“What’s wrong?” I asked as Ford stomped back into the office, phone in his hand and a glare on his face. I wanted to reach out and cup his chin, force him to look at me, but we were at work. And though we were blending everything else in our lives, we decided it would be easier if we didn’t make out at work, because we were the bosses, and we didn’t need to screw everything up in every aspect of our lives.
“I swear to God, I’m going to scream if I have to deal with that woman one more time.”
I raised a brow, grateful that we didn’t have any clients in the building. But it wasn’t like Ford to blurt things without thinking.
“Was it her again? I didn’t know you have her on the docket.”
“I don’t. Daisy helped her yesterday, and apparently she wasn’t happy. She somehow got my phone number and won’t stop texting me.”
Alarmed, I sat up straighter. “What the hell? We’re unlisted for a reason.”
“Yeah well, it’s my personal number, and you know we use our numbers for every fucking thing to log in. I guess I’m listed somewhere, and she found me.”
I cursed and held out my hand for his phone. “Let me see.”
“You want to see her texting me and raging that I’m not helping her?”
“Yes, and then you’re going to tell Daisy about it, we’re going to stop working for Jocelyn Price.”
Ford ran a hand over his face and slid over the phone. “I hate this. I don’t know why she suddenly either has it in for me or decided that we meant something more to each other than her being a client that I set up security for. I don’t want her to feel unsafe, but dammit, it’s getting weird.”
I rubbed my temple as Gus walked in, box in hand.
“What’s that?” I asked, exhausted already. It was a long day, and I still needed to go work with my clients after they had postponed our appointment four times.
“Just some of the equipment that we pulled from the last appointment. It’s bugging me, and I want to figure out if I can fix it.”
Gus was a whizz with technology, and I nodded. “Sounds good. Do you need help?”
“You have an appointment to go to, don’t you?” Ford asked as he held out his hand for his phone. I had already copied everything over, scowling at the texts demanding that Ford help her in every way possible.
No, we would not be working with Jocelyn Price anymore. And I would make sure that either I or Daisy would handle it. I knew Kane and Kingston would as well, but since I was here, and Daisy had been the one to work with her last, it would be one of us.
Nobody hurt Ford. He was mine, if only for the moment, so I wasn’t going to let anyone hurt him.
“You’re working with Henderson again today?” Ford asked, and I sighed.
“How do you know?”
“Because you get this little pulse at your temple whenever you think of him.” Ford reached out and brushed his finger along my temple. I froze, my gaze going to Gus, who just smiled quietly and went back to his work.
When I scowled at Ford, my best friend and lover shrugged, as if he hadn’t just touched me at work when we were trying not to do that.
“Anyway, I’m going to work on a few things and then I need to head up to my brothers’. You sure you don’t want to go?” Ford asked and I shook my head. I liked dinner with the Cages. It was very much like dinner with my family. Loud, boisterous, with some infighting, but mostly just teasing and lots of good food.
I had been there countless times before, just like Ford ate often with my family, but now things were different.
We were doing our best not to put labels on anything, because if we did that, I knew they would shatter. And I was waiting for Ford to realize we were better off as friends, and for Greer and Ford to realize that they clicked better with just each other. After all, I had grown up in a poly household. I knew things weren’t easy. My parents loved each other, got along, and when they fought it wasn’t something life-changing, it was something they just needed to discuss. But the outside world didn’t always agree. There had been protests at one of my schools when I was a kid, something I barely remembered because my parents had sheltered me from it. There had been a time on a vacation where my mother had been threatened and nearly attacked. There had been slurs and even local governments trying to make laws because certain people on their councils hadn’t agreed with my parents’ so-called lifestyle. So my aunt and uncle had joined the council themselves, all to protect my parents and our family.
While the sex and the heat and the emotions between us could last, I knew that the real world wasn’t always easy. So as long as I didn’t screw up my friendship with both of them, I could enjoy this moment, even though my blurted-out instinct of wanting to keep her wasn’t going to come to fruition.
“What’s going on in your head?” Ford asked as he leaned against my desk, his voice low.
I shook my head, pushing all thoughts of that out of my mind. I had to live in the moment and prepare for the worst. That was my job after all. “Nothing. I’ll finish a couple of traces when I get home, but dinner? I have so much shit to do, and I’ll probably still be at the Henderson house when you finish. Say hi to the family.” I paused, frowning. “You’re bringing Greer?”
Ford’s brows rose. “I don’t think Greer is ready for a family dinner. And then we’d have to flip coins on which family dinner it would be first. Because you know they’ll fight over it. Playfully, but they’ll do it.”
