Page 44 of Naughty November

Amir and Carl soon ordered the bottoms to get ready for playtime, and I automatically glanced over at Reid on the other side of the fire.

He smirked a little and took a swig of his beer.

Motherfucker.

I watched Trey and Garrick run off with two toiletry kits, and I couldn’t believe I even entertained the idea. I mean, it felt so fucking weird to consider running off to…getready…to be taken.

I’d never been on this side of things before.

Before we’d eaten, Reid had handed me a bottle of almond oil.

That’d been a mindfuck of its own. No words exchanged, no awkward buildup in the atmosphere, just…here, take the oil.

To be honest, it felt like a greater act of submission to lube up than to agree to a takedown during which I could fight for my life.

I wasn’t a sub.

“I’m not looking for a sub.”

Screw it.

I finished my beer and rose to my feet, then brushed some sand off my hands.

“You’ve been quiet all day,” Carl noted.

“Yeah,” Brad agreed. “You okay?”

Goddammit.

“Everything’s great,” I lied. “I’m plotting and scheming. I have a bet going on with Reid.”

That one worked. They wanted to know what the bet was, and I left it to Reid. In the meantime, I excused myself to go take a leak.

Whether I was also going to apply almond oil to my ass was nobody’s business.

SIX

REID MCKINLEY

Even when I thought Max was being obvious in his brooding and grumbling, he could fool most people into thinking shit was fine. With Sam being one exception.

That observant motherfucker followed me down to the water when I went to rinse out my coffee mug.

“So is Max really all right?” he asked.

I glanced over my shoulder, making sure we were alone.

The sun was dipping behind the clouds that rested on the horizon, painting the darkening sky red and purple.

Max wasn’t all right. Not at the moment. But he would be. I’d had the day to find my confidence.

I straightened again and wiped the mug off on my shorts. “He will be before the night is over.” I cleared my throat and figured…Sam was safe. “He’s the one I’m hunting tonight.”

He lifted his brows, clearly surprised. “You mean beyond…I don’t know—beyond playtime?”

I inclined my head.

I was gonna do it. I was gonna go for it.