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He deflated with a heavy sigh and poked at his stir-fry. “I’m sorry. I’ll shut up. I’ll be much happier if I just accept that I’ll be the last to fall in love, and I’ll probably still be working for my dad in twenty years.”

Wow.

“Jesus wept,” River muttered with his mouth full of food.

I coughed to suppress a stupid laugh. Lucas clearly needed us to be his friends, not to be dicks who poked fun.

Reese leaned forward and eyed the rest of us. “I don’t know about y’all, but this is my favorite pillow talk ever.”

Lucian did the coughing this time, whereas I failed and cracked up alongside River.

“Oh yeah, laugh at my misery!” Lucas glared.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” Reese groaned through a laugh and literally pounced on the pity party.

He narrowly escaped getting stir-fry all over himself and covered Lucas’s body with his own.

“You’re way too fuckin’ young to be this whiny.

You have a good job, amazing friends who will fuck the daylights outta you, food on the table, family, and a fantastic little ass. Quit your mopin’.”

I grinned and shoveled more food into my mouth.

Excellent midnight entertainment.

“It doesn’t matter if I get lucky every day for the rest of my life,” Lucian said. “This will still be the most action my bed’s ever seen.”

I chuckled and glanced over at him. “Aren’t you glad I introduced you to these misfits?”

He smiled. “I am, actually.”

* * *

It was a fun night but maybe not the most restful one. The first time I woke up, wedged between River and Lucas, the latter was trying to keep quiet because Reese was blowing him.

I merely rolled over and threw a leg over River’s hip.

The next time, I threw a bleary glance at the alarm clock and saw it was almost four thirty. And two men were getting out of bed.

“Way too early,” I grumbled, face half buried in the pillow.

One of them—River, he leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to my cheek. “I sleep better in my own bed. Text me when you get back from Florida.”

“Mm,” I grunted.

The Tenleys walked out of the darkness and into the dimly lit hallway.

I had way more space now, ’cause Lucas and Lucian were a heap of body parts on the other side of the bed, so I spread out good and proper, and I fell asleep once more.

* * *

I yawned and rubbed at my eyes.

Did I know how to clear a bedroom or what?

I pushed myself up and squinted.

I was alone, at least in here, but I heard the telltale sounds of coffee being made.

My stomach growled too.

All right, fun’s over. I groaned and stretched out before I forced myself to roll out of bed, and I picked up my clothes from last night.

No headache, so that was a plus.

I couldn’t find my boxer briefs, so I free-balled it and zipped up my jeans carefully. Then I put on my shirt and trailed into the bathroom.

Was Lucas still here?

Once I’d relieved myself and freshened up, I found Lucian in the kitchen. He was suited up, not a hair out of place—he must’ve showered again. But the traces from last night were etched into his expression. The man could definitely use another hour or two of sleep.

“Mornin’,” I yawned.

“Good morning.” He yawned too. “It was unbelievably difficult getting out of bed.”

“So why did you?” I slumped down on a stool at the island.

“I couldn’t really fall back asleep after Lucas left,” he replied tiredly. “He left around nine.”

I checked my watch—oh hell. It was almost eleven now. I had to get on the road soon.

“You should’ve woken me up, man,” I said, feeling bad. “I’ve hogged your bed and half your day now.”

He chuckled. “Nonsense. Besides, I had a lovely view every time I walked past my bedroom.”

Well, hey.

I grinned lazily.

The coffee was done, so Lucian poured two mugs and asked if I wanted anything in mine.

“Black is probably my best bet now,” I replied. “I have eight hours on the road to look forward to.” I’d spend the night at a friend’s place in Charleston and then another eight hours tomorrow to get to Panama City.

“I do not envy you.” Lucian slid my coffee across the island.

“Thank you.” I took a tentative sip and felt the rich taste work its way through me like a drug. Precisely what I needed.

Fucking hell. This was good coffee.

“So, last night was…”

“Fun.”

