Sterling (Carolina Reapers 6)

“I should probably go,” Hendrix said, but Savannah shook her head.

“You can talk about sex without hiding, Hollywood. You basically have a master’s degree in the subject.” She flashed him a look that made me want to cover my face with the pillow again.

This all should be incredibly mortifying, but Savannah was my family. And Hendrix was the love of her life, so that made him family too. Plus, he did have an insight to the male mind. Maybe he could tell me why Jansen was flaking on me out of nowhere.

“Yes,” I said. “Please stay.” His brows raised at my request. I looked down at my nails. “Do you think it’s because I wasn’t…knowledgeable?”

“God, no,” Hendrix blurted out, shaking his head. “Trust me. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never had sex before or you’ve had it with a thousand people. With the right person, experience isn’t necessary. It comes down to instinct.”

I nodded, a little bit of relief pooling inside me. I had given over solely to the instincts and demands of my body. And we’d crashed together like the most brilliant, electrifying storm.

“What’s up his ass then, I wonder?” Savannah asked, eyes darting between the two of us. Something clicked, and she tilted her head. “Did you do anything with Maxim?”

“What?” I snapped. “No! Of course not—”

“I didn’t mean sexually,” Savannah laughed.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, London,” Hendrix grumbled. “Tell me you’re not dating both brothers.” I gaped at him, and he quickly raised his hands in defense. “Not that you don’t have every right to do that. More like, they seem like they’d kill each other on a good day, let alone if they had to share.”

A shiver ran the length of my spine at the thought. Trying to juggle both brothers would be about as easy as nuclear fusion. “No. There is nothing going on with Maxim and me. Why does everyone assume there is?”

“He’s at your apartment a lot,” Savannah said, then hurried on when I flashed her a glare. “And I know it’s because Caz is always there too. But does Sterling know that?”

I parted my lips, then shut them.

Was that it?

Could he possibly think I was trying to play them both? God, what kind of person did he think I was? If I were to openly date two men—two brothers, no less—I would be absolutely up front about it. Hell, I didn’t even know if what Jansen and I were doing could be considered dating or if he even wanted it to be labeled.

My mind raced backward, thinking of all the times Maxim and I had been seen together in the last week. There was breakfast in Chicago—with Caz too—and the plane ride, I’d sat next to both of them. The following practice Maxim had teased me about not wearing the jersey he’d gifted me, and Jansen had definitely been in earshot.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. Surely, Jansen was smart enough to know better, right?

“I don’t even know what we are to each other. And it’s not like I can confess a working relationship to Asher-freaking-Silas without knowing if this is even a thing or not.” I sighed.

Did I want it to be a thing?

God, I did. I could feel that in how unsettled I’d felt since he’d been so distant.

“How do I fix things?” I asked.

“Sex always works for me,” Hendrix said, and Savannah laughed. “What?” he asked. “They clearly need to set up some rules. Stick to them, and everything will work out.”

Savannah snorted. “Yeah, rules are meant to be broken.” She leaned over the armrest, grazing a finger over his forearm. “Or have you forgotten?”

He grinned at her, and I suddenly wished for the ability to teleport the hell out of there.

“I remember everything,” he said.

“Okay, this has been fun,” I said, pushing to stand. “I have to go Caz’s barbecue. I’m already late as it is.”

“You were stalling on purpose,” Savannah said, standing up to hug me.

“Of course, I was,” I said, squeezing her back.

She released me but held my gaze. “You like him.”

Not a question, but I nodded anyway.

“Then you have to talk to him.”

“I’ve been trying—”

“Make him listen,” she said. “Be more direct. Lay out exactly what you want, whatever that may be, and it’ll be his decision whether or not that’s okay with him. And at least you’ll know.”

Right. Not knowing what he wanted or why he was upset with me was half as painful as not being able to joke or laugh with him like we’d been doing before that night. I’d grown used to his teasing texts and phone conversations that lasted far past bedtime.

“Okay,” I said, sucking in all the confidence I could muster. “How do you propose I get him to talk to me?”

“Sex. Always. Works!” Hendrix chimed in, and Savannah and I laughed.