Chapter 12

Chapter

Twelve

TREY

The longest five days of my life. These have been the longest five days of my life. Every time my phone rang, I feared it was her calling to end things.

I’m pretty sure I have an ally in her grandmother. That’s been my only saving grace. She pulled me aside before I left and told me she was confident things would work out between us. I’m praying she’s right.

I’m in an Uber on the way to a club with Layton, Cheetah, and their teammate Ezra Decker. He’s a friend of theirs. I’ve only met him a handful of times. He seems like a good guy.

Cheetah asks, “Are Gemma’s friends as hot as her?” She and a bunch of her friends are meeting us there for a New Year’s Eve party.

I glare at him with a disapproving scowl on my face. “Val, CJ, and Taylor are off-limits. They’re her close friends, and I don’t need you fucking them and leaving them, causing years of issues for Gemma and me. Taylor is bringing two friends who I know Gemma doesn’t consider her friends. You can fuck them.”

He twists his lips. “What do they look like?”

“I have no idea. I haven’t met any of her friends. I know Val and CJ have been her closest friends since they were kids, and Taylor since college. That’s it.”

Layton shrugs as if he doesn’t have a care in the world. He always goes home with a woman. He barely has to work for it. Cheetah does too, but for some reason, he enjoys a bit of a chase.

We walk into the club and are immediately escorted by management to the VIP area. We have a huge roped-off booth big enough for the ten of us. There are several bottles of good champagne on ice waiting for us when we arrive, along with bottles of vodka and whiskey. Yep, sometimes it’s good to be a baseball player.

We sit in the booth and enjoy our first round as we wait for our guests. I’m truly on edge. I have no idea how things are going to play out.

Layton grabs my shaking knee. “Fuck’s sake, man. Chill out. It will all work out in the end.”

“One day you’ll meet the right woman and lose all your chill. I’m buying a front-row ticket.”

Ezra chuckles. “I’m not sure that will ever happen. Too many women have been #laidbylayton .”

Layton gives a cocky smirk.

Cheetah places his hand on my shoulder. “Don’t freak out, but Gemma is headed this way with two good-looking guys.”

I immediately turn toward the VIP area entrance where I see her in a form-fitting, short red dress that leaves little to the imagination though somehow, it’s still elegant. It’s got a low neckline, and her full tits look amazing. Her hair is in a stylish ponytail, and her lips are painted her signature red.

He sucks in a breath. “Fuck, DePaul, she’s so hot. Her body is ridiculous. You’re a lucky man.”

My mouth waters, but he’s right. She’s flanked on either side by two tall guys, a brunette and a blond. Her arms are linked through theirs and they’re all laughing. What the fuck?

I practically sprint from my seat to her. She gives me the sexiest smile when I approach.

I grab her into my arms and lift her off the ground as I kiss the shit out of her. She lets out a small screech at first but then runs her fingers through my hair and kisses me right back. Deeply. She even moans.

Take that, fuckers.

She smiles into my mouth. “I missed you too.” She pats my arm. “Now put me down.”

I begrudgingly place her feet on the ground but tuck her snugly into my side. Very snugly.

The brunette guy chuckles. “I think someone wants everyone to know you’re his.”

I practically bark, “Who are you?”

He holds out his hand with an unaffected smile. “I’m Valentino Mancini. My friends call me Val. I hear you have a magical dick.”

Gemma punches his arm. “Where’s your bro code?”

I pinch my eyebrows together. “ You’re Val? Gemma’s best friend Val?”

He chuckles. “She didn’t tell you that her best friends are men, did she? Classic Gemma.”

She shrugs. “I don’t see you as men. You’re sexless to me. If you didn’t bang all my sorority sisters when you guys visited me in college, I wouldn’t be sure either of you had a penis.”

The blond lets out a laugh as he holds out his hand. “I’m Christopher Johns. Everyone calls me CJ. And to be clear, I have a penis.” He leans forward and loudly whispers, “And it’s really big.”

