Trevon nodded and turned toward the cottage. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” Quinn couldn’t help but tease him a little. “If you want to jerk off over my hotness, try to do it quick so she doesn’t bust you this time, cool?”
Trevon shot him the finger, but his laughter was clear through the steamy, late afternoon air.
Quinn grinned as he got on his motorcycle and breathed easier himself. He took the long way to Hot Rods and had mostly settled down, his mind clearer, when he rolled up behind the shop. He looked up above the garage and saw lights on but decided he needed to get Tom’s opinion first.
Tom was his surrogate father and not part of the complex poly relationship the rest of their family-by-choice had going on. If he thought Quinn was doing the right thing, then that was the gold standard test.
Quinn clomped up the stairs to the door and rapped once, hard, since he’d walked in on Tom and his bride more than once and never wanted to do it again.
He’d gotten trained to knock early on in his stay at Hot Rods both at the main house and definitely at his brother’s place above the garage.
“Get in here, Quinn,” Tom shouted. “We’ve got some shit to talk about.”
Figured. Word traveled fast in Middletown, and lightning fast among his circle of friends.
He was shaking his head as he made his way into the kitchen, not too surprised to see his brother Roman already there. In front of Tom and Roman on the table was a laptop. That could only mean one thing. They were talking about him with some of their other friends who lived out of state.
The Powertools crew.
Well, shit. There was no escaping now. At least Quinn would have plenty of feedback, from people he trusted, about what he was about to do. They would have no problem telling him straight up if he was letting his dick do the thinking in this situation.
At least that gave him some peace of mind. If nothing else, he wanted to be sure that Devra and Trevon didn’t get hurt anymore by what he’d proposed. He cared about them and wanted them to make it out of this happy and whole. If he couldn’t have a perfect relationship for himself, he at least wanted to see those around him make it work so that he knew it was possible—someday—for him to find the right people to love him.
Maybe. There was a dark sliver that thought he might just be unlovable. Even his own mother hadn’t been able to care for him like she should have.
Quinn shook that thought off as he sat beside Roman. Sure enough, a random collection of the Powertools crew were on screen, lounging on the massive sectional in Kayla and Dave’s cabin at their mountain resort.
“Hey.” He waved to Dave, Kayla, Mike, Joe, and Devon. The rest of the crew might be within earshot, though he couldn’t see them onscreen at the moment. “Any little ears around I need to worry about?”
“Nah. Abby, Nathan, Klea, and Landry are outside with Morgan, Kate, and my guys,” Devon told him. The four crew kids were getting bigger every time he saw them. Hell, Abby was going to turn ten soon. He couldn’t believe time was going by so quickly. It made him realize he was letting too many chances go to find his own forever person, or people.
“So cut the crap and get right to the good stuff.” Mike, the foreman of the Powertools construction crew leaned forward. “What’s going on with those two at your shop? We met Devra earlier when she was hanging out with the Hot Rods ladies. She seems pretty fucking great. And cute, too. So why did it look like she’d been crying her damn eyes out?”
“They’re married. And they’re having issues.” Quinn shrugged one shoulder. That’s the simplest way he could summarize it.
“What kind of issues?” Kayla asked.
Tom and Roman were staring at Quinn along with their friends on the other side of the internet connection.
He cleared his throat, then explained, “Trevon is bisexual. He has a crush on me…”
“Which is mutual, I presume,” Dave said.
Quinn nodded. “Fuck yes. If you think Devra is cute—which is bullshit because she’s gorgeous—you should see him. He’s…anyway…”
If he didn’t quit thinking about that, he’d end up a lot more uncomfortable than he already was. Roman was grinning at him and Tom was masking a smile with his palm.
“Even though they’re married and they’re hot as hell, both of them, they’ve never had sex together. Devra, likely never at all for that matter.” Quinn dropped the bomb and braced himself for the million questions that would follow.
