Текст книги "Triple Play"

Автор книги: Sloan Johnson

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Текущая страница: 9 (всего у книги 17 страниц)

Chapter 14

The insanity of trying to straighten out Pot of Gold had been a blessing when I’d first arrived in Milwaukee. It had kept my mind occupied with things other than trying to figure out what I should do about everything with Drew. Unfortunately, the deeper I dug, the more dire the situation appeared. It was a wonder they’d managed to keep the doors open as long as they had, and it had become imperative for me to fix it before we had to tell those kids they had nowhere to go. And I was determined to figure out a way to do that even if it killed me.

Unfortunately, that meant I’d had almost no time to spend with Drew and Eric since the night we’d all spent together. I’d expected there to be regrets and awkward distance the morning after, but it’d been amazing. When Drew had tried retreating into his bedroom and I’d started to make my way for the front door, it’d been Eric who stopped us.

“Where do the two of you think you’re going?” he’d asked. I turned around and saw him leaning against the wall, looking so damn sexy I wanted to drop to my knees in front of him and pull down his lounge pants. Like Drew, I felt bad that Eric hadn’t been an equal participant in what we’d done in the basement, but Eric was adamant that he wasn’t keeping score.

“I don’t know about him, but I’m going to bed,” Drew responded. His brow furrowed as the doubt visibly crept into his mind.

“Oh, I figured we’d do that in here,” Eric said, pointing toward his own bedroom. “I mean, you two were already planning to spend the night together, but your bed is really too cramped for the three of us.”

It didn’t seem odd to me that we’d fallen into this carefully constructed little bubble where it was all of us. No one was left on the outside looking in. I’m sure they both had the same concerns and doubts I did about our ability to keep everything as uncomplicated as possible, but no one mentioned it.

We’d spent a few evenings together, but that’d been the only time I’d spent the night. I needed to stay focused on my deadlines at work and no one had protested when I’d said it was time to go home. If they had, I’d have gladly run out to my car and grabbed the bag I’d left in my trunk just in case. I hadn’t done that because I expected Eric or Drew to invite me to stay, but I’d learned after the first night that I’m not a fan of having to put on the same clothes and go commando. At the same time, I already felt as though I’d pushed them both out of their comfort zones the first night and didn’t want them to eventually look back and feel as though they’d been manipulated in any way.

That was all supposed to change tonight. Eric had stopped by my office on his way home from working out and asked me if I’d like to spend the weekend with them. Not just the night, but the whole weekend. I’d tried to school my features when I told him that sounded like a great idea, but the way his eyes sparkled as I agreed told me that I’d done a shit job of hiding my excitement. I just had to get to a place where I could stop until Monday without feeling guilty about it.

The sun had long since disappeared by the time I walked down the front steps of the building. I’d said goodnight to Jacob and let him know I’d have my phone with me if anything happened over the weekend. He obviously knew something was up, because he spent an inordinate amount of time running through the standard procedures before reminding me he was more than competent enough to keep the facility from burning to the ground in my absence. I knew he had bigger dreams than hanging around the center, but it dawned on me as I walked to my car that this kid was likely the glue that’d been holding everything together before I arrived. I made a mental note to talk to the director on Monday and see if there wasn’t something we could do to recognize his hard work and help him get to where he wanted to be.

I waited until my car was warming up to check my messages. There was one from Eric, asking me to call him before I came over. That sounded ominous.

“Hello?” he answered before the phone could even ring on my end.

“Hey, sorry I didn’t call sooner,” I apologized. “It was a long day and I had my phone on silent. What’s up?”

Eric didn’t respond immediately and I started to worry that he was going to tell me Drew was having another one of his bad days. They weren’t as frequent as they’d been at the beginning, but they still occurred. Most of the time, the decline of his mood correlated to Eric trying to get him out of the house. Drew felt safe within the confines of the home they shared. His attacker was still roaming free, and I got the distinct impression he was trying to avoid admitting that it terrified him to think about that concept. Hell, it would likely turn me into a hermit if I were in his shoes. Still, that didn’t mean it was healthy.

“Eric? Are you there?” I prompted when he remained silent.

“Yeah, sorry.” It wasn’t my imagination. Something was distracting the normally focused man I’d grown to think of as something more than a friend. Someone who I could finally admit to myself I thought had the potential to be an excellent partner. “I know I asked you to come over for the weekend, but I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.”