Gemma gently kicks his shin. “No way it’s big. Your hands are tiny.”

He narrows his eyes at her. “That’s a myth. Hand size means nothing. ”

She grabs my hand, which is admittedly unusually large, and holds it up in front of them. “Let me assure you, not a myth. He’s got the biggest…hands, I’ve ever seen.”

She bats her eyelashes at them.

I feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone , but I hear Cheetah, Layton, and Ezra all laughing behind me. Val laughs too before offering to buy drinks for everyone.

I shake my head. “We already have a few bottles at the table.” I motion toward the booth. “Come join us.”

They walk toward the booth, but Gemma pulls me to stay put. She wraps her arms around my waist and looks up at me with nothing but warmth in her eyes. “I missed you. How about a fresh start for us?”

I breathe a sigh of relief. “Yes. Please.”

“No more lies.”

I agree, “No more lies.”

She squeezes me. “I missed your big hands on my body.”

I run them over her ass and hips. “How about I keep them on you all night long to make up for lost time?”

She smiles. “I’d like that.” Moving her hands up to my neck, she pulls me down and mumbles, “Lips too.”

Her soft lips meet mine. I can taste vodka on her breath, but she seems happy, so I am too.

After breaking the kiss, I ask, “Did you start drinking without me?”

“We did a few shots before we came. We’re ready for a good time.”

“I didn’t know that your two best friends were men.”

She blows out a breath. “I guess I didn’t mention it. Sorry. Honestly, it’s no different for me than if they were women.”

I’m trying to play it cool. “When you walked in, I thought you were trying to get me to do the why choose trope.”

She lets out a laugh. “If I did, it definitely wouldn’t be with those two.” She makes a look of disgust. “Ugh. Gross.”

I suppose that makes me feel better .

We walk over to the table. I sit and pull her onto my lap. She happily obliges.

Layton holds out his hand. “I’m Layton, it’s nice to finally meet you.”

Gemma proceeds to do the whole long handshake routine that he does with their coach on the field.

He smiles at her. “I love that you know our handshake.”

She giggles. “I’m a big fan. I love watching you guys play. CJ, Val, and I go to a bunch of games every year. A few more drinks, and I’m going to ask you to record a video for my grandmother. She’s obsessed with you.”

“Any time. Trey said that Grammy Jane is a riot.”

She looks at me and tilts her head. “You told Layton Lancaster about Grammy Jane?”

“Of course. She’s the best, and she means a lot to you.”

She traces my lower lip with her index finger. “Remind me to tell you something later when we’re alone.”

“Okay.”

She then holds out her hand for Cheetah. “Nice to meet you too. I love it when you dance on the field.”

He winks at her. “I love it when you watch me dance. You’ll have to join me on the field this year. Maybe we’ll do a slow dance together.”

I squeeze her possessively. “Don’t flirt with my girl, dickhead.”

“Can’t help it. She’s smokin’ hot.”

Gemma smiles. “You’re a troublemaker, Cheetah, aren’t you?”

He grins as he nods. He loves pushing buttons.

“I hear you’re a romance reader.”

He looks around. “Shh. I have a rep to protect, but you’re my dirty-talking queen. And I love all the fun places where your characters have sex. Have you done them in real life?”

Val and CJ simultaneously answer, “No.”

How would they know ?

She narrows her eyes at them. “You fuckers don’t know everything about me. I’ve got a scene in an upcoming book that Trey will recognize. He bent me over my—”

I cover her mouth while Layton and Cheetah chuckle.

Cheetah asks, “How about you and I create a book club? We can have monthly meetings and chat about our favorite romance books.”

She nods enthusiastically as she downs an entire glass of champagne. “I’d love that.”

I whisper, “Slow down.”

“Lighten up, Trey.” She leans back into my body. “Drink up and take advantage of me. I’m feeling very frisky tonight.”