I snorted. “You outnumber my family. At least in terms of my immediate family.”
After all, I had two sisters and a brother, but if you added all of the cousins, I had at least twenty. Maybe fifty if I really did the math with the extended family. But Ford had six brothers.
“We’ll flip a coin when the time comes for something like that. But you’ve been to countless dinners at my family’s house.”
I was aware Gus was listening, because it wasn’t like we were being quiet, but I still lowered my voice. “And it would be different now, wouldn’t it? I don’t know. Maybe I’m just overthinking.”
“Well, that makes sense. You think harder than anyone.”
“Amen.” We both scowled at Gus, who just shrugged, equipment all over his desk as he studied it. “What? It’s not like you guys were in a secret room. You’re having an important conversation right in front of me. Either way, I hope you guys figure it out. It’s about fucking time.”
“Gus,” Ford began, and I just laughed.
“If you’re going to ask questions about us, I’m going to ask questions about a certain somebody that you work with.”
As Ford held back laughter, Gus shut his mouth, his eyes going wide before he scowled. Then the other man went back to work without another word, and I figured we were even.
“And on that note, I’m taking my phone and going back to work. Then I’m going to dinner. Good luck with the Henderson house.”
I just shook my head, knowing it was going to take more than luck. I finished up my work and shot off a quick text to Daisy so she knew what we needed to do about Ford’s client. She sent an eyeroll emoji, then a skeleton, and I just shook my head, knowing that she wanted to kick ass as much as I did. Nobody hurt Ford, even though I knew I might.
Instead, I made my way to the client’s house. Nolan Henderson stood on the front porch, arms folded over his wide chest. The man was former special ops, and could probably break me with a single pinky, and that was saying something, since I worked out every day and was trained in multiple fighting styles. But Nolan was trained to kill. At least, that’s what the guys had said when they had seen him, and though we had been joking, I wasn’t sure we were off the mark.
I pulled in front of the single-story home with gray shutters, a two-car garage, and bars over the windows. We hadn’t added them, and I had a feeling the HOA wasn’t pleased with them. But Nolan Henderson got what he wanted when it came to keeping his place secure—even if it made no sense.
“You’re late,” Nolan said from the porch, and I looked down at my phone. I was six minutes early, but I didn’t say anything. Nolan was the type of guy who thought that being fifteen minutes early was on time and being on time was late. And while I agreed with him, if I had shown up fifteen minutes early like I had the first time, Nolan would’ve berated me for being early enough to waste time and block his driveway. Which I hadn’t done, but the guy loved finding things to pick at.
I nodded and pointed towards the camera that was malfunctioning.
“I’ll get to work,” I said, my voice low, not bothering to even introduce myself again or say hello. The other man wouldn’t appreciate it.
“I’ll be watching you. I want to make sure it’s done right this time.”
“No problem. Would you like me to explain what I’m doing?”
“I know what you’re doing. I’m not an idiot. I’ve seen more and done more than you could ever dream of, boy.”
I sighed internally because if I did it audibly, I’d have to deal with the man’s attitude. Then I got to work, ignoring the way Mr. Henderson continued to try to explain how to do my job. The thing was, the other man was wrong. He didn’t know what he was doing, and the reason that the thing was malfunctioning wasn’t our fault. Someone had clearly fucked with it. And I had a feeling if I looked at the feed, it would be Nolan himself. He thought he knew best and wanted to fix something he thought was broken. I didn’t say anything though, because I would need proof in order to figure out what to do about him as a client, so I just got to work and listened to the man berate me.
“There’s another few things I need you to look at. Come.”
“On it,” I said.
“I’m your elder, you should call me sir.”
“Mr. Henderson, we both know that I’m not doing that.”
He glared at me and I could have kicked myself.
“I’m sorry. That was rude.”
“Damn straight it was.” He mumbled things that I didn’t want to hear, and it made me wonder why he’d even hired our company. There were other companies that would serve his needs just as well that would have the same opinions he did. I glanced through a window and saw a hate sign in bright colors and kicked myself. Shit. If this guy found out that the people keeping him secure were mostly queer and thought all people deserved equal rights, things would hit the fan.
If I had my way, this would be our last visit here. I’d ask the crew, but I had a feeling they’d agree. We didn’t serve hate.
We turned the corner and Nolan pointed up at the side of the house. “You missed this. How many other things are you missing?”
I frowned at the place where a camera could have been, but Henderson had decided he didn’t want one there. I just took notes and explained the next step of installation for the project.
“If you’d like that, we can work that for you.”
