by Heather Long
“Coop, she’s curious and she likes boys. She wants to date. To have the chance to figure out what she likes.”
“She’s fourteen.”
“When we were fourteen, we crashed at each other’s houses, and yes, it was different,” I hurried on before he could jump on that. “Because we’ve known each other forever. And I was oblivious to you guys wanting to actually date me. That said, Trina doesn’t see the differences, ’cause all she sees is that we were together all the time and now we’re dating.”
“Don’t hit me with your logic, Frankie,” he grumbled, and banged his head against the seat. “Just be on my side.”
I grinned. “I am on your side. I told her to cut your mom a break because I’d trade Maddy for your mom in a heartbeat. She thinks it’s cool that Maddy never seemed to care what I did or where I went, but she doesn’t get it, and in a way, I’m glad she doesn’t.”
“Yeah,” he said with a sigh. “I wish you didn’t have your mom, too. You deserve so much better.”
The pall kind of hung over us until I dropped off the second order. Back in the car, I glanced over to find him staring at me. Running my hand over his cheek, I said, “How much of this is you being mad at Trina for not knowing what’s happening, and how much of it is resenting that you are aware of it all and feel like you have to choose?”
“A little bit of both,” he said quietly, and my heart squeezed for him. “Dad keeps calling me, too. He wants us to go have dinner with him.”
“I’ll go if you want,” I told him. “Whatever you want.”
He sighed. “I don’t know if I want to see him that much or have you have to deal with our drama.”
It was my turn to scoff. “You deal with my drama every damn day, turnabout is fair play.”
He grinned, then pressed a kiss to my palm before releasing my hand so I could drive. “I like being there for you,” he said into the dark of the car.
“Then you understand why I want to be there for you, too.”
“Because you love me best,” he teased, easing some of the darker tension in his voice, and I laughed.
“Totally.”
“Holy shit,” he said and fumbled for his phone. “Hang on, we gotta do that again. I want that on tape.”
I laughed.
Even if I couldn’t fix everything, I could brighten his day a little. By the time we were done with deliveries for the night, he was still trying to get me to repeat that little gem, but I held it hostage.
Sometimes, it was fun to make them work for it, and his sparkling eyes promised he agreed.
Coop walked me up the steps to the backdoor while kissing me. The fact that he actually picked me up when we got to the steps themselves made me, honestly, want to swoon a little. Yeah, I said swoon, but I loved how easily he just cradled me to him while I had my arms around his neck and his mouth devoured mine.
The heat of his arms chased away the chill, and he pressed me right into the door as he continued to suck on my tongue and alternately nibble at my lips. The sound of shouting behind the door made me pull back a little, and Coop lifted his head.
“Ugh, who told them they could be here?” he muttered, and I made a face. “I vote we sneak back down to the car and leave, then… Well, I’d say get a hotel room for the night, but that would kind of defeat the purpose of all the work you’ve been doing.”
I stroked the hair at the nape of his neck. “We’ll settle them and then go curl up and watch something together, yeah?”
He cocked his head to the side. “Just you and me?”
“If you want.” Coop didn’t demand time with me like the others did. He was as often happy to hang out with the others or share me with Jake, which I adored. But he deserved time too, and I loved it when it was just me and Coop, too. “I’m kind of fond of you, you know.”
“I know, I’m your favorite,” he murmured, then gave me another kiss without waiting to see if I agreed or not. Then, he added, “Truth or dare,” right against my lips.
I chuckled. “Don’t make me regret it,” I answered, sinking my teeth into his lower lip, even as I raked my fingers through his hair. “Dare.”
Head back, he closed his eyes and grinned like a maniac. “Yes, you love me.”
I pinched him. “What horrible thing do you want me to do?”
Eyes dancing, he brought his hands up to cup my face. “I dare you to saunter through there, stripping on your way to the bedroom, and say something sexy about me. Preferably dirty sexy.”
“Something dirty sexy about you?”
“Yeah, you know…stroke my ego.” He waggled his brows, and I snort-laughed.