“What?” Devon’s eyes grew wide.
“Why not?” Mike wondered.
Dave stood up, lurching a little on his bad leg, which stiffened when he sat too long. “Quinn, are you getting yourself entangled in too much drama here? You don’t need that in your life.”
“I feel like…I can help them. That’s not stupid, is it?” Quinn honestly needed to know.
“Yes. It probably is.” Roman knocked his knee lightly into Quinn’s. “But why do you think that?”
“Devra thinks she’s an obligation to Trevon. He married her in part so she could stay here instead of having to move back to Yemen after her father was killed. It’s not safe for her there. And of course Trevon did protect her, but he also loves her. I can see it every time he looks at her. They’re best friends and could be so much more. Trevon is afraid to show her that because he feels like she’s stuck with him and didn’t have a choice. It’s all so fucked up. And then, yesterday, Devra walked in on Trevon having a private moment with himself…”
“Jerking off?” Joe asked. “So what?”
Tom was muttering about kids today and over-sharing, but he didn’t stop Quinn from finishing the story. “He sort of, uh, called my name when… you know.”
Everyone groaned in unison.
“Yeah. Exactly.” Quinn planted his elbows on the table and buried his face in his hands.
“So that poor girl thinks her husband is only married to her because it was the right thing to do, but that he’s really into guys and not her, otherwise he surely would have fucked her senseless by now. Right?” Kayla put her hand over her mouth. “I’d cry, too. She obviously really loves him or she wouldn’t care that she’s hurting him by staying married when she has no other choice. This really is messed up.”
Tom leaned forward so he could meet Quinn’s gaze. “How exactly are you going to help them?”
“By having sex with them.” Okay, it didn’t sound like such an awesome plan in this context, but it had made sense to him earlier.
Tom simply kept staring. “I don’t get it. Are you sure you’ve thought this through, or is this some excuse to get what you want that you’re going to regret later?”
He didn’t say it, but Quinn heard the like that time you slept with your girlfriend’s brother that remained unspoken.
“Hang on, Tom.” Roman came to Quinn’s rescue as always. “I sort of think it makes sense. You’re trying to get them past this mental roadblock they have so they can see they’re compatible and meant to be much more than friends. Plus, you’re going to enjoy the hell out of it for the moment.”
“But long-term…” Tom was still confused.
“There is no long-term plan.” Quinn shrugged. “I just want to help. To make things right and maybe, yes, to atone for that time I pushed people apart instead of bringing them together.”
“You’re going to sacrifice your own happiness?” Joe frowned. “I’m not sure this is a good idea, Quinn. Yes, you can help them. But you need to think about what’s best for yourself, too. If you care about them, and I think you do, in addition to being attracted to them…”
“This is going to end up biting you in the ass.” Mike might as well have hit him over the head with a two-by-four. “You’re going to get hurt.”
Probably true.
That wasn’t going to stop him from doing it anyway. “At least it’ll feel good for tonight. Or…whenever they take me up on it. If they do.”
Tom scowled. “I don’t like this.”
> Roman looked between Tom, the Powertools crew, and then Quinn. “Sometimes you have to take a risk. Yes, you might get burned. But…there’s something here. I haven’t seen you like this, well, ever. They’re calling to you and you’ve been trying so hard to keep yourself away from that kind of real feeling for years now. I think it’ll be good for you. Even if it hurts.”
“Spoken like a true Dom, huh?” Devon teased Roman. “Is that what you tell Carver when you’re about to beat his ass?”
Tom put his hands over his ears. “Okay, over the line! Don’t talk about my kids like that!”
Of course, that had everyone rolling with laughter. Quinn included.
When the ruckus had died down and they’d said their goodbyes to the Powertools, Roman closed the laptop and turned toward Quinn. “You know I’m here if you need me. I don’t like the idea of my little brother getting his heart broken, but if it happens…I’m here.”
