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In all honesty, Sly was surprised AJ hadn’t called him over the weekend, wanting to know what the fuck happened. But from what Sly knew of AJ so far, he was a man of few words and low anxiety. He went where he was supposed to go, did his job, and stayed out of the drama, refusing to stir the pot. Unlike Blaze, who seemed to thrive on high energy, high octane, and high fives.
Though Sly was pretty sure that AJ’s sister was an area of importance, Blaze wouldn’t mind stirring up shit over. Both men were loyal as hell, and that was one of the biggest reasons he’d chosen to work with Harris. In a world full of bullshitters, manipulators, and grasping greed-whores, finding honest, loyal, dependable partners was both rare and necessary.
Should have thought about that before you fucked AJ’s sister…physically and metaphorically.
AJ grunted at Sly’s answer, turning his attention to the drink’s menu.
The waitress arrived, took their orders, then sashayed away, gazing over her shoulder toward an oblivious Blaze, her eyes hooded appreciatively.
“Even locked down, you keep getting fuck me eyes, bro,” AJ noted, a lopsided grin on his face.
Blaze rolled his eyes. “It’s not like I ask for it. It isn’t my fault I’ve been gifted with the body of a god and the face of an angel.” He snickered when another woman walked past the table, doing a double-take before flicking her gaze between all three men. She stumbled, then continued on her way, fanning herself.
“Looks like you aren’t the only one getting fuck me eyes,” Sly said, laughing.
“Well, they can look all they want, but this man goes home to his woman, and fucks her until her eyes roll back into her head and she screams my name.”
AJ choked on air, slapping Blaze’s arm. “Shut the fuck up, man. I don’t want to hear that shit. Anna’s like a sister to me. It’s like me hearing all about Sally’s dates—and you know I’d rather roll in gasoline and jump into a bonfire than hear about whichever dude banged her. As far as I’m concerned, she’s a virgin.”
At the mention of Sallina’s name, Sylvester tensed, the tension only ratcheting up when AJ spoke of other men. Other men touching Sallina. Giving her pleasure. Men who weren’t him.
And how many of those men had she’d been with since their night together? How many more men had experienced the bliss and beauty that was sex with Sallina Mendez? How many men did he have to kill?
His blood boiled, images of those other men with his Sallina…her sweet caramel curves beneath their hands, her tight, hot pussy clenching around their cocks, her lush lips parted on a gasp as they filled her….
Fuck.
No! She wasn’t his. She was a one-night stand he’d hit and quit, and there was nothing more to it. No matter how much he’d wanted differently the next morning.
No, Sallina definitely wasn’t a virgin, not after what Sly had done to her. But he wasn’t going to trigger his own demise by giving AJ even the slightest hint that he’d been one of those dudes that banged his sister.
Their food delivered, they dug in, chatting about the numbers for the upcoming round of builds along the cove. Once the business talk was complete, Blaze leaned back, patted his flat stomach, and grimaced.
“Man, I’ve got to get back to the waves. Last week, the storm surge from that tropical storm up by NOLA brought in waves high enough to sink a tanker.”
AJ leaned back and clicked his tongue. “When was the last time you were on a surfboard? What? Like two years ago?”
“Yeah, that’s why I need to get back out there. You should come with me,” he offered, looking from AJ to Sly, his expression open.
AJ was shaking his head even before Blaze was done speaking.
“Hell, no, bro. You couldn’t pay me to get on one of those waxy boards and out into the ocean. Fuck that. This man stays on solid ground.” He turned his gaze to Sly, a single eyebrow rising. “What about you? You gonna ride the waves, Sly man?”
Why did it sound like AJ insinuated that Sylvester was hiding something?
Maybe because you are and you’re shit at containing your guilt about anything?
Well, that did it, he was an asshole for keeping his relationship with Sallina a secret, but he refused to mix business with his personal life. He could not, would not risk everything they’d been building that last eight months because he fucked Sallina…then abandoned her. Then treated her like a gold-digging whore. The look on Sallina’s face when he’d opened his mouth and spewed bitter venom all over her was already burned into his brain. Her gorgeous features hardening. Her lush body bracing for an attack. The pain, then disbelief, then rage in her eyes…the beautiful green turned black with hatred.
He had to live with that for the rest of his life.
He couldn’t imagine what AJ would do if he knew the truth.
Clearing his throat, he forced himself to focus on the conversation and ignore the wary, knowing expression on the man in front of him.
“No, thanks,” he replied with a fake as hell smile. “Like you, I prefer solid ground beneath my feet.”
Because he was tired of drowning.
