Chapter 12

Austen

"You sure you're not a robot?" A tiny finger pokes my cheek.

I blink, then turn my head to see who the culprit is. I'm unsurprised to find Star standing on the counter beside me. The counter part is shocking, but not the person behind the distraction.

A glance around us tells me the rest of the adults are still outside. I'd slipped inside to catch my breath after Corrin bumped into me for the fifth time since we got here. I guess Star decided to find me since she's here now.

"I'm not a robot, Star. Just a man who is a touch distracted," I tell her as I hold my hand out to help her down. It can't possibly be safe for her little body to be up so high.

She huffs and crosses her arms. "I can get down myself. I got up here, didn't I?"

I grin, then push the chair away so she can't reach it. "That might be true, but now you don't have a way down. Let me help."

"You"re a meanie!" Her growl makes her look like some kind of feral princess. I'd be more intimidated if she weren't in the fluffiest pink dress I've ever seen. That and her crown lessen the effect of her anger.

Turning to give her my back, I look over my shoulder. "Let's compromise. Piggyback?"

I don't get a verbal answer. Her reply is to jump from the counter onto my back with gusto. I catch her legs, then adjust her hands so she can't choke me out.

"All aboard!" I shout before bouncing us around the furniture of the living room towards the back door where everyone else is. I reach for the door only to have it open, and Corrin appear.

He smiles at me softly. "There you are. I wondered where you'd gone."

"Move! The train needs to choo!" Star waves her little fist at him, effectively making him jump back as he bows to her.

"My apologies Lady Star. Please go forth."

The two of them are in the midst of a battle to see who"ll cave first. Corrin is determined to treat her like royalty all day, given her clothes. Star has bet him a hundred dollars and cake for breakfast if he breaks character.

I kind of hope Star wins. If for no other reason than she'll make sure to cash in with glee.

She tightens her hold on my neck as she bucks against my back. "Giddy up, unicorn!"

I chuckle at the distinction. Of course, Star would be riding a unicorn instead of a normal horse. She's too magical for such mundane animals.

Following the order, I pretend to gallop outside. The minute I'm outside, the group turns my way. Since Star is the only child here, she garners everyone's attention easily. Add in that I'm a pretty big guy, and we stand out.

Smith is sitting with Zach tucked into his side on the bench seat. Bailey and Kelvin are across the table from them. There's food laid out on the table between them, the meal ready to enjoy. My brother is at the other end of the table, a beer in hand as he snaps a photo of my current predicament.

"Oh! I had no idea it was ready."

"That's why I came to get you, Tenn," Star says as she reaches for her uncle. Corrin grabs her from my back, then eases her down beside her dad.

"I'm Tenn, gorgeous girl. That's Austen. He's the boring one," comes from the smartass.

Star rolls her eyes dramatically. "How is a unicorn boring? You're down there being lazy. Dad says laziness is a-whore's-vent."

I stumble over my own feet at hearing such a small child say whore with a firm tone. The table bursts into varying degrees of laughter. Star frowns, making it even more hilarious.

"Abhorrent, Star Bar. Abhorrent. Not what you just said," Smith tells her.

"That's what I said! You're just mad I'm learning all your big words." She picks up the burger on her plate, tearing a huge bite from it.

Having broken our laughing spell, the rest of the group begins to dive in. I use the distraction to grab one of the two empty seats left. I wind up next to Bailey with Corrin on my other side. The closeness of his body brings the arousal I thought I'd gained control of back with a vengeance.

"How has school been for you?" Bailey asks as I'm trying to force thoughts of much more deviant things from my mind.

I shake my head. "It's going. Between it and work, I don't have much free time."

"That sucks. Hopefully, it gets better soon."

"It should, but even if it doesn't, it's my last semester. After this, I have to fully adult, so I'm torn between rushing it and taking it slow," I admit.

Bailey snorts. "Yeah, I know that feeling. Adulting is hard. I'm not a big fan."

"Which is why you have me," Uncle Kelvin teases from Bailey's other side. "I'll handle all that yucky adult stuff whenever it gets to be too much."

I have never, nor will I ever, judge my uncle for his kinks, but in this moment, I can't help but to be jealous. Not of him though. My jealousy stems from the fact that Bailey can simply call on him when overwhelmed. He doesn't have to problem solve things alone. Their dynamic means it's an effort from them both.

Then again, I don't get as overwhelmed as easily as Bailey does. My biggest issue right now is the fact that I want to get naked and bend Corrin over this table to see how well he'd take my cock. A visual of him in that exact position tugs at my consciousness.

I turn away from Bailey since he and my uncle are now in their own bubble of happiness. The shift brings me face to face with the root of my issues.

Corrin tilts his head. "What's wrong, baby?"

"Nothing," I squeak.

"Somehow, I think that's not true. You're hiding something. I intend to find out what."

I glance around the table to see who all might be listening. This isn't something I need them all to hear. Not because I'm embarrassed, but because it would turn into a group discussion. I can say with my whole heart that a group chat about my sexual needs is not something I ever want to experience.

Everyone is involved in their own discussions, the noise around us growing each second. Tennyson is the only person who's looking our way, and even his gaze is more teasing than anything. He can't possibly hear us this far away if I keep quiet.