“Wild. I can’t remember the last time I hooked up with someone right after meeting them, but…” He let out a breath and sipped his coffee. “Damn, did I need it.”

I quirked a grin.

“I’m actually meeting up with Lucas for lunch next week,” he mentioned. “I’m not sure he’ll be successful at recruiting me to his community?—”

“What, after that rave review he gave last night?” I laughed.

He chuckled and tipped his mug at me. “Exactly. But it’d be nice to have more friends to attend events with. And I’m guessing I can’t count on you for the next foreseeable future…?”

Unfortunately not.

“I get better benefits if I do twelve years, and I’m gonna need all the money I can get my hands on if I’m renovating a house,” I admitted. “So I have a while to go. But hopefully, I’ve seen my last desert.”

The bad news was, my ma was gonna take credit because she prayed on this every night.

“I do hope you stay safe.” Lucian shook his head. “That should give Lucas some perspective after his harangue last night about how awful his life is.”

I chuckled. “Eh. We all go through shit.” From my experience with Lucas, he was anything but ungrateful.

He was entitled to a rough patch here and there too, particularly if he’d been struggling with managing his own expectations and dreams. I knew something about that.

“I’ve wanted a family of my own for as long as I’ve been old enough to vote, but life doesn’t give a fuck about what you want sometimes. ”

“A family, as in—you want children?” Lucian appeared to think that was baffling.

I felt my forehead wrinkle, and I smiled, confused. “Yeah? Is that weird?”

“No, I—I suppose not.” He furrowed his brow. “I guess I don’t run in circles where many friends are interested in that life.”

“Ah, the power gays with money who—what are they called?”

He laughed. “You mean the DINKs?”

That was the one. Double income, no kids.

I snapped my fingers. “There we go. I dated someone like that—didn’t last long. I brought up kids, and he took off faster than a Realtor can come in his pants when a DINK couple wants to find a townhouse.”

He shook his head in amusement. “I do know plenty of those.”

Shocking. “Yeah, that was never me.” I smiled to myself, thinking of how I’d grown up.

Money had always been tight, but we’d never suffered.

Full house, rowdy boys, Ma yelling and waving around her wooden spoon, Pop hollerin’ for everyone to shut the fuck up when the news came on…

The plastic on the couch only came off for holidays—and when Princess Diana died.

Damn, did Ma mourn with her girlfriends.

I released a breath and shook my head, clearing it. I could miss my family later. “I’mma get outta your hair, my man. We’ll meet up next time I’m in town?”

“I sure hope so. And you stay safe in Florida. It’s full of Floridians.”

“I’m more concerned about the sailors,” I joked. “Eight weeks on a Navy base, have mercy on my soul.” I rose from my seat and finished my coffee. “What’s your plan for the day?”

He blew out a breath. “I have a late lunch with a woman I hardly know outside kink. I mean—I’ve known her a few years, but I wouldn’t say we’re friends …

It’s strange, really. The moment we met at a party, we were like two peas in a pod, but the one time we met up for coffee, it felt…

awkward and forced. I’m pretty sure she sees me as a stuck-up snob too. ”

I lifted my brows. “Then why are you meeting up with her?”

“We ended up volunteering to host the same demo at an upcoming event on ceremonial behaviors in kink, so the organizer asked us to work as a team.”

Ceremonial behaviors—what the fuck. “Is that some Gor shit?”

He opened his mouth to respond, only to shut it and weigh his answer.

“At the end of the day, doesn’t a lot of M/s inspiration come from that universe?

This is obviously a modern twist that’s already traveled through subcultures to wash off the non-con aspects.

In short, it’s a class on poses, kneeling, and commands. ”

Huh. That sounded like something I’d be interested in. “I’ll pick your brain about this next time,” I said. “I wanna know more.” Once I’d left the mug in the sink, I passed him and gave him a big smooch on the cheek. “Thanks for last night, buddy. Can’t wait to see the footage.”

He smirked and shook his head at me. “Have fun in Florida, Marine.”

Oorah.