No Good Deed - Marie Sexton Page 0,100
himself it was nothing to worry about, but he found himself studying Jonas the rest of the afternoon, trying to determine if he was watching Gray. If so, he hid it well. He seemed absolutely enamored of Charlie.
“I threatened to kill him if he breaks Charlie’s heart again,” Gray said later, when Avery asked about it.
They were home by then, sitting next to each other on the couch, and Avery groaned. “I should’ve talked to him. I promised River I’d give him a chance. I had the perfect opportunity today, and I chickened out.”
“You’ll get the chance on Sunday.” Gray nudged him playfully with his elbow. “Poker party at Charlie’s.”
Avery’s heart sank. His mouth went dry. “So soon?”
“We thought it was best.”
Avery stood up, needing a bit of space. “Do you think it’s going to be like last time?”
“Do you mean are people going to get naked?”
He could tell by his tone Gray was smiling, and Avery refused to look at him. “Yes.”
“Well, I heard Phil and Warren talking about how River and Taylor are dying to double-team Jonas like they did for you, so I’d say it’s safe bet things get weird.”
Avery sighed, his arms crossed tight over his chest. Could he refuse to go? Which would be worse—staying home, wondering and worrying, or being there and seeing Gray get a blow job from his ex?
Gray came up behind him, wrapping his arms around Avery. “Hey,” he said quietly in Avery’s ear. “Do I need tell you again that he’s no threat to us? Because I’ll say it as many times as you need to hear it.”
“I don’t know if I can stand to see it.”
“To see what, exactly?”
Avery fought not to cry. He felt like he’d been doing that way too much since Jonas’s sudden appearance in their life. “I can watch you with Taylor and River. But with your ex? Jesus, Gray. I don’t know if I can stand to see that.”
“You won’t have to.”
Avery swallowed, turning to face him. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I have no desire to fool around with him again anyway. And if it’s going to bother you, that’s even more reason not to do it.”
Avery blinked at him. He almost couldn’t believe it was that simple. “Really?”
“Of course. Did you think I’d expect you to stand there smiling while I have sex with Jonas? I’m not that much of an asshole, am I?” His smile was gentle, despite his teasing tone. “I absolutely endorse the ‘hands off the ex’ policy. And I suspect Charlie will as well.”
“Will it be weird, though?”
“Well, yeah. Obviously. But only at first. That’s why we’re not putting it off. The sooner we all get used to Jonas as Charlie’s partner, the better it is for everybody, right?”
Avery shook his head, a bit surprised that he had to explain what he meant. “No. I mean, will it be weird that you’re avoiding one of the subs?”
“Why would that be weird?”
“Because it’s usually a free-for-all. And suddenly that’ll be messed up because of me and my insecurity.”
“A free-for-all?” Gray frowned, his head tilting as he considered that. “I don’t think of it that way at all. Phil and Warren have their own rules. And have you ever noticed Phil never touches Taylor?”
“Wait. What? Are you sure?”
“Positive. Not since before River, at any rate. I don’t know if it’s because of River, or because of Warren, or none of the above, or all of the above. But I know what I see. If Taylor’s on his knees, Phil always passes. And I’m perfectly happy to pass too, if it ends up being Jonas. I’d pass on all of them, if you asked me to.”
Avery fell back a step, stunned. “Really?”
“Did you not know that?”
Avery laughed, suddenly feeling like the world’s biggest fool. It had never even occurred to him to ask Gray to keep his hands off the other subs. He’d assumed sharing partners was just part of the whole Gray and Company package.
He took a moment to consider Gray’s offer. Once upon a time, he’d resented the attention Gray gave to Taylor, but not anymore. Things had shifted since then. Gray still flirted with Taylor, but it was lighter now. Less sincere. Avery knew he only did it because Taylor expected it. It was a fun little game they played, but it meant nothing. He always came back to Avery. Of course he did. Gray loved him. He didn’t love Taylor. Not like that, at any rate. Avery