Reid had built a fire out of driftwood that we’d gathered around, and it was nice, but it was no mosquito-repelling lantern next to my air-conditioned tent with a mattress that didn’t kill my back.
I’d really grown comfortable the last few years… And not for the first time lately, I felt detached from the things going on around me. Maybe because I’d stopped pretending I was a Daddy Dom. I still thought the boys were cute as fuck when they tried to assert themselves and push buttons, but I couldn’t imagine having a relationship like that every day.
Amir and Carl soon ordered the bottoms to get ready for playtime, and I automatically glanced over at Reid on the other side of the fire.
He smirked a little and took a swig of his beer.
Motherfucker.
I watched Trey and Garrick run off with two toiletry kits, and I couldn’t believe I even entertained the idea. I mean, it felt so fucking weird to consider running off to…getready…to be taken.
I’d never been on this side of things before.
Before we’d eaten, Reid had handed me a bottle of almond oil.
That’d been a mindfuck of its own. No words exchanged, no awkward buildup in the atmosphere, just…here, take the oil.
To be honest, it felt like a greater act of submission to lube up than to agree to a takedown during which I could fight for my life.
I wasn’t a sub.
“I’m not looking for a sub.”
Screw it.
I finished my beer and rose to my feet, then brushed some sand off my hands.
“You’ve been quiet all day,” Carl noted.
“Yeah,” Brad agreed. “You okay?”
Goddammit.
“Everything’s great,” I lied. “I’m plotting and scheming. I have a bet going on with Reid.”
That one worked. They wanted to know what the bet was, and I left it to Reid. In the meantime, I excused myself to go take a leak.
Whether I was also going to apply almond oil to my ass was nobody’s business.
CHAPTER 6
Reid McKinley
Even when I thought Max was being obvious in his brooding and grumbling, he could fool most people into thinking shit was fine. With Sam being one exception.
That observant motherfucker followed me down to the water when I went to rinse out my coffee mug.
“So is Max really all right?” he asked.
I glanced over my shoulder, making sure we were alone.
The sun was dipping behind the clouds that rested on the horizon, painting the darkening sky red and purple.
Max wasn’t all right. Not at the moment. But he would be. I’d had the day to find my confidence.
I straightened again and wiped the mug off on my shorts. “He will be before the night is over.” I cleared my throat and figured…Sam was safe. “He’s the one I’m hunting tonight.”
He lifted his brows, clearly surprised. “You mean beyond…I don’t know—beyond playtime?”
