“A little help . . .” Blake said, struggling to set his tray down on the already crowded table.
I took a step toward him, but Tyler got there first, sliding aside a bowl of potato salad to make room.
“Thank you,” Blake said, the words clipped.
“You’re welcome,” Tyler told him before returning to his station at the grill.
It was a terse exchange, but it was better than nothing. Not that I could really blame either of them. Tylerhadused Blake like a pawn in his quest for vengeance, and even though Tyler had apologized and explained himself, we knew that forgiveness would take time, if it was ever granted. And Blakehadgotten half of Tyler’s clients arrested, which, you know, wasn’t great since most of them were involved in the criminal underworld and might try to get revenge.
Tyler had laid low after the initial fallout. I thought it was a good thing, because it also gave him a chance to book a therapist, spend more time with his best friend, and start to unpack twenty-five years’ worth of trauma.
Mom reemerged from the house and settled Tippi near us in the shade on her pre-chilled bed, making sure the fan wasn’t blowing too hard before she rejoined me. “So,” she said, “how are things going... with those two?” She indicated to Tyler and Richard, who were now flipping burgers. “Richard has been sparse on the details and we’ve been trying to respect his privacy.”
“By asking meinstead?”
Her look saidYes, obviously.
I sighed. “It’s... I don’t know, like any new relationship? I think they’re both just trying to come to terms with being in each other’s lives and what that looks like.”
She tipped her head down, peering at me over the bridge of her sunglasses. “And how areyou twodoing? Still not official?”
“Still none of your business.”
She tutted and lifted her head, and our conversation drifted toward easier topics. Tyler and I hadn’t had the “What are we?” conversation yet. For now, we were happy to keep learning, exploring,playing.
But, I mean, Ihadtattooed my teeth marks on his ass, which felt pretty permanent.
My gaze dropped to the spot, now covered by clothing, and I wondered how he was feeling. He was in the itchy stage of the healing process, and this morning, I’d had to order him to stop bothering it. The way he’d responded by saying, “Yes, ma’am,” in his growliest baritone was the reason we were late to this party.
We were sitting down to eat when his phone chimed with a news alert. My heartbeat picked up as he slid it out of his pocket. He showed no reaction whatsoever, but his eyes were triumphant when he passed it to me. I read the headline:FBI Opens Investigation into Tourist Drowning.It was from theTCI Sun,a small, local paper in the Turks and Caicos, but I knew it was just the beginning, knew the story would soon reach our city and spread like wildfire, and this time, not even Mommy and Daddy would be able to save Maddie.
I schooled my face as I passed the phone back to him, and once it was in his pocket, he put his hand on my knee beneath the table and squeezed. We’d done it. We’d gotten the bitch.
And we didn’t plan to stop with her.
Maddie was only the beginning. Piece by piece, we would feed information to authorities and newspapers, and soon everyone in this city would know that Bradley Bluhm was far from the only monster hiding amongst its citizens.
“So,” Richard said. “Any fun plans later?”
Tyler and I didn’t look at each other. I couldn’t speak for him, but I was too busy trying not to blush to do anything but stare at my plate.
“We’re meeting AJ for dinner,” Tyler said.
Mom perked up, looking from him to me. “Oh, I’m so glad you two reconnected. He was always such a good boy.”
Tyler’s hand tightened on my leg, and I knew he must be fighting for his life.
Yes, AJ was averygood boy.
37
Tyler
“Wait,” the love of mylife gasped from above me.
AJ and I shared a heated look over her shoulder, and he grinned, his eyes locked on mine as he brushed her hair aside and started trailing kisses over the top of her back. “Tell me when you’re ready for me to move again.”
We were in his penthouse apartment, sprawled over his bed together, me on my back, Stella already seated on my cock, AJ working his way into her ass. We’d taken our time prepping her, but this was our first attempt at double penetration, and as excited as we all were to try it, we knew there might be a learning curve.