If he answered seriously, Quinn might have choked up. So he said, “I’m not exactly your little brother anymore.”
“When I’m eighty fucking years old, you’ll still be my little brother. Get used to it.” Roman smirked.
Tom snorted. “Yeah, and I’ll still be your dad. Both of you. So here’s what I want you to know. You’ve screwed around plenty, but you’ve never taken a relationship seriously. That needs to change right now if you’re really going to do this. You need to be in it all the way. Half-assed isn’t going to do the three of you any good.”
Quinn nodded, and realized that’s what had him so twisted up inside. There were consequences to these decisions and actions. It wasn’t something he could do and forget.
Even if Trevon and Devra never knew it, this wasn’t going to be a fling for him.
It meant more.
He prayed he could help them as much as they might be able to help him.
“Well then, what are you waiting for?” Tom pointed to the Hot Rods garage. “That girl needs a ride home so she can sort things out with her husband. Take her to him. And good luck.”
Roman hugged Quinn then shoved him toward the door. “Go.”
So he did. Quinn jogged across the lawn and up the metal, open-backed stairs to the Hot Rods’ apartment. When he opened the door, he was greeted by Buster McHightops. Behind him was Devra, leaning against the kitchen island.
“Hey,” he said. He didn’t bother asking if she was okay, because it was clear that she wasn’t. “Ready to go home?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know.”
He had the urge to hug her. To promise it was going to work out. But that wasn’t his place.
At best, he was some sort of sexy mediator. He had to remember that he didn’t get to claim either of his two new friends as his own. They belonged to each other. He was only there to help them work out their problems.
He swallowed his disappointment and held his hand out to Devra. “Come on. It’s not going to get any better until you talk to Trevon.”
She paused, then nodded, putting her fingers in his. He couldn’t help but brush his thumb over her soft skin. He wasn’t a fucking saint, okay?
“Is he mad?” Devra asked.
“No. Just worried about you and what’s going to happen.” Quinn could squelch her worries about that anyway.
“Did…um…anything happen after I left?” Her question came out like a croak.
While it might be fun to tease her under normal circumstances, there was too much wrapped up in this situation for jokes. “We worked on the bike. Kept our hands to ourselves and talked about you the whole time.”
“Oh.” Devra heaved a huge sigh as he drew her to the door and then downstairs. He escorted her toward his motorcycle. “I’m not sure if I should be relieved or upset that we’re still…frozen in place.”
Quinn turned toward her and helped her onto his motorcycle. Damn, she looked fine on it. He might have a new fantasy or twenty of his own after this. It was going to be the best sort of torture to drive her home. To Trevon.
“About that…I think Trevon has some things he’d like to discuss with you. A plan, maybe.” Quinn didn’t feel comfortable saying more than that.
“That the two of you cooked up while I was gone?” Devra raised a brow at him, making him grin despite the circumstances. She was like an angry pixie. “Oh boy.”
“Exactly.” Quinn straddled his motorcycle then started it. He reached behind him to grasp her hands and then flattened them on his abs. She was used to riding with Trevon, so she scooched up closer and plastered herself against him. Her breasts were soft and arms were tight, hugging her to his back.
Yup, pure torture. Because now it was all too easy to imagine what it might feel like if Trevon and Devra agreed to go forward with their scheme.
Quinn drove a little faster than he should have on the way home. Because the sooner they got there, the sooner he’d find out if he would be sleeping alone…again…or if he was about to have the best night of his life.
16
Devra wished Quinn didn’t feel so damn good under her fingers. His body flexed and tightened as they sped along the curves of the road he knew so well. The one that linked where he was from to the future he was building. He smelled amazing, too, like leather and gasoline. Combined with the fresh air whipping through her hair, it was intoxicating.
Her husband had good taste in men at least.
She closed her eyes, wondering what it would be like if she was clinging to a man like this in bed. She wanted to ride, with her husband or someone else. She’d waited long enough to feel complete, in touch with all of herself.
