I reached behind me and snagged it and saw that it was Phoenix.
“Yeah,” I said.
“I just dropped him off at his fathers’ apartment,” Phoenix said and I could tell he was pissed. I had no doubt who he was pissed at either. “He was crying so hard when he came out of the hotel that I made him let me take him wherever he wanted to go so he wouldn’t get behind the wheel again.”
I closed my eyes and felt tears pricking the backs of them. God, how had I fucked this up so badly?
“We’re on our way,” I said and hung up. “He’s at his dads’ apartment,” I said. “Do you have a key?”
Brennan nodded and stepped back. “It’s one street over and just down the block.”
“Get dressed,” I said, ignoring the look of hope that filled his gaze.
I doubted hope would be enough to fix the cluster fuck we had somehow found ourselves in.
Phoenix was standingby the apartment door when we arrived. His dark eyes held mine as Brennan and I approached, but before I could say anything he said, “I’ll be in the car.” His dismissive tone should have bothered me, but it didn’t because I deserved it and more. And I was glad he’d sided with Tristan on this. Because after all was said and done, Tristan had been the one who’d gotten hurt.
I heard the sound of a piano long before Brennan opened the door. I remembered Tristan’s comment about the piano helping him forget. I hated knowing I was one of the things he now wanted to forget.
I followed Brennan into the living room and stilled at the sight of Tristan sitting behind a huge piano that was on an elevatedsection of the living room and against the floor to ceiling window. I kept my eyes on Tristan as I went around one side of the piano and Brennan went around the other. We met up so we were each standing on one side of the piano and I stood there just watching Tristan play. Tears were streaking down his cheeks and while he seemed focused on the music, I could tell he wasn’t lost in it completely because his playing became almost frantic the longer we stood there. I also suspected he was struggling to play with his splinted finger and even to my untrained ear, I knew he was missing some notes here and there. But even with all he was going through, the music was still beautiful and him even more so.
I watched as Brennan approached the bench and reached out to run his fingers over Tristan’s hair. Tristan squeezed his eyes closed as more tears fell and I heard him suck in a harsh sob. Brennan lowered himself until he was straddling the bench next to Tristan and he put his arms around Tristan’s shoulders. I barely heard his whispered apology above the music, but a moment later, Tristan stopped playing and brought his hand up to close around the arm that was resting against his collar bone. I watched the two young men press their heads together and I felt an invisible pull drawing me forward until I was straddling the bench on Tristan’s opposite side.
Even though Tristan clung to Brennan’s arm, his eyes opened and settled on me and I felt completely lost.
I wanted so much in that moment…too much.
I wanted to take Tristan’s pain away. I wanted to beg Brennan not to choose Tristan over me. I wanted him not to choose me over Tristan.
Tristan was sucking in deep breaths as he tried to get control of himself and I could hear Brennan murmuring in his ear that everything was going to be okay. Part of me felt like an interloper as I watched them hold on to each other and part of me never wanted to stop. They were so beautiful together that it made me ache deep inside.
But I saw the moment the comforting shifted to something more intense and I felt a shiver of excitement run through me. The onlyplace I was actually touching Tristan was where my knee was pressing against his leg, but I still felt everything that was happening between the two young men. And I wanted it…
I wanted it just as badly as I wanted to be touching them myself. So when Brennan’s eyes shifted to me and I saw the unspoken question there, I didn’t hesitate to give him my permission. His eyes clouded over with lust and I felt my cock harden in response.
How many times had I been in this same exact position with Drake? Me watching him and whatever toy he’d brought home for the night. But he’d never once asked my permission before taking what he wanted. And I’d certainly never been excited at the prospect of watching him give to someone else what he should have only wanted to share with me.
I didn’t even realize I’d shifted closer to Tristan on the small bench until I felt his outer thigh brushing my leg. I watched as Brennan pulled back from Tristan enough so that their eyes met and I sensed the instant Tristan realized things had changed from comforting to more. Tristan’s right hand was resting on his leg, but just as Brennan leaned in to take a taste of him, his hand found its way to my thigh. I covered it with mine, careful not to put any pressure on his injured finger. I hadn’t expected to be included in their first kiss, but it was almost like I felt what Tristan was feeling, because his fingertips pressed into my leg when Brennan’s mouth brushed over his.
