Super Nova (11 page)

Roman fucked Carver mercilessly, as if capturing each of his friends’ pleasure and reinvesting it in the man beneath him. Meep twitched and groaned, inarticulate sounds that Mustang Sally absorbed the same way she took the impact of his body.

“It’s okay. I won’t let you go over alone.” She hugged the man on top of her. “Together, all right?”

Carver moaned in response. He shuddered. Sally squeezed him tight—both with her arms and her pussy, Kaige would bet, since her echoing cries could only mean she’d surrendered to an epic orgasm. Roman gripped Carver’s ass hard enough to leave bruises, though Meep wouldn’t mind. Barracuda let the smaller man ride out his orgasm on the thick length of his cock before shouting at the metal rafters in their common space and unleashing his own monumental release.

A couple of the guys recovered enough to support Roman as he yielded to the moment and years of pent-up passion. Bliss pulsed through Kaige with every slam of his heart while he watched contentment blanket his friends. Nothing could make him happier.

Sally lifted her gaze to his and smiled.

Kaige shuddered as he pumped jet after jet of come from his cock. He hadn’t realized he’d toed the edge so close. As if he were sixteen again, he was swept away by a massive orgasm that awed him with its intensity and the thoroughness of his ecstasy.

The only thing that could have made it better would have been pumping into Nola while he watched his friends connect with each other. If they could have shared that bond…

Another wrench of his spine pulled the last droplets from his balls.

He leaned against the couch to keep from falling on his face.

For a moment, he enjoyed the endorphin high. Then reality set in.

Instead of joining the laughing, exhausted group of friends piled on the floor, replete, he bolted. It wasn’t pretty—or manly—but he didn’t give a shit. Enticement too strong might make him do something he regretted. Because he couldn’t ignore the energy that had travelled between him and Nola today.

Right before he got to the hallway, leading to his room, Sally’s soft call had him turning toward her. “Kaige?”

“Yeah, Mustang?”

“We’ll be here when you figure it out.” She smiled slowly, then stretched like a sleepy kitten instead of a wild horse. “I’m not going anywhere for a long, long time. And for the record, I think she’s great too. Someone I could be friends with.”

“Thanks.”

“Do you want to t-talk about it?” Roman shocked the hell out of him by offering to discuss what were sure to be feelings even messier than Carver’s back was at the moment. From the wide-eyed glances winging between the other members of their gang, Nova wasn’t the only one caught off guard. Maybe all this sharing had unlocked more than sexual aspects of their complex relationship.

“Uh—” He froze.

“It’s okay if you’re not ready.” Sally laid her hand on Barracuda.

“I gotta sort some stuff out first.” Kaige twisted his fingers in his dreads, gathering them then letting them fall again.

“Go.” Eli didn’t command him to his room as some kind of punishment. It was a freedom and an acceptance of their combined needs, even if that meant taking a hiatus. “Why don’t you call the crew? You can say anything to them and not have to worry about stepping on anyone’s toes unintentionally. Go ahead, tell them about your crush.”

Bryce knocked into Holden with his elbow as both guys smirked. They approved of Nola, or they wouldn’t have encouraged him like this. One hurdle jumped.

It made Kaige admit to himself without reservations that there had been something special there. An indefinable chemistry.

That’s what he’d searched for his whole life. A woman who made him feel alive, smart, and special while firing him on all cylinders. Nola could be the one.

Could he risk finding his soul mate for a life of lust with his garagemates?

As much as he wanted to strengthen the ties between them, could he be happy with that camaraderie alone? Especially after seeing up close and personal the joy Eli, Alanso and Sally had brought each other once they took their relationship to a sacred place, beyond physical intimacy, or even the bestie status they’d enjoyed in the friend zone.

He took a deep breath then another, refusing to hyperventilate and black out like he had the day his mother went missing. Before he’d quite recovered, he’d perched on the cracked concrete steps of a home he never intended to return to though he had only the clothes on his back.

