The air thickens with tension, every man stiff but remaining silent.
While I’m flustered. And frustrated.
Good grief.
Ty promised to try and he’s done so well. The day has been full of healthy conversations. Yet this is what tips the scale?
I swivel to face him and shift in my chair, closing the space between us. “I’m with them, too, Ty. You know this. You agreed to try. Trying means keeping your shit together when, heaven forbid, you learn that I had sex with one of my other boyfriends.”
His focus remains locked on the table, head shaking, jaw ticking. He’s blocking me out. He’s refusing to engage.
That only pisses me off more.
Maybe it’s the wine, but the compulsion to put him in his place is insatiable. So I angle in another inch.
“I thought you liked watching.” My words are sticky sweet and completely antagonistic. “You had no problem watching when I used my vibrator in my dorm that night.”
He whips his head around. “That’s because I was the one holding the fucking remote, mon ange.” Fire flares in his irises, but the caustic glare remains.
I hold his attention, my chin lifted, as an idea forms in my mind.
It’s not my smartest idea, and there’s a good chance this won’t go well for anyone. But I can’t help myself.
“What if you were in charge?” I ask, my tone full of challenge. “Would it make you feel better if you were the one in control, telling Mercer and Noah what to do?”
Ty’s scowl hardens, but then his face quickly falls, knocking me off-kilter.
His shoulders sag as he lets out a defeated sigh. Running one hand through his hair, he admits, “I don’t know how to do that.”
Across the table, Mercer abruptly stands and spins a chair backward, then straddles it. He licks his lips, his eyes flashing wickedly. “I could teach you.”
Ty slams his hand against the surface of the table. “Like fuck you could.”
Mercer smirks. “Always so quick to oppose.”
Ty glares back. “Always so quick to take any opportunity you see.”
“Enough.” Noah sidles up to the table and cuffs the back of Mercer’s neck. Then his eyes lock with mine.
I shrink under his disapproving frown. Yeah. I started this.
Yet the silent chastisement doesn’t dull my need to finish it. Or just finish in general. Because now that the idea of Tytus telling Mercer and Noah what to do has entered my mind… I like it. I really,reallylike it.
Mercer leans back in his chair, shrugging off Noah’s hold. “Here’s the thing, pal. You’re committed to making an effort. You promised Sawyer you would try, right?”
Ty folds his arms across his chest, scrutinizing Mercer. The others may not realize it, but thisisTy trying. He isn’t looking away, and he hasn’t stormed out of the kitchen. It might not seem like much, but the intention behind his efforts is clear to me.
“She’s sitting here specifically asking you to try something she wants,” Mercer says. “You don’t feel capable by your own admission. I’m willing to help, and I’m certain Noah is, too.”
Tension crackles around the table.
Ty swallows slowly, his Adam’s apple bobbing, and he sneaks a glance my way.
Mercer clears his throat. “We’re all in for the night. We have nowhere we need to be in the morning. I like the idea of exploring the possibility of a group dynamic, or at the very least, seeing what unfolds when we’re all together. No expectation, no pressure. My offer to help stands, even if it means I need to sit out completely. I have a suspicion my lack of involvement may make this easier for you to tolerate.”
With that, he stands and picks up two empty wineglasses and a potholder.
“Ignore him,” Noah grouses. “You don’t have to do anything you’re not completely comfortable with.” He sighs then, stacking the last few dishes from the table and carrying them to the sink.