Life seemed to be full of ideas that seemed good at the time and quickly fell apart. “Oh, okay,” I said, trying to not sound upset. And I wasn’t, really. I was more confused than anything. Earlier, Eric had practically bounced in his seat when I told him I’d love to spend some time with them. Did that mean Drew was the hold out? Had he been upset with Eric’s scheme? Did he feel as though the two of us were forcing him into something he’d seemed to want and was now having second thoughts about?

“Don’t sound like that,” Eric pleaded. “Believe me, I’m no happier about it than you are. It’s just…Cam’s coming home and Drew isn’t sure he’s ready to face questions from his best friend.”

“And he thinks he’d have to if we were both there?” That was ridiculous. Jason had stopped by once when we were all hanging out and he didn’t suspect anything was going on. We were capable of keeping our hands off one another when others were around.

“I know, I said the same thing,” Eric huffed. “The thing is, he and Cam have been friends forever and he’s sure Cam will see it on his face and pull him aside. And he doesn’t want that. Not tonight, at least. He wants to make sure tonight’s all about welcoming Cam home and hearing about how things went with the show.”

“I get it,” I assured him. And I did. The chemistry between the three of us was insane. Most guys might not see it, but that was because they didn’t know or care to look for it.

But Cam was different. I’d heard from Jason how rocky things were for them at the beginning, when Drew was forced to admit that he had feelings for his best friend which ran deeper than typical childhood friendship. I couldn’t blame him for that, because under the usually gruff, sometimes cocky exterior lay a man with a heart of gold. And I considered myself lucky to have seen glimpses of that.

“Why don’t I give you a call in the morning?” Eric offered. “I have a feeling Jason’s not going to give up Cam for the entire weekend, so maybe we can just delay the start until tomorrow and you can spend Sunday night here if you want.”

“Yeah, I can do that,” I told him.

“I’m really sorry about this,” he responded, and I could tell he was. It may have been wishful thinking, but it seemed to me that he was just as disappointed as I was that we weren’t going to get our repeat of the night in the basement.

“It is what it is,” I said. “If you could, ask Drew to give me a call.”

I couldn’t explain why, but I needed to talk to him. I needed some sort of reassurance for him that Cam coming home wasn’t simply a convenient excuse to get out of spending time together. Unfortunately, he’d run so hot and cold since the attack that it was impossible for me to squash those thoughts.

“Will do. He’s taking a shower right now, so it might be a bit.” We both laughed because it had become an ongoing joke that Drew made it his mission in life to try and drain the hot water heater. It had also crossed my mind that it was an escape for him. He could hide in the bathroom as long as he wanted and no one would push him to talk or do anything. And the man needed to be pushed because it wasn’t healthy to spend all day every day alternating between screwing around on the computer and vegetating in front of the television. He was an athlete, and he needed to remember that letting himself go in a fit of self-pity wouldn’t do any good in the long run.

We hung up and I pulled onto the street, aiming the car toward the Chinese takeout place on my way home. I was sick of eating Chinese all the time, but the people there had gotten to know me and were always friendly when I walked in.

I’d just placed my order when my phone rang again. I checked the caller ID and saw it was Jason. “Don’t you have better things to do than bother me?” I asked, trying to sound put out by his call. And I was perturbed, but it wasn’t his fault, it was his boyfriend’s because he was the one who was coming home unannounced.

“Well, hello to you too.” Jason chuckled. “And no, I don’t have anything more pressing at the moment. I’m sitting here waiting for Cam’s flight to land, but they’re delayed.”

“And I was the only person you could think of to entertain you?”

“No, asshole, I was calling because we’re having an impromptu welcome home party and I was hoping you’d come,” he told me.

I had to figure out how I was going to get out of this. I reminded myself that this didn’t mean Jason suspected anything. In fact, if he did, he likely wouldn’t have called me since I had to imagine the party was at Eric’s. For some reason, his place appeared to be the venue for just about any gathering their group had. Still, Eric had begged off me coming over tonight and let me know Drew wasn’t comfortable with all three of us being there when Cam was around. I had to respect that.

“That’d be great, but I just ordered dinner.” The excuse was lame, but it was the only thing I could come up with.

