Chapter Seventeen
Marco
Lou hopped onto one of the kitchen stools, then spun in a circle. I reached out to pet him, and, for just a second, he purred happily before leaping away.
Funny boy, I thought.You’ll fit in well here.
The cat had only been staying with us for a week, but already, he felt like a part of the loft. It was like how quickly I had gotten used to seeing Grayson’s toothbrush, lying sideways on the bathroom counter. Or how I had already come to expect him to put on the coffee on in the morning while I flipped some quiet tunes on the stereo.
It was just those mornings and these evenings that we all had together. During the day, all three of us would disappear into our work. Demir locked himself in the office with our accountant, and I kept the parties at the club running smoothly, and Grayson holed up at his apartment with the ceramics.
Wasn’t it the funniest thing, that just a night and a morning could feel like the whole world?
That night, Demir ordered us all delivery for dinner. Full of Thai food, the guys took their seats at the kitchen counter, and I poured three cups of chamomile and dropped a gob of honey in each. When I turned back, I noticed the way Grayson’s shoulders were slumped. It was like his body had buckled under the grief.
He always held his back so straight, like he was beaming with life. It made me ache to see him shouldering his loss instead.
Demir rubbed Grayson’s back as I handed off the tea, and Grayson held the cup to his face. With the steam on his cheeks, he relaxed a little, and the corner of his mouth turned up nearly in a smile.
“Lou’s settling in,” I said with a gesture to the cat, rolling under the coffee table.
“He’s good at that,” Grayson answered. He took a sip of the tea, then set the mug down. “Actually, do you mind if I take a shower? I feel like there’s still ceramic dust clinging to me.”
“Sure,” Demir answered. “Do you remember where the towels are?”
Grayson paused and rubbed the back of his neck. Sometimes he got a look on his face that seemed almost stern, but I was learning that it was his expression when he was gathering the strength to say something.
“Do you want company?” I asked softly, hesitant that I might be reading him wrong but feeling his need.
“Yeah,” he said. “Do you guys want to come with me?”
“Sure,” Demir answered. “That sounds nice.”
In the bathroom, I turned on the showerheads while Demir unbuttoned Grayson’s shirt and helped him undress. We didn’t say much, but soon, Grayson was stepping out of his shorts, and steam was rolling along the tile. Demir and I removed our clothes together and joined Grayson in the hot shower.
I spun the front of my foot on the slippery tile floor, then grabbed the wall to steady myself. “Splish, splash,” I teased, then pointed the nozzle above me at Demir.
Grayson laughed as Demir caught the hot water, letting it hit his chest and humming to himself pleasantly.
Demir soaped up his hands, then worked the lather onto Grayson’s skin, over the firm muscles of his shoulders and down to his side. Demir’s fingers sunk in Grayson’s hips, and Grayson stepped backward, leaning against Demir.
I joined them, stepping in front of Grayson, and the hot water beat down on us. Demir draped his arms across Grayson, and I took the bar of soap and pressed it against Grayson’s chest.
Slowly, we washed his whole body like that. I lifted his leg as Demir supported him and drew my hands across the curly dark hairs of his thighs. Demir traced the soft curve of Grayson’s ass, and I massaged his fingers softly, stretching them one at a time.
Grayson leaned back into Demir’s arms, and a low, satisfied rumble escaped.
I traced my fingers down his chest and noticed that Grayson’s cock was fatter and thicker, and I hardened in response. Grayson rose up from Demir’s support and stepped under the center nozzle, letting the water beat his face. When he turned back to us, he pushed his hand through his hair, and I watched beads of water drip down his abs.
“Let’s go to the bedroom,” Grayson said. “Take me there?”
We didn’t answer with words, but quickly, we were wrapped in towels and walking toward the bedroom with our hands laced together.
My mind flashed back to that first night, when I had dragged Grayson through the club, showing him every little thing. I had felt so flirtatious then, wanting to pull him in every direction at once. But now, as I watched him come back into his strength, I was having different desires.
Grayson fell down on the mattress. The towel was tied loosely at his waist, and when he laid back, it hung open against his legs. He pushed himself up on his elbows, then turned his eyes between Demir and me.
Fuck. He looked so fucking hot like that, confident and casual at the same time. Even in the middle of all of his loss, I could see that he was still strong.
