frowned and looked to the doorway to the hall where Sin had taken Sirena.
“I wouldn’t say wrong. Just different. You still get her off, and she loves it.” Shadow shrugged.
“I’ll need to see this,” Church said. “You can show us all tonight. It’ll be a welcome home party. Asylum, you staying for it?”
Asylum sat forward and sighed. “I want nothing more than to drive my cock deep into her body, but alas, I have other nefarious deeds to attend to.”
Church inclined his head at him. “So be it. When can we expect you to join us?”
“We will join you soon. I’m trying to get a list of offenders. Mirage got a little upset with Sully and couldn’t deal, so I had to step in. Don’t need him losing his mind.”
“You mean you losing your mind,” I said.
Asylum waved me off. “Potato, po-tah-toe.”
I shook my head at him. As much as I wanted to hang out here and talk with everyone, I really was desperate to see Sirena.
I also knew Sin needed this time with her. For now, I’d wait, but I didn’t know how much longer I could hold out.
If it came down to it, I’d bust in and join Sin in whatever he was doing to Sirena’s body because I knew him. I knew he’d cave and find his way back to her once she was home.
For now, I’d give him this time.
I looked over to Church, who nodded knowingly.
Clearly, I wasn’t the only one having issues.