“That it would be, but he’s with Sam. She might not mind sharing him with me, but you’re actual competition.” His lips curved into a sly smile. “Not that I have a problem with that.”
“How I am competition if you’re not?”
“You’re a girl.”
“So?”
“So, Sam rightly assumes—as I already know—that Ian will settle down with a woman one day. I’m a phase she can wait for him to get past.” Shawn cocked his head, studying her with a thoughtful expression on his face. “You would give him another option. Which I shouldn’t allow, considering I want you for myself.”
Him saying that shouldn’t make her stomach go all fluttery. Shouldn’t have her thinking about how nice it would be to wake up next to him every morning. But she was having a very hard time containing him inside that ‘temporary fun’ box she’d planned to keep him in.
That box hadn’t been sealed very tight after the first night. Now? She seemed to have lost the flimsy top.
But her chin jutted up as she considered his last words. “I didn’t ask if you’d ‘allow’ it. I asked if it would bother you.”
One brow raised, Shawn cocked his head. “Will it bother you that I’ll spend every moment alone with him naked?”
Bothers me a bit that I won’t be there to see you two. She took a deep breath. “No.”
“Then no. But may I ask why?”
That was a little harder to explain, but she did her best. “I’m scared for him. He’s trying to be there for Sam, and she’s using that to make him into the man she wants him to be. I know what it’s like to live for someone else.”
“You hardly know him, Justina.”
“True, but you love him.” Loose strands of her hair slid over her cheeks as she lowered her gaze to the center of his gorgeously tattooed, sculpted chest. “I’m trying very hard not to care about you, but I’m failing miserably.”
“It’s only failing if you have regrets. You won’t, Röschen.” His lips covered hers before she could question him. He stole all her doubts along with her breath, holding her when her knees went weak. “Do you believe me?”
“I shouldn’t.” She wrinkled her nose at him when he frowned. “You know I shouldn’t. But I’m still playing with you, so the game’s not over yet.”
He let out a soft laugh. “I’m starting to think I’m a bad influence on you. ‘The game’, Justina?”
“I know it’s not a game. It’s real. There are consequences to every choice I make.” She wet her lips with her tongue, refusing to let the choices weigh on her now. She was enjoying her freedom. Enjoying every new experience. “I’m having fun. Taking chances. I’m aware of the risks, but I’m not letting them hold me back.”
“Which is exciting and terrifying all at once.”
“Yes.”
He traced his thumb over her bottom lip before kissing her again. “I know exactly how you feel.”
“I doubt that.” Damn it, she wanted to feel him against her. To lose herself in his touch. Things had been so simple when it had been all about sex. Now she had to explore emotions she wasn’t ready for. Emotions he couldn’t possibly understand.
But the way he looked at her made her wonder. His eyes drifted shut as he shook his head. “I’m breaking all the rules. I have to leave soon, and I don’t want you wondering if I mean what I’ve said. We’ll discuss this when I can stay.”
“Which gives us plenty of time. If you’re winning the game, you can’t stay long.”
He kissed her one last time before letting her go. “That’s debatable. A win means I’m not going anywhere.”
“That’s not the game I mean.”
“I know, but it’s the one I want you to keep in mind.” He took her hand, lacing their fingers together. “I plan to win them both.”
Chapter 27
A soft cry and Sloan’s son was lifted from his bassinet stroller. His boy would never learn to self-comfort if this kept up, but after such a stressful morning, he wasn’t going to tell Max that their baby didn’t need to be held.
Sliding his arm around Oriana’s shoulders, he walked with her away from the courthouse as she pushed the empty stroller.
She put her head on his shoulder and let out a happy sigh. “It’s over. We have our family.”
Slight moisture seeped through his shirt under her cheek. He stopped, turning her to face him before she could wipe away her tears. “What’s wrong, Oriana? Were you worried she’d change her mind?”
