Page 35 of Heat Island
Matheo cuts in, voice firm. “Enough, both of you.” He looks between us. “Cash, your preparation is appreciated. Kyren, your...unique perspective might actually be helpful. If anything else, you should be able to lighten the mood because Trinity will obviously be stressed. But this constant bickering ends now.”
“He started it,” Kyren mutters.
“What are you, twelve?” I snap.
“Both of you,” Matheo’s voice drops into the note of command that screams alpha used to being heard, “Trinity is counting on us to be convincing as a pack. That means getting along, at least in public. Can you manage that?”
Lucas places a calming hand on my shoulder. “Cash has always been protective of people he cares about, even when he’s just met them.”
“And Kyren’s always been...” Matheo searches for the right word.
“Awesome?” Kyren suggests.
“Chaotic,” Matheo finishes. “But reliable when it counts. I need both of you to try. For Trinity’s sake.”
I meet Kyren’s eyes across the cabin. For a moment, I glimpse something beyond his typical glibness, a determination completely at odds with his devil-may-care personality.
“Fine,” I concede. “But you need to give all that personality a rest when Trinity is around.”
“Okay, but I’m not wearing anything colored fucking lavender.”
“Deal,” I reply, extending my hand.
Instead of shaking it, Kyren high-fives me. “This is gonna be fun, Calculator. Maybe we’ll have some time to loosen you up.”
“I’m fine being tightly wound, thanks.”
Kyren strums another chord on his guitar and grins at me. “That can’t be good for Lucas, you being bound up like a clogged sink, Calculator. Though I’m sure you’ve already got it down to an exact science when you two get it on.Okay, baby. Insert tab A into slot B. Thrust at precisely 72 RPM for optimal results.”
A beat of silence falls over the cabin. Lucas’s hands freeze on my shoulders.
Then something breaks inside me, and I burst out laughing. Not the polite chuckle I reserve for client meetings, but a full-bodied laugh that doubles me over.
“You think—” I can barely get the words out. “You think I’m the one giving instructions?”
Lucas joins in, his deep laugh rumbling behind me. “Oh god, if only you knew.”
Matheo raises an eyebrow. “Do tell.”
“Our Cash here,” Lucas squeezes my shoulders affectionately, “becomes remarkably non-verbal once the clothes come off. All that analytical brain power just—” He makes an explosion gesture with his hands. “Fireworks itself into oblivion.”
“No way,” Kyren says, leaning forward with genuine interest. “Mr. Spreadsheet loses his words?”
I feel my face flush but can’t stop smiling. “I’m...efficient with my communication.”
“He means he moans a lot,” Lucas clarifies, and I elbow him playfully.
“Fascinating,” Matheo says, swirling his champagne. “The type-A beta and the golden retriever alpha honor their designations in the bedroom. Who would’ve thought?”
Kyren strums a sultry chord. “And here I always figured you’d be the one with a color-coded sexschedule.”
“Monday is for missionary, Tuesday for toys,” Lucas intones in a robotic voice that has us all laughing again.
I shake my head. “I’ll have you know that spontaneity can be thoroughly enjoyable when properly executed.”
“There’s the Cash we know and love,” Kyren says, and for once, there’s no malice in his voice.
The conversation lulls for a moment before Lucas clears his throat. “So, since we’re talking about sex…we kind of need to talk about Trinity.”