“Not a valid excuse,” Jason shot back. “Knowing you, that means you plan on heading back to your completely depressing apartment and working all night. Well, I’m sorry but that’s not going to happen. You’re working too hard and you need a night off.”

“I can’t afford a night off,” I lied. He wasn’t wrong that I’d wind up going back to my apartment to work all night, but I didn’t need to. I’d made sure I got enough done at the office today that I wouldn’t feel guilty for spending the entire weekend with Drew and Eric.

“Yeah, you can,” Jason insisted. “I know you. You’ve been obsessing over how to fix all the center’s problems as quickly as possible even though it’d take a miracle to turn it around in less than a year or two.”

I should’ve known better than to share so much with Jason. He liked to pretend he was nothing more than a ball player, but the truth was he had one hell of a future in business when his playing days ended. If he didn’t possess such a knack for picking up on where companies were failing, it would’ve been easier to bullshit him and get out of this little party.

“Exactly. They’re in worse shape than I originally thought, and I need to get some things sorted out so we’re not handing a hopeless situation off to whoever we hire to run the center,” I shared with him.

“And you’re going to burn out,” he stated bluntly. “It’s my job as your friend to keep that from happening. So, you’re going to go to your place, put the takeout you picked up into the fridge and get ready to let loose for one night. Besides, I’d really like for you to get to know Cam better. He’s worried that you don’t like him because we weren’t exactly in a good place when the two of you met.”

“And did you point out to him that that’s not how I operate?” I asked. I understood why Cam might feel that way, but I also knew Jason was an intelligent man and wouldn’t put up with anyone taking advantage of him or leading him on. In my mind, I hadn’t given it a second thought when Jason told me that he and Cam were both trying to figure out what they wanted in life and that sometimes it wasn’t easy.

“Yeah.” Jason laughed. “Unfortunately, Cam’s the type of guy who needs to see and hear it for himself before he’ll truly believe it.”

“And let me guess, it’s important to you that the two of us get along?” I teased. Hopefully Drew understood that my friend was almost as pushy as his friend and wouldn’t be too upset about me choosing the path of least resistance. If I stood my ground and refused to go, that’d make Jason think I wasn’t interested in getting to know the man he’d fallen in love with.

“Something like that,” Jason grumbled. It seemed he was uncomfortable admitting just how important Cam’s comfort was to him. Personally, I thought it was refreshing to see him finally stepping out of the shadow he’d been in since Adam’s death. “So, are you coming?”

I considered admitting to him why I was so hesitant to accept his invitation. Knowing some of the secrets he’d kept in his life, I knew he wouldn’t tell anyone, not even Cam, about what had been going on between Drew, Eric, and me. I knew that, but I still couldn’t bring myself to betray their trust in any way. That left me with only one option. “Sure, just tell me what time you plan on being there.”

“It looks like Cam’s flight just landed,” he informed me. “So, by the time he gets his bags and I break it to him that he doesn’t live with Eric anymore, I’d say about an hour or so.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. Given what I’d heard about the two of them combined with Jason’s complete inability to set a schedule and stick to it, I knew there was no way in hell they’d get to Eric’s in anything less than two. Then again, that could work to my advantage because I could head over there early and make sure Drew wasn’t going to have a meltdown.

“Sure, so you’ll be there about eight?” I asked, although it wasn’t really a question at all.

This time, it was Jason who chuckled. “You have no faith in me.”

“Nope. I’ve known you long enough to know you’re incapable of being on time anywhere.”

“Okay, so then let’s say eight-thirty and we’ll do our best to be there by then.” Jason paused while he listened to an announcement over the public address system. “If you want, head on over whenever. I’m sure Drew is busy trying to do too much to make sure everything’s perfect for when Cam gets there.”

“Oh, so what you’re really saying is you want me to go over and make sure the Mavericks’ rising star doesn’t hurt himself?” Jason was probably right about Drew trying to make sure nothing was out of place for tonight. Even though I was relatively new to Drew’s life, I could see that it was important to him to please Cam.

“I didn’t say that at all,” Jason disputed. “But we both know it’s true. Just go over there and make sure he sits down and relaxes for a bit.”

