1. Volatile Party
Chapter one
Volatile Party
Micah
“What do you mean you let her leave by herself?” Griffin’s voice sharpens on the last two words.
He pulled into the driveway just as the rideshare dropped us off, already pissed about Ben’s actions. Now his jaw is locked, shoulders rigid, every question coming out clipped enough to cut through steel.
That comparison Cami once made about him being the dragon in our party?
Yeah. He’s kind of proving her point.
“Relax, Griff,” I console gently.
My eyes drift to Ronan. He looks about two seconds from blowing steam out of his ears like one of his fucking tea kettles.
“Don’t tell me to relax,” Griffin snaps back.
I don’t say anything—I just look at him until he starts to breathe normally.
Eventually, Griffin drags a hand through his hair, mutters profanities, and drops into a chair at the dining room table.
Better.
Now I know he might actually hear me.
“Let me text her, find out where she is, what is going on,” I offer.
Griffin just nods.
Good enough.
Micah
Hey princess, where are you?
The dots appear right away.
“She’s answering,” I inform both of the other men in the room.
Cami
I met a friend at a little bar and grill
Micah
You okay?
Cami
I think you know the answer to that
Micah
What do you need
Cami
A designated driver lol
Micah
Done, tell me where you are and when to pick you up
Cami
You’re the best
Please don’t bring the whole entourage though
Micah
You know your husband is losing his mind, right?
Cami
I’ll text him
Micah
Okay
I give the guys the plan and get the details from Cami. Since she has Ronan’s car, I arrange a rideshare to the restaurant—I’ll drive her home in Ronan’s car.
Ronan disappears to shower, muttering something about needing to get out of his own head before he starts spiraling harder.
Griffin’s phone keeps lighting up with texts from Cami while I wait for the rideshare. Whatever she’s saying has the line between his eyebrows slowly disappearing. Once, he actually smiles at the screen.
It’s enough for me to know they’re okay.
She’s good for him, and he is good for her too.
I find Cami in a booth, cheeks pink, laughing hard enough she has one hand pressed to her stomach. Whether the color is from the alcohol or whatever Alexis just said, I have no fucking idea.
“Sad boy,” she almost drawls when she sees me.
A laugh slips out before I can stop it.
“You have enough to drink there, princess?” I ask.
“Actually, I’ve only had two, but Alexis here has been entertaining me with her own stories,” she answers as she regains her composure.
I turn toward her friend and introduce myself.
“Alexis,” she says with a smile.
Cami scoots over and pats the seat beside her. The second I’m sitting, she folds herself against me, arm around mine, head on my shoulder.
Some knot I didn’t realize I was carrying loosens.
I rest my hand on her knee, squeeze once, and kiss the top of her head.
“So, Cami tells me you’re a tattoo artist?” Alexis asks.
“I am,” I answer with a polite smile.
“Good to know,” she says.
Then she looks at Cami, “Does he know how we know each other?”
“Kind of,” Cami answers, sitting up a little straighter, but not removing her weight from me completely. “He knows it’s from the forum.”
Alexis nods. “I think maybe we should all get together sometime,” she suggests. “I think even though there are some differences, that it might be nice for all of you—and us—to have friends that are going through some of the same things.”
“Do you mind telling Micah how your dynamic works? I don’t want to misspeak,” Cami asks cautiously.
“Yeah, I mean, I’m pretty used to explaining it anymore, but it is probably a little easier when you’re talking to people living in a similar situation,” she answers with a smile.
“So, we had—correction, have—a roommate situation as well. How I ended up living there is funny now, but not at the time. I’m from Maryland and moved to Denver to live with my fiancé.
I found out he was cheating on me at a Super Bowl party at the house I now live in. ”
She laughs to herself.
“Ironically, with the girlfriend of the man that will officially become my husband next month,” she admits with a smirk. “But there are five of them. Ethan, Carter, Shawn, Jeremiah, and Holden.”
Five. I file the names away, already knowing Ronan and Griffin will ask me for them later.
“They were childhood best friends who have been roommates in some combination since high school, “ she continues. “But it started with Carter, who then brought Ethan in, and it grew from there. It hasn’t always been easy—it’s far from perfect—but we make it work.”
Cami looks up at me. “Only they’re all straight.”
I raise an eyebrow.
Alexis smiles, then laughs softly. “Weirdly enough, I’m the only one who isn’t straight in the house, but none of them are interested in bringing another woman into the mix.”
“Well, as long as you all are happy,” Cami teases.
Alexis smiles. “And,” she begins again before pausing a little theatrically, “we have a playroom that I think you and Ronan might be interested in seeing sometime.”
My eyebrows climb before I can stop them.
I look down at Cami.
She smiles and shrugs.
“How much have you told her?” I ask with a small laugh.
“Like… all of it,” Cami answers a little sheepishly.
“Wow, okay then,” I reply, dragging a hand down my face.
“I told her about you and Ronan mostly. And that we are building our own kind of playroom,” she offers like this is perfectly normal information to give a woman she just met.
As I process that, I let my gaze shift from Cami to Alexis. “How long have you been… I don’t know, how long have you been using the playroom?”
The corners of her lips turn up. “Well, my experience predates my current relationships, but this playroom with these men? A little over a year and a half.”
I nod, taking that in. “Yeah, Ronan is going to want to talk to all of you,” I agree. “I do too, but he really will. Although, you should probably be prepared for questions.”
Cami snorts beside me.