“I see,” I said. “Got it.” I slid the key into the lock and glanced over my shoulder at him. “Just remember, you asked for this.”
“I know,” he said, wearing a grin that probably rivaled my own.
Inside, the wash of voices hit me.
“Fuck you, Arch,” Jake snarled, though it lacked the real bite of heat. “I had your ass, and you fucking surrendered.”
“What was I supposed to do?” Archie countered. “Just let you pound my ass flat? You won. I let you win when I surrendered, and now we get to play another game.”
“You let me win the damn game,” Jake growled, and it took everything I had not to laugh aloud at the absolute incredulous look on his face. They were so intent on each other, they hadn’t even noticed me or Coop yet.
I shed my jacket and slipped off my shoes before stowing my keys on the table. I also left my wallet there. After the mad-cap race we had hunting everyone’s stuff down, I wanted it to be where I could find it. Coop followed suit and rubbed his hands together as I dragged my shirt up and over my head and wandered into the living room.
The argument stopped abruptly, but I was already unhooking my bra. Leaving the shirt and bra in my wake, I freed my jeans. “Excuse me, boys, I need Coop’s massive cock. We’ll see you guys a little later. Archie, you should let Jake beat you. It’s only fair.” And I glanced over my shoulder to find both of them staring at me with heated eyes. “And, Jake, don’t be so hard on Archie. You know he hates losing.”
I winked at both of them.
“Come along, big cock boy.”
Coop chortled. “Don’t worry, I intend to.”
There were thumps behind me, but I made it all the way to my room and was down to my panties when Coop rushed in and closed the door with a slam. Then there was a thump as Jake hit it from the other side. “She said my big dick, Jakey, go beat the pants off Archie again.”
“You are so terrible.”
“Just you wait,” Jake said with a growl through the door. “Also, Baby Girl?”
I grinned. “Yes?”
“You’re hot as fuck, and I wouldn’t mind you doing that for me next time.”
I laughed. “I promise.”
Pushing off the door, Coop scooped me right up and tossed me on the bed. “But right now, she’s getting my cock so, buh bye.”
Jake’s snort carried through the door, but he headed off. Leaning up on my elbows, I stared at Coop as he stripped off his clothes. “What are we watching?”
He raised his eyebrows, and I stopped his forward progress with a teasing foot against his chest, even if it left him with a bird’s eye view of my pussy.
“You dared me to say something dirty sexy about you and to strip. That doesn’t necessarily equate sex.”
Eyes narrowed, he stroked my calf. “No?”
I grinned. “Truth or dare?”
He let out a happy little sigh. “Fuck, I love you.”
“I know. But that doesn’t answer my question.”
He chuckled. “Dare me.”
Oh, I planned to.
Chapter Sixteen
Crap Meet Fan
Coop
It was funny, Frankie didn’t so much lock the other guys out as lock herself in with me. I didn’t usually care if Jake was there or, fuck, any of them really. Archie and Bubba weren’t necessarily on bo
ard for the active sharing, but I’d caught Archie watching more than once and the flare of interest, even if he kept it to himself. Dude was allowed.
Bubba?
Yeah that was a whole other hole to dig in later when it was just us. I had questions, but I wasn’t putting Frankie on the spot. Especially when she seemed so deliriously relaxed.
We hadn’t unlocked the door before we fell asleep. Apparently, a couple of the cats were in the room, and they emerged to find their spots after Frankie wrapped herself around me. I only woke when one of the little bastards stepped on my bladder. With careful disentangling, I slipped free of the bed and unlocked the door. I didn’t bother with clothes because it was late.
When I got back from peeing and grabbing a glass of water, I caught sight of Jake on Frankie’s other side. I bit back a laugh and set the glass next to the bed before sliding back into my spot. She was already tucked up against Jake, which had her facing me. I threaded our fingers and closed my eyes.
“You good, man?” Jake’s sleep-hoarsened voice said he needed the water as much as I had.
“Yeah,” I told him. “I just needed her for a while.”