“No worries, I was just giving you a hard time,” I reassured him. “Now, go get your man, take him home for a quickie and get your ass over to Eric’s. I’m not cut out to play hostess.”

I debated going home to put on something more comfortable and decided I’d haul my bag into Eric’s and change there. There was bound to be tension over me showing up despite Drew’s request that I not and I wanted time to let him know where I stood when it came to others knowing about the three of us.

Chapter 15

The smile on my face when I saw headlights flash past the tall windows along the side of the house quickly faded when the back door opened. I’d expected it to be Cam and Jason, but it was Bryce. I quickly schooled my reaction so he wouldn’t think I was unhappy to see him. I was elated and that was the problem.

Although I’d practically begged Eric to call Bryce and ask him to not come over tonight, it’d killed me to do so. The only way to explain how I felt when Bryce was around was that he grounded me. I wasn’t used to relying on someone else to make me feel secure and stable.

If Bryce noticed my discomfort, he didn’t mention it as he dropped a bag inside the door and stalked over to me. He took a quick glance around the room before curling his fingers around the back of my neck and pulling my face toward him for a searing kiss filled with longing and desperation.

My body melted against his, realizing I was a fool to think I could turn him away. No, I wasn’t looking forward to the myriad of questions my best friend was likely to ask, but the interrogation would be worth it to have him around. Just feeling his arms wrapped tightly around my back steadied me, prepared me for a house full of friends.

I’d agreed to having the guys come here because it was better than having to go to Jason’s, but that didn’t mean I was happy about it. Although Eric assured me it was only going to be the few who were in town, I still felt on edge. I knew none of the guys who’d be here tonight were responsible for my attack, but the cops were no closer to having a suspect which meant my over-active mind viewed everyone as a potential threat. I hadn’t shared that with Eric or Bryce, but I’m sure they both noticed how I stiffened whenever it was more than just us in the house.

“I thought you weren’t coming over tonight,” I said when we broke the kiss so both of us could breathe. I saw Eric enter the room and motioned for him to join us. I still wasn’t comfortable doing anything with one of them when the other wasn’t involved. If we were to keep exploring whatever was going on between us, we needed to figure out what was acceptable to everyone. As much as I’d grown to enjoy our times as a threesome, I still longed for time with each of them individually, and wanted them to explore that aspect as well.

“No, you asked that I not come tonight,” Bryce corrected me. “And I’ll have you know I was perfectly fine with that, but Jason asked me to come and I couldn’t turn him down without outing the three of us.”

Eric laughed as he worked his way into our embrace. “I hate to break it to you, but there’d be no outing there,” he informed Bryce. “Jason’s known about me for almost two years now and he’s known about Drew since summer.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Bryce growled, turning his head to bite Eric’s neck. Suddenly, having a house full of our closest friends was a colossally bad idea. There wasn’t time to beg Bryce to take us to the bedroom which meant the three of us were going to be battling the sexual frustration all night. “Unless you’ve told someone, no one knows about the three of us. And being totally honest, not everyone’s going to be okay with it. Not even if we tell them we’re just fucking around.”

“What do you mean if? Isn’t that what we’re doing?” I asked, breaking away from the guys as much as I didn’t want to. Our guests would start arriving soon. Eventually, they’d figure out what was going on, but we didn’t need to give them a live display of what happened behind closed doors.

“Come on, Drew,” Bryce scoffed. “We can tell each other that it’s just sex, but when was the last time we did anything more than hand jobs or blow jobs?”

Good point. I shrugged, trying to figure out where he was going with this line of thought. I had a feeling I knew, but I wasn’t ready to admit it just yet, not even to myself. The three of us made sense, almost as much as it didn’t. It shouldn’t be possible to need two people as much as I needed Bryce and Eric. It shouldn’t be possible to long for their touch when I spent so much of my time pushing them away.

“Yeah, you can’t answer that because you aren’t comfortable with the answer,” Bryce chided. I wanted to be pissed at him for thinking he knew me so well, but I couldn’t. Because he was right on point and that was just one more thing I wasn’t certain about. In the past, I’d been able to keep an emotional distance from most people. It was safer that way because it meant I wouldn’t have to face uncomfortable truths about myself. No, I wasn’t ashamed about being gay, but the fact that I’d heard all the hateful slurs from coaches and other players my entire life was a harsh reality. They hadn’t directed them at anyone in particular, but they’d stung just the same. “I’m not going to push you to call this anything more than what you’re comfortable with, but remember the one thing I asked of you the night I came over here for dinner and a movie.”

