“Are you really going to consider running Twist with Neckie?”
The familiar tumble of nerves returned to my stomach, but I recognized it for the excitement that comes with change. “I am. Did I ever tell you that I was in charge of PT on my team when I was in the navy? I fucking loved being on the Grinder.”
“I don’t know what any of those words mean,” Augie said. “But I guess it has something to do with being a frogger?”
I snorted. “Frogman. And now I’m going to have to put you in my pocket because you’re so fucking cute.”
He rolled his eyes but simultaneously crawled onto my lap and ground his erection into my belly. “Talk navy to me, frogman.”
“That’s not sexy,” I said, wrapping my arms around him and cupping his butt. “But your little ass in my hands sure is. And while we’re on the subject of this hot body, I need you to promise me no more Grindr hookups. The app stays in the app trash. Got it?”
“Why would I need Grindr when I have you?” he asked in my ear before latching his teeth onto my lobe. “Saint… I want you to fuck me. I want to squeeze myself around your cock and see if I can make you scream.”
Dear god.
“Sss-sounds acceptable,” I hissed. His hands had pulled my shirt tail out and snuck up inside to pluck my nipples with cold hands. All of the nearby skin puckered in response. “Baby, let’s… I don’t know if I can…”
I’d intended to tell him we should continue on to his house where we would be more comfortable, but the whoop-whoop of a law enforcement vehicle split the night and blue-and-white lights began strobing everywhere. I stood up and set Augie behind me before peering toward the vehicle behind us.
“Saint-Michel-des-Saints Cupcake Wilde, spread your legs and—”
I recognized my brother Otto’s voice immediately.
“Asshole!” I yelled. I couldn’t see him or Seth past the headlights of Seth’s sheriff SUV, but I knew the two of them were getting a kick out of coming across us on the side of the road.
“Public indecency,” came the cry from the opening passenger door. “Vehicular necking. Contributing to the delinquency of a minor.”
“Hey!” Augie scoffed. “Take that back. I’m only three years younger than Cupcake here.”
“You know that’s not my real middle name, right?” I asked, putting my arm around him and pulling him into my side.
“It is now,” he said, grinning up at me.
Seth came around from the driver’s side and reached out a hand to shake. “Forgive me. He’s a little tipsy. We went to dinner at Sweet Boy’s in Bowie for meatloaf and cobbler, but then he talked me into stopping at the pool hall for some pitchers of beer.”
Otto flashed a shit-eating grin. “Guess who got to drink the pitchers?”
“I’m guessing not the law enforcement officer?” I said with a laugh.
“You guessed right. It was me,” Otto said a smidge too loudly. “And now he said I can fuck him and be really noisy when we get home since Tishie’s at her mom’s.”
Seth smacked his chest with a laugh. “Shut the fuck up, Wilde Man. Or the offer gets rescinded.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Get in the car, Otto,” Seth said. “If you haven’t passed out by the time we get home, you can try your best to show me what you got.” He winked at us and mouthed too drunk to fuck.
I smiled and chuckled as Otto did an about-face and got his ass back into the SUV.
“Be safe, brother,” Seth said, making my heart feel full. Seth Walker had felt like family since he and Otto had become best friends in elementary or middle school. Now that they were actually married, it was finally legal. “Augie, take care.”
After waving them off, we got back in the truck and headed the rest of the way to Augie’s in comfortable silence.
It wasn’t until two hours after falling asleep curled around Augie that Skipper’s text came through on my phone. The ping woke me up out of a dead sleep because I’d forgotten to put my phone on night mode.
Skipper: Sorry it took so long. Owners of CSP shell corp are listed as Duvall and Kohli. That was a shifty maze of shit. Emailing you deets.
The names rang a bell, but I couldn’t place them for a few seconds until my brain fully came online.
Duvall.
As in Katrina Duvall? Was it her father or a brother? Or could it be a coincidence?
Augie shifted in his sleep and snuggled closer. I guided his head onto my shoulder and wrapped my arm around him before playing with his hair with my fingers.
Could Kat be involved in this? Could Rory? No. No way would Rory do anything to harm Augie.
I debated whether or not to wake him up so I could ask him about Marco. But he’d had a rough night, so I decided to let him sleep.