When the bed is remade, I slip out of my boxers, letting them fall to the floor without much thought. Landon makes a choked noise, and I lift my head to look at him. He’s looking at anythingbutme, and if I didn’t find it so damn adorable, I’d probably be offended.
“You okay over there?” I ask, smirking.
“Uh-huh. Yep. Just fine.”
He’s blushing from his hairline all the way down his chest.
“You can look, you know,” I say softly.
With a deep breath, he turns to look at me fully. I can’t help but preen a little under his attention. His eyes start at my face, slowly trailing down my body. My cock plumps under his intense stare, but a hacking cough has us both jumping.
I turn around to find Parker, hair wet and a towel wrapped around them, standing in the doorway of their bedroom. “It’s a crime for you to look like that when I’m so close to death. It’s wrong, and it’s unnatural. Put some clothes on, I beg.”
“The dramatics are back. Someone’s feeling at least a little better,” I say, grinning as I reach into my bag and pull out a fresh pair of boxers.
After putting them on, I toss Landon his bag. He grabs some clean sweats out of it. “I’m gonna change in the bathroom. Be right back.”
Parker grabs a fresh t-shirt. It looks like it’s gonna swallow them whole, and when Landon comes back into the room, they step out.
I can’t resist anymore. I need to touch him, so when Landon steps past me to walk around the bed, I hook his arm and drag him back to me. He startles, his wide-eyed gaze settling on mine. I pull him flush against my body, then slide my fingers into his hair.
He melts. There’s no other word for it. He just fuckingmelts.
“What are we doing?” he asks after a few seconds of me just holding him.
“This? This is called hugging.”
“No fair. I want to be hugged.”
We break apart to find Parker standing beside us, a pout etched on their face. “Quick question, Cotton Candy,” I say. “How do you feel about ‘pretty’ as a compliment?”
The question seems to take them by surprise. “Do you think I’m pretty?”
I nod. “I do. Very much. Especially when you’re pouting like that, but I want to make sure it’s something you’re comfortable with.”
Parker nods slowly. “Pretty is good, yes.”
“Alright then, pretty baby. Come get your hug.”
They groan. “Pretty is fine. Not baby. Ugh.”
“What’s wrong with baby?” I ask, smiling, because by now I’ve learned playful outrage vs. I’m actually upset about this, Parker.
The only answer I get is a huff, but they do step closer.
Landon and I make eye contact over their head.
“This isn’t hugging,” Parker says.
I step forward and wrap my arms around them, pulling them flush against me the way I did with Landon. They fit differently in my arms than Landon, but no less perfectly, and I could do this forever.
“Lan too,” Parker says, voice muffled against me.
Landon steps up behind Parker, then sandwiches them between us. The three of us just stand there for a second, holding each other, while I breathe in the coconut scent of Parker’s shampoo.
Finally, they sigh. “I want to lie back down. But can we hug there too? Like horizontal, though. Horizontal hugging.”
Landon chuckles, and my heart nearly explodes. “We definitely can.”
