Raze (Riven 3)

I pictured Felix’s expression when he’d asked if I wanted to go on the roller coaster and the carousel, as if my saying yes would mean everything to him. I nodded.

“Well, after that of course I could never tell him it was disgusting. God, we ate that for years. I’m surprised his brothers and sisters didn’t riot. But then, they were pretty used to him calling the shots. You have brothers or sisters?”

“No. Just me.”

“Me too,” she said. “I always wished I came from a big family. Guess that’s why I made my own.”

She handed me a pot and two cans of crushed tomatoes. I stirred them into the pot while she pan-fried the meatballs. She didn’t have Felix’s constant absent movement, but I got the same impression of a lot of energy. I supposed you needed that if you were going to raise five kids on your own.

When the sauce was bubbling and the meatballs were resting, I asked Maya what she thought of her daughter singing with Riven.

She shrugged one shoulder.

“Sofia’s gonna do what Sofia’s gonna do. She’d be a rock star even if she was an insurance adjuster. I don’t worry too much about it touching her. She always asks for help if she needs it. I worry more about Felix.”

“Because she won’t be around as much?”

“Well, they have always been attached at the hip. But I worry more about him seeing how cruel people can be. He’s not going to like the things people say about his sister. Don’t get me wrong—Felix isn’t naive.” She paused, like she was trying to find the right word for Felix’s endearing combination of hope and sincerity. “He’s so sweet, despite everything he’s been through. Sometimes I’m amazed it still surprises him that other people aren’t as kind.”

“He broke a photographer’s camera who came to his apartment,” I told her.

“Did he? Good for him!” She grinned and made a fist. “So.” She leaned close. “What do you think of this Coco character? I’ve never made dinner for a rock star before.”

“Don’t really know her,” I said, wishing I had some tidbit to give Maya in return for how kind she was being to me.

She nodded thoughtfully and put pasta into the boiling water.

“This will be done in ten. Mind getting the boys for me? Sofia and the rock star should be here any minute.”

When I got back upstairs, Felix and Lucas were sitting side by side on the bottom bunk bed, heads together, looking at something on Lucas’s phone.

“Your mom said dinner’s in ten.”

Felix smiled at me.

“Wanna see Lucas’s crush?”

Lucas smacked Felix across the chest to shut him up.

“Come on, show Dane!”

Lucas glared at Felix and reluctantly held out his phone. On the screen was a profile shot of a stern-looking redhead with a bandanna tied around her hair. It soothed me to think that everyone could be someone’s crush.

“You take this when she wasn’t looking?” I asked, handing the phone back.

“What? No! It’s her Snapchat.”

I raised an eyebrow at Felix.

“He doesn’t know what Snapchat is,” Felix said.

Lucas looked at me, horrified. Then he dropped back on the bed, head dangerously close to scraping the bottom of the bunk above, and sighed exaggeratedly.

“She doesn’t know I’m alive. I tried to ask her out and she thought I was offering to get her a coffee. She said I was considerate.”

“Is that…bad?” I asked.

“Yeah, ’cuz considerate’s, like, the opposite of hot,” Lucas said, throwing a dramatic arm over his face.

“Not to me it’s not,” Felix said, shooting me a look under his lashes.

“Yeah, but you’re…”

“What, gay?”

Felix bristled and Lucas socked him in the arm.

“I was gonna say old.”

Felix flipped him off but smiled.

“Considerate means she thinks you pay attention,” I said. “Paying attention to someone is definitely hot. It’s how you know what they want. What they like.”

Lucas was staring at me hard.

“Yeah?”

I nodded.

“Hell yeah,” Felix murmured, eyes burning into mine.

I cleared my throat. “Probably go down to dinner.”

Lucas was out the door like a shot, shouting, “Coming!” Felix held out a hand to me, asking me to pull him to his feet. When I did, he kept coming and pressed himself against me, winding his arms around my neck and tipping his face up to mine, begging to be kissed with his whole body.

I kissed him hard and sweet, one hand on his back, the other cupping his jaw. His tongue brushed mine and I forgot where we were. I lifted him off his feet with one arm under his ass and slid my other hand up his spine, holding him tight. He groaned into my mouth and shivered against me.

“Damn. I’d say get a room, but you’re in a room right now. Get a door?” Sofia, suddenly in the doorway, raised one eyebrow, and I slowly lowered Felix to his feet. Unfortunately, this involved him sliding down my body and rubbing over my interested cock. I bit my lip hard to avoid embarrassing myself in front of Felix’s sister.