Leaning closer to him so I can whisper, I tell him the truth this time. "I'm having trouble containing the urges you unlocked on the plane."

When I lean back, it's to find a shit-eating grin on his face. There's no doubting the smug expression is one of pride.

I shake my head. "That doesn't help things, you know."

"Not sure I want to help. I like you this way."

"I'm not going to encourage this. Eat your food, and I'll eat mine. No need to discuss this further."

Facing forward, I shove bite after bite between my lips. I'm sure I look petulant to anyone paying attention. It's hard to care at the moment. My cock is hard, my boyfriend is teasing me about it, and there is no relief in sight.

Corrin leans over until his head is on my shoulder. "Do you know what I love about this place?"

I hold still so as not to disturb his position while I wait for him to continue. Thankfully, he doesn't leave it for long.

"I like that the bedrooms are soundproofed. It was listed as a perk on the rental site. Plus, ours is on the opposite side of the place from everyone else."

My eyes turn up toward the monstrosity of a house Corrin rented for us while we're here this week. I didn't notice much about it when we arrived. That was mostly due to the post-orgasmic high I was feeling after he blew me on the plane.

Was it a blowjob though? Most of it was hands only. And his mouth only came in at the end.

I cut off my inner argument as I examine the length of the building. It is pretty spread out, so it's entirely possible he's telling the truth.

"Seriously?" I ask.

He kisses my cheek. "I wouldn't dare joke about getting to scream for you."

I choke on the chip I just put in my mouth. Corrin feigns concern as he pats my back.

"Goodness, baby, that's not like you. You're not one to choke."

The group of men turns their focus our way at the offhanded comment. Everyone except the diva of distraction I could use help from at the moment. Star is too focused on the tablet Zach gave her to notice though.

"Baby?" Uncle Kelvin repeats.

Smith jumps in next, albeit not in a helpful way. "How much choking have you witnessed Austen experiencing? Zach is also a trained paramedic. He might be able to assess and help."

Zach, in turn, howls with laughter. Tennyson and Bailey follow him in their fits. Even my normally stoic uncle breaks into a wide grin.

"He's not talking about…" Zack wheezes out the words between laughter. "Different choke."

Smith's eyes grow big. "Oh. Um. Well. When did this develop? I was thinking this was more for fooling your parents."

"They were part of it in the beginning," Corrin admits.

"And now?" That comes from Tennyson.

I raise my hand, then speak before anyone can point out the faux pas. "Can we talk about something else? Literally ANYTHING else?"

"Of course, baby. What do you want to discuss?"

I groan when Corrin uses the endearment again. He might as well have put a glowing neon sign above our heads. These guys aren't going to let anything go with him being so obvious.

"How about I try to solve the puzzle?" Uncle Kelvin says as he starts to hold up fingers. "First, Corrin had to deal with people trying to set him up. Second, Austen had the same issue, except he was getting hit on directly and hated the distraction. Third, the idea of fake dating came up to fool everyone around them. It explains why Corrin's social media went from band and business only to featuring Austen in every other post. And fourth and finally, you two faked it so much it became real. Did I win?"

My jaw drops open. "What — how?!"

Tennyson throws his head back and drops a twenty on the table. "That was worth it, Uncle K. He looks so confused. Just like that time you told him he couldn't dissect frogs for the entire ninth grade class."

"I was going to be paid," I argue. "Plus, they would still need to do the report. I was only going to do the physical part."

Our uncle lifts a hand, the universal sign he wants us to stop arguing before it gets out of hand. It's a motion he rarely had to do growing up. In fact, I think he's done it more since we've become adults.

"You two are both grown adults. So long as you have an open and honest communication amongst one another, then we all have no say in what you do. I only hope that whatever happens doesn't affect this group. I quite enjoy having friends to hang out with that are closer."

After that, the topic switches to a discussion about the friendship of the group and how we can spend the week together to make the most memories. Star is only with us for half the week before joining her grandparents for the other half. It means we'll have to adjust what is and is not kid-friendly based on that detail.

It doesn't matter all that much to us, though I know Smith will relax more without being on parent duty. Corrin, too, for that matter. He's always got Star in his line of sight when she's around. I don't even know if he realizes he's doing it. The instinct is natural.

"Do you want kids?" I ask abruptly once we reach our room alone.

He freezes halfway to the bathroom. Turning, he furrows his brow. "I mean, probably. I love Star like she's my own, so I hadn't given much thought otherwise. Plus, I figured I'd want my partner's input before making a final decision."

I nod. "That's smart."

"Do you want kids?" He asks me back.

"I'm honestly not sure. It's not the end of the world if I don't."

The answer seems to satisfy him. I only say that because in the next second, he makes me lose all thought about anything but him when he whips his shirt off.

"How do you feel about fucking me tonight?"

My back hits the door hard and my knees wobble. "I feel good about it. I want it. Yes. Let's. We should."

Corrin reaches for the button of his jeans, his motions surprisingly unhurried despite the way his pupils are blown. "Don't just stand there. Bring out that fat cock of yours so I can feel it sink into my ass."