With a tone of disbelief, CJ asks, “Did you really get your dick pierced for her?”

I nod. “I sure did. I’d do anything for her.”

Layton lets out a laugh. “Cheetah and I went with him. We both passed out cold. It was nuts. Pun intended.”

Gemma’s eyes flutter. “Sooo fucking worth it.”

Everyone laughs. Gemma is definitely in a good mood tonight. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it wasn’t this. I suppose I should be happy.

I smirk. “I took the jewelry out for the first time the other day and the craziest thing happened. When I pissed, it came out of both holes.”

Cheetah spits his drink. “Are you serious?”

“Yep. I looked it up. It appears as though I’m going to be a messy pisser for life.”

They’re all laughing. I knew they’d get a kick out of it.

I look around. “Is Taylor a guy too? I need to prepare myself.”

I see Val and CJ’s faces scrunch up. I guess they don’t like Taylor.

Val answers, “No, she’s a snobby girl, and her friends are even snobbier.”

Gemma slaps his hand. “Stop it. Taylor is sweet. But, yeah, her friends suck. I hate going out with them. They’re manhunters.”

Cheetah shrugs. “Are they hot?”

CJ nods. “Yes, it’s their only redeeming quality.”

Everyone at the table happily chats for a while until Gemma whispers in my ear, “Let’s dance. I want to see your moves again.”

That’s not a bad idea. I joke, “Is this just an excuse to touch me?”

Her eyes light up. “Maybe.”

We get up to go to the dance floor when Val pulls me aside and quietly says, “I watered down her vodka. I always do. She didn’t drink that much. She’s just nervous about the two of you. She’s into you. Really into you, and it’s scaring her.”

I slap his back. “Thanks, man. I appreciate it.”

He grabs my arm a little harder and gives me a look of warning. “Take care of our girl. She’s a diamond.”

I’m realizing how much these guys care about her. They look out for her. I think I like that.

I nod my head once. “Always.”

We make our way to the crowded dance floor. We’re out there having the time of our lives. We laugh and kiss, dance and touch, smile and fall more in love. She doesn’t drink anymore. She’s simply high on life and us.

At some point, the rest of the gang joins us, but Gemma and I are in our bubble. I barely register meeting Taylor and the two girls whose names I never caught. Layton and Cheetah end up dirty dancing with them.

Midnight rolls around, and I hold my girl tight in my arms as the clock ticks down to midnight. We stare into each other’s eyes, and I know without any doubt that I will be looking into these same green eyes every New Year’s Eve for the rest of my life. The look she’s giving me suggests she feels the same.

Val and CJ eventually leave with two women they met. They first make sure that I’m taking care of Gemma .

It’s nearly three in the morning when we crash through Gemma’s front door kissing. She kicks off her shoes and throws her purse. She then whispers into my mouth, “Oh god, Trey, I want you so bad.”

While still kissing her, I remove my blazer and toss it to the side somewhere. I mumble into her, “Longest five days of my life. This fucking dress gave me a perma-boner all night. I need to sink myself inside you. Stat.”

She giggles. “Perma-boner. I like that expression. I’m using it in a book.”

I break our kiss enough to lift her dress over her head. My eyes move up and down her body. She’s in a red lace thong and matching strapless bra. I look at her in awe. She’s so fucking hot. I have to grab my dick before he explodes.

She notices and licks her lips. “I need to suck your big dick. Pull it out. Right here.”

“Let’s go to your bedroom.”

“No, right now. I need it. I want to choke on you.”

At a speed I didn’t know I was capable of, I unbutton and unzip my pants, freeing my straining cock.

As it springs free, she stares at it and declares, “You have the best dick,” before dropping to her knees in front of me. She grabs the base while sucking my balls into her hot little mouth.

I hiss in pleasure.

