Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
SINCLAIR
Coast sat on the couch and propped his feet on the coffee table. He leaned back and laced his fingers behind his head.
"I'm not surprised those two are up to something. They should spend more time worrying about their game and less time getting up to shit."
He hadn't even questioned Javey's assessment of BJ and Tank. He'd listened along with Phoenix and I, and nodded. Evidently, he trusted Javey more than he let on. That was a good sign.
Right?
"I could say the same about a few others." Phoenix gave him a dark look. He seemed salty about what Coast and Javey said about his game, even though it was a ruse to make the other players sympathetic towards Javey.
Fair enough, I supposed. Ruse or not, coming after a guy's professional skills was always going to cause tension.
Coast grinned. "I thought it was Javey who was going to take that shit personally."
Phoenix flipped him off. "The ends better justify the fucking means."
Javey slipped into the seat beside him. "You never heard it from me, but your skills are fucking awesome. I've never seen a goalie as good as you. The Demons are lucky to have you."
Phoenix shifted uncomfortably. He may even have adjusted the front of his jeans. It wasn't just Coast he reacted to. Interesting.
"Yeah? You think so?" It wasn't just ego that made Phoenix ask, it was the electricity that crackled between them. I hadn't noticed it before, but it was definitely there.
I watched Coast watching them, in the corner of my eye. He sat forward slightly, listening intently. He must have picked up on the same vibe. I wondered what he thought about it, but I couldn't take my eyes off them to look at him properly.
"Yeah," Javey said softly.
He was a better actor than I thought he was. Or much better at denial. He hadn't shown any interest in either of them in the bedroom. Not that I'd seen. Hadn't made eye contact. Of course, I couldn't see his face when he was behind me, fucking me.
When Coast's fingers touched his cock, he might have reacted. I remembered the way he stopped thrusting and watched Phoenix decide whether or not he was going to suck Coast's cock. I'd assumed it was curiosity, but now I wasn't so sure.
Evidently, the four of us sharing a bed like that affected all of us. It wasn't just a shift in the relationship between Coast and Phoenix. Javey was different too.
Had the three of them been suppressing their feelings for each other for that long? Were they guarding their masculinity or their hearts? Or both?
"We're lucky to have you too," I said to Phoenix. "Not just the team."
The tips of his ears turned pink.
"You're going to give me a big ego to go with my big dick," he said.
"I think I speak for everyone in this room when I say it's too late for that," Coast teased.
"Yes, my dick is already big." Phoenix grinned.
Coast snorted. "I was talking about your ego, dickhead. That thing is about ready to swallow up the room. Along with mine. I'm starting to think Javey might have one too."
The warmth in his tone was a far cry from the argument in Hazards. If they weren't careful, they might end up friends. Or more.
"Not compared to either of yours," Javey said. "Mine is a blip on the radar."
Coast chuckled. "Keep telling yourself that, bro." He paused for a few moments. "You know all that shit I said isn't true, right? You deserve to be on the first string as much as any of us. Maybe more so, because you put up with assholes like me."
"I know," Javey said lightly. His tone was more humble than his words. "Someone has to put up with you. It might as well be me. But—" He drew the word out. "I still want to see that dance-off."
Coast threw back his head and laughed. "Seriously? Because I'd totally do that." He looked over at me and cocked an eyebrow. "What do you think, Sunflower? We could make it a charity thing. Raise some money for sick kids at the hospital. We could get the rest of the team to take part too. "
"I love that idea," I said. "We might even convince Aidan and Finley to participate."
Aidan had played hockey at a professional level in North America before retiring. He could still skate circles around most people. Even some of the players. Watching him try to dance would be hilarious.
"Finley would," Coast said. "Aidan would have to get the stick out of his ass first."
"Finley and Elenna can work on him," I said. "I bet between them, they can convince him. If not, Orion can glare at him. That should do it." The D-man could out glare most people I knew. Including Aidan.
"As exciting as this is, shouldn't we be worrying about Tank and BJ?" Javey asked.
"I don't know about you, but I can worry about more than one thing at a time," Coast said. "I'll tell Aidan about them, and Sinclair can organise the dance-off." He looked thoughtful.
"You think they assume we'd be distracted by holding a charity event, don't you?" I asked.
I wouldn't be able to have it organised before the end of the season, which was weeks away yet.
Things like this took time and the guys needed to concentrate on winning.
They'd beaten the Koalas, but they still had several games to go before they could even think about making the finals and taking out the Goodall Cup.
"Exactly," Coast agreed. "If we look like we're focusing on this, they'll think they have the opportunity to make a move. If they try to bring Javey in on whatever they're up to, even better. We'll be ready for them."
Javey shifted uncomfortably at the idea of pretending to work for Sawyer Mancini.
I got that. It didn't work well for Elenna's brother, Ike. It wouldn't end well for Tank and BJ either.
"It would be easier to take them out now," Phoenix said. "It's not like the team needs them."
