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“What sort of deal?” I cast him a sideways glance. Bro deals can be epic or awful. Sometimes the favor is genuine, and comes scot-free. Others, they come with a hiddenI Owe You.“Cade gets lifetime access to the track when it isn’t in use in exchange for building it.” He lowers the blueprints just enough that he can peer over the top of them, I’m assuming so he can picture what’s on the paper in the space in front of him.
“And that’s a good deal because?”
“He’s got all sorts of equipment to build and maintain the track, so it’ll save a ton of money up front.”
“That doesn’t sound too bad.” I relax my shoulders a bit, knowing Axel didn’t just make a colossal error in his excitement to get things going.
“Gotta love small towns.” He grins. “No way you can make a deal like that in a big city.”
“Sounds like you’re really loving it here?” I lean against the wall of the barn—arena—and watch him spin around to orient himself. It’s sort of amusing to watch him try to match a 2D image with a 3D space.
“What’s not to love? The trails are epic, the people are cool, and Lennon’s here. Speaking of people.” He turns to look at me over his shoulder. “Some of them are saying that they saw a strange car parked at your place last night.”
“Don’t tell me you’re into small town gossip now.” I deflect, taking a page from his book when he first met Lennon.
“Just cause I don’t spread it doesn’t mean I don’t hear it. Who spent the night?” He pins me with a look that saysgotcha.
“A friend. And she didn’t spend the night. She was just there to hang out.”
“By hang out you mean fuck?” His wry grin is a reminder that he knows me all too well.
“Why would you assume that?” I keep up with the innocent ruse.
“Because Iassume, your friend is the one I saw you talking to up at the resort that day we moved boxes for Lennon. You two looked pretty cozy.”
“We have a history.” I nod.
Axel goes back to trying to decipher the plans now that he’s got his confirmation. “What does Blake think about that? She’s his boss, right?”
“Blake’s got a history with her, too.” That gets his attention. His hands drop to his side, crinkling the plans against his legs as he looks at me with wide eyes. “No shit? That’s some fucked up luck right there.”
“Actually, I think it’s pretty good luck.” I run a hand nervously through my hair.
“How do you figure?” He snorts. “Sleeping with the same girl your boyfriend formerly slept with sounds awkward as fuck.”
“Not if the three of us are together. Then it’s easy.” I shrug with more confidence than I feel. Axel may know all about my preferences, but up until now I’ve never been so forthcoming about how those preferences sometimesintersect.
“The three of you together… You mean, like you all date each other?” His brows draw together, but his expression is one of confusion, not disgust.
“Eventually. Right now, just Blake and I are dating, but we’re hoping to date Becca if she’s up for it.”
His expression doesn’t change, not that I expected it to. “No more hiding, then? Blake’s out?”
“Not yet.” I shake my head. “We don’t want to overwhelm her with relationship talk, so we’re just hanging out casually for now.”
Axel scratches the bridge of his nose, almost as if he’s stalling to search for the best way to object. “You mean you want her to be part of a trio when she doesn’t know you and Blake are a duo?”
I flex my jaw defensively, ready to retort, though I have to admit hearing it out loud sounds pretty bad. How do I explain that it’s not what he thinks?
“Yeah, it sounds shitty. I’ll give you that. It’s not meant to be, though. Blake and I both really like her, and we want her to be with us. This lifestyle won’t be easy, so we’re trying to work up to the dating part.”
“By fucking?” He arches a brow.
“Like you didn’t start off just fucking Lennon before you fell for her?” I match his look.
Axel closes his eyes and lets out a heavy breath. “Fair enough. But you yourself just said this lifestyle is hard, and your boyfriend is still in the closet. If he won’t come out for you, what makes you think he’d come out for youandher? And what about Becca? What happens when she finds out you haven’t told her the truth?”
All valid points, which I’m trying not to dwell on myself. But there’s no denying the potential for one or more of us to get hurt if we aren’t on the same page. I only hope we’re working toward that by first exploring the physical, which like I said, worked pretty well for Axel.
