Chapter Fourteen Gideon
Gideon
When the door closes softly after Jay and Nix, Gideon picks Luca up and carries him into the en suite bathroom. It’s rustic, like the rest of his space, and harkens back to his youth in its simplicity. The room is on the compact side, as he’d had to forgo the expansive designs the others had for space for his chimney. He doesn’t mind, though, because it is cozy and welcoming, with its cedar-walled shower and rainfall shower head. There’s even a large skylight that opens inside the shower proper, so he can let in the scents from the outdoors during the warmer months.
Tonight, he turns on the under-floor heating and leaves the lights on low. The rain is still thundering down, and it hits the skylight in sheets. It’s the perfect night for a bit of debauchery, but first, he needs to get Luca to come around and feed his mates.
Then, he can be the Architect of Pleasure— is that his superhero name? Maybe.
“Gideon, Luca is bad.” His sweet soulmate is crying silently at having disappointed him by disobeying a direct order.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I tried. But I’ve been waiting all day, and he’s—he’s so hot.” His lips press together, eyes glassy, desperate . “And he smells like ‘fucking’ all the time.” The last words are whispered like a confession.
Gideon gathers him close again, one hand steady on Luca’s back as he reaches for the shower dial, turning it on warm.
He tugs Luca’s soiled shirt over his head and flings it into the hamper. A stray, inconvenient thought follows—who’s on laundry this week?
Shit. Probably him.
Shaking it off, he rubs his hands up and down Luca’s arms, slow and soothing, guiding him backward into the shower.
The moment the warm spray hits them, they both groan.
The heat, the steam, the fresh green scent from the wall-set plants—it’s their slice of heaven.
“Are you mad?”
Gideon realizes he hasn’t said anything, and it’s making Luca more anxious than is good.
No, he’s not mad—he couldn’t be about something like this. But how to handle it?
Yes, Luca disobeyed a direct order. But it was under extreme extenuating circumstances. This is a tenuous situation, and Gideon has to do what’s best for Luca, who has always needed consistency and consequences to match his ‘crime’ for the good of his mental health.
Pouring shampoo into his hand, Gideon begins washing Luca’s hair and then his own.
“I’m not mad—how could I be? You are right that Nix is hotter than the sun. It would be almost impossible not to let the entire day affect you like that.”
Luca doesn’t relax, and Gideon knows why—because he needs a consequence now to be able to predict future occurrences, and should it happen again, he will know what to expect.
“But?” He’s smart, his Luca.
“But you still disobeyed.” He expects push-back because that’s part of it, too.
“But you just said it would be impossible! I can’t be in trouble if it’s impossible. You said that, Gideon.” He rubs body wash over Gideon’s belly and down over his semi, around over his butt, and up his back, while rubbing his chest on Gideon’s, subconsciously enjoying the slip and slide.
“I said, almost . You disobeyed, Luca. You’ve come twice without permission today, and that’s not okay. Do you understand?”
Luca shivers at his tone and nods. “I’m sorry.”
“I know you are.”
Once they’re rinsed off, he takes a bath sheet out of the towel warmer and wraps it around Luca’s chest, and it’s large enough to hang down past his knees. Gideon uses a smaller towel on Luca’s fluffy hair and then wraps it around his own hips.
There’s a sad mocha scent permeating the small space, and Gideon already knows—before a single word is spoken—that his beloved is genuinely remorseful.
Because, of course, it’s not about defiance.
It’s about Luca’s mental health. It always is.
“Let me dry your hair, and then we can find you something to wear.”
“Then you’ll tell me, right? You know I can’t stand the waiting.”
Gideon knows, and that’s why there’s a wait. A bit of distress tolerance is good for the brain.
He dries Luca’s hair with the dryer and has the brilliant idea to add a tiny red bow on each side. He’s so pretty that he takes Gideon’s breath away. He runs a thumb over his lips, pulling down so he can see Luca’s tongue and then giving him a quick peck.
Luca reaches into the basket on the counter where Gideon stashes pretty things he thinks Luca will like. “Gideon, can I take these bows for Nix?” His voice is soft and hopeful. “He’ll look so pretty in pink.”