“They’re happy tears, Sloan.” She shook her head and glanced over at Max, who stood a few feet away, James cradled in his arms. “But yes, I was worried. I might not have let Samantha kiss me.” Her lips quirked as Sloan shifted his gaze, scratching his jaw. Her eyes went to Max. “Or stopped doing my job. But I was just as afraid as you two this was all too good to be true.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Max joined them, a soft smile on his lips as Oriana held out her arms for their son. He carefully laid him in her arms. “You seemed so relaxed. I feel damn stupid for carryin’ on the way I did, but we’ve wanted this for so long.”
“You weren’t ‘carrying on’, love. You’re a new father. I know you, and I expected you to be over-protective and consider every single thing that could go wrong.” She pressed her lips to James’ forehead, then lifted her gaze to Sloan. “And you, as usual, tried to find a way to control a situation you had no power over. You were both a mess. A beautiful, loving mess. I decided, the day we brought James home, that I’d give you a few weeks to pull your shit together.”
Max snorted, brushing his fingers over James’ fluffy, blond hair. “Only a few weeks, pet?”
“Don’t you ‘pet’ me, Mister.” Oriana gave Max a hard look. “We’re in the middle of the playoffs. You’re lucky I gave you this long. And now that we’re two players short, you need to step up your game.”
Sloan’s jaw hardened as he considered how they’d manage to win the game tomorrow night without Dominik and Carter. Fucking pissed him off that Carter had tried to downplay a serious injury. The kid was too young to fuck up his career for a couple of games.
You did it.
Fine, but he’d been older. And he’d hid a fucked up hand, not a pulmonary contusion.
“Sloan?” Max rested a hand on his shoulder. “We’re good now, right? I’ll work my ass off on the ice. And James…James isn’t going anywhere.”
Neither Max or Oriana had paid much attention to the lawyer’s warning that with a private adoption, Sam could legally contest giving up her rights for a full month, but Sloan wouldn’t bring that up. Sam hadn’t hesitated to sign the paperwork finalizing the adoption. She was in a good place. Stable and comfortable that she’d made the right choice.
He’d been a little worried, seeing the way she hung onto White, but the man was an adult. If it worked out between them, great. If not…?
Well, hopefully she’d explore all the opportunities available in her future. He knew Chicklet was giving her some light training in the lifestyle. Not something he would have considered, but it gave her and Chicklet some common ground to bond over.
Chicklet would tell him if Sam started second-guessing her decision to give up James. And likely be Sam’s biggest supporter if she believed Sam was doing it for the right reasons…
She won’t change her mind, Callahan. You know she won’t.
Right. And Oriana had a point. It was the playoffs. He still had a job to do. Even with his son at home and two players out of the lineup.
He didn’t think he’d let all the uncertainty affect his work behind the bench though. He’d made one mistake that had shaken Max’s performance on the ice, but they were past that.
Aren’t we?
Dropping his gaze to Max’s hand, he inhaled slowly. “Are we good, Max?”
“Yeah. I reckon we’ve done all the talkin’ we need to about what happened.” Max’s cheeks reddened. “Oriana didn’t see it as no big thing, so…neither do I.”
> Liar. Sloan inclined his head as they continued to the car. He waited until Oriana leaned into the car to strap James in his car seat.
Then he backed Max into the driver’s side door, bracing his hands at either side of Max’s broad shoulder, his lips slanted in a cold smile as Max’s eyes went wide. “Whatever you do, Max, don’t ever fucking lie to me.”
“I’m not.” Max swallowed hard, looking over at Oriana as she stood beside Sloan, her arms folded over her breasts. “You fixin’ to lose your damn mind here on the street, man? Like I said, we talked. It’s over.”
“You were pissed that I let Sam kiss me.”
Max’s jaw hardened. “You’re damn right I was.”
“You were jealous.”
“No.” Max grabbed Sloan by the collar of his pale gray dress shirt, his voice low, his tone hard. “I don’t want to lose you. Part of me is still raw from losing Dominik. You want the truth? I always wonder if you’ll be next. If one day you’ll feel you don’t fit. If things will get so tense that a clean break will be better than us all hurting any more.”
