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“Do you think we treat you differently than say Silas with his night blindness? Or Rue when he went through the spate of night terrors?” It was noticeable Jupiter didn’t put himself in there, he was much like Kodi. Although he sounded more curious than anything else.

Kodi thought about it before answering, “No.”

“Then don’t be a jerk and explain how the spanking thing works on your brain. I’m not judging you, just curious.”

“It helps shut off the thoughts vying for my attention all the time, making it hard to focus. All I can do is feel. My brain switches to a fuzzy frequency, and sometimes it’s like I’m floating, immersed in warm water. It’s euphoric.” His cheeks were so hot when he finished, he couldn’t look at Jupiter.

“Do you get off on it?”

The quiet question caught him off guard, and he looked up at Jupiter. Though why when Jupiter was not shy about such things, he wasn’t sure. “That’s none of your business!”

“It’s a simple question. And I’d say the reason you don’t wanna talk about it. There is nothing wrong with losing control in that way. It’s subspace, that’s what the floaty sensation can depict. You’re lucky. Many in the BDSM community seek that feeling and it evades them. I’ll send you a link to read up on it.”

“Read up on what?” Booker asked, striding into the room wearing a smug look of satisfaction that made Kodi wonder how much of the conversation he’d heard.

Kodi shook his head at Jupiter in warning, then met Booker’s curious gaze. “About spreadsheets,” he replied, knowing how Booker loathed them.

“Why the,”—his gaze went to his daughter as he continued—“fuck would you want a link on spreadsheets!”

He took the seat opposite the TV next to the couch, his massive bulk filling it as he placed his hand on his stomach over his T-shirt. “You could have lied and said something like… kink.”

Booker held a straight face for a second before he burst out laughing and startled his daughter awake.

Jupiter glared at Booker when Emmy wailed loudly, fists flying in the air.

“See what you did, smart ass!” Kodi muttered crossly, stomping out of the room with Booker’s laughter chasing him.

Fucker!

Frey was coming down the stairs in a hurry, his hair sticking up on one side, his top half buttoned, exposing flushed skin. Kodi caught the smell of sex and realized why Booker was looking like a smug fucker.

“Booker startled the baby awake,” he said as Frey passed. “She really got a start. It can’t be good for a baby.” He had no clue, but retribution was coming Booker’s way in the form of a feisty fox.

“Did he, now?” Frey exclaimed, hurrying down, his buttons forgotten.

Kodi whistled all the way back to his room. Going for his laptop he lay on his stomach on the bed and opened it. He typed subspace into the search engine and fell down the rabbit hole.

Chapter Nine

Lennon

“What’s with you?” Wilder asked, pouring out the flour he’d just weighed out into a mixing bowl.

Lennon paused in greasing the cake tins to look at his friend. “What do you mean?”

“Normally when you invite us over you talk nonstop about how bad it is with Kodi. This afternoon you haven’t mentioned him on—“

“Is that because you’ve been harping on about Jupiter?” Isley interjected, a cheeky grin tugging at his lips as he swiped a flour covered hand over his forehead, leaving a white streak.

Lennon giggled and grabbed a cloth, wiping his hands before removing the flour, winking at Isley for the save. When Frey had made an off-the-cuff comment about how things must have improved with Kodi, Lennon had gone through the group chat and noticed his pattern of complaining. The last thing he wanted to do was draw suspicion and have to explain what was different between him and Kodi, so he made sure to add in some complaints from time to time.

Ziggy snorted and looked at the mixing bowl. The gluey mess inside didn’t look appetising at all.

Wilder made a loud huffing noise. “I can’t seem to stop myself. I keep telling myself to stop obsessing, but I think I’m a lost cause,” he replied. “Jupiter just gets under my skin, and when I see him with Emmy, it’s like seeing a different person. You know what I mean?”

The mournful complaint got Isley and Ziggy abandoning what they were doing to go to Wilder and squish him between them. “I’m gonna have to agree. He is obviously smitten by Emmy, as much as us.” Isley heaved a heavy sigh. “Have you thought anymore about the dating app I uploaded to your phone?” Isley asked, kissing Wilder’s dark curls and changing the subject when Wilder lips turned down in frown. “You’re gorgeous. There would be at least two dozen alphas willing to date you.”

He was. Even on a bad day, Wilder looked gorgeous. The wild curls he’d cut off were growing back, his eyes were the color of dark chocolate, and they sat in a pretty face that perpetually wore an impish look that suggested he was up for anything. But he was so much more than a pretty face. He was fiercely loyal, had a questing intellect, and a fun side that made all of them feel better just by being with him. It was unfortunate that he had fallen for the one Starling brother who was a confirmed bachelor.