After lavishing attention over every inch of my balls, she licks her way up and circles my piercing, flicking her tongue over it several times. This piercing may be the second-best decision I’ve ever made in my life. The first is applying to Book Boyfriend Builders.

I unbutton my shirt while she continues to pay glorious attention to my piercing. My dick is impossibly hard right now.

I look down, and we make eye contact. I command, “Open wide, baby,” as she spreads her lips and feeds my cock into her mouth. I love watching it disappear between her full lips with her green eyes looking up at me.

Her head begins to bob up and down, never breaking that eye contact. This is the exact image that was playing in my mind when I got the piercing. It’s so erotic to see it come to life like this. This woman is my every fantasy come to life.

“Touch your pussy, baby. Then show me how wet you are. I want to see how wet sucking my cock makes you.”

Without hesitation, she slides her free hand into her panties and runs it through herself a few times before lifting her hand, showing me the evidence of her extreme arousal.

“Soaked. Like I thought.” I grab her hand and suck her fingers into my mouth. “Hmm. Tasty. I’ve missed my favorite meal.”

Her eyes shade over with lust as she stares up at me and moans on my dick. I can hear the sound of my piercing vibrating in the back of her throat.

She mumbles around me, “Fuck my mouth.”

I grab onto her hair and thrust my hips a bit. Her eyes begin to water, but she takes every inch of me. This is the greatest sight I’ve ever seen. I can’t hold off. “I’m about to blow.”

She pulls back and pants, “I want it. Give it to me. Every drop.”

Her mouth immediately latches on again. My whole fucking body tingles and goes numb as every ounce of blood travels to my cock. I let out a loud grunt as I come long and hard into her mouth. Like the goddess she is, she drinks every ounce of it.

When I’m done, I immediately lift her and smash my lips to hers. I can taste my saltiness on her.

After a deep kiss, she shoves my chest until we’re standing a few inches apart and breathes, “I have a new trope I want you to try.”

“Anything,” I mutter, “except why choose. ”

She gives me a sexy smile. “Not why choose.” She bites her lip. “Ever since I saw what a good dancer you are, I can’t stop thinking of you stripping for me. I want the striptease trope.”

I narrow my eyes at her. “Is that a real trope?”

She shrugs as she looks my body up and down. “It is now.”

I smirk. “No problem.” I pull out my phone from my pocket. “You have a song in mind, ma’am? I take requests.”

She places her hands on her hips. “Only the greatest striptease song ever created from the greatest movie of all time. ‘Pony’ from Magic Mike .”

I chuckle. “Of course. I should have known.”

I pull it up on my phone and hit play as I begin swaying my hips to the sultry beat.

She stares at my movements with amusement sparkling in her eyes.

While still dancing, I slowly tease removing my shirt, but don’t actually remove it just yet. It’s complete with a few ab rolls and hip thrusts.

She watches on with rapt fascination as she bites her bottom lip and her fingers dip into her panties.

I turn around, bend at the waist, and then slowly make my way back up. With my back still facing her, I slide my pants down my legs, bending over again.

I hear her moans of pleasure. She whispers to herself, “Best ass ever.”

After kicking my pants away, I slowly dance over to her, pick her up, and swing her around a bit. She squeals with delight before I lay her on the ground.

Maintaining an arm’s length distance as I hover above her, I roll my body and gyrate over her just like the guys do in the movie, teasing but not yet touching any part of her body. I suck her Gemma-soaked fingers into my mouth all without breaking stride.

She writhes and breathes, “You’re so hot.”

I barely brush my covered cock across her covered pussy each time I roll my hips over her. Her eyes flutter with each pass and she attempts to thrust her hips up, desperate for contact.

Looking around the room, I notice a Santa hat hanging on her Christmas tree. I stand and quickly grab it before placing it on my head.

She reaches her hands toward me. “I want Santa inside my chimney.”

I wiggle my eyebrows. “Ho, ho, ho, down your chimney I go.”