Tonight was going to change everything for them. Even if it meant she had to leave the comfort and safety of Trevon’s partnership behind. Now that they were out of survival mode, she realized they had a lot of other needs they hadn’t considered before.
Quinn roared up the driveway, past Gavyn and Amber’s house, then Hot Rides, and finally to their cottages, which sat side by side. As they neared, Trevon must have heard them approaching because he stepped out onto the porch. He didn’t have a shirt on.
His bare chest nearly distracted her from the dread about the difficult discussion they were going to have to have. Almost, but not quite.
When she got off the bike and handed Quinn her helmet, he clung to her hand for a few seconds too long. “Hey, just remember, it’s going to be okay. You two care for each other and you’re trying to do what’s best for you both. As long as you’re working toward the same goal, you’ll figure it out. Okay?”
Devra bit her lip then nodded. “Thanks. For the ride and…everything.”
“You’re welcome.” His bright blue eyes seemed to glow in the twilight. Did she read heat in them or was it her imagination?
Either way, she had to go before she did something completely inappropriate while her husband watched. Her body buzzed with the effects of their close contact on the way here. And probably because she knew what she was about to say to Trevon.
If she could keep her nerve that long.
Devra turned, concentrating on keeping her shoulders back and standing tall as she marched toward her husband. Not prepared for war so much as brutal honesty.
Trevon stuffed his hands in the pockets of his low-riding jeans. “Hey.”
“Hey,” she parroted. “Can we talk?”
“Of course.” He sank onto the slightly uneven boards so that his ass was at the top of the porch and his boots rested a few steps down. Devra sighed and did the same. Except she leaned into his side and laid the edge of her face against his shoulder. He’d been a rock for her during the most turbulent times of her life, and she hadn’t given him enough credit for it or realized that maybe he needed her just as much.
Before he could say anything, she whispered, “I’m sorry, Trevon.”
“There’s nothing for you to apologize for.” He put an arm around her, rubbing the bare skin below her sleeve. It was only by the contrast to his warmth that she realized how chilly she’d gotten in t
he cool evening air. With his free hand, he took her fingers in his and squeezed. “I think you were brave to express how you felt earlier. I regret it came to that and that we didn’t talk about it before it became a giant problem for us both.”
“I agree, we should try to do better in the future.” She hoped there was still a future for them, no matter what it might look like. “Starting now.”
“Okay, then there are some things I would like to tell you.” Trevon angled his body toward hers so they could look each other in the eye as they shared their deepest secrets and desires. “I’m attracted to both men and women. I don’t have a ton of experience, though. I slept with a few women and hooked up with one guy when I was a teenager. It never went further than making out and oral once. So when it comes to that, I’m a virgin, too. I need you to know I’ve been faithful to you. Since I met you, there hasn’t been anyone else I’ve been interested in until...”
“Quinn.” Devra nodded. “Trevon, will it make you feel better or worse if I admit that I’m attracted to him, too?”
His eyes widened as they scanned her questioning gaze. “You are?”
She bit her lip and nodded. “Yeah. He’s sexy. Nearly as sexy as you.”
“Me?” Trevon’s eyebrows were in danger of flipping over the back of his skull.
“I should have told you before now, but yeah, I have pretty big crush on my husband.” Devra tried to smile as she said it, but her spine stiffened in case he flung her away from him. “In fact, I love you, Trevon.”
“I love you, too, Devra. Please never doubt that. But love and sexual attraction don’t have to be connected. Are you sure that you feel both for me?” He winced. “Maybe what you really feel are natural sexual urges and I’m just the guy who happens to be around, married to you, and that’s what you believe you’re supposed to feel for me.”
If he hadn’t looked so serious and so exposed in that moment she might have made some wisecrack. Instead, she put her free hand on his knee and began to stroke him to hopefully start soothing some of the hurt she’d unintentionally inflicted on him.
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