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B danced around, laughing as though he were insane. I narrowed my eyes at the man who caused our Phoenix more pain and doubt than any human should ever have to deal with, much less aim that hatred toward a defenseless child. The one man who traumatized Sunshine for no other reason than his own misplaced hatred.

“Fuck off,” I growled.

Sunshine laughed and said, “Enjoy your stint in prison, old man. And when you get out, needing a leg up, don’t call me. You are nothing to me.”

Detective Sandoval nodded over two uniformed officers and they lifted Hale off the ground and marched him off, kicking and screaming, into the back of a police car.

“Well, that was…”

A happy trill came from Sunshine as he bumped shoulders with the Detective, giving him a warm smile.

“How about dinner here on Friday? I’ll invite Arthur and Jude, and I’m sure Gio and Fergus will be available. Maybe you can ask Charlotte to accompany you when you drop in tomorrow?”

The hardened cop blushed to the tips of his ears, yet he nodded. “Yeah, let’s see how it goes.”

B draped his arms around Sunshine’s waist and blew out a relieved breath. “Thank fuck, because I was a little worried Charlotte was going to give up on you, Detective.”

“Mateo, please, since you’re encouraging me to ask out Charlotte. I need all the courage I can get.” But when B’s words sunk in, he blushed harder and asked, “She knows I’m interested?”

I grunted. “More like she finds you attractive, but believes you’re out of her league.”

“No fucking way!” He shook his head, amazed. And with that, Mateo retreated with a groan, lost in thought as he got into his car, waved at us, and drove away. After several minutes, and reassuring neighbors there will no longer be any commotion, we made it inside to privacy and quiet.

CHAPTER 21

EPILOGUE

BURTON/LUKA/PHOENIX

Six Months Later

Burton

I stompedmy way toward the top of the stairs before I paused, waiting for Petal’s reaction before I even touched the step. He didn’t disappoint.

“Burton Maxwell Kavka-Horváth, do… not?—”

I pounded down the stairs and laughed the entire way down, and like clockwork, Petal met me at the bottom with his eyes narrowed and fists at his hips.

“Stop it.”

Acting innocent, or at least I tried to with my pout and my puppy dog eyes.

“What?” I shrugged and acted guileless, despite the act working zero times. But I had hope, one day, it might.

Luka came out of the kitchen, shaking his head, but with a smile on his face. He kissed Petal, making the younger man melt, before he turned toward me. I was expecting a kiss, but he walked on by.

“Consequences, sweetheart.”

I stood straighter. “But… no kisses. From either of you? What about nooky? Petal promised we’d have all weekend naked. Then it changed to naked times in bed tonight after the barbecue and everyone left because there was no time this morning. There are no take backs, Petal.”

He tapped his finger on his chin and said, “Well, shouldn’t the punishment carry on all weekend? Luka can touch me, and fuck me all he wants. And in between, I can put my mouth all over his body, sucking his dick until he feeds me his come. All the while, you’ll be sitting on the chair, watching, yet unable to take part.”

“Oh, and I can suck your dick too, right Sunshine?” Luka asked as he lounged on the couch without a care in the world.

“Anything you want, lover?—”

“I’m sorry! Will it help if I promise to never do it again? We can pinky swear and I’ll cross my heart, but not hope to die because you’ll kill me if I do. But I do it to get a rise out of you, because I’m an attention whore who doesn’t know any other way, because you don’t have pigtails and pulling the chair out from under you when you sit is immature and never in a million years would I ever hurt you.”