“Damn straight. I want the best.” He paused. “I heard about what happened in your building. You missed that, too, didn’t you? Some serial killer or something just living right next to you. I don’t know why I keep hiring you, but the wife liked that you hire women. Though I don’t know why you would.” He continued to rant sexist and rude drivel, but all I could do was hear my heartbeat in my ears.
Because he was talking about the man I had missed. The man who had hurt Raven, and so many others. He wasn’t a serial killer, had never killed anyone. But he hurt them. And it could have been worse. But there was no paper trail, there had been no sign of what that man was.
But there must have been. I hadn’t dug deep enough. That had to be the case.
I hadn’t protected my family enough.
I swallowed hard and let the man berate me, I deserved it for that. And then I finished installing and made sure he knew the bill was coming. The man growled, and I had a feeling we’d be losing another client. We needed the money, needed the clients, but we didn’t need to deal with this bullshit every day.
Annoyed, I thought maybe I should have gone with Ford to his family’s house, get some dinner, and be with people who actually liked me. But I wasn’t in the mood.
I was tired and pissed off.
I parked in the garage next to Greer’s car and was relieved she was there. At least, grateful because I liked being near her, but she didn’t need to see this mood. So when I walked inside to the scent of some form of curry, I stopped in my tracks.
“You’re cooking?”
She smiled over at me and nodded toward the pot on the stove. “Yes, I’m trying a new recipe but I’m realizing the whole house is going to smell like curry for like the next few days. So I opened up all the windows, and now Horatio is in the back window, meowing at a bird.” She rolled her eyes, and a little bit of the tension from the day left my shoulders.
It was amazing that she could do that. Just one look, a little laugh, and I could breathe again. I couldn’t rely on that. I knew things would change.
“Smells damn good.”
“Well thank you. Are you hungry?”
“I wasn’t, but now I am.” My voice got a little deeper when I said that.
“I meant for food.”
“Honestly I did too.”
“Okay good. Because I really want to try this. I know Ford’s with his brothers, but the leftovers will still be good.”
“I didn’t know you cooked like this,” I said as I set my things down on the kitchen island.
“I don’t always, Raven’s the better cook. But I like to try new things. And since I got my favorite wok out of storage, I figured now was a good time to test a new recipe.”
Not able to help it, I leaned forward and brushed the hair back from her face that had fallen out of her ponytail. And then I kissed her softly. She opened for me, sighing into my mouth.
“Hello.”
“I was going to say welcome home, but that felt a little too domestic. And now I realize that I’m sitting here making food, so maybe this is domestic. But after all, we’re roommates—who occasionally get to kiss.”
“Occasionally,” I said, kissing her again. “I’m glad you have some of your things here. That you’re settling in.”
“It’s a little weird but I’m getting used to it. Although I’m realizing there’re things that I do need, so I’m constantly adding to my list of things to buy once the insurance check comes in.”
There was a look of worry on her face, and I knew it was because we were waiting to see if it was truly arson, or an accident. Because we didn’t know who would have done it. It didn’t make any sense, and we were in limbo while we waited.
“Anything you need for the house that’s shareable, let us know. We’ve got it.”
“No, you don’t need to pay for everything for me. The fact that you’re even letting me live here is amazing.”
“And you don’t need to worry about things that the house needs, because if you think the house needs it, then Ford and I need it too.”
“Oh really? That’s how easy it is?”
“It can be.”
“Hmm,” she said, then studied my face and turned off the stove. “What’s going on? You have little lines at the sides of your eyes.”
I sighed and shook my head. “Do I need to go get Botox or something? Ford and you both mentioned that today,” I said laughing, rubbing my temples.
“They’re not fine lines, it’s just stress. Are you okay?”
I shrugged, and then figured it was good to share part of my day. That’s what friends did, didn’t they?
“It’s just been a long day.” I explained about the Henderson and Price accounts, and the fact that we were dealing with customer service that really didn’t feel like any service.
“What the hell? Do you have to work with them? Or can you just pick better clients?”
“Well, annoying clients need security too. However, we are probably going to drop both of them. We need clients of course, but we do have good word-of-mouth with our good clients, and with Ford’s family wanting more and more of our expertise on their jobs, and the Montgomery Construction arm needing more security as well, we sort of have a waiting list.”
“You see? You don’t need the stress of these then. You’ve got this.”
She put her hand on my chest, her smile bright, and I leaned down and took her lips with mine again.
“I like this.”
She smiled up at me, tilting her head. “You like what? The taste of curry? Because I’ve been sampling all day.”
