"I think so, but you know I live next door, right?"
An impish grin claimed his face. "Hence the hard to forget part."
"No, I mean..." I was completely screwing this up. "I mean that sounds carry at night, and I do go into my backyard sometimes."
The smile vanished as he realized what I was saying. "Which night?"
"Monday, after we did dinner for Gabby."
He looked over at the dog. "I think that was..." Then his eyes snapped back. "Oh."
"So you remember the things you guys were talking about?" I pressed.
"Generally," he admitted, shifting awkwardly. "Look, I'm not going to say I remember word for word, but I have an idea of what we talked about. And I'm sure some of it sounded pretty bad, but I promise there's an explanation."
"Boys will be boys?" I offered, making it clear that wasn't a good one.
Pax just shook his head. "No. But why don't you tell me what you heard so I don't get myself in any more trouble, and I'll fill in the gaps?"
The problem was that I didn't remember it word for word either. "All five of you were out here, and you were talking about me."
"Ok. Was this the part where we decided you're perfect?" He was watching me intently.
I bought myself a little time with another drink. "The part I heard started with you guys talking about Gabby's schedule."
He visibly relaxed. "Ok, I remember that bit. We were discussing how to steal some time with you and keep her out of it. I mean, we understand that you want to set an example for her, so we don't want to mess that up."
Using the hand holding my wine glass, I pointed at him. "That's the thing I don't get. That part right there. All the 'we' and 'our girl' comments. I just..."
"Ah, fuck," he groaned, reaching back to set his beer down. "Shit, I didn't even think about that. Honey, it's -"
Red barked, cutting him off. Pax actually shot the dog a dirty look, but it had interrupted whatever he was going to say. At that moment, I honestly thought about splashing the beast so I could finally get some answers, but he was just too cute to chase off.
"Pax," I said instead, "I just want to know what's going on. That day in my laundry room, Lane said the same thing. We. It's always 'we.' Never me and you, never just an I. All five of you keep talking that way, and it makes me think there's something going on."
"There kinda is," he admitted, turning his eyes to the dog pointedly.
It almost made me giggle, but I was just hoping Red didn't interrupt again. "And that is?" I asked one more time.
"Everyone has a kink, honey. Every last person. Some men like dressing in women's clothes. Some people put on furry costumes. Bondage, spanking, or even feet. There are as many perversions as there are people, you agree?"
I could only shrug. My sex life had been pretty tame and had mostly vanished after Gabby was born. Needless to say, my kink involved the two toys I had stashed in my closet. Those, some steamy romance novels, and my dirty little fantasies were all I had.
"What does that have to do with this?" I asked.
The curl returned to his lips as he once again leaned back. The expression on his face said I'd asked the one question that gave him back control, and he intended to use it. "The first time I got blown? I was sixteen years old, and she was riding my friend like a rented pony. No, I won't tell you which one, but yes, he lives in this house. The first time I actually got laid? I was the pony. Everyone has a kink, Elena, and I know mine. Do you know yours?"
"No," I said softly.
He crooked a finger, daring me to come closer. "I don't bite, so you don't need to hide all the way over there."
"Pax, I don't know. I think I'm in over my head. Look, I was just enjoying the attention," I told him, hoping I didn't sound like a complete bitch.
He crooked his finger again. "You made a comment that day about thinking I'd been waiting for Lane to leave. I told you no. Now you're asking about why I say 'we.' I'm explaining. That's all. I promise I will still ask permission. See, I was raised that consent is a very big deal. So is talking about it, and I get