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They laughed at Bryce’s comment, but he was right. Talking things out should be their first approach. It wasn’t fair to any of them that their arguments ended in yelling, even with the make-up sex afterward.
Cole spoke quietly, but he needed to be clear to Ava. He didn’t want any misunderstandings. “For the record, I know I don’t own you. But I hate the idea that you’re going to work for them for nothing. You deserve so much better.”
Ava sighed, the smile falling from her face. “I don’t really have another option. I know it’s only been three weeks. It’s nothing in the grand scheme of things.” She ran her fingers absently through Bryce’s hair, pausing for a moment. “But if I get some more experience under my belt with a different company, it’ll only help my chances. I’ll keep applying for positions at the same time. If something else comes up that’s more certain, great. If not, then at least I have three more months experience.”
Cole nodded. Her argument made sense, but it killed him knowing she was going to be taken advantage of.
“I can’t keep sitting around day after day and asking my parents to pay my bills for me. It’s not fair to them.”
“Can I help?” Bryce asked at the same time as Cole said, “Move in with me.” He couldn’t decide if his suggestion was madness or genius, but the silence that greeted him told him enough. He shook his head. “Never mind, I shouldn’t have suggested it. You probably don’t want to live with me.”
“Well, I mean—”
“Why wouldn’t you?” Bryce asked, then turned to Ava. “It’s not the worst idea he’s ever had. I mean, an hour ago he thought he owned you.” Bryce’s cheeky smile lit up his face, his eyes dancing with mirth as he teased Cole.
He rolled his eyes, biting back his laughter.
“I don’t want to take advantage of you,” Ava replied simply.
Cole looked up. She hadn’t said no, but Bryce hadn’t said yes either. Hope blossomed and he laugh-smiled, his chest lighter than it had been all week. “You won’t be. I don’t have all that much furniture. We could store the extra stuff in the spare room and then neither of you have to worry about paying rent—”
“What?” Bryce asked.
Cole shrugged. “I pay rent and utilities for here now as well as buy food, so you’d be doing me a favour really.” Ava hiked up her brow and Cole swallowed. He hadn’t exactly prepared a speech; he hadn’t intended on asking them for a while yet. But moving the timeline forward made sense. They spent half the week at one another’s apartments and the rest of the week facetiming. “Bryce, you could pay for food—overall it’d be cheaper than what you’re paying now—and then when Ava starts working again, we can just work out what everyone’s comfortable with.”
Bryce opened his mouth then closed it again, looking to Ava. When she shook her head, Bryce’s lips turned down in a frown and Cole’s heart clenched. Bryce wanted it too, but he didn’t want to influence Ava’s decision.
“You shouldn’t feel obligated to help me. That’s not the right reason to move in together.”
Bugger that. Cole needed to bring in the big guns. If he could get Bryce to say he wanted it out loud, Ava would cave. Neither of them could resist giving Bryce anything that made him happy. The smiles he rewarded them with were always worth it, and Bryce was so selfless anyway that often the way to please him was by making either Ava or Cole happy.
He lifted their clasped hands to his lips and pressed a kiss to Bryce’s knuckles. “It’s only a matter of time before you get the call up. I knew you were good, but watching you train last week was insane. You’re better and fitter than half the pros on the team. It got me thinking that if we all lived together, then at least we’ve got an excuse to spend the night together. It’s gonna look real strange when your mate keeps staying over at your’s or your girlfriend’s place. That’s how rumours start and it’s the last thing I want for you.”
Bryce’s gaze bounced between them, finally settling on Cole. “Why is Ava my girlfriend and not yours?” he asked, his brow furrowed but with a small, shy smile on his lips. He clearly liked what he’d heard.
Cole huffed out a laugh, trying to hide behind humour. It didn’t work for him. He was always too serious to pull off joking about something. Ava had accused him of wanting to own her—it was far too accurate a sentiment. It wasn’t because Cole thought of her or Bryce as possessions, but he did want them to be his, and his alone. He would freely admit to being a possessive arsehole, to want to mark them as his, if it wouldn’t set Ava off again.
“Because I may not be able to claim you in public, but I’ll be damned if I let anyone else think they have a chance,” he growled. “No, you two are together and I’m your friend. That part’s non-negotiable.”
Ava’s smile turned sappy as she playfully knocked her head against his. “Aw, I think Cole’s getting all protective. He’s been thinking about this for a while.”
“Mmhmm, sounds like it,” Bryce replied with a smirk that was equal parts wicked and teasing. “Also sounds as if he might like us.”
“Sounds like you want an arse kicking.” He narrowed his gaze at Bryce and the big guy barked out a laugh.
“I’d like to see you try. All I’d have to do is sit on you and you’d be begging for mercy.”
Cole moaned, fantasies of Bryce sinking down onto his cock suddenly taking centre stage in his mind’s eye. Fuck yeah, he’d be begging for mercy within mere moments if Bryce ever let him anywhere near his perfect hole.
“Hmm, then again, maybe you begging for it isn’t such a bad thing.”
Thirteen
Bryce
I
t had been a week since their argument that ended in epic make-up sex. He’d hated the fight but loved the apology. Now he was back to hating—seeing Ava struggle so much was awful. She’d accepted the offer to do work experience at the development company she and Cole had fought over, and she was starting that day. Ava couldn’t sit still, but it wasn’t excitement. They’d stayed up late the night before, neither Cole nor Ava able to sleep. In their whispered conversations curled around each other in bed, she’d confided that it was fear more than happiness keeping her up. It was as if she could feel an expiry date on her career looming above her head and she couldn’t do anything about it.
