He pushed her hand away. "I've already told you I'm with someone, so quit it."

She grabbed the top of the towel, the look in her eyes no longer innocent. "C'mon, Sledgey, I bet I'm better than this other chick."

He grabbed her wrist with one hand and the towel with the other. "Let go of the f.u.c.kin' towel." Before he could react, she seized his head and kissed him, trying to stick her tongue into his mouth. He let go of the towel and grabbed her other hand, pulling her off him.

"What the f.u.c.k are you doin'?" Naf hollered.

Sledge looked over his shoulder at his very p.i.s.sed-in more ways than one-mate. "I didn't kiss her, she kissed me," Sledge said, jumping up, and in the process losing his towel to Stella's grip. "f.u.c.k!" He turned around and grabbed it off her, accidentally waving his c.o.c.k in her face. He pulled the towel around his waist and ran after Naf, who was already on his way back to his bedroom.

"Naf, you've gotta believe me."

Naf spun around, his face and neck red with anger, and his breath reeking with alcohol. "You're a f.u.c.kin' b.a.s.t.a.r.d, Sledge."

"I already told you I didn't return the d.a.m.n kiss! She launched herself at me."

"You were naked!"

"She grabbed the towel offa me! And if you'd answered the f.u.c.kin' door while I wuz in the shower this wouldn't have happened."

"I heard no doorbell! You're lying."

"That's cos you lock yourself up in that stink-hole and ignore everything and everyone," until now! "I. Didn't. Cheat. On. Corey. I love him!"

"You're gay?" Stella gasped behind him.

Sledge spun around. "s.h.i.t!" He raised his hands to his head, then quickly grabbed the towel as it slipped. "Why won't you leave me alone?"

"Cos you got me pregnant."

"You did what?!" Naf yelled behind him.

Sledge turned back. "It wuz a coupla months ago, and Corey already knows what happened."

"I doubt he knows she's pregnant. You should've told him."

"I only just found out, and it might not even be mine."

"It is yours!" Stella yelled. "And you can't be gay, you were great in bed."

"Just shut up!" Sledge took off to his room, slamming the door behind him. He needed to get to Corey, because there was no way in h.e.l.l this was going to ruin things between them. He threw his towel on the floor and opened a drawer to pull out his underwear. As he grabbed them Stella barged into his room, followed by Naf.

"Get out!" Sledge hollered. "I'm naked."

"You sure are," she said smiling, which resulted in both him and Naf yelling at her.

Sledge pulled on his underwear, then grabbed his jeans from the closet, jumping into them as quickly as he could. As Stella and Naf argued, he threw on a shirt, hoodie and his leather jacket, stuffed his wallet into a pocket, then s.n.a.t.c.hed up his keys and pushed past the two short-a.r.s.es.

At the front door, he stuffed his feet into his boots and s.n.a.t.c.hed up his helmet, while the other two followed, telling him to stop. Like h.e.l.l, he was out of here.

He pulled on his helmet, then opened the front door, hot-tailing it to his bike. He jumped on it and took off, praying that Corey wasn't going to rip him a new hole.

Corey was sitting up in bed with his broken leg down when Sledge got to the hospital, the look on his mate's boyfriend's face not happy. Sledge prayed that Naf hadn't rung through.

The frown left Corey's face as soon as he saw Sledge. "G.o.d, I missed you."

Sledge grabbed the curtains and pulled them across.

The smile left Corey's face. "Is everything alright? Your bro-"

"Ash is doin' okay."

"Then what's wrong?"

"Sumpthin' happened, and I had no idea, I really didn't, and it wuz before you and I decided to become you-know-what's, so you can't be angry with me, plus I wuz drunk-"

"Slow down, man. What did you do?"

Sledge pulled a face. "Stella's pregnant."

"WHAT?!"

Sledge held up his hands. "It wuz from that one-night-stand, so you can't be angry with me, and I didn't go near her, she came to me. I didn't cheat, I didn't-"

Like Naf, Corey's face and neck turned red. "You can't believe that b.i.t.c.h; she's lying to get you."

"She's definitely pregnant, she looks awful."

"I don't mean 'bout her being pregnant, I mean 'bout the baby being yours."

"She's eight weeks, so it could be mine."

"I don't care, cos you're mine, NOT hers."

