Flock (The Ravenhood)

After eating my weight in pizza, no doubt due to the buzz, I steal another look at Dominic, who went straight to work on a Chevy after entering the garage. His shirt has ridden up, giving me the perfect view of the ripples in his stomach along with a hint of his V while he lays on a roller on his back. The bay I assumed was for commercial use turned out to be an after-hours lounge set up with leather couches that surround the ancient, ratty green pool table.

Tonight’s gathering consists of Sean, myself, Russell, and Jeremy, whom I’ve learned also works at the garage with Dominic. I sit tucked into the corner of a long, beat-up, pleather couch next to Sean as Jeremy and Russell shoot a game. Southern rock croons softly in the background at Sean’s insistence. He’s to the left of me, his muscular thigh touching mine, arm draped behind me along the back of the couch. Between the heat of his body, his smell, and the sight of Dominic’s bare midriff just feet away, I’m having a horrible time keeping my hormones and accompanying imagination in check. But my pheromones must be working overtime because I can’t seem to escape the stares of the men I’m keeping company with either. I don’t flatter myself they’re interested, but just as curious about me as I am them and their collective raven tattoos.

Sean had said they were a promise, but I can’t imagine what that means.

I’ve timed my glances at Dominic, feeling a little like a creeper with the amount of attention I’m giving him. He’s the quietest, making him the most enigmatic of the four.

Much like Sean, it’s just not natural for a man to be so fucking enticing. As many times as I’ve glanced over, I haven’t managed to find a single thing my eyes disagree with.

“So, you hate the plant, huh, Pup?” Sean drawls as I watch Dominic sift through his toolbox.

“Stop calling me that,” I say, elbowing him in the ribs.

“Nope, the nickname stays.”

“It’s just…so fucking boring,” I sigh. “Good thing I’m a creative daydreamer.” I dart my eyes away from Dominic, just as his cold gaze lands on me from where he lays beneath the truck.

I look over at Sean still perched next to me. “But, I do like my supervisor.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”

I have little time to appreciate the tension from our exchanged look when the door opens on the opposite side of the garage. Tyler stands in the threshold with a twelve-pack in his arms. “’Sup, fuckers?” His gaze zeroes on me, and his smile grows as I lift my hand in a little wave. He strides past the bays, lifting his chin in greeting.

“Hey, beautiful, you slummin’ it again tonight?” He pulls a joint from Jeremy’s fingers and takes a hit as Russell grabs the beer and adds it to a large cooler to ice it down.

“Not at all. And for the record, I grew up in a small ass house, not with a silver spoon in my mouth.”

Tyler’s eyes shine with interest as he moves to steal Sean’s place next to me.

“No room,” Sean says with an edge to his voice. A protective edge, and I can’t help the increase in my pulse because of it.

“You forget, I’m the problem solver,” Tyler lifts me easily and places me in Sean’s lap, and I sink into it.

I feel right at home with these guys, as if I’ve known them for far longer than two days. It’s the oddest thing. The only thing that feels out of place is the sensation coming from the man a few feet away. I’m overdue for a look when I let my eyes wander and see he’s watching Sean’s hands, his fingers, and how they’re casually curling around me.

And when he slowly lifts his gaze to mine—static.

Tyler glances down at Dominic. “When you going to cut out, Bro? It’s way past quitting time.”

He darts his eyes away from mine. “Twenty.”

“Is that exact?” I ask Dominic, who ignores my question.

“Probably,” Sean whispers on his behalf.

“Let’s clock him, shall we?” I set my watch to time him and Dominic shakes his head in annoyance. “So how long have you owned this garage?” I ask Dominic, trying to get him into the conversation.

“It’s a family thing,” Sean answers for him to spare me the rude silence of his reply. “Been around for years. Kind of like your family business.” There’s a hint of a grudge on his tongue. It’s becoming more apparent that my father isn’t the most loved man in Triple Falls. It’s really not a surprise. The looks I got today at the plant alone were enough to have me thinking of myself as an outcast. Not even in high school had I felt as much like one as I did today. I was thankful for merciful Melinda and Sean being there, otherwise I might have locked myself in the bathroom until my shift was over.

Coming out and announcing I was the boss’s daughter was a stupid move, but I can’t take it back.

Head down, Cecelia. One year to freedom.

The second my watch goes off, Tyler moves from his seat next to me to shoot a game and Dominic takes his place, a magazine and leather bag in hand.

“Twenty minutes on the nose,” I compliment him as he unzips the bag and pulls out the contents, only to be met by more silence.

I heard they share women.

It’s been echoing in my head since Melinda said it. But with Dominic’s disposition, I can’t imagine any scenario like that. Or is it my presence that offends him to the point he’s closed off? He’s got an obvious problem with me, and that’s been evident since the moment we met.

Was that only last night? It seems like a lifetime ago, and yet I feel totally comfortable on Sean’s lap.

Dominic sets the magazine across his lap before pulling out blunt wraps and a large bag of ‘the weed.’

Growing up, I’ve never let myself get close enough to a group like this one. Always fearful of the repercussions. To them, this is just another night, to me, it’s like entering a whole new world.

“Where did you go and what are you thinking about?” Sean whispers from beneath me, his fingers brushing my arm, launching shivers in their wake.

I glance over my shoulder and our lips are only inches away when I answer. “Nothing, it’s been a long day.”

I feel him tense slightly as our eyes dance over each other in a dare. If he kissed me tonight, I would return it. That much I know. But the electricity surrounding me is enough. I’m drowning in testosterone, unsure where it’s all coming from. For the first time ever, I’m being a little reckless with my signals, and I’m not sure I care. Sean is the first to look away, but his finger runs down my arm, and I sense he got my message. It’s then I know, if he makes a move, it will be in private. I turn to scan the garage as they land in natural conversation, calling each other out like only family does, while Dominic skillfully rolls a blunt in his lap. I’m entranced while he soaks the paper with precise licks of his tongue, his eyes cast down, dark lashes flitting over his sculpted cheekbones. When his cloudy eyes lift to mine, and he runs his tongue carefully along the blunt seal, my lips part.

Fuck me.

Sean pulls me tighter to him, causing my legs to shift and Dominic curses, trying to save the weed spilling from the magazine resting in his lap. His eyes narrow on a laughing Sean. I sink into Sean’s hold, a wall of hard muscle behind me as Dominic’s tongue darts out again, skillfully re-wetting the paper.

Once it’s lit, the music is turned up, and the conversation gets louder. From that moment on, I get high, but I’m not sure from which part of contact. Probably all three.