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“Fine, someone who responds to your texts and tells you shit. Hangs out with you. Am I on the right track?”

He shoves off the wall to cross the distance between us. “Honesty. That's what we both are asking for. Honesty and trust. I won't fuck around, and you won't do coke.”

That sounds so ridiculous, I almost snort. These things should be a given in any relationship.

But that's the thing, isn't it? We aren't in any kind of relationship. I don't even know if Christian dates exclusively.

From what I can tell, he's always had multiple partners at any given time. Maybe a friend is all I'll ever get from him, but at least it'll be a faithful one as long as I'm putting out, anyway.

Once again, Devon's only around to be of some use.

“Honesty,” I say back, holding out my hand for him to shake. “And orgasms.”

“Friendship.” He grips my palm, shaking firmly, but then yanks away when he realizes it's the hand Logan and Owen ate his cum out of. “Fuck, I can't decide if that was hot or disgusting.”

Forcing a smile, I turn toward the door to lead us back inside. “Both. The disgusting part turns you on.”

“Saying shit like that makes me sound like a pervert.”

“I don't kink shame.”

The music hits us again, loud and way too upbeat for the hollowness inside of me. After everything that happened today, I should be ecstatic. I got everything I wanted—no prison, and Christian all to myself. Even if his choice comes with conditions.

But as I follow him through the club and to his car across the street, I can't help but glance toward Arnie’s. That neon sign flickers like an omen.

Every time I think I've left the past behind, it always has a way of biting me in the ass.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Christian

This is awkward as fuck.

Desert landscape stretches beyond the windshield as Taylor’s truck hums steadily, tires eating up miles of empty highway. Sign of Life by Motionless in White blasts from the speakers.

Squished beside me, Salem sits with her feet on the dashboard while she scrolls through her phone. Dev is on her other side. I have no fucking clue why she decided to ride with us to Matty and Xed's in Phoenix. There's a perfectly empty backseat in Huckslee's Audi—he's driving with Tay—but she crawled in after I told everyone that Dev was coming, too. It's weird.

When I asked her about it, she'd just blinked innocently and said, “What, I can't hang out with my second-best guy friend?”

Seems sus, if you ask me.

Glancing sideways, I eye up Dev from where he's sitting with his forehead against the window, long legs taking up most of the space. He's in my clothes again, with a few days of stubble on his cheeks. He looks good, and I can't even spend the ten-hour drive trying to make him come. Or getting some road head. Unfair.

It's been an… interesting week. Ever since that night at the club, we've spent the last couple of days together. If we’re not lounging around before work, we’re watching movies late into the night. He's been sleeping on the couch for whatever reason, but I've gotten so many goodnight orgasms that I pass out before I question it.

Sometimes we suck each other off, sometimes we just frot, but we haven’t fucked since that first time. Not that I'm against it, but… something about Dev's exclusivity clause makes me hesitate and I’m not sure why.

“I think I have an idea,” Salem announces suddenly, dropping her phone into her lap. “What if we do a holiday calendar?”

I lean back and rest my arm behind her on the seat so that I can touch Devon's shoulder. “For next year?”

“Yeah! You and Tay, a different pose or stunt for each month with your bikes. We could sell it for Christmas.”

“That’s coming up quick. Would we have enough time?” My fingers rub the material of his shirt in slow circles. From the corner of my eye, he glances at me curiously, but I keep my attention on the road.

Salem purses her lips. “Yeah, probably. The band is in between tours right now, so I have nothing to work on. And since we brought the bikes, we can take some shots when we get to AZ.”

“Do a few naked ones,” Devon snickers, causing me to flick him on the ear.