“What’s that?” Eric asked, having not been privy to that particular conversation.

“Honesty.” Bryce looked directly into my eyes as he spoke the word. Then, he looked at Eric as he continued to explain. “I promised Drew this could be whatever he wanted it to be, whether it was him with each of us on his own or as it turned out, the three of us together. The only request I made is that we’re all honest with one another about what we’re feeling. It’s the only way a relationship can work, especially when it’s more than two people.”

“You sound like you’ve done this before,” Eric pointed out. Now that he mentioned it, Bryce did seem to be in the driver’s seat most of the time. It was as though he had experience juggling more than one partner.

Bryce shook his head. “No, I’ve had friends in poly relationships, but always thought it would be too much of a hassle to be worth it,” he said bluntly. I was curious if he felt that way about us, or if he would. We had the added complication of not all being in the same place most of the year. The fact that we’d come together at the beginning of the off season was serendipitous, but it also set us up for a major fall when it was time for Eric and I to head back to work, or when Bryce was sent back to Portland.

“And now?” Eric urged, stepping closer to me. Whether intended or not, I feared it would seem to Bryce that Eric was making a silent statement of his allegiance to me over Bryce.

Bryce stepped in, countering Eric’s action so subtly that I felt my cock thickening. I wasn’t even sure Bryce understood what it did to me when he took control the way he did, but he’d have to be a fool to not feel me pressing into his thigh.

“Now, I’m beginning to see how brilliant they were,” Bryce admitted. “Even though we’ve had more downs than ups so far, I think this has the potential to be something pretty damn awesome.”

Eric laughed, holding out one arm as he wrapped the other around me, pulling Bryce back into his embrace. It was a clear gesture that, to his mind, we weren’t three individuals, but rather a single, slightly dysfunctional unit.

“Well, I’ll be damned.” The three of us leapt apart at the sound of Cam’s voice from the back door. I turned to look at him, my face blanching as I realized we were well and truly busted. Leave it to Cam to make tonight be the first time he and Jason managed to show up on time. Rather than interrogate me, he turned his anger and confusion on his boyfriend. “Did you know about this? I mean seriously, how could you have not told me that Drew was fucking two hot guys? Here I felt bad for not being here when you told me about him getting the shit kicked out of him, and he had two men here catering to his every whim? What in the actual fuck, Jason?”

Jason stood there, mouth gaping as Cam beat against his chest. Finally, he had enough and wrapped his hands around Cam’s wrists, probably to stop him before Jason’s chest was bruised.

“I didn’t…” His gaze kept flicking between all of us as he tried to find something to say. “Well fuck, that explains a lot.”

He let go of Cam’s arms and walked past all of us on his way to the fridge. He cracked open the first bottle of beer and took a long draw. When he spun around to face us, his brow furrowed tightly. He pointed at me and shook his head. “Man, you don’t do anything half-ass, do you?”

I looked at Eric and then to Bryce. “Nope, apparently I don’t.”

I could practically feel Cam’s glare burning into the back of my head. At the current moment, Jason seemed to be the lesser of two evils. My shoulders stiffened when Eric moved directly behind me and Bryce took his place at my other side, putting up a united front.

“What business do any of you have getting serious about one person, let alone taking on two partners?” Jason asked accusingly. Although his thoughts weren’t that far off from what’d been running through my own mind most nights, it pissed me off to hear him questioning us. The relationship I wasn’t sure I wanted a short time ago was not something I was willing to discuss with him.

Luckily, Bryce took the lead as he typically did when we were together. He stepped between Jason and me, squaring his shoulders to make it clear that he was the one in control. “More business than you have jumping to conclusions. I love you like you were my own blood, but that doesn’t change the fact that you have no business judging what anyone else does in private.”

“I wasn’t judging,” Jason quickly explained. “I just don’t see this going anywhere good.”