Could today turn out to be as pivotal as that one had been?

Kaige slammed and locked his door then hauled his laptop onto his unmade bed. He only took time to kick off his boots before shoving his shoulders against the headboard and flipping open his computer.

A text to Dave alerted the man to his need to speak.
I’m gonna Facetime you. In 3…2…

Don’t hang up. I need to go grab my tablet. BRB
, came the response, which vibrated Kaige’s phone.

He tossed the device onto his pillow then waited for the laptop screen to flip from blackness to a live idyllic mountain scene. Trees with bright green leaves swayed gently in the breeze. A sapphire lake at the foot of the mountains that cradled Dave and Kayla’s naturist resort, Bare Essentials, came into focus.

Dave’s naked chest hogged most of the screen, his massive shoulders easily stretching the full width of the frame. Guaranteed he didn’t have any pants on either. The crew had embraced the lifestyle of one of their members. Kayla. Everyone brought something to the table. Something they all could share and learn from.

Maybe the same could be true for Hot Rods? Would they invite a new member into their midst after so long? Could they adapt and grow?

So many stranger things had happened at this point in Kaige’s life, nudity didn’t faze him. Especially not when some of the crew wives meandered across the massive deck overlooking the valley behind Dave. Super Nova figured it’d be polite to give them a heads up at least before they started getting their freak on like his own Hot Rods had done. The mechanics had learned their tricks from these sexperts. “Good evening, ladies.”

Kayla and Devon turned, flashing their pretty, tanned-all-over breasts. Damn, why had he seen a bunch of people naked today, yet not the person he wanted?

“Super Nova!” Kayla waved and bounced in her excitement to see him. That did absolutely nothing to take his attention from her gently swaying tits. Except instead of imagining her or Devon welcoming him to their group, all he could picture was Nola’s face instead.

Uh-oh.

“What’s that look for?” Dave squinted into his laptop’s camera. “I thought Eli was going to smooth things over with you? You’re still pissed from a couple nights ago? I figured you two would—”

“Nah. That’s not the problem.” Kaige cleared his throat. Obviously someone had caught their friends up on recent highlights and lowlights.

“It’s the sex. It freaked you out?” Dave’s mirth rumbled across the speaker. “It’s okay, it wigged Neil too the first time.”

“Actually…that’s not it either.” His skull hit the wall harder than he anticipated when he let his head fall back. The impact rattled his brain.

“Seriously?” Kay and Devon came to sit beside their husband and friend. “How much stuff could you have going on all at once?”

“It’s a girl. I met a beautiful, genius, funny, badass woman.” He lifted up so they could see the truth in his eyes.

“Well, that’s some timing you’ve got there, Super Nova.” Dave chuckled. “The consultant? Ms. Brown? I take it she’s not really eighty-five with horn-rimmed glasses then, huh?”

“More like smart, young and stacked.” He scrubbed his eyes as memories of her flashed before them.

“Wow. You must really like her if
stacked
came last in that list.” Devon snorted.

“Yeah.” He wasn’t laughing. “So what the fuck do I do? I have to be upfront, don’t I?”

Kayla nodded. “I think you do. I knew about the crew before I went on my first date with Dave. It was shocking enough to hear then. I would have felt betrayed if he hadn’t told me in the beginning.”

“I sort of walked in on the crew’s fun. Definitely before anything happened between me, Neil or James.” Devon agreed. “She deserves to know what she’s getting herself into. Because it’s going to be about more than you and her. Isn’t it?”

“Well. Shit. That’s a big leap. I mean, I haven’t even asked her out. Although, I did sort of kiss her.” He couldn’t smother his grin.

“Pretty sure there’s no
sort of
involved when you play tonsil hockey with someone.” Devon grinned. “Was it good?”

“Amazing.” He sighed.

“So you’re going to have to spill the beans. Talk to the guys and double check they don’t mind. They won’t. Then let her know how it is with you.” Dave spoke slowly as he considered his advice.

