Page 38 of Pet Project

“Let’s finish getting changed and we can go meet up with everyone. I’m sure Donnie won’t mind if you spend the night at our place above the shop tonight. I don’t want to let you go at all, my sweet southern pup.”

Toby rushes to whip off his jock and I shake my head as I slip my legs into my jeans and he puts the jock back on before pulling on his own pair of jeans. I chuckle at his hopping around the room, trying not to trip over the legs as he pulls them up over his hips. I’ve missed that sight, even though our room at Kink Manor had a lot less space for hopping.

Once we’re dressed, we hold hands and head toward the back door of the club where the rest of our crew seems to be waiting for something. Toby doesn’t seem to notice everyone else’s hesitation and pushes the door open, pulling me out right along with him.

“Yeah well maybe they should have just finished me off that night.”

The anguish in Donnie’s voice cuts through me, and it’s like my brain decides it has had enough grief to last a lifetime.

“The fuck you just say?!” I shriek at him and I almost laugh as the white boys surrounding me go full on Casper at my outburst.

45

TOBY

I’ve never seen Shiloh this angry before. Hell, I don’t think I’ve seen him more than slightly perturbed, but Donnie done fucked up tonight. Shy is seething next to me in the backseat of Donnie’s car. I’m pretty sure it has nothing to do with what happened inside and everything to do with what we heard when I barged outside.

I feel kind of bad about that, interrupting his talk with Professor Barnes. I still feel weird about calling him by his first name, or rather his middle name… or a shortened version of it? I dunno. Until I graduate and know for a fact I won’t have to take one of his classes again, I can’t do it.

Donnie meets my eyes in the rearview mirror before making the turn to pull into the alley behind the coffee shop. He looks sad… and scared… and… Well, I’m not sure what else is there but it’s sure as shit not happy.

“You guys need to talk,” I say when he turns off the car. “I can get an Uber back to the house.”

I open the door to get out, but Shy grabs my wrist and glares at me when I turn to him. Fuck. He’s hot when he’s all riled up like this.

“You aren’t going anywhere except the both of you are going to march your lily white asses upstairs and we areallgoing to talk about this shit between us and get it all out in the open. I’ve got enough to be afraid of with Michael out there that I don’t need to be afraid of losing anyone else. Got it?”

Holy Christ on a cracker… I think bossy Shiloh just made me pop a boner.

With a gulp, I nod and he releases my hand so that I can get out of the car. Leaving my pup gear in the trunk, I follow Donnie and Shiloh to a door marked PRIVATE and watch my kitten stomp up the stairs inside. I share a glance with the bigger man before he waves me ahead of him to go up the stairs. Even though I’m thoroughly turned on, right now, my heart is racing for other reasons.

Did Donnie just groan? Did he hurt himself?

“Do you have some sort of knee problems? I heard leg injuries are very common with college athletes and prevents a lot from going pro. Is that what happened to you? What did you play? You look really fit like you played something.”

Stop babbling, ya ijit…

Donnie chuckles from behind me and I hear a crack followed by a flash of pressure on my ass. It takes a second for my body to realize he just whacked me on my ass.

“Did you justspankme?” I squeak out as I turn around, grasping the handrail desperately so that I don’t embarrass myself further by falling down the stairs.

“You liked it,” he leans down to whisper in my ear as he moves around me to enter his apartment, leaving the door open for me to follow.

Oh, fuck.

I did. I really fucking did.

46

DONNIE

The interlude with Toby on the stairs brings a smile to my face after the disastrous events of our night out. I never meant for the boys to see me at my worst. I sure as shit never wanted anyone to hear how I still feel about that night…especially Eric.

After my mouth fucked everything up by saying the quiet part out loud, Shiloh snatched my keys right off my belt loop and stormed off to the car, dragging a flabbergasted Toby along with him. I said a rushed goodbye to the rest of the guys, but Eric grabbed my wrist before I could run off.

“Do you really mean that? Do you really wish you had died that night?”

I probably looked like a fish with the way my mouth opened and closed repeatedly, but in the end, he didn’t want my answer – not really.

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