Page 47 of Flash

“If it was honestly nothing but good sex, then maybe not.” He shrugs. “Maybe this thing has run its course anyway and today was a good excuse to end it.”

I narrow my eyes at him. I hate when he does this reverse psychology shit.

“Fine, I’m glad we’re in agreement.”

Rowan nods. “Sure. Of course, if it was more than just sex, if he was making you feel things you desperately tried to stamp out of yourself ages ago and treating you so well it made you suspicious of his motives, it might be worth at least talking to him before you take the nuclear option.”

My heart flutters and my stomach jolts with all the hope and feelings I’m trying not to deal with right now. I know I owe it to Arrow and myself to at least talk to him, but I’m not sure I can face it.

ARROW

I don’t have a clue what time it is, but it’s dark by the time I round the corner onto my street. I’ve spent the day riding around to clear my head and making plenty of stops so Gregory could stretch his legs. I’m not sure I’m any further ahead than I was this morning though.

Lewis thinks he’s nothing but the butt of a joke, and with his self-professed trust issues, I’m not sure I’m going to be able to say anything to convince him otherwise. One thing the ride did shake loose in my brain though is that I acted like a total asshole. This wasn’t Jag’s fault, and it wasn’t Piston’s either. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, it’s just a mess, simple as that.

I’m not surprised to see four Harleys parked in my driveway when I pull up, but a relieved laugh swells in my chest anyway. Fuck knows how I’m going to make things right with Lewis, but at least there’s one thing I can count on—the same thing I’ve counted on for years.

I cut my engine and pull my helmet off, then let Gregory out of his harness. My garage door is wide open, and the little mutt goes running straight for the guys, yapping excitedly the whole way. They’re all sitting around inside, just like usual, lounging on various chairs and surfaces, each with a beer in hand.

“Sure, help yourself,” I tease gruffly.

Jag sits up straighter, tilting his beer to his lips while he reaches to his side and lifts up a six pack with two bottles left in it.

“Brought our own,” he says with a chill in his voice that reminds me I lost my cool earlier. Piston extends his leg and kicks Jag’s foot, shooting him a pointed look. Jag rolls his eyes and then offers me the nearly empty cardboard packaging. “They’re a peace offering. I’m…” He clears his throat. “Sorry.”

I bite back a laugh and refrain from pointing out that they all helped themselves to my “peace offering.” I pull out one of the bottles and set the other one aside, then drag a folding chair over to sit down on. I twist the cap off and bring the bottle to my lips. The flavor of it hitting my tongue reminds me that I didn’t bother stopping to eat or drink all day.

“What are you sorry for?” I ask after I swallow a few gulps. I know I owe him an apology of my own. I’ll get around to it, it’s just so rare that Jag apologizes for anything that I want to savor this moment first.

He casts a scathing look at Piston, who keeps a cool face and just nods to prompt him with whatever he must have coached him on earlier. I rub my hand over my mouth to hide my grin. I can just imagine the stern talking to he gave Jag after everything went down. They jokingly call me Daddy, but Piston can definitely whip out the Daddy vibes when it’s necessary.

“For carrying on this stupid feud when I should have…” He grits his teeth and sighs. “Handled it like an adult.”

I chuckle. “Don’t hurt yourself there, man.” I lean forward and pat his leg. “You didn’t know who Lewis was. It’s fine.” I squeeze his knee and then sit back again. “I’m sorry I flew off the handle earlier. I saw that look of devastation and betrayal on his face, and I just fucking lost it.”

“Somebody want to fill the rest of us in? I’ve been busier than a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest trying to figure out what the hell happened this morning,” Tex says.

I take a deep breath and give him the abridged version, keeping the best details to myself, like the way I haven’t been able to get the sound of his moans out of my head since that first day in the rainstorm, or how fucking cute Lewis’s punny names for his plants are. When Tex and Hero are caught up, I turn my attention to Piston.

“How the hell did you make the connection and why didn’t you tell me?” I growl.

“I didn’t know for sure. I looked up the flower shop and followed the rabbit hole to his personal social media page. I figured there couldn’t be too many pretty, blue eyed twinks named Lewis living in Fall Crosse, but I wasn’t ruling out that it was just a hell of a coincidence.”

“You should have told me.” I huff and take another drink from my bottle.

He ducks his head and then nods. “I should have.”

“No more secrets. It fucks with everything when we keep shit from each other.” I’m aware I’m guilty in my own way, after downplaying everything for weeks and keeping everything about Lewis to myself.

Piston bobbles his head again. “No more secrets,” he agrees, reaching across the space between us to offer me his hand. I take it in a firm shake, getting up out of my chair and pulling him up too so I can tug him into a back slapping hug.

“Touching moment, guys, but it kind of ruins the circle jerk vibe I was hoping we could get going tonight,” Hero deadpans.

I let Piston go and grab Hero in a headlock. We laugh and roughhouse for a minute before I push him away.

“If you only joined this club hoping it would eventually turn into an orgy, I’m afraid you’re in for a major disappointment.” I pat his cheek.

“Bummer.” He chuckles, and we both sit back down.

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