Reese

I blink, unsure I heard him correctly. “I’m sorry, could you repeat that for me?”

“You heard me. I want in too.”

“In what?”

“In you mostly,” he mutters until I dig him in the stomach with my elbow.

“I won’t lie and say I’m clear on how the dynamics of a relationship like that would work, but I’m not horrified by it either. I don’t know any of them well, but they seem like good guys. And well, it feels like we could all bring something to the table.” He looks away for a minute before turning back to me. This time there is something in his expression I can’t read.

“I feel, and I know I could be wrong here or reading into things too much, but this feels like more than building a potential romantic relationship. It feels like we could build a family here, something by the sounds of it that all of us are lacking. Family is more than blood, it’s heart, right?” he echoes what I said earlier.

I soak in his words, roll them over in my head, and realize he’s right. I won’t say what’s unfolding has been effortless to maneuver, but it’s been less fraught with tension than I figured it would be, even after how things played out this morning.

I’ve seen this group dynamic work before with Dulce and with my old friend, Mercy, who is now an old lady to three bikers, but it will never be the norm. Society can’t cope with anything that’s different. Because we don’t fit in the boxes we get allocated at birth, we’ll be labeled misfits and outcasts at best, and deviants at worst. Yet, I can’t find it in me to give a single flying fuck.

“I need to talk to the others first. You said it yourself, it’s not just about me. It’s about them, and I can’t keep bringing in guys like stray puppies.” They were pretty good about the whole Graves thing, but I don’t want to abuse their trust.

“Good point. And also, you should probably try the perks before you commit to anything.”

“Yeah, like what?”

His hand slides into my hair and pulls me to him, his lips landing on mine in a soft kiss that quickly becomes anything but. By the time he pulls away, my bra is askew, my lips are swollen, and I’m sure my hair looks like a bird has made itself a home within it.

“Dammit, Law. How am I supposed to go in there and talk to them now? I feel like I just cheated or something. What if they say no? Then what? I tell you what, I’m the hussy that just had another man’s tongue in my mouth.”

“Aw, Mal, let me apologize,” he murmurs, and then his lips are back on mine, and this time I’m on his lap, grinding down against his hard cock.

Yanking my head away, I curse again before diving off him, my jelly legs threatening to give way.

He moves to stand up, but I hold my hands out in front of me in a stop gesture.

“Oh, hell no. Stay there. You can keep that magic wang of yours at a distance. I can’t think when you touch me.”

“Magic wang?” He laughs.

I point at his dick. “Wonder stick, pussy pogo, meat truncheon. I don’t care what you call it, just keep it away from me until I can talk to the others.”

“And then?”

“One step at a time, Law,” I reply breathlessly, dragging my eyes away from his magic wang. “I need to find the others.”

“I’ll come with you.”

“Fine, whatever. But until I’ve spoken to them, I’m pretending your cock has COVID, and I have to socially distance myself from it.”

He laughs again, but there is nothing funny about this situation.

I head inside, and even though I don’t turn to look at him, I can feel his eyes burning a hole in the ass of my pants.

The classes have cleared out for now. The next one doesn’t start for two hours, so it’s just the regular gym-goers inside. Given the hour and yesterday’s storm, it’s quieter than usual. Even so, there are around ten other people working out and fighting. Vega is in the corner showing someone how to use their body’s momentum to throw a punch, and Blink is collecting empty water bottles from the table near the window when I walk in.

He’s the one who spots me first. He takes one look at my face and freezes before yelling, “What’s wrong?”

People turn to stare at the sound of Blink’s voice, but I just keep on walking toward him, yelling as I go.

“Law has COVID cock, and I need to talk to you right now.”

“Ah fuck,” Law curses from behind me as a few bouts of laughter ring out across the room.