She giggles. I love that sound.

Standing over her, I slowly remove my shirt, making a teasing spectacle of it, much to her delight. She has her hands behind her head as she watches on with a huge smile on her gorgeous face.

After discarding my boxer briefs, I then repeat the gyrating routine over her again. She reaches up for my cock and begins stroking it.

My body hovers and ripples over hers until the song ends. She tosses the Santa hat and mouths, “Fuck me. Now.”

Easily lifting her off the ground, I carry her to her bedroom with her gorgeous body wrapped around mine. She kisses, licks, and nibbles my neck and shoulders along the way. She’s bordering on out of control. I love it.

I fall onto the bed with her straddling me. After removing her bra, I run my hands over every inch of her body while she does the same to me. It’s like we can’t get enough of one another. We’ve both missed each other and are making up for lost time.

She grinds her hips over my erection while her nipples rub over my chest. This right here is what I’ve missed the most. The intimacy. The closeness to her. The feeling of her soft body on mine. In a relatively short time, it’s become what I crave. Gemma Fairchild is my drug of choice, and I’m completely addicted.

She pulls at her thong and breathes, “Too much between us.”

On autopilot, I easily rip them off her. She moans out, “Oh fuck, I love when you do that. Such a good book boyfriend.”

I can feel the evidence of her statement dripping down over me.

She pushes my shoulders back and crawls up my body until she’s sitting on my face. “I’m so turned on, Trey. Make me come. I want it.”

I grab her ass and smash my entire face into her pussy, immediately sinking my tongue into her channel. She grabs fistfuls of my hair and basically fucks my tongue and my entire face.

I love how she owns her pleasure and takes what she needs. She’s never a passive bystander in our lovemaking, even when I’m controlling the movements.

I rub my nose over her clit, which sends her into overdrive. “Oh god, this will be quick. I need it.”

She grinds her hips on my tongue. I push it as far into her as humanly possible. She’s totally worked up and screaming my name. I can feel her clench around me as she comes into my mouth.

I rub my entire face through her fluids and happily slurp them up. So good.

She slides down my body. Her come spreads down my chest and abs. Is it weird that I never want to clean it off? I wear it proudly.

Her saturated pussy is now resting on my hard cock. She licks across my chin. “Hmm. I love it when your dimple tastes like me.”

“I get the appeal. Nothing tastes better than you. Now take what’s yours. Grab my dick and take it home, baby.”

She smiles into my face before lifting her body enough to wrap her delicate fingers around my cock. After bringing my tip to her entrance, she sinks down only an inch or two before lifting again.

She repeats the same process over and over, never sinking all the way down. I don’t think I’ve ever had a woman do this to me. She teases both of us with just my pierced tip. It’s shockingly good. The anticipation and buildup are hot as hell. Her eyes are practically in the back of her head as she works us both over.

I’m tempted to slam her down on me, but curiosity gets the best of me. I want to see how this plays out.

She grabs her tits and squeezes her nipples. Despite losing herself a bit in the pleasure, she maintains control as her wetness practically pours down onto me.

I’m committing this moment to memory. It’s so erotic and perfect.

Sliding my thumb to her clit, I begin moving it in circles. “Oh yes, Trey. Like that. Oh fuck. So good.”

I can feel her begin to clench over my tip. She’s going to come from just the tip.

Suddenly, she shouts, “Thrust up into me. Hard.”

I grab her hips and slam up. She yells out as her entire body convulses, and she immediately comes, her juices drenching me.

She shakes as she rides out her pleasure until she eventually stills, with me finally buried all the way inside her. I can feel her pussy continuing to pulsate around my cock. She just blew my mind.

After several long breaths, she looks down at me with a sexy smile and wiggles on top of me. “You up for a little peach play, Santa? ‘Tis the season.”

I nod. “Nothing says Christmas cheer and a happy New Year like a little sodomy.”