A startled whimper escaped Tristan’s mouth when Brennan pulled back just a little bit. The next kiss was longer, sweeter, but still light. I knew exactly what Tristan was feeling because I’d been the recipient of plenty of those kisses. Tristan would be reveling in every touch of Brennan’s mouth on his, but soon it wouldn’t be enough. And sure enough, after a few more passes, Tristan began following Brennan as he pulled back. Brennan let Tristan take over the kiss for a few seconds before he finally teased Tristan with a quick lick across his lower lip. And then the teasing was over and Brennan took what he wanted.
I waited for the disappointment to surge through me at the sight of my lover so ferociously consuming another. But it never cameand all the soft moans and broken whimpers only spiked up my own lust.
Drake had expected me to participate in many of the liaisons he’d had with other people because he’d said it would please him, but as I watched Brennan and Tristan kiss, I found myself wanting to be a part of it rather than feeling like it was expected. But what was more interesting was that I didn’t want it to end and I didn’t want to walk away from it. At some point I’d stopped obsessing over the fact that doing this meant I would likely lose Brennan and I just started to feel.
I let my left hand stroke up and down Tristan’s back as I leaned in to skim my lips over the pulse point on his neck. My intent hadn’t been to interrupt their kiss, but when a pair of firm, warm lips searched mine out, I gladly accepted the kiss and lost myself in it. I knew it was Tristan who was kissing me because there was still a hint of inexperience in the way his tongue played with mine. And his taste…just as sweet as Brennan’s but so very different. I wrapped my hand around the back of Tristan’s neck to hold him still as I took over the kiss. I pulled back just enough to look into his pretty gray eyes. They were clear and open and finally free of pain.
I kissed him again briefly and then kissed away the few tears that lingered on his skin. Brennan was doing the same on his still-bruised cheek and then our lips met just above Tristan’s mouth. I kissed Brennan long and deep and hard. I heard Tristan moan and saw that he’d pulled back just enough so that he could watch us. My eyes met Brennan’s for a moment and then I went for Tristan’s lips. He opened his mouth automatically for me, but I didn’t cover his lips with mine. I hovered on one side of his mouth as my tongue played with his and I let my eyes search out Brennan. My young lover quickly picked up on what I wanted and he leaned in to do the same to Tristan’s mouth on the other side. And then we were both dipping inside of Tristan’s mouth. His tongue met both of ours and while he startled at the newness of being kissed this way, he recovered quickly and soon it was just a blind mix of lips and tongues as we kissed each other.
I let my hand trail over Tristan’s chest and met Brennan’s hand.He’d worked Tristan’s shirt up, so I skimmed my palm over Tristan’s abdomen before settling it on his groin. He jumped at the contact and whispered a broken, “Please,” before he lost himself in kissing us again. Brennan pulled back from the kiss and out of my peripheral vision I saw him urging Tristan to move. Before I even realized what was happening, Tristan was straddling the bench so that he was facing me. I glanced up at Brennan and saw his passion-filled eyes had gone dark with need. He nodded at me and then reached for the hem of Tristan’s shirt. Tristan seemed to be in a daze as he sat between us so I leaned in to kiss him.
“Can I touch you, Tristan?” I asked. I suspected from what he’d said about the guy in New York that he’d never been touched like this. Like Brennan had been that first day in the motel, Tristan seemed overwhelmed by the passion he was feeling because his body was trembling. He nodded, his lower lip caught between his teeth as he waited to see what would happen next. I dropped my head and kissed his chest, paying extra attention to his nipples. He groaned when I bit gently down on one and when I looked up, I saw him reach behind him to search out Brennan. I watched both men kiss passionately as I reached beneath Tristan’s thighs. I lifted him just enough so I could slide forward so that his lower body was draped over mine. The move forced him to lean back against Brennan’s chest.
I began working on Tristan’s pants as I watched Brennan tease him with soft, dirty kisses. Tristan didn’t even realize what I was doing until I pulled his flushed cock from his pants. He groaned at the contact and I saw his hand close around one of Brennan’s wrists as his eyes shifted to me. I gave him a gentle tug and he let out a harsh moan and pressed back against Brennan. When I did it again, he cried out softly. And then his hands were closing over mine and his eyes were wild with desire and fear. I immediately stopped what I was doing, but I didn’t release him.
“You can’t!” Tristan ground out even as he involuntarily arched his hips up so that he was driving himself into my hand. “It’s not safe.”
It took me a moment to realize what he was talking about, butbefore Brennan could say anything like he clearly wanted, I leaned forward and stole Tristan’s mouth in a mind-numbing kiss. Once he was pliant beneath my mouth, I whispered against his lips, “I’m just going to use my hand. Nothing more.” I gave him another kiss. “Just feel, Tristan, okay? You’re safe. I’m safe. Brennan’s safe.”