“We all need her.” True enough. “But I’m here for you, too.”
I grinned. I appreciated the sentiment. Except… “She’s just prettier.”
“Fuck you,” Jake muttered. “But I accept that logic.”
I chuckled, and Frankie made a little sound of protest that had us both humming little soothing sounds that were so damn identical, a snort escaped me and Jake had to strangle a laugh. When her breathing deepened again, I lifted and glanced over at him.
“We good?”
“We’re fine,” Jake said, yawning. “I get it.”
“Cool.”
That was that.
Frankie had her internship hours at Standish today, and Archie hadn’t stopped twitching all morning. I was pretty sure Jake was going to slug him. Even if Arch was doing his damnedest to dial it back, there was no missing the way his gaze kept jumping to her or that his mouth would flatline as he conjured up some new scenario. For her part, Frankie kept running her hand over his, soothing him or leaning into his side.
When she headed back to finish dressing, Jake blocked Archie from following, and even Bubba—who had come by early after not staying the night—eyed him. “You gotta chill the fuck out,” Jake informed Arch.
Yeah. Diplomatic. That was Jake.
Archie glared at him, and I ran a hand over my face. I still needed to shave, but I probably wouldn’t bother before school. No Frankie to give beard burn to meant I didn’t care as much.
“I hate that she’s going there,” Archie gritted out between his teeth.
“We know,” Bubba told him, almost the soul of patience. The ease in his voice was at odds with the clench in his jaw. “But you’re going to make her nervous, and you’re worrying her.”
Which was also true.
“She’s not unarmed,” I reminded them all, but I kept my focus on Archie. “She’s also very aware of how this is affecting you, and Bubba’s right, she’s worrying about you. So dial it back, deep breaths, man. We know where she is, and you’ve covered a lot of bases and put support in place for her there…”
With a groan, Archie tilted his head back. “I hate this.”
“We know,” I said before Jake could thump him. He got his attention. Now we just needed to let him know he wasn’t alone. “We’re all on her side and on yours.” Because Archie’s dad pulling this crap wasn’t just about Frankie. What we couldn’t shake was that this was some kind of power play where Arch was concerned.
He glanced over his shoulder toward the doorway. Frankie wouldn’t be long, and there were some things we didn’t discuss where she could hear. It was just better to be on the same page and not put her in the middle, at least not in a negative way. At Jake’s quirked brow and eye roll, I wiped the smirk off my face.
Right idea. Wrong time.
“Let’s talk at lunch.”
Archie nodded. “I need a minute with her before she goes.”
“You got this?” was all Bubba asked.
“Yeah.” Rubbing the back of his neck, Archie let out another sigh. “I got this.”
Hands raised, Jake stepped out of his way, and Archie vanished back toward Frankie’s bedroom. “He does not have this.”
“He’s doing fine,” Bubba said before I could answer. “Let’s face it, none of us like this, and he and his parents have a contentious relationship. Throw in Ms. Curtis…”
“It’s a clusterfuck,” I agreed. “But we can’t tell him how to feel.” I leveled Bubba with a look.
“Not trying to tell him how to feel.” Not flinching, Bubba met my gaze steadily. We hadn’t discussed what I’d walked in on, and I had a feeling he was waiting for me to say something. Actually…
“Ride with me?” I said as I grabbed my bag. “It’s supposed to rain again today, and you don’t need to be on the bike.”
Bubba chuckled. “Sure.”
“Am I missing something?” Jake asked, eyeing both of us.
“You miss lots of things,” Frankie murmured from behind him, and Jake curled around to give her a hug as she stepped into the kitchen. I had to say, Frankie in business casual clothing was pretty snappy. Today, she’d put a colorful vest over a button-down shirt, and she’d pulled her hair up into a bun that I immediately wanted to free. The fact that Jake’s hand twitched up toward it said I wasn’t the only one.
“You look amazing,” I told her, and she grinned at me.
“Thank you.”