Her responding smile quickly fades into a moan when I grab her ass hard and thrust my hips. “I’m up for anything that makes you come the way you just came.”

She reaches toward her night table and opens the drawer. Her tits dangle in my face and I bite one of her nipples. She screeches out and then giggles before bending her head and biting my nipple. Hard. Fuck if my cock doesn’t leak a little from that.

I easily flip us over, pin her arms back, and push my cock as deep inside her as I can. Slowly, I move in and out of her, but unlike when she was in control, my thrusts are deep. Very deep.

“Do you want me this deep in your ass?”

Her eyes flutter. “Y…yes. I want it.” She points toward the drawer. “Grab the fuchsia bottle.”

I look over into the oversized drawer. What the fuck? There are like ten vibrators, a bunch of other toys I’ve never seen before, and several bottles, all in different colors.

I lift an eyebrow in question, and she shrugs. “What? It was a long drought before you came into my life. I have needs.”

“Do you use all this stuff?”

She gives me a sexy smile. “I know a sex scene I write is good enough when I can’t get through reading it without engaging in some self-love. ”

“Your barometer of a decent sex scene is whether or not you have to stop and masturbate while rereading it?”

She laughs and nods. “Yes. It’s called the Gemmabation scale. I think it’s part of the metric system.”

I chuckle. “Yep. I think I’ve heard of it. Millimeters, centimeters, meters, kilometers, and Gemmameters. It all makes perfect sense.”

She giggles as she nods in agreement.

I reach over and grab the fuchsia bottle. Her smile widens. “See, you understand the color fuchsia. One of my author friends had an…incident because she didn’t understand my color system. I had to fib and ensure her that the fuchsia was front door lube and not back door. It was a whole thing.”

“I’m not even gonna ask about that one.”

She giggles again. “It’s better you don’t.” She clenches around my cock. “Are you ready for the peach-play trope?”

“Ass-fucking is a trope too?”

She shrugs. “Everything is a trope these days.”

I pull out and easily flip her over. Opening the fuchsia bottle, I squeeze the lube all over her ass and on my cock. I give myself a few pumps to spread it out and then rub it through her apple of an ass.

Giving it a loud spank, I expect a yelp, but she moans. I love how dirty she is. Gemma Fairchild is all elegance and class on the streets, and lewd and dirty in the sheets. Or, as I like to call it, perfection.

She lifts on all fours and wiggles that ass. “Put your dick in my ass and fuck me.”

Holy hell.

I add a bit more lube to my fingers and slip them inside her back entrance to help prepare her for me.

“Hmm. Yes. More. I need more.”

After a few pumps, I withdraw my fingers, bring my tip to her puckered hole, and begin to slide it in. “Oh, fuck, Gemma. It’s so tight. I won’t last long. ”

“My clit is already about to explode. Holy fuck, that piercing.” She pants, “Deep. I want you deep.”

I push all the way in, and she shouts, “Yes!”

I have to remain still as I take in the scene before me. I’m buried to the hilt in the ass of the sexiest woman alive. I’m officially the luckiest man in the world.

I reach around and find her clit. She wasn’t wrong. It’s completely swollen and throbbing. I can practically feel her pulse in it.

Rubbing it with my fingers, I begin my slow, deep thrusts in and out of her. She reaches back and claws at me until we establish a rhythm, climbing the ascent together.

She wasn’t kidding, she likes it deep in her ass. It doesn’t take long for us both to explode in ecstasy.

When it’s over, we collapse in a breathless heap of sweat, oil, and fluids. Once our breathing evens out, we decide to take a quick shower to rinse off.

Afterward, we lay in bed, sated, and I hold her in my arms. “That was incredible.”

She sleepily answers, “Umm hmm.”

“Before you fall asleep, can you tell me where we are?”

She closes her eyes and smiles. “We’re at my house. In my bed.”

I tickle her side, and she giggles.

“You know what I mean, wise ass. You and me. Where do we stand?”

