Page 11 of Sinister
Chapter 8
Josh
I still wasn’t sure what to expect of Leo’s request to come to their place after school, and the unknown was kicking my nerves and anxiety into overdrive. I hadn’t really expected them to want more from me, especially not enough to actually follow me out of class to get it. But Leo had run me down, to the point that he had to catch his breath for a moment before he spoke.
I’d felt them staring at me all class period, but I hadn’t thought much of it. I’d assumed they were reminiscing on the insanely hot time we’d had. I fucking knew I had been. I didn’t know how many times Derrick had to snap me out of my thoughts. My best friend thought it was funny, but I knew how dangerous it was for my emotional well-being.
And how bad this would end up for me if they really only wanted more fun and not anything more serious. I was only setting myself up to be hurt. But damn if I wasn’t apparently a glutton for punishment.
Now, as I followed my GPS to the address Leo had sent me in our group chat with Burne, I was so damn nervous that I could barely put one foot in front of the other. My hands were trembling around my phone.
Was I just coming here for more sex?
I wished I knew so I could prepare myself for what was ahead. I hated going into situations blind. And I hated even more that there was a very high possibility that I was only setting myself up for pain and sadness.
Swallowing down some of my nerves, my phone pinged, letting me know I’d made it to my destination. I stared at the small duplex in front of me. It was plain brick, but two cars were sitting in the driveway of apartment B, which I assumed were Leo and Burne’s vehicles.
Drawing in a deep, steady breath and gathering what tiny bit of courage I had left, I walked up the concrete steps and knocked on the door. Honestly, I was a little surprised they were staying here; I knew rent for these duplexes weren’t cheap, especially this close to the college.
“Hey!” Leo exclaimed when he swung the front door open. He smiled at the sight of me, and the sight of his happiness threw me for a little bit of a loop. My heart skipped a beat in my chest.
Why did he have to be so damn gorgeous?
“For a minute there, I thought you weren’t going to come,” he confessed, looking a little down at that thought before he brightened back up. “Come on in. Just make sure you take your shoes off. Burne is a stickler about the floors.”
I smiled. Leo was being…normal? So, I guessed I could be, too. This felt so different from Halloween night. I knew what to expect on Halloween. Then, it had been about sex. Now?
Well, I wasn’t sure anymore. The unknown made my skin crawl, even as hope tightened around my heart, squeezing it for a moment.
I toed my shoes off by the front door and followed Leo into the kitchen. Burne was at the counter, chopping what looked to be an onion. His back was to us, but I knew he knew I was standing there. “You cook?” I blurted.
Burne looked over his shoulder at me and nodded before focusing back on what he was doing. “Yeah. Leo can’t cook for shit.” The man in question playfully glared at him. “His mom is renting us this place so she knows he’s eating decent meals instead of the garbage they feed us on campus.”
Leo’s cheeks actually reddened, surprising me. He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck as he took a seat on one of the stools tucked beneath the bar. “He’s not wrong. I really can’t cook. I’m a disaster in the kitchen. But I’ve tried. I’ve just been sort of…banned.”
I laughed, and Leo smiled at me. Burne glanced at me as well, though his facial expression didn’t change. “My mom never learned to cook,” I told them as I slid onto a bar stool next to Leo. Leo settled his hand on my thigh, and the muscle there jumped a little. I managed to hide my surprise otherwise at his touch. “Dad cooked everything, and he’s the one who taught me.” I shrugged. “But she’s an amazing history buff. We’re all good at some things and horrible at others.”
Burne dumped the onion he’d been cutting into a pot and then flipped the eye on before turning to face me. He leaned back against the counter behind him. “We actually asked you to come here for a reason,” Burne started.
“And to hopefully butter you up with dinner first, but apparently, Burne is skipping that part,” Leo muttered, shooting Burne an accusing look.
I frowned as I looked between them, wishing I knew what in the hell was going on. The urge to run was settling in my veins. I didn’t like this. Didn’t like feeling like this.
Burne cleared his throat. “We really liked Halloween night, and not just because of the sex, though that was fucking phenomenal, too,” he told me. I pressed my hands together between my thighs to keep them from drumming on the countertop in front of me. Leo’s hand tightened on my leg. He was clearly as nervous as I was. “We, um—fuck, I’m no good at this,” he muttered, thrusting his fingers through his hair, agitation coloring his features. He looked helplessly at Leo, and my heart squeezed in my chest for him.
“We want to try a relationship…with you,” Leo finished, turning his dark eyes to me. I couldn’t hide my shock. My eyes widened as I stared at him. “That is, if you’re okay with that kind of thing. It’d be a relationship between the three of us. We would all have each other.”
I licked my lips, glancing between the two of them. Both of them were studying me, waiting on my answer. I had to admit that being with the two of them sounded like magic. I hadn’t had a proper relationship since high school. Being with them would give me the stability of a relationship again. There wouldn’t be any more sleeping around just to get laid, which I fucking hated.
And it meant I wasn’t coming here to get my heart broken. I was basically getting what I’d been hoping for. My muscles relaxed, and a tentative smile tipped my lips. Leo’s eyes brightened, and Burne’s tense shoulders slouched the tiniest bit in relief.
“Yes,” I finally said.
Burne fully relaxed. Leo grinned. “Really?” Leo asked, like he couldn’t believe I’d agreed.
I nodded and opened my mouth to vocally confirm my answer, but Leo wrapped his hand around the side of my neck and crushed his mouth to mine before I could get a single damn word out. I moaned into his kiss, my lips easily opening beneath his. He sucked my tongue into his mouth, and a moment later, I felt Burne’s presence at my back. I shivered when his lips moved over the skin on the back of my neck.
“Oh, shit,” Leo breathed into my mouth. I looked down, groaning at the sight of Burne sliding his hand into Leo’s sweats, circling his erection. My breathing quickened.
