Total pages in book: 43
Estimated words: 41053 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 205(@200wpm)___ 164(@250wpm)___ 137(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41053 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 205(@200wpm)___ 164(@250wpm)___ 137(@300wpm)
He huffs out a laugh. “Wasn’t planning on it.”
I yank up my pants and climb out of the ring again to grab two towels. After I get our mess cleaned up, I pass him his shorts and wait while he pulls them back on. Only when we’re both clothed do I speak again, “The whole point of being in a relationship is that you can talk through shit. I get that it’s not any more natural for you than it is for either me or Isabelle, but we need that. You closed us out and it wasn’t okay.”
He scrubs a hand over his face. “Yeah, I know. I just needed time. I still need time.”
“Then tell us that.”
“You’ve gotten damn good at this communication shit.”
“It’s a work in progress.” I grab his hand and pull him to his feet. “Think you can manage some sleep after we shower?”
He gives me a tired smile. “Yeah. I actually feel better now.”
“Weird how that works.”
“Oh, fuck off.” He laughs hoarsely, but the sound fades almost as soon as it begins. “Look, I’m sorry I freaked you out. I’m all twisted up, and it didn’t even register that you wouldn’t realize I have no intention of walking away. Cohen made his choice, just like I’ve made mine.” He frowns at the floor of the ring. “I have some fucking questions about what the hell he was thinking, but in the end it doesn’t really matter. I have you and Isabelle, and I’m better off.”
I really, really want to agree with him that it doesn’t matter, but I suspect it’s not the truth. I take a deep breath and strive to drown out the fear. “It might help if you talked to him. To get answers, I mean.”
Beast looks at me for a long time. “That took a lot for you to offer.”
No point in denying it. “Yeah.”
He moves, quicker than he has right to, and hooks the back of my neck. He tows me down and kisses me hard. I barely have a chance to sink into it before he pulls back a little. “Maybe I’ll decide at some point that I want to talk to him, but I’m not there.” He massages the back of my neck a little. “If I decide that’s something I need, I’ll talk about it with you and Isabelle before I do anything.”
I exhale slowly, trying not to let my relief show. “That’s all we ask.”
He kisses me one last time and then releases me. “I love you, Gaeton. Never fucking doubt that.”
“I don’t.” It’s the truth. I don’t have a single doubt about how Beast feels for me. Not anymore. It doesn’t mean life isn’t complicated, though.
He ducks out of the ring and holds the ropes for me to follow him. He doesn’t speak again until we reach the door and step out into the hallway. “How tired are you?”
Only one answer to that. “What do you have in mind?”
His grin is downright wicked. “Figure I have some making up to do with Isabelle. Want to help?”
I answer with a grin of my own. “As if you have to ask. The answer is always, will always be fuck yes.”
This short originally appeared as the June 2020 short for my Patreon. Each month, patrons nominate their favorite couples and characters, vote on one, and I write a brand new short featuring the winner. For more bonus stories, please consider joining my Patreon.
* * *
Cohen’s story will continue in the Sabine Valley Series, starting with Abel.
12
Seven Minutes in Heaven
Gaeton
“She tell you what’s up?”
I glance at Beast. He doesn’t look overly concerned, but why would he be? Isabelle just told us to meet her at my apartment at seven for a surprise. She’s done this a few times over the last few months, and the end result is always a good thing for everyone. It makes me glad I kept this place; a spot for us to fuck around that isn’t in Isabelle’s family’s home. “Nope.”
Beast rolls his shoulders the same way he does before a fight. I don’t exactly blame him for it. Life’s kicked him in the teeth enough times that even now, even with us, part of him is always expecting the worst. He doesn’t let that fear sabotage our shit, though, and that’s all we can really ask of him.
I open the door and, with a smirk, walk through ahead of him. The first thing I hear are giggles in two distinct voices. I grin back at Beast and then bellow. “Honey, we’re home!”
Isabelle walks out of the bedroom, tugging Aurora behind her. They don’t look like they’ve been up to no good; more like they’re about to. Isabelle’s wearing one of the new dresses she bought last week, a short black number that makes her tits look amazing and flicks around her thighs with every step. Aurora’s clothes look like maybe they started out as a school uniform, but someone took a pair of scissors to them. She’s tied her white shirt beneath her breasts and the skirt is barely long enough cover the essentials.