Chapter Thirty-Seven

The Release of Stress (6 Letters)

Seb

After brunch, Silas proudly presented a dish of baked peaches dotted with star anise and cinnamon sticks, as well as a big bowl of thick Greek yoghurt. He thanked me again for the honey as he set it on the table for us to drizzle over the dessert.

After finishing off the meal with some herbal tea, Larkin patted my leg and said, "We should probably get going soon."

"Sure."

"Do you have to go home first to get changed?"

I shook my head. "My suit's in the car. I can get changed at work."

"Just get changed here. I have to go put my suit on anyway." He grinned at me, pushing back his chair. "Thanks for brunch, Mom, Dad."

"Yes, thank you," I hurriedly said. "It was great. Do you need help cleaning up?"

"No, no." Delphine waved a hand as Silas started collecting plates. "You two go and get ready. I have to leave for the shop soon anyway."

"Thank you," I repeated, standing up and tucking in my chair. Larkin twined his fingers through mine, leading me through the living room to the front hall.

"Thanks for coming," he said shyly, shifting into his human form to come outside with me. "It was really nice. I think. Was it okay?" he asked anxiously.

I nodded, grinning down at him as I unlocked my car and reached into the backseat to get my suit. "It was. Your family's great. Does this mean I get to see your room?" I added teasingly.

He laughed, tugging me back toward the house. "Yeah. It's not too exciting though."

By the time we got upstairs, Nolan had already disappeared into his room, judging by the sounds of a game blaring through the door. I looked around with interest as Larkin led me into his bedroom. There was a desk with a gaming PC tucked into the corner, and a faded pink-and-blue tie-dye comforter on the bed.

"Yeah, more tie-dye." He rolled his eyes, dropping my hand to head for his closet. "Mom tie-dyed all of mine and Nolan's sheets during that phase."

I chuckled, shutting the door. "I like it."

I wanted to shift into my werewolf form and roll around in his bed, getting his scent all over me. Placing my suit on the end of it, I toed off my boots and tugged my sweater over my head. Before I'd even finished getting it off, I felt long fingers trailing over my stomach and hooking under the waistband of my jeans.

"Lark," I said sternly, giving him a look as I dropped my sweater on the bed. "Your parents are downstairs."

He flushed but gave me a sly grin, popping the button on my jeans as he innocently said, "I know. Just helping you get undressed. It's not my fault. You shouldn't be so hot."

Laughing, I ducked down and gave him a brief kiss, then smirked at him as I quickly pulled down my zipper and shucked off my jeans.

His eyes flared with heat, hands slipping onto my ass as he sidled closer to press against my front. "I keep thinking about this morning."

My belly lurched with pleasure. Slipping my fingers under his T-shirt to stroke his warm skin, I lowered my head again to kiss him. "You like being inside me, huh?" I murmured.

"Yeah." His voice was a little strangled, his cock firming against my thigh. "I love it. Like, so much. I like being that close to you," he added with a blush.

"Me too." I smiled down at him, then rasped, "I can still feel it. I'll be thinking about it all day at work."

"Seb," he croaked, lunging up to crush his mouth to mine. Between feverish kisses, he breathed, "I keep picturing you fucking me on my desk when we're in the office."

I groaned, my cock straining in my boxer briefs.

"Like that time in Taylor's office," he continued, squeezing my ass restlessly. "Like that, but… your dick inside me this time."

"Lark," I groaned, then broke the kiss to try and calm down. My gaze flickered over to the bed right beside us, before I took a step back and scrubbed my hands over my face. Lowering them, I gave him a stern look. "You know what you're doing. Come on, we have to get dressed."

He snickered, looking flushed as he reached down to press the heel of his hand into the erection in his jeans. "I just really wanna give you a handie in my bed. That would, like, fuel every jerk-off sesh in there for the foreseeable future."

My cock jerked in my boxer briefs. I glanced at the door, then down at the bed again, feeling my willpower crumble.

"We have to make it quick," I heard myself say, reaching for Larkin's cardigan and pushing it off his shoulders.

His eyes brightened as he bounced on his toes. "Fuck yes."

I chuckled as he pushed me back onto the bed and eagerly scrambled over me.

"Quick," I reminded him. "And quiet ."

—

"Hey, you two."

I was sitting on the couch in the office doing a crossword later that afternoon when Taylor poked his head in.

