Rowen winked at me. “We’ve got a champion on our hands. This is why ye come here. Vail has a good time.”
I tickled my fingers against the back of Rowen’s hand, and he snatched mine in a light grip I didn’t want to escape. My chest felt warm and excitement twisted up my insides as he tilted his head and studied me.
“Well, yeah. We don’t go to boring places everyone hates.” I shrugged.
“How did ye learn to be so good at such a silly game,” he called to Vail, which made him swing around to walk back over to us. Rowen and I parted to allow him to stand between us, and he hooked one arm in the crook of Rowen’s elbow and the other around my waist.
“I love arcades! Until I don’t. Sometimes they overwhelm me and sometimes I never want to leave.” He shrugged. “I used to sneak off to the arcade near my house when I wasovermy mom’s million-and-one preplanned and preapproved activities. She had a personal vendetta against free time. In a lot of ways, she’s still like that. That’s why she thrives in high-stress jobs. Anyway, the arcade was my secret or I never would’ve had a place to hide. Well, other than the bathroom. I did spend a lot of quality time in there, too.” He wriggled his hand.
My face blazed hot as Vail flashed his pretty smile in my direction and my dick definitely took notice. “You don’t have to hide from anything with me and Rowen here.”
Vail wrapped both arms around my waist to give me a tight hug. “You’ll keep me safe?” I doubted Rowen heard him, but when Vail glanced his way, Rowen nodded anyway. I couldn’t blame him. Vail’s brown eyes sparkled and his mouth, which was always beautiful with his full rosy lips, was curled in a small, sexy smile. I snorted. Rowen would give Vail the moon if he thought that was what Vail wanted, and at this point? I would help.
I rested my forehead against Vail’s. “Hey.”
“Hello, there, Mr. Maher,” he said and chuckled. He wriggled his hips against mine and tingles flared in my belly. I massaged his lower back, and he let out a wonderful sigh and brushed his lips to mine. Rowen shifted and bumped me. When I glanced his way, I decided the nudge was an accident because he was studying the bottom of his empty mug.
“Rowen, you look lonely.” I tugged him closer.
Vail nodded in agreement. “Yes, it’s terrible. Come join us.”
Rowen flushed. “Ye two are pretty. I never mind watching.” Rowen hadn’t really said anything much like that to me, though I knew all the guys sometimes had a jerk-off party while Vail fucked me or vice versa. We’d probably all played Tug’n’Spray while watching someone else plow Vail because it was fucking hot; although, I’d done less of that since Aspen and I had gotten closer.
With the way I was starting to be so curious about everything Rowen did, I decided to grow a set of balls. He’d made it clear that he only wanted me if we were more than fuck buddies. I loved Vail and how he made me feel so cared for, and I loved the relationship I had with Aspen and how he protected me. Rowen was different, but that was fine. I hadn’t quite figured out who he was as a person, because even though he was more approachable than everyone else, in a strange way he was harder for me to get to know. I wanted to see where it all went. Maybe we would only ever be friendly and occasionally sexy with each other while Vail was around, but... I felt like there could be more.
“This isn’t a spectator sport, pal,” I said, laying on my thickest Brooklyn accent. He chuckled, which was exactly what I’d wanted.
Rowen leaned in and pressed a kiss to Vail’s cheek, and I felt too hot when he planted one on mine. A furrow wrinkled his brow, like maybe he wasn’t sure about this. I stole Rowen’s empty mug to put it on the table, and in that amount of time he managed to get both hands on Vail’s perky, rounded ass and squeeze it. Watching his fingers create indents on the muscled perfection under Vail’s suit pants hit me just right to have me wishing we were at home, or at least, not standing in a room full of people. My dick pushed at the front of my jeans, and I gasped as a knot of tension twisted in my groin. The alcohol and gentle touches from Vail—and sometimes Rowen—had flowed freely for the last hour, and I was so down to fuck.
Rowen and Vail kissed, and I respected that Rowen didn’t give a shit where they were. Out of all of us, he was probably the most conscientious of other people being in the area when we started touching each other, but he was lost in Vail’s sweetness—an addiction I also happened to have. I finished my beer and stood awkwardly near the table, watching them, not sure what I should do—if anything. I’d gotten used to having Aspen around and not being truly left out when someone else was getting busy with Vail. Hell, half the time I was touching one or the other of them when they were near me. I hadn’t realized how freeing it was to lose that last little line of hesitation with Aspen until he wasn’t here. For a minute I was as morose as Vail had been the first week Cillian and Aspen were gone.
For the first time in a long while I was fucking lonely.
I’d been fine until now. My heart ached and I missed Aspen... and Cillian.
Cillian wouldn’t have gotten all kissy and cuddly with me, but he might’ve pinched my ass or whispered about how he was going to pin me down and fuck me when we got back. I was feeling like a sad sack when Vail startled me by grabbing my hand. He and Rowen had somehow made their way to the table while I was spaced out feeling miserable, and Vail dragged me over to stand directly in front of Rowen, then kissed my neck in a way that always got me going. His breath tickled just right and electric sparks raced through my stomach.
“Hi,” I whispered to Rowen.
He grinned and tilted my chin up. “Vail said ye looked lonesome.”
My heart squeezed as he settled his lips on mine. The kiss wasn’t frantic the way things sometimes got when sex was immediately on the table. Rowen took his time and licked my bottom lip, then the top one, before sliding into my mouth and dancing his tongue with mine. I moaned and leaned against his front.
“Oh, hello!” Vail said to someone, and immediately Rowen and I tensed. This was New York, and I hadn’t run into very many people who would start shit in public over two guys kissing, but we’d all been fucking around together. I braced myself to use my fists if necessary. A big man with a shaved head, covered in tattoos from the neck down, stood beside our table.
“Back off, buddy,” I snapped and pointed at the dude.
Rowen grunted, giving me an impressed look.
Vail only laughed.
The man sighed and held up the pitcher of beer he carried. “Your friend had a perfect game, so he won a round for the table.” The guy slammed down the pitcher, then went over and poked at a button on the side of the Skee-Ball machine. The pink light on top stopped flashing.
Vail chuckled. “You forgot about that?”
“Yeah.” I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling sheepish. “Rowen distracted me.”
“Hey now!” Rowen nudged my shoulder, and I chuckled.