“Well, Carter has no issues talking about it with anyone. Jer and Ethan don’t like talking about it with other people so much. And Shawn and Holden, well, they’re just not as into that as the others.”
Cami straightens. “How does that work? I mean with some of them wanting to and some of them not?”
Alexis takes a slow sip from her drink and then smiles before she replies, “A lot of communication and a lot of trust. Mostly in me and my ability to safeword.”
She seems to think about the next part before adding, “There was a point where everyone except Carter was worried about Jeremiah in there, but he is a little more sadistic than the others, so we just worked through it.”
Cami looks up at me. “I think Ronan and Jeremiah are different, but also a lot alike.”
I think about Ronan’s control. The way nothing he does seems accidental, even when he wants something hard enough to make his hands shake.
By the time I check my phone again, another hour is gone. Cami’s empty glass has been pushed to the edge of the table, and she’s heavier against my shoulder than she was before.
“Alright, Princess. Time to get you home.”
The second the car doors close, some of the lightness leaves her.
She buckles in, settles back against the seat, and goes quiet.
“How is Ronan?” she asks.
“Okay-ish,” I squeeze her thigh. “He had a lot of shit he wanted to take out on his brother and nowhere to put it. So he’s wound tight and probably spiraling in his own head by now.”
Then, I explain to her what happened after she left—the conversations or lack thereof.
Cami nods and looks out the window. It’s another few breaths before she says, “It makes sense that he’s spiraling.”
Then, she quietly adds, “I need some time alone with him when we get home. I’ll make sure Griffin is okay, but I need to decompress some with Ronan.”
I squeeze her thigh once. “I think that’s a good idea.”
Griffin is in the driveway before I’ve even killed the engine. He opens Cami’s door, hands immediately going to her upper arms as his eyes sweep over her.
I know Griff needs to see for himself that she is in one piece.
I give him room, but not quite all of it. I come up beside her, settle a hand at the small of her back, and kiss her cheek.
Griffin gives me a small nod—that’s all I need.
I leave them alone in the driveway.
Inside, Ronan isn’t in any of the common areas, so I head for his room.
No answer when I knock. I crack the door and steam curls out around the smell of his soap.
I close his bedroom door and head back to the kitchen to get a glass of water before texting Dex. He knows nothing of what happened.
Micah
Hey, when you get home, come to my room, I have something I need to tell you
Dex
that better be code for something dirty
Micah
We can do that after lol
But no
Dex
so now you’re just going to let my anxiety spiral until I get home?
Micah
It has to do with Cami and Ronan’s family, but she’s fine, everything is fine for now
I just need to tell you what happened
Dex
then something dirty?
Micah
I don’t know…
Are you going to behave?
Dex
I would say always, but you know better
Micah
lol
Dex
I should have answered with a yes sir
Micah
That might have been better
Dex
I should be home around 1am is that too late?
Micah
No
Just come find me - I shouldn’t be asleep, but you can wake me up
Dex
yes sir
I can’t help but smile as I pocket my phone.
I keep myself busy—straightening up the kitchen, washing my water glass, wiping the counters—while I wait for Griffin and Cami.
They walk into the kitchen a few minutes later.
Griffin’s shoulders aren’t somewhere around his ears anymore, and the hard line between his brows is completely gone.
“Where is Ronan?” Cami asks as soon as she sees me.
Smiling softly at her, I answer, “When I went to check on him, he was showering.”
She swallows and nods.
“You talk to Dex?” Griffin asks.
“I texted him to come find me when he gets home, so I can catch him up.”
“Thank you,” Cami replies as Griffin nods.
Dex can spiral with the best of us, but he will take my word for it that Cami is okay. He won’t need to see her himself.
And if his brain won’t shut up when he gets home… I have ways of helping with that.
Cami’s gaze moves between us, lingering on Griffin before dropping to the counter. She worries her bottom lip for a second, then nods to herself.
Eyes on Griffin, she announces, “I’m going to go check on Ronan, see if he’s out of the shower.”
Griffin gives her a look I can’t entirely translate.
I can make a pretty good guess, though.
She nods almost imperceptibly at him and then tips up on her toes and kisses his cheek.
Her attention is on me next. She rounds the island, leans into me, and says, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Princess.” I pull her against me to press a quick kiss to her temple.
She wraps her fingers around Griffin’s forearm as she walks by him on her way out of the kitchen.
Griffin waits until her footsteps disappear down the hall before turning to me.
He swallows hard. “I think Ronan will no longer be outside the fold after tonight.”
I tilt my head. “I don’t know. He’s resisted her pretty fucking hard so far.”
Griffin scoffs slightly. “Yeah, well, I don’t think she is going to be as easy to resist tonight as usual.”
The smile catches me off guard.
There’s no tension behind it. No discomfort. No trace of the man who once looked like he wanted to crawl out of his own skin every time the rest of us blurred a line he wasn’t ready to cross.
He’s happy.
For her, obviously.
But as I watch him, I realize he’s happy for Ronan too.
“Guess we’ll see,” I concede. “Are you gonna be okay, Griff? You want to hang out until Dex comes home?”
He shakes his head. “I’m gonna go for a run, then take a shower myself. I think between a long shift on the bus and all of this,” he gestures broadly, “I’ll sleep well.”
I nod. “I’m here if you need me… at least until Dex gets home.”
Griffin’s mouth twitches like he catches the implication but decides not to comment. “Thanks, man.”