“How the hell do you admit to a girl you just met that you get it on with some or all of your roommates but that you still want to find a forever woman of your own?” A headache began to throb at the base of his skull.

“She doesn’t need details since you guys are still figuring it out. Tell her things are complex and dedicated,” Kayla chimed in. “Most important, convince her you’d like her to be a part of what’s going on regardless of what that specifically entails. You know, maybe not diving into the deep end right away but…eventually. If things worked out.”

“So much for starting with a simple trip to the drive-in.” Kaige shook his head.

“Well, you could go the date route.” Dave scratched his chin. “Why not ask her to be your plus-one for the wedding? Maybe it’s better to show her than to talk. Relationships like ours might be hard to explain, but once you witness it for yourself, it’s hard to deny that it’s right.”

“Eli and Alanso thought so when they crashed one of our sessions.” Kayla kissed her husband on the cheek. “Sally too, when we put on a demonstration for her. You’re right. That’s a perfect solution.”

“Nola already knows about Eli, Alanso and Sally.” Kaige shrugged. “She didn’t seem freaked out by that. And if she is, I guess it’s better to know how she feels about it before I get attached, right?”

“True, though that’s not what Dave meant. He was talking about the after-party.” Devon rubbed her hands together.

“What?” Kaige tipped his head but when the trio on the other end of their web conference caught his confusion, they backpedalled.

“Umm…forget we told you about that. It might be a surprise.” Kayla pretended to zip her lips and throw away the key. “But damn, people should warn you something’s top secret when they give you intel like that.”

“You’re saying…” Kaige’s eyes grew wide as he speculated.

“I’m not making another peep.” Dave waved his hands in front of his chest.

“Well, maybe a couple more.” Devon leaned forward. “You want to bring your Nola to the wedding if you’re serious about seeing what’s possible. And if she runs, we’ll be there to convince you she didn’t deserve you anyway.”

“You’ve got a week and a half to work your magic on her before then.” Dave grinned. “Do your worst, Super Nova.”

A smile spread across his face as a new sort of strategy coalesced in his mind. “I’ll do that. Thank you.”

“Anytime.” The trio waved at him, the women blowing kisses as Dave reached forward and severed their connection.

Alone in his room, Kaige didn’t feel abandoned. Friends surrounded him. A phone call or a shout away. And now he had the shot of a lifetime.

Kaige flopped onto his pillows, grinning.

Game on.

Chapter Six

Kaige tightened the last of the bolts on Nola’s exhaust. He probably had set a world record while swapping out her catalytic converter. Still, he ensured his work met his high standards. No way would he risk fucking up her car. After a final pass over the system, he nodded and shoved against the chassis a bit harder than he’d planned so his creeper rocketed from beneath the vehicle.

“Eager to check on your consultant?” Bryce raised an eyebrow from where he wiped his tools clean with a soft rag.

Kaige shrugged, though he couldn’t possibly pull off nonchalant when Rebel knew him so damn well. Plus there was the whole email fiasco, which had made the full extent of his Nola-obsession breaking news in their apartment last night. You’d have thought it was a politician’s sexting scandal by how riled the Hot Rods had gotten.

He’d been chatting with Nola again. They’d exchanged enough messages throughout the day and two nights they’d been apart to trigger his computer’s spam warning.

Dumb stuff. Important stuff. Background stuff. Cute stuff. Business stuff.

He’d lost track, really, content to chat with her about anything.

At some point, he’d taken a couple empty beer bottles from his side table to the kitchen, then stopped by the bathroom to piss.

When he emerged from the tiled space, the living room had gone deathly quiet, something that almost never happened in their apartment. All seven of his garagemates huddled around the couch. At first, he thought they were going to get it on again, and he was game to watch. Then Holden snorted and Kaige knew…

“Hey,” he’d bellowed as he attempted to rescue his laptop from their clutches.