I snorted, before I took her lips again. “That is a plus. But I like coming home and talking to you. I get to do that with Ford, but we also work together so he usually knows what I’m stressed about. I just like doing both.”
She wrapped her arms around my waist and hugged me tight. I held her close to me.
“I like you being here too. It’s weird though, how easy this sometimes feels even though I know it’s not easy. However, I’m glad that you’re home and ready to eat.”
I smiled then, and her eyes widened. “Noah.”
“You think the dinner will be okay on the stove for just a little bit longer?”
“It’s just the lids on the pots, and the heat’s off, so it should be fine. What do you have in mind?”
In answer, I gripped her hips and lifted her. She let out a little squeak and wrapped her arms around my neck, and then wrapped her legs around my waist.
“Noah.”
“Don’t worry, I promise I won’t be long. I just need an appetizer.”
I crushed my mouth to hers as I walked her towards the living room. I set her on the back of the couch and let her legs dangle around my waist.
“I just want a little taste.”
I kissed her again, running my hands up and down her body. I cupped her breasts, loving how she rocked into me. I slid her shirt up, then her bra, so I could lick at her breasts and taste and touch. She moaned and gripped the couch so she wouldn’t fall over. I was very happy she wore a skirt today, and slowly, oh so slowly, slid the skirt up.
“Noah, the windows are open.”
“Nobody can see, but that does mean you’re not going to be able to scream my name when you come.”
“Oh my God,” she mumbled, and I knew she was trying to keep her voice low.
It wasn’t going to last for long, the neighbors would probably hear.
But I didn’t care.
I knelt before her, and groaned at what was waiting for me.
“Where the fuck are your panties, Greer?”
Greer looked down at me and licked her lips. “Um, I may have been playing with a new toy earlier. Just to see if it worked.”
Her clit was swollen, her pussy wet, and I swallowed. “What toy?”
“Um, just a little flower thing. I don’t know if I really like it.”
She blushed, her entire body pinkening, and I smiled.
“And why is that?”
“Because it’s supposed to mimic oral sex, but you and Ford are way better at it. I don’t know, a little air blowing on my clit is amazing, and it made my toes curl, but your mouth on my pussy? That makes me fall right off this couch.”
“Well then, you’d better hold on,” I said, just before I leaned forward and licked her cunt. She groaned loudly, and then put her hand over her mouth, trying to hold back her screams.
I spread her, looking at her cunt, her little hard bud of a clit, before I leaned down to suck and to lick. She was wet, her juices covering my beard. I kept at it, loving the way she rocked against my face. When I pressed my nose against her clit, my tongue spearing her, she wiggled against my face. So I kept eating and sucking and taking my fill. She was so beautiful, the way that she arched in front of me, and I wanted more. When she came, she moaned slowly at first, before it reached a crescendo, and I could hear her press her hand to her mouth, trying to keep her voice quiet.
“Noah. I can’t.”
I smiled before I pulled her off the couch and flipped her around. She was bent over in front of me, ass up, skirt over her hips.
“I was wondering if I could have an appetizer, because I want your cock in my mouth.”
“I don’t think I can wait,” I growled as I played with her tits, loving the way that they filled my hands.
She was still partially dressed, I was fully dressed—I even still had my shoes on. But I reached into the drawer next to the couch and pulled out a length of condoms.
Greer looked over her shoulder at me, eyes widening when she saw what I held.
“What? We like to be prepared,” I said, teasing, before I pulled my cock out and slid the condom on. She groaned at the sight, and then I took her hips, spread her cheeks, and slammed into her. She let out a scream that I knew would echo to the neighbors, and I didn’t care. Because my groan followed. Her pussy was tight, wet, and it was all I could do not to pummel into her just then. But then she pressed her ass back into my hips, went on her tiptoes, and started to fuck me.
It was hard and fast and wet and loud, and I loved it. I knew the entire neighborhood could probably hear us, and I would deal with the ramifications later, but I didn’t care. All that mattered was Greer, her cunt squeezing me as she came again. I followed her.
I slid my hands around her, bringing her back to my front as I slowly slid in and out of her, letting the orgasm take both of us, holding her close, and kissed her neck.
“Damn, talk about an appetizer.”
“You’re a menace. How am I supposed to face the neighbors?”
“They’ll know you’re well taken care of. And don’t worry, if anyone says anything to you, you tell me. I’ll deal with it.”
“Noah, I can deal with it too. I promise, I’m strong.”
I kissed her again as I angled her face to me. “I know. Now, let’s get to that dinner.”
She laughed, her whole body shaking against me, and I let myself live in this moment. Because this felt right, even if it was only temporary.