Kota glanced at his phone, the screen lighting up with the time. 3:40 PM. He had been at the Hawthorne mansion for hours, and his dad's shift ended soon. If he wasn't home when Khalil got back, there would be questions.
Questions he didn't want to answer.
Questions about where he had been all day and why he smelled like expensive cologne and sex and why there were faint marks on his neck that looked suspiciously like hickeys.
"I gotta go," Kota said, pocketing his phone. "My dad's gonna be home soon and I need to be there before him."
Theo's face crumpled into an immediate pout. His lower lip jutted out, his eyes going wide and glassy with that particular expression that always made Kota's resolve waver. "Stay the night, darling. Please? We could have dinner. A proper dinner. Austin can make whatever you want. We could cuddle. We could watch a movie. We could have more sex. Lots more sex. I still haven't shown you the new lingerie properly."
Kota leaned down and kissed him, soft and lingering, his hand cupping Theo's cheek. "We'll call today. I promise. But I really do need to go. I've been gone all day and my dad's going to start asking questions if I'm not there when he gets back."
Theo's pout deepened, but he nodded reluctantly. "Fine. But I'm holding you to that call. And I'm driving you home. Let me grab my keys."
Before Theo could move, a blur of ginger curls and bare skin came barreling down the grand staircase. Elliot burst into the foyer, still shirtless, a fresh sheen of sweat glistening on his pale chest. His massive ass bounced with every hurried step, barely contained by his tiny shorts. "Oo oo oo! Me me me! I'll drive him! Let me drive him!"
Theo raised an eyebrow. "Why do you want to drive him?"
"Because I'm bored and Grayson passed out and I need something to do." Elliot grabbed Kota's arm and started dragging him toward the front door.
"Come on, big guy. Let's go. I'll get you home safe. Safer than Theo would, anyway. He drives like a grandma."
"I do not drive like a grandma," Theo protested, but Elliot was already pulling Kota out the door.
"Take my car," Theo called after them, tossing his keys to Elliot. "And don't crash it. And don't do anything weird."
"No promises!" Elliot yelled back, snatching the keys out of the air with practiced ease.
They climbed into the white McLaren, and Elliot revved the engine with unnecessary enthusiasm. The car purred to life and peeled out of the driveway, the tires crunching on the gravel. Elliot drove with one hand on the wheel, the other resting casually on his thigh, his posture relaxed and confident. The wind from the open window ruffled his ginger curls, and he shot Kota a sideways grin that was pure trouble.
"So, Kota," Elliot said, dragging out the name like he was savoring it.
"How long have you and my brother been official now? A couple weeks? That's cute. Real cute. Theo's never been this happy. You know he used to stutter so bad he couldn't even order coffee. Now he's walking around the mansion like he owns the place. That's your doing."
Kota shrugged, keeping his eyes on the road. "I don't know about that. He's always been confident. He just needed someone to notice."
"Notice him? Please. Everyone notices Theo. Have you seen his ass? It's literally impossible to ignore. But you didn't just notice him. You fucked him senseless and then caught feelings. That's different. That's special." Elliot's grin widened. "Speaking of fucking senseless, how are you feeling right now? Tired? Pent up? I noticed you went multiple rounds with both of them. That's impressive stamina. If you've still got some left in the tank, I know a quiet spot we could pull over."
"No," Kota said flatly.
"Just asking. No pressure. But seriously, your stamina is insane. Most guys with dicks your size would be out of commission for a week after what you just did. Is it a condition? Do you take supplements? Whatever it is, it's working." Elliot's hand drifted from the steering wheel to his own thigh, tracing small circles on his skin. "You know, Grayson and I have been experimenting with edging lately. Trying to build up our endurance. Maybe you could give us some tips. Hands on tips. Very hands on."
"Still no."
Elliot laughed, completely unbothered by the rejection. "You're tough to crack, Kota. I respect that. Most guys would have folded by now. But I'm persistent. It's one of my best qualities. So what did you think of my father? Pretty scary, right? That whole groping Austin thing. That's just how he is. No boundaries. No shame. I think that's where Theo gets his secretly slutty side from. Our whole family is just horny disasters pretending to be respectable."
Kota snorted despite himself. "That's one way to put it."
"It's the only way to put it. We're all just one bad day away from an orgy. You've already seen it. The twins. Theo. Beckett's weird sex cult. Even my dad can't keep his hands off the staff. We're a mess. A hot mess. Emphasis on hot." Elliot turned a corner smoothly, the McLaren hugging the curve. "So what's your dad like? Is he as repressed as Theo says? All that 'real men work hard and don't shake their asses' stuff? Must be exhausting living with someone like that."
"It's fine," Kota said. "He's just old fashioned. He doesn't understand the new world."
"And you're just living a double life. Fucking half the city while he thinks you're at construction sites. That's hot. Secret agent Kota. Double O Sex (See what i did there). Licensed to thrill. (Im a genuine literary Genius"" Elliot laughed at his own joke. "If you ever need someone to roleplay a construction worker, I've got a hard hat and absolutely no shame."
"Hard pass."
"Fine, fine. But what about the shopping trip? Did Theo buy you anything good? I saw all those bags. He went full rich boy, didn't he? That's his love language. Spending money. He gets it from our dad. If he could, he'd probably buy you a small country. The Principality of Kota. Has a nice ring to it."
Kota shook his head. "He bought way too much. I told him I didn't need anything."
"And he ignored you completely. Classic Theo. So what'd you get? Suits? Lingerie? Toys? I saw the bag I got. That double ended dildo is going to get so much use. Grayson's going to be walking funny for a week." Elliot paused at a red light and turned to face Kota fully, his eyes dark and hungry. "You know, if you ever want to see how we use those toys, you're always welcome to watch. Or join. Or just give instructions. I'm very good at following instructions."
"I'm good," Kota said, his voice completely deadpan.
"You say that now. But one day you're going to be curious. And when that day comes, my door is always open. Literally. I don't even have a lock. Grayson broke it during a particularly intense session and we never bothered to fix it." The light turned green and Elliot accelerated. "So what about Sebastian? The English teacher. He's cute. Nerdy. Desperate. Is he part of your harem now? Theo seems to like him. You seem to like him. He definitely likes both of you. I've never seen anyone blush that hard in my life."
"He's just a friend," Kota said. "A friend who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"A friend who you fuck. Right. Very platonic. Very casual. Does he know he's just a friend? Because from what I saw, he's already planning the wedding. Probably has a Pinterest board. Probably has a color scheme picked out. Sage green and gold. Very Oxford."
Kota didn't respond, but the corner of his mouth twitched.
They pulled up to Kota's apartment building, the familiar brick facade coming into view. Elliot put the car in park and turned to Kota with a slow, predatory smirk. "So. Final offer. What do you think about adding me into the throuple? Better yet, date the entire Hawthorne bloodline? All of us. Theo, me, Grayson, even Beckett if you're into the whole robot thing. One big happy family. We've got the money. We've got the mansion. We've got the stamina. You'd never be bored."
Kota rolled his eyes and opened the car door. "I'll think about it."
"Wait, really? That wasn't a no! That was practically a yes! Kota! Kota, come back! That was basically a yes!" Elliot's voice followed him up the sidewalk, bright and teasing and full of mischief.
Kota shut the car door and walked toward his building without looking back.