She blows out a long breath as her head rests comfortably on my chest. “We’ve got about seven weeks until you have to leave for spring training. And then the madness of your season begins. I just want to enjoy these seven weeks with you without drama and pressure. We’re new, Trey. We’re still getting to know each other. I’m not making a life decision right now. My life is in Philly. I’m not one of those women who abandon who they are for a man. If I moved right now, I’d be jobless and friendless, and you’d be gone most of the time. I’d end up resenting you. Let’s see where the next seven weeks take us. We’re in no rush to make permanent decisions about the future.”

I can’t deny that I’m disappointed, but also can’t deny the logic in what she’s saying.

“I understand.”

She lifts her head as her eyes meet mine. “You’re upset.”

“What do you want me to say? I’m in love with you. I want forever with you, but I’ll always want you to be happy. I guess we’ll see how it plays out.”

She cups my cheek. “I’m falling in love with you. That’s what I wanted to tell you earlier tonight. But I won’t lose myself in us. It’s not who I am. I’ve worked too hard to fall into that cliché.”

I nod and kiss her head. “I understand. I really do.”

After a few minutes, her breathing evens out and she’s fast asleep on my chest. I have trouble falling asleep though. For the first time since I laid eyes on her in that video, I’m not sure if we are going to end up together.

I wake in the morning to a noise in the kitchen. Gemma is still fast asleep on my chest. Who’s here?

I look around and realize I left all my clothes on the floor of her foyer. Gently slipping out of bed, I find a towel and wrap it around my waist.

I walk into the kitchen and see Val cutting up fruit. He turns and smiles when he sees me. “Good morning. Happy New Year.”

“Umm, same to you. What are you doing here?”

“Unless Gemma stays in Florida, we always do brunch and watch football on New Year’s Day. Since we were little kids. I brought all the bagels and stuff. CJ will be here shortly with the ingredients for mimosas. Gemma insists on that instead of beer on this one day each year, and we indulge her.”

“You guys have a…unique relationship.”

He shrugs. “I suppose. It’s all we’ve ever known.”

“And it’s never been—”

“Never. Not once.” He stops cutting the fruit and turns to look me in the eyes. “Look man, I’m not blind. I know Gemma is drop-dead gorgeous, but that’s just not how it is between all of us. It’s so fucking annoying how much society over-sexualizes men’s and women’s friendships. Do gay men not have male friends? Do gay women not have female friends? Gemma is no different than a sister. None of us would ever do anything to jeopardize the bond. She’s had boyfriends in the past who got jealous, and she immediately cut them loose. Man to man, I’m telling you that we are the best of friends. We will always be in each other’s lives. If you’re too fucking insecure to manage it, then walk away. If you love her the way I think you do, then you might want to become friends with us too. We’re pretty fucking awesome, and we would both happily take a bullet for her. You should be happy she has friends who love her the way we do.”

I’m processing what he said when Gemma walks out in nothing but one of my T-shirts that I must have left here. Her nipples are practically poking through, and her long legs are on display.

She smiles when she sees me, wraps her arms around my neck, and pulls my head down for a kiss. “Hmm. Morning, sexy. Every hole in my body is sore.”

My eyes widen and I nod toward Val, who just chuckles.

She rolls her eyes and loudly whispers, “He knows we had sex last night. It’s not a secret.”

Val turns his head to her. “How was it?”

She answers with a moan before saying, “In-fucking-credible. I came so many times. ”

Val winks at me before saying, “I had some pretty in-fucking-credible sex myself.”

He and Gemma high-five.

I can only shake my head. “You all have a weird relationship.”

They both laugh, and then Gemma sighs. “Wait until CJ gets here. He’s the biggest freak of all of us.”

We spend the day eating food and watching football. Seeing the three of them interact in such a familiar, casual way, oddly puts me at ease. And Val and CJ are, in fact, awesome guys.