“He’s right, Baby Girl, you look fantastic.” Jake dragged her in for a kiss, and I grinned as I drained the last of my coffee. I rinsed out the mug and set it in the sink, then paused to rinse the others sitting there, and Archie grimaced and mouthed an apology. I shrugged it off. He’d learn.
He was getting better at it. Then Frankie turned to me, all flushed and bright-eyed. I gave her a kiss and murmured, “Check in, yeah?”
“I will, I promise.”
I couldn’t very well fuss at her when I was telling the others to dial it back. But she searched my gaze for a long moment, and I raised my eyebrows. Yesterday had been a little tough, and I’d dumped some things in her lap. But she’d picked them right up and today was better. Apparently, that translated, because she pressed a hand over my heart and gave me another kiss before she went to tell Bubba bye.
On my way past them, I squeezed her ass, and she laughed. That was a sound I would never get tired of. It’d been the soundtrack of my childhood, my teenage years, and would be for the rest of my life. I believed in having goals.
Bubba didn’t keep me waiting long. I had the car on and the defrosters on to get rid of the slick of ice off the windshield when he dropped into the passenger seat. Jake was right behind him, but he just waved and headed to Frankie’s car.
Heh. Smart guy. “He’s warming it up for her while she and Arch talk?”
“Yep,” Bubba answered, leaning his head back against the seat. “It’s not a long drive, so ask what you want to know.”
I cut him a look. “What I want to know, or what I need to know?”
“We’ll see. Some things you don’t need to know,” he answered, and while the tone might be mild, there was a distinctive core of steel in his words.
Turning that over in my head, I backed the car out and sent Jake a wave before accelerating. “We getting coffee since they’re gonna be longer?”
“That sounds like a plan,” Bubba said and pulled out his phone. “Gives you more time to talk.”
“Shockingly clever, I know.” But I gave him a sec to send the message before I asked the first question that came to mind. “Is the tying up why you were really pulling away from her? ’Cause I didn’t know you were into that.”
A shrug. “I’ve always been interested, just never had someone I trusted enough to share it with. No offense.”
“None taken.” But I waited.
/> He blew out a breath, then tapped his knuckles against his knee before he said, “I pulled back because I wanted to protect her. That hasn’t changed. I want her to be able to trust me to handle whatever gets thrown at her and to put her ahead of myself. I handled it badly. But it hasn’t changed my feelings. The rest…the rest is just exploring what we enjoy together.”
Enjoy… “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re not hurting her, right?” I didn’t think he was or would, but she’d been tied to the bed. I hadn’t missed that part.
“Everything we do is consensual,” Bubba said, his tone flat. “Don’t ever suggest otherwise to her. You want to talk to me about it, fine. You’ll leave her alone.”
I cut him a look. “Dude, not accusing you of anything. But I care about Frankie the same way you do, and if I think something is wrong or you do, what are we going to do?”
“What you’re doing right now,” Bubba answered without looking away, and there was a stoniness to his countenance that I’d rarely seen there. “You’re expressing concern, and I’m telling you, we’re fine. Nothing I do with her will ever be anything other than with her informed consent, and I’ll never engage in anything I don’t understand enough to protect her. She’s trusting me to take care of her, and I’m going to be worthy of that trust.”
“Fair enough,” I said slowly. Jake had definitely slapped her ass more than once around me, and I’d done a little of that and she’d never complained. Not once. If anything, there’d been a flare of excitement. Then there were the books she got at the shop… “I have so many questions.”
Bubba chuckled. “Ask.”
I cut him another look. “You sure? I don’t want to intrude.”
The fuck I didn’t and the look he shot me said he knew that, but at the same time, this was Frankie we were talking about.
“You want to know if there’s something she needs that you’re not doing,” Bubba said. Succinct. To the point. “And you’re curious about what all of what we’re doing is.”
“Not going to lie,” I told him as I pulled into the long fucking line at the Starbucks. “I always want to make sure I’m giving her what she needs, and the idea of pinning her down isn’t alien to me.” We didn’t quite talk this bluntly about our sex lives with her. With others? “And it’s weird as fuck to have this conversation.”