"I didn't say I wuz hers," Sledge said, feeling relieved Corey was still claiming him.

"When did she tell you? Where were you?"

"Calm down, I wuz at home." Sledge went on to tell Corey about everything that had happened.

"She kissed you?!" Corey shouted.

"I didn't return it, and she grabbed my towel, and it wuz Naf's fault for not answering the door."

Corey gritted his teeth, looking like he was going to pop a few blood vessels. The swelling had gone down on his face, although the bruising had yellowed, with more probably under the beanie. "You're not allowed to see her," Corey said.

"Hey, wait a mo, I'm not seeing her, she came to me."

"Then tell her to f.u.c.k off, cos she's just tryna get you back."

"She never had me in the first place; I stayed away from her like you asked."

"You should never have slept with her."

"I wuz drunk."

"Not the following morning."

"I woke up with her riding me, what the f.u.c.k wuz I s'posed to do?"

"Push her off."

"But it felt good."

"I don't wanna hear that!"

"C'mon, don't be mad at me, we've already been over this a s.h.i.tload of times."

"But she's disgusting."

"No, she's not, she's cute," Sledge said, realising his mistake too late.

"You think she's cute?"

"Yeah, but you're way cuter-like a million times more," Sledge babbled, trying to remove his foot from his throat. "You two aren't even in the same ballpark-"

"But you'd still do her if she dropped her c.u.m stained g-string."

"I wouldn't cheat on you, so there's no needa be jealous."

"Don't gimme that, you got p.i.s.sed off when Tyler f.u.c.ked me."

"Don't bring him into this," Sledge snapped, not wanting to think about the p.r.i.c.k touching Corey.

Corey crossed his arms over his chest. "And you said I wuzn't allowed to see him too, so you're just as jealous as I am."

"Cos I love you, babe."

Corey's angry expression softened, although he still looked unsure. "I love you too, which is why you can't go near Stella."

"Then promise you won't see Tyler again."

"But he's my friend, and Stella's just a s.k.a.n.k."

"No, you can't lay demands then do what you like, and if the baby's mine, I will wanna see it."

"It might not be yours."

"But if it is, I hafta take part in its life." He held up a hand. "Just lemme finish before you blow your nuts off. I will not go near Stella unless it's to do with my child... s.h.i.t, did I just say that: my child?"

"You don't even like kids."

"Yeah, but I can't ignore it if it's mine. I know what it's like to be ignored by my father, and it feels like s.h.i.t," Sledge said, wishing he had a closer relationship with his dad, because he really wanted to talk to someone about the news. His father was still in Dargaville with Ash and Dante. He didn't begrudge his old man being up there, just wished the b.a.s.t.a.r.d would acknowledge him more. He frowned. Maybe, since him and Ash weren't at loggerheads anymore, he could ask his bro advice about kids instead. Yeah, and Ash had said he wanted to talk to him when he returned to Auckland, so that could be a good time.

"You can see the kid, but not Stella," Corey said.

"She'll be with the kid, so I won't be able to avoid her."

"If she touches you, you tell me, and I'll deal with her."

"Even that skinny chick could take you on and win," Sledge said, laughing.

"She could not!"

Sledge stopped laughing, and grinned. "I've never had two chicks fight over me before."

Corey punched his arm. "I'm not a chick."

"You punch like one."

"You're a c.u.n.t."

"No, you said you wanted to be my c.u.n.t," Sledge said, still grinning.

"Ha, ha, very funny. Not."

"Oh, c'mon, babe, lighten up."

Corey huffed, and poked his lip out more. Sledge touched it softly, the split having healed up. A cheeky look flittered across Corey's face, then he opened his mouth and sucked Sledge's finger in. Sledge watched in fascination as it went in and out, while Corey's tongue... He whipped his finger away when his c.o.c.k started stirring.

"I'll suck your d.i.c.k way better than Stella could ever do-or any chick at that. I know what feels good." Corey bit his bottom lip and looked down at Sledge's crotch. "I'll do it for you now, I'll even swallow."

Sledge felt his cheeks go up in flame, along with his d.i.c.k. "We can't here."

"The curtains are closed."

"No."

"Then w.a.n.k me off."

"For f.u.c.k's sake, is that all you can say?"

"I'm serious this time."

"Like you weren't the last time?"

"Oh, go on. Just put your hand under the covers, no one will know."