Cam slid in beside Jason, working his way against his chest. For the first time, I was able to look at them without the slightest hint of jealousy clouding what stood before me. The way Cam looked up at him as he ran his hand across Jason’s cheek was the way I used to wish he’d look at me. But no matter how I might try, I’d never be able to make his eyes shine the way Jason could. As I felt the warmth of Eric’s arm across my back, I realized I didn’t need that anymore. I had everything I needed right here, if only I could be man enough to admit it was what I wanted.

“You know, as long as I’ve known you, you’ve been a pessimist,” Bryce said. Eric and I could have easily walked out of the room and the three of them wouldn’t have noticed. The only reason Cam’s absence would be missed was because he had cozied his way close enough to Jason that there wasn’t a sliver of space between their bodies. I envied my friend, wishing it were that easy for me to show affection for those I cared about rather than pushing them away when the emotional bullshit got to be too much. “Maybe that’s because of the circumstances, but you have to admit you were wrong about your own life being doomed to misery. I’d like to think you’re wrong about this as well. But if not, all three of us are big boys and can make that decision for ourselves.”

More headlights shone through the window. If someone didn’t defuse the situation brewing in front of me soon, whoever was here would get one hell of a show. And possibly be called in to break up a fight between Jason and Bryce. One trait the two of them shared was that they were both fiercely protective over those they cared about. Unfortunately, they seemed to quickly be devolving into a dick measuring contest to see who knew Eric and me best. While Jason had known both of us longer, I had to admit, Bryce had an uncanny ability to read people within minutes of meeting them.

When neither Eric nor Cam showed any sign of getting involved, I stepped forward. “Guys, I’m feeling the love, really, but tonight’s not about me or Eric or Bryce. We’re supposed to be welcoming Cam home.”

“Oh, come on, you know I love good drama,” Cam teased. He finally detached himself from Jason and wrapped his arms around my neck, whispering so only I could hear. “You and I will be discussing this later.”

My stomach lurched at his warning. This was exactly why I hadn’t wanted to deal with all three of us being in the same room as Cam. Not tonight. He was going to drag me down to the basement and give me the third degree, wanting every lurid detail of what I’d been up to since he was gone.

“It’s good to see you too.” I laughed and gave my friend a quick slap on the back. “Since you’re home already, I’m assuming you wound up getting cut?”

Cam had always been shit at keeping secrets. Even when the words didn’t spill past his lips, the truth was always in his eyes. And when he really wanted to say something he wasn’t supposed to, he bit down on his lips. It had to hurt to have his lips pinched so tightly between his teeth.

“Never mind, forget I asked,” I said, letting him off the hook. While I might not be the big shot who’d made it onto a reality cooking competition, I knew enough about the entertainment industry to understand they’d most certainly made him sign all sorts of non-disclosure agreements. Plus, I knew it’d kill him even more to think I didn’t care to know how he’d fared in New York.

“That’s it?” he scoffed, following me down the hall to my bedroom. I’d picked up Bryce’s duffel bag, hoping to stash it away before anyone else started asking questions. “You’re not even going to push me just a little?”

“Nah, I’ll find out when the rest of the world does,” I teased, trying my best to sound put out. “It’s okay, I get it. You’re taking all those contracts you signed seriously.”

Cam made himself at home, flopping down onto my bed. God, how many times had I wished to see him lying exactly as he was, with his long legs stretched out and his head propped up on his hand? Only, in those fantasies, he’d been wearing a lot less clothing. Now that the dynamic in our relationship had changed, it felt strange to remember that I’d ever thought of him that way.

“You know I’d tell you if I could,” Cam whined. He was so damn gullible sometimes. Hell yes I got it, but I wasn’t going to let him know that. “It’s killing me, but I can’t say anything to anyone. Not even Jason, and believe me, he’s been making some pretty harsh threats, trying to get me to talk.”

“So tell him,” I urged, knowing if he told Jason, he’d feel guilty enough that he’d have to tell me. “It’s not like he’s going to spread it around or sell spoilers to anyone.”

Cam grabbed my pillow and hugged it tightly to his chest. “Damn, I forgot how evil you can be,” he complained. “You know they made me sign a shitload of paperwork and I’ll walk away with nothing if they find out I’ve been talking to anyone.”

Whether he realized it or not, he’d just given me a hint as to how far he’d made it, and that was really fucking far. That confused me since the episodes were always spread out over months, but I guessed it made sense that they wouldn’t drag out filming as long.