"The team might need them in the future," I said. "But it's Aidan's call. If he wants them taken care of, they will be."
I could imagine the look on his face if we acted without speaking to him first. He'd be furious. It was well established that he didn't like being undermined. The last thing I needed was for him to have an excuse to get rid of me.
Phoenix looked like he wanted to disagree, but instead he flopped against the back of the couch. "I guess so."
Coast looked at his watch. "I'll give him a call now and let him know." He pulled his phone out of his pocket and disappeared into another room.
I was going to point out how late it was, but this was Aidan we were talking about. If we called in the morning, he'd say we should have called right now. If he complained about being woken up, that was too fucking bad. He couldn't have it both ways.
I nodded and rubbed a hand over my eyes. "At least organising this dance-off will be fun."
"Do we have to wear tutus?" Phoenix asked, his lip curled.
"Now that you mention it, yes," I said with a smile. "Remember, it's for sick kids. They'll get a kick out of seeing you all dressed up. I might even get some of those unicorn horn headbands for you to wear."
He groaned. "This is getting worse by the minute." But he was trying hard to hold back a smile.
"If you think that's bad, picture Aidan in a tutu and a unicorn horn," Javey said. "Complete with a built-in grumpy face."
I choked back a laugh. "That would totally be worthwhile." Finley would ham it up for everyone, as would Coast, but Aidan, Orion and Phoenix would all have their built-in grumpy faces on.
"I'm starting to regret that whole conversation," Javey said. "We should have let them come after Coast and stayed out of it." As if he would have done that.
"Think about the team unity," I told him. "The Demons and us."
Bit by bit, we were becoming more of a family. Slowly, but the incident in the car the other day developed a bond between us that was growing more and more. Nothing brought people together better than narrowly avoiding dying.
"I am thinking about that," he said. "That's the only reason I'd wear a tutu. That, and for kids."
"Notice, he doesn't need to be talked into wearing a unicorn horn," Phoenix observed.
"I'm only human," Javey told him.
Phoenix snorted. "I'm starting to think your life's goal is to wear a unicorn horn, and this is your opportunity to do it."
"I think you're projecting," Javey replied. "Don't worry, none of us will judge you." He patted Phoenix's knee.
"You will totally fucking judge me," Phoenix said.
Javey smiled. "Yeah, we will. But we'll look just as fucking stupid as you will."
"Speak for yourself," Coast said as he re-entered the room. "I've never looked fucking stupid in my life, and I don't intend to start now. I'm going to look so good I'll put all of you to shame and start a new fashion trend." He pretended to fluff the back of his hair.
"Unicorn couture," I said.
"Coasture." He grinned.
"You're such an idiot," Phoenix said. He rolled his eyes and shook his head, but smiled at the same time.
"That's what you like about me," Coast said. He glanced at Phoenix, then at me, his gaze lingering on both of us.
"Keep telling yourself that," Phoenix said, once again, shifting in his seat, and adjusting his jeans.
"Do you think you guys should talk about it?" I asked softly. "It's obvious to everyone in this room that there's something between you two. Sooner or later, you should address it, and…" They could either end it once, and for all or see where it would go.
"I care about you," Coast told me. He glanced from me to Phoenix and back again. "I don't want to—" He stopped short on a deep exhale.
"This doesn't have to be either-slash-or," I said. "The three of you want to share me, I don't see why that means you can't share each other too, if you want to."
Coast scrubbed a hand over his forehead.
"It's okay if you don't," Phoenix said. "What did Aidan say?"
Relieved at the change of subject, Coast sank down onto a chair. "He was pissed off. I caught him in the middle of something." He grinned. "He was a bit breathless."
I grimaced. I didn't want to think about him and Elenna in the middle of anything.
"Apart from that, what did he say?" I asked.
"He agreed that BJ and Tank's behaviour sounded suss as fuck. He wants us to keep an eye on them. No killing. Yet." He shrugged and tossed his phone onto the coffee table.
"Good, I'm comfortable here." Phoenix leaned back and crossed his legs at his knees.
No doubt if Aidan sent us out to kill both players right now, Phoenix would be just as happy to get up and do that.
More than anything else right now, he looked frustrated that Coast wouldn't have that conversation with him.
Not frustrated enough to bring it up again though.
And not, apparently ready to broach the same subject with Javey.
I'd have to give them time and space to decide for themselves when and if they'd discuss it.
Hopefully they would, and sooner rather than later.
Otherwise, it was going to cause tension between us, and that was something we couldn't afford right now.
We needed to be as unified as the Demons were.
If we weren't, it could get us all killed.
"I don't know about you, but I'm tired," I said.
Javey was on his feet like a shot, faster than the other two. "I'll tuck you in."
I thought the others might offer to join us, but it seemed the tension was too great right now. For the sake of avoiding any awkwardness, they'd leave Javey and I to fuck by ourselves.
I took his hand and let him lead me out of the room.