“How many times do I have to tell you I’m not going anywhere, Max? I love you both.”
Nodding, Max lowered his gaze. “And I believe you, but what do you and I have besides friendship? What do we have to hold on to? All the pressure is on Oriana to keep this family together.”
What? Damn, now Sloan was confused. He and Max had been close as brothers before even meeting Oriana. That hadn’t changed. “Since when is our friendship not enough?”
“It is, I just…” Max shook his head. “Shouldn’t there be more?”
Ah… Sloan had a sinking feeling he knew what Max was getting at. He took a deep breath. “Do you mean sex?”
He could almost laugh at the face Max made. The man didn’t want to fuck him. Or be fucked by him. But he seemed to believe the lack of anything physical between them was an issue.
They weren’t uncomfortable with one another in the bedroom when they shared Oriana. Sloan didn’t panic when Max touched him. Didn’t try to keep his distance. He was comfortable having Max close. Needed him close.
He couldn’t picture their relationship without Max. It would be like losing a vital part of himself.
“Max, listen to me. I don’t know what will happen years from now. I won’t say we will never explore a different level of intimacy. But…” Sloan chose his words carefully. “If it’s something you need, I’m willing to explore it now. I don’t believe it is.”
Max shrugged. “Yeah, I don’t even fucking know anymore. Seems like everyone else has gone there. And if you’re missing something, it’s my fault. Oriana gives you everything.”
“Do you want to give up control, man? I can take that from you.” He actually liked the idea. Max liked watching everything, even the twisted mix of pain and lust Sloan and Oriana always pushed to the very edge. Sloan enjoyed Max watching them. Found satisfaction on how hard he got with every lash of the whip. With every head game. “To be honest, I’d fucking love to give you a taste of what I give our beautiful woman.”
Chuckling, Max curved his hand around the side of Sloan’s neck. “That doesn’t surprise me at all. I’ll think about it.”
Perfect. Sloan smiled and patted Max’s cheek. “Glad we had this chat. We should negotiate more often.”
Before he could back away, Max tugged at the collar of his shirt. “Wait.”
Why? Sloan’s lips thinned as Max stared at him. Apparently their ‘chat’ hadn’t been enough. Max just had to fucking push the limits. He held still as the other man’s lips brushed over his and felt…nothing.
He almost wished he’d been turned on. If he had, they’d have something to discuss. A different angle to their relationship. One Max apparently thought they needed. And he couldn’t really blame the man. How many other relationships like theirs involved sharing in every way. Lust and passion exchanged, bringing every person involved closer.
What if Max needed that? Needed a partner he could experience everything with? Oriana made no secret of how often she fantasized about he and Max exploring more. What if Sloan was the one holding them both back?
Oriana giggled.
Sloan’s brow furrowed as she and Max exchanged a look he couldn’t read. “What?”
“You satisfied my curiosity. I reckon I’m good now.” Max grinned then slipped into the backseat beside James’s car seat.
The door closed.
And Sloan stood there, trying to figure out what the fuck had just happened.
“Would you like to drive, Sir?” Oriana shot him a playful smirk as she reached for the door. “You look a little stunned, maybe I should—”
“Explain.”
Licking her bottom lip, Oriana took both his hands in hers. “I think that was more awkward than Silver ‘hate’ flirting with Ford before she knew he was our brother. There was always this underlying…repulsion. Mostly from Ford. Thank God he already knew…”
This was true. Knowing both of Oriana’s younger siblings, things could have gotten very Star-Wars-style-love-triangle if they’d both been ignorant of the facts. Not that he thought he and Max were that bad.
He scowled and shook his head. “I don’t believe that’s a good comparison. If I wanted to fucking kiss him, he’d damn well enjoy it. The man couldn’t get enough of me.”
“But you don’t want to kiss him Sloan. If you did, this would be a very different conversation.” She rose up on her tiptoes, brushing her lips over his, much the way Max had done, only this time, lust pumped through Sloan’s veins. He cupped the back of her head, fingers delving into her hair, and tasted her lips in a long, hungry kiss.
