Chapter Thirty-Five
Brick
I woke up with one guy on each side of me, Ezra curling into my armpit and Irving cuddled up against my chest. I laid there without moving for a while, feeling their breath against my skin and remembering the night before. I hadn’t intended to fall asleep in Irving’s bed, but I wasn’t surprised it had happened either.
It was nice not to wake up alone for once.
With my arms around the guys, I felt like I could protect them. The idea that they were safe made me feel safe, too. I had a strong sense that I could handle anything that came my way so long as the two of them were by my side. I even let myself dream about that house with the fenced-in yard.
Once I started debating how to crawl out of bed and throw some eggs on the stove, Ezra stretched beside me, his arms and legs sticking out in every direction. Right on cue, Irving repeated the gestures, rising up to his elbows and blinking.
“What time is it?” Ezra asked, putting on his glasses. “When did we fall asleep?”
I half-expected them to jump out of the bed or to act skittish now that the daylight was back. But Irving just curled his fingers through the hairs on my chest, and Ezra kept wiggling his toes against my leg.
It felt good.
“It’s not too late,” I said. “Probably nine or ten.” I had a good internal sense of time, even after a night of mind-shattering sex.
Irving sat up a little more, grabbing a glass of water from the nightstand and gulping from it. “It’s my apartment,” he said. “Let me make breakfast or something.” He blinked a few more times, rubbing his hands across his eyes. “Sorry, I just haven’t had anyone sleep over in a long time.”
I couldn’t help but smile. He looked so serious, and I knew he really would want us to feel comfortable. I was always the kind to take off as soon as the sex was over, so sticking around for breakfast felt as unusual to me as it probably did to Irving. Considering all they had done for me, however, I felt uncomfortable taking more from them. I was far more interested in making sure they were satisfied in every way I could.
“Let me,” I said, pulling myself out from the under the sheets. “You two stay here.”
I threw my legs over Ezra, crawling out of bed and giving him an opportunity to rub up against my chest on the way. Standing there in my boxers, I felt even more out of place than usual, and that familiar old desire to run away started itching at me.
“That’s so nice of you,” Ezra said lazily, cuddling up against Irving.
I chuckled, running a hand through my hair. “I don’t know about that. Just have to eat,” I answered, turning on my heel and wandering into the kitchen.
It only took a little while to familiarize myself with Irving’s place. It wasn’t too different than my own, actually. He seemed to like things simple and easy, and even if he kept his kitchen a hell of a lot tidier than I kept my own, it wasn’t hard to throw together a few fried eggs, some buttered toast, and a pot of coffee.
Out of bed and away from those sweet guys, my mind started to wander a bit to the rest of my life. I thought about my truck outside, with all of my possessions stored in the back. If it weren’t just a bunch of junk, I might have worried about someone stealing a few of the boxes, but I would guess that anyone who peeked under the tarp just turned away disappointed. After breaking my lease, I couldn’t move back into my old apartment, but the motel outside the city was cheap. Lilith would have me back at the bar, and it would take a while to get back on my feet, but I was fine with that.
It was a hell of a lot better than skipping town again, that was for sure.
Grabbing the breakfast off the counter and heading back toward Irving’s room, I realized I had more going for me in Seattle than I ever had back in Philly. I had a steady job I actually liked and one that required a hell of a lot fewer punches to my face. I had a friend in Lilith, and I had a couple of guys who actually tolerated my bullshit and stuck around for more.
I still had a lot of questions about Irving and Ezra. I knew that they loved each other, and that was something special. I didn’t expect that love to extend to me, but I could tell it made them happy. I was even beginning to allow myself to believe that they would stick around. Maybe not forever, and maybe it was silly to dream about getting us a house, but after seeing how much heat they could handle last night, I knew we’d all be ready for more in no time.
When I got back to Irving’s room, they were both awake, sitting up in bed while Irving rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. I strolled over, coffee cups in my hands and a couple of plates of food balanced on my arm, and deposited the meal on the nightstand while I handed off the drinks.
“Oh wow!” Irving said, sipping from the coffee. “Thanks, Brick!”
I sat down on the edge of the bed, suddenly feeling reluctant to join them. It was one thing to throw them around last night, but curling up together in the morning felt a little out of my comfort zone.
Ezra kicked his feet out, resting them in my lap, then handed off a plate to Irving. “I can’t believe how hungry I am.”
“I’m not surprised,” Irving added, grabbing a piece of toast and smiling. “How are you doing today, Brick? Were you able to sleep?”
I nodded, drinking from my coffee. “Yeah, I must have passed out around the same time you both did. I’m still having trouble accepting that the fight isn’t going to happen, though. I know as soon as I get out of here, I’m going to be looking over my shoulders every five seconds.” I realized I might be sounding ungrateful, considering Irving’s generous gift. “Thank you again, though. I’m sure the reality of it will hit me soon.”
Irving nodded as he munched on the toast. “That makes sense to me. It’s like I was saying the other day—when you’re used to fighting, it’s hard to adjust to the reality that the fight is over.”
I scoffed, scratching at my chest. “Maybe that’s true. I’m not so sure the fight is over, though. It tends to keep finding me.”
Even resting in the bed together, the truth of my life still felt like a wall between us. We might have distracted ourselves with some sweaty, kinky fun, but anytime they told me things were going to be fine, I was just reminded of the truth and how different our lives actually were.
