“Dayum,” Sabrina coos, eyes scanning the group of six extremely large men with Carrie in the middle. “You’ve got some superior genetics in your fam.”
“Only this one is my uncle by blood,” Carrie says, pointing at a sandy-brown-haired man beside her. “That’s Uncle Beau, my mom’s brother. The rest are his Navy SEAL buddies, but they all adopted me as their niece when I was born.”
“They could adopt me any time they wanted to,” Sabrina mutters. “Who’s the tall one with the man bun?”
“Uncle Bode. He and Uncle Woody are the funny ones.” She pointsto a brawny Latino man with a full beard who I know is Woody because he and his wife had dinner with us once when we were in college. “Then we have Uncle Cam and Uncle Hawk. Cam is the one who got me into martial arts. He’s one of the best in the country, and he started teaching me by the time I could barely walk.”
The one she indicates as Cam has dark hair and brilliant blue eyes. He reminds me a lot of Phoenix.
But Sabrina’s eyes zero in on the massive man with a dark beard and eyes the color of coal. “This Hawk guy looks intense.”
“Oh, he is, but he’s got a heart of gold.” Carrie giggles and lowers her voice like we’re not sitting in the privacy of my living room. “I overheard my uncles talking once when I was a teenager. Apparently, they call Uncle Hawk’s bedroomThe Den of Sin.”
Sabrina’s grin creeps over her face. “Please tell me he’s single.”
Carrie shakes her head. “Nope. All of them are married.” With a flick of her finger, she switches to a photo of her and six women, pointing out which woman is married to which of her uncles. I recognize Bristol Hanford, of course, since she did my makeup at Hale Cosmetics. And Woody’s wife, Taz.
“Does that lady have a fake leg?” Sabrina asks, pointing at Taz, a gorgeous Native American woman with the hint of a prosthetic peeking from beneath her yellow dress.
“Yep. She was in the Army and lost her leg below the knee in a roadside bomb explosion,” Carrie explains.
“Taz is really funny,” I add. “She makes fake leg jokes that you really want to laugh at, but you’re not sure if it’s appropriate.”
Carrie grins. “She would be offended if you didn’t laugh. She’s the only female agent that works at the security company with the guys. Oh, and she was a sniper in the Army.”
“Badass,” Sabrina comments before pointing at a petite blonde with the body of a ballerina. “This is the one married to the Den of Sin guy?”
“Yes, that’s Aunt Mallori.”
“And they’rehappilymarried?”
Carrie’s expression turns flat. “Yes, you dork. They’re very happy together and have kids.”
“Yeah, but…” Sabrina’s wicked smile makes a reappearance. “Can she fight?”
Carrie and I burst into laughter, and Sabrina joins in. I loop my arms around their necks for a big group hug.
“Thanks for coming over and being nosy bitches,” I tell them. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Once I have my crazy friends out the door—Carrie to her place across the hall and Sabrina to her apartment a few doors down—I hop in the shower to wash the dance sweat off me. As I’m rinsing my long hair, my eyes fall on the rose toy sitting on the corner shelf of my shower.
Ah, fuck it, I think, grabbing the sucky little thing and wetting it beneath the spray. Then I sit on the short bench seat and spread my legs as the water streams down my back.
It takes a second to get it in the spot that makes my hips jerk, but when I do, I tilt my head back against the wall, the water now hitting my stomach and dripping down between my legs.
“Oh god, Phoenix,” I moan, drawing the most filthy images from my memories. I close my eyes and imagine it’s him, on his knees, turning me into his own personal ice cream cone.
My orgasm builds, not as quickly as if I had the real thing in my shower right now, but my fantasies are the next best thing. With my hand jiggling the toy between my legs, I finally come, cursing and calling out Phoenix’s name as that blissful, sated feeling washes over me.
“God, I’m a mess,” I groan as my breaths heave in and out of my lungs. Because while the orgasm took the edge off, I’m not sure any toy could ever satisfy me as well as Phoenix Hale.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Go Dragons
Jordie
I stand in the darkened tunnel wearing my black uniform with purple-and-silver trim. The music begins to play a hard, driving beat with lots of bass, much like my heartbeat right now. The rows of lights lining the ceiling and inside walls of the tunnel begin to pulse, slowly at first, until they’re flashing purple and white in a quick rhythm.