"Hey, T-bone," Larkin said cheerfully from his desk. He was still in a chirpy mood thanks to the fast, intense blowjob I'd given him after he jerked me off in his room. He'd had to keep a hand clamped over his mouth the whole time to stay quiet, his trembling legs squeezing my sides.

"Holt's in the arena talking to the bar staff, right?" Taylor asked, glancing at Holt's office door.

"Uh-huh."

"Okay, good." Taylor stepped inside and shut the door. "Corey told me that Holt's birthday is this coming weekend. This weekend . Why didn't he tell me?"

"Oh." Larkin shot me an uneasy look. "Um, boss man gets a little… weird about his birthday."

"Last year he told us not to get him anything, but Lark still got him a cake. He ate the entire thing in his office," I said flatly.

Larkin snickered. "And then he tried to convince us that we had a rat infestation. Of rats that really like birthday cake. And use a fork to eat it."

"He got himself one of those really expensive LED phototherapy mask things, right?" I asked Larkin with a tiny smile. "The thing that looks like you've peeled the face off an android."

"Oh god, yeah. Scared the shit out of me when I went in there and he was using it at his desk."

"Right." Taylor shifted anxiously. "So he doesn't like the thought of getting older?"

Larkin burst out laughing. "Um, no, dude, he does not."

"Oh. But I kind of… wanted to arrange something for him. Like a party or something."

Larkin perked up. "A party? Oh yeah, you totally should, broseph. He'd love it."

" Would he, though? Or would he prefer I did something really low-key? I don't want to just ignore it." Taylor frowned.

"If you organised him a party, he'd love it," Larkin assured him. "But… yeah, just be prepared for him to start getting weird this week. He always does in the run-up."

"Weird how?"

"Like buying himself things like really expensive LED phototherapy masks," I said dryly, which made Larkin snort and grin at me. "The year before that, he came into work wearing a backwards cap and a shiny pink tracksuit."

"What?" Larkin squawked with a gurgle of laughter. "Fuck, I can't believe I missed that."

I grinned and shrugged. "It suited him, to be fair. And the thick gold chain."

Larkin snickered. "Did he look like Hogbody?"

"Yes. He got changed when Coach Boris commented on his excellent fashion sense."

"Oh my god." Larkin cracked up, almost sliding off his chair.

"Maybe I shouldn't plan anything," Taylor said anxiously.

Larkin sobered up and shook his head. "No, you should! Seriously, bro, he'll love it if you organise something for him. He'll appreciate the gesture. And it's Holt. You know he loves being the centre of attention. We've all seen the big neon ‘Holt' sign the moment you walk into his house."

"Yeah." Taylor sounded unsure as he chewed on his lip.

"A party might stop him buying something strange," I commented. "Get it out of his system that way instead."

"That's true." Larkin nodded. "He stopped bothering to use that mask thing after, like, three weeks. Total waste of money, bro."

"Okay." Taylor looked at us both uncertainly. "I was just thinking something like… I don't know. Bowling, or—"

He fell silent when the door opened behind him. Holt stepped into the room, looked at all of us, then announced, "I was thinking of buying a boat."

We stared at him in silence, until Taylor hesitantly said, "A… boat, Holt?"

He waved a hand as he kissed Taylor on the cheek, wrapping an arm around his waist. "Yeah. Just… I don't know, like a party boat."

"A party boat?" Larkin got out in a strangled voice, face turning a deeper blue as he held back his laughter.

I cleared my throat and calmly pointed out, "Not too many big bodies of water around here, boss."

"We could drive somewhere." Holt thought about it. "Okay, maybe a party bus instead? Ooh, or a motorbike."

"A party motorbike?" Larkin asked, voice tight with suppressed laughter.

Holt glared at him. " No, obviously not. Just a really awesome bike. I'd look great on it. Taylor could ride on the back."

Taylor quickly shook his head. "I'm not riding on the back of a motorbike, Holt."

"Why not?" Holt pouted, looking over at him. "You'd look hot in leather, babe."

As Taylor flushed bright red, Larkin and I exchanged a glance. My mouth twitched as he pursed his lips, looking like he was about to burst.

"Holt, can I show you the mock-ups for the new layout in the arena?" Taylor asked hurriedly. "With the additional seats."

"Sure." Holt smiled at him and turned them toward the door. As they were leaving, he said, "With the extra revenue every week, we'll definitely be able to afford a party boat."

The moment their voices had faded, Larkin burst out laughing and said, "I'm definitely getting Holt some dad sneakers for his birthday."