From the open window of the car, Max cleared his throat. “As much as I enjoy watching you both, could we continue this at home?”
Sloan smiled against Oriana’s lips. “Feeling left out?”
Max chuckled. “Just a bit.”
All right, this was better. Sloan kissed Oriana again, swiped the car keys from the pocket of her sweater, and shooed her to the passenger side of the car. Their relationship would continue to evolve, but the tension of not knowing where they all stood was gone. Nothing had to change. They were comfortable. More than satisfied.
He did enjoy teasing though. A little uncertainty was a healthy part of any relationship involving a sadist.
Keeping his tone light, he pulled out onto the road. “You know, a good Dom always strives to meet the needs of those who belong to him. Even if he can’t satisfy those needs himself.”
He caught Oriana’s frown from the corner of his eye. She shook her head. “We agreed to keep things between us.”
“Yes, but if Max has other needs—”
“He doesn’t.”
“You don’t speak for him, pet.” At a red light, Sloan caught Max’s eye in the rearview mirror. “You’re awfully quiet, man.”
Lips quirking into a lazy smile, Max shrugged. “Sorry, I got stuck on one part of what you said and ignored the rest.”
The man knew Sloan too well for him to be much fun to toy with. Sloan brought his attention back to the road as the light turned green. “Which part?”
“I belong to you.”
Not a question. Sloan’s heart swelled, and he remained silent for a few moments to avoid saying anything sappy. The bond between him and Max was strong. Stronger than some who fucked like horny dogs. Fulfilling in its own way.
Together, they gave Oriana everything she could possibly want. They worked together, for her, for one another, and for their family. Which was all they would ever need.
“You’re damn right you do.”
Chapter 28
It was over.
Done.
The end.
And the relief at signing the last of the adoption papers made Sam feel horrible. There had to be something wrong with her. Seriously wrong.
As soon as she walked into Ian’s house, she kicked off her shoes and headed right to the living room, curling up on the sofa
and pulling the thick blue blanket she’d left there last night around her. She kinda wished she’d gone straight to Chicklet’s place. Staying with Ian for an hour before he took off seemed pointless.
“Hey…” Ian came over and crouched down in front of her, rubbing her blanket covered knees. “Are you sure you’re okay? I know you said you were, and I should probably leave you alone, but—”
“I am okay. And it’s freaking me out!” She slammed her fists down on the sofa. “And I don’t want you to leave me alone.”
Ian inclined his head. “Then I won’t. Do you want a beer? Are you allowed to have one?”
For some reason, him being all sweet and careful pissed her off. She ground her teeth, fighting back the urge to take out her irrational irritation on him. “Yes. I can drink.”
He rubbed his lips. “You’re not on any meds?”
“No, and I’m not fucking breastfeeding either. Damn it, why did you offer if you were gonna make a big deal about it?”
Throat working, Ian straightened. The man looked fucking lost. “Sorry.”
“Why are you sorry? You didn’t fucking do anything!” Sam dropped her head back into the sofa, covering her face with the blanket as she let out a loud groan. “I’m sorry. I’m being a total bitch.”
“You aren’t. You’ve been through a lot. I understand—”
“I don’t understand why you’re being so nice.” Sam let the blanket fall and hugged herself. “You didn’t sign on for the insanity that is Samantha Carter.”
Sitting at her side, Ian wrapped one arm around her and kissed her forehead. “Actually, I did. I like you a lot, Sam. I know I’m not around much, but that’s gonna change soon. I’m not here for just the fun stuff.”
“Or any of the fun stuff.” She wrinkled her nose. “And you’re here because it’s your house.”
His lips parted. His brow furrowed.
Then he grinned. “So about that beer.”
Watching him bolt to the kitchen, Sam struggled not to laugh. He was trying so hard, and she appreciated everything he did, but she could drive herself nuts trying to figure out why he bothered with her.
Line Brawl: The Dartmouth Cobras #8 Page 33
