Discipline was more difficult than usual, because Kit had been insatiable. Needy. Like he couldn’t spend a single moment untouched. Holden liked that on a selfish level.
He didn’t like the whispering suspicion that Kit was hiding something new.
“What did you want?” Holden asked, sitting on the white leather couch. Fond memories of Kit bending over the coffee table danced through his mind.
James toyed with something small and plastic. He looked thoughtful. Guarded. But not guarded against Holden.
Interesting.
“You fucked Kit,” James said casually.
Very interesting. Did Kit mention it, or did James just see some difference in how they interacted? Maybe it was both. Holden enjoyed either option. “Does that bother you?”
James set the plastic down. “It makes me want to bruise my fingerprints into his skin. Fuck him so hard he can’t remember his own name, much less yours. It makes me want to choke him on my cock until he cries.” James grinned. “No, it doesn’t bother me.”
Holden wasn’t used to finding other people relatable. “It would have bothered you before.”
“Hell of an understatement,” James agreed.
“What changed?” Holden asked. “My interests haven’t. I don’t plan to kill Kit anymore, but I understand that’s a lot for normal people to get over.”
His words were goading. James had spent enough time testing him. Only fair for Holden to test James in return. See what struck true.
James’s eyes narrowed. Then he relaxed. “Have you ever considered that you might be the most normal person in this relationship?”
For once, Holden had no idea how to respond.
“I’ve spent fourteen years avenging my family’s massacre,” James said, counting off on his fingers. “Darius was a teen assassin prodigy. And Kit…” James dropped his hands, smile fading. “It’s like he didn’t exist before Bishop and I found him.”
Holden knew more. Usually, he enjoyed every piece of Kit he could keep for himself. Painful secrets. Hidden kisses.
He didn’t feel guilty right now, and he wasn’t about to betray Kit’s trust. He just thought, for the first time, maybe it would be better for Kit to share more with the others.
“You grew up in the suburbs,” James continued. “You played lacrosse in high school, and one season in college. You’re about to graduate.”
“When you put it like that,” Holden allowed.
“Of course, you’re also staring at me with Resting Sociopath Face. You get partial credit at best.”
This was a distraction. Holden didn’t particularly care how James categorized him. And James was clearly grading on a curve. Expand the assessment pool outside their relationship web, and all of them were getting F- in normal.
“What do you actually want?” Holden asked.
James picked up the plastic case again. He was always a tactile person, but this level of fidgeting was unusual. “Something’s going on with Kit. Has he said anything to you?”
Weeks ago, Kit asked if Holden would run away with him. As if that was even a question. Holden wasn’t about to mention that. Kit asked in confidence. It was a secret.
But Holden could say things Kit hadn’t told him. Things that were obvious. “Something spooked him the day we went to the cemetery.”
James grimaced. “I thought he was just getting cold feet over meeting the family. But ever since then, he’s been…”
“Distant,” Holden finished.
Kit had been insatiable. Clingy. Holden fucked him twice yesterday, and he wasn’t the only one. By the end, Kit was incoherent, overstimulated, still desperate for more. He only settled when Holden covered his mouth and pinned him down to cuddle.
Holden had never felt farther away from him. James must feel the same, and he must be truly worried if he was talking to Holden instead of Darius or even Bishop.
Either that or he thought Holden was more useful.