Gideon nods, not truly paying attention because his mind is occupied. He needs to get his mind back on track because there’s the issue of appropriate punishment. It has to fit the crime in a way spankings do not.
Luca enjoys them way too much for that to be an effective deterrent, and coming without permission sits high on their list of no-go behaviors—right under self-harm and disobeying safety rules.
Left to his own devices, it might fall under those very same infractions—and often had before Gideon joined the pack.
He catches sight of his pretty, sweet love in the mirror. He’s digging his fingernails into his forearms—just little digs, but it’s a surefire sign he’s nervous. Time to give that anxiety an outlet. “So pretty, baby. Ready?”
Luca’s eyes pop wide. “Now?”
Gideon nods solemnly. “Color?”
“Green.” There’s a tiny smile, and Gideon feels it in his soul. Luca is reassuring him that they are on the same page.
“Safe-word?”
“Taxidermy.”
Taking him by the hand, he leads him out into his bedroom, where the scent of their alpha’s pleasure is still fresh. He groans softly, and Luca is already panting.
“Down, Luca.” Luca goes, towel and all, chin tilted up so Gideon can always see his eyes. “Good.”
He opens the cabinet beside the bookshelf and withdraws two items: a red, vibrating prostate massager and a small silver cock cage; it’s oval and has fingertip-sized holes. Gideon’s cock is already interested, hard under his towel, and he takes a minute to count out his breaths. When he’s calm again, he turns to show them to Luca.
“Sugar, no. Please. I said I was sorry.” It’s whispered—breathy and high.
“Color?”
“Green.” There’s no hesitation, so Gideon knows his protestations are just noise. Luca needs to say it, but he doesn’t really want it to stop.
“Alright. No more outbursts. You have a choice to make.” This is part of the punishment. Luca hates deciding, but to choose the instrument of his destruction? It’s even worse. He’s already hard under the towel, and that’s going to make the next part more difficult.
“Option number one: you wear both these and at the end of the evening you can choose the way I let you come. The others can touch you through the cage, and I will give two people of your choosing the code to the massager. I decide when we stop unless you’re red or you safe-word.”
Luca whines softly, his hands clenched tight, fingers curling like he’s trying to hold himself together. He’s close again. Fuck, their omega has everyone’s sex drive off the charts. They’re an active pack, but Gideon’s come more times in the past few days than he does in an entire week, and that’s saying something.
When he’s calm again, Gideon begins again. “Option number two: You wear only the cage, and you don’t get to come tonight at all. There will be no touching your dick, and I will decide tomorrow when and how you can, at my leisure. Do you want to think about it?”
Luca shakes his head. “Wanna come with Nixie. Option one.”
Gideon isn’t surprised. He crouches down so he can hold Luca’s chin firmly. “Good choice, but Luca, if you disobey me again, you will go to your room, and you won’t get to come for a week. Am I clear?”
He nods, his little red bows bobbing up and down—it’s making Gideon aware of his hard dick. “Do you want to choose something pretty to wear once we’re done here?”
“Really? Yes! May I choose something for Nixie, too?”
“You can ask him if he wants to, but don’t be sad if he says no. Alright? Up.” Luca’s smile droops as he realizes he’s rock hard under his towel, gaze locked on the cock-cage.
“Uh-oh, it’s not going to fit.” Even after Luca is fully soft, it’ll be a tight fit.
“Hold on to me, baby. I’m sorry.” When Luca’s hands are on his waist, Gideon drops the towel, momentarily awestruck by his beautiful mate. Wrapping an arm around Luca’s waist, he takes his small balls in his hand and twists gently but firmly, careful not to let him pull away because he truly doesn’t want to hurt him.
“Owwww, sugar. Ow ow ow.” It’s enough to get his erection to flag (but not Gideon’s, because fuck! ), and when he’s got the cage on, he has to be extra careful not to pinch the delicate skin in the latch.
They’re both breathing hard once it’s on, and Gideon lets go. Luca has only ever worn a cage two other times, early in their relationship—once for an extended period, while they figured out how to get Luca’s addiction under control and the other on their run in the mountains.
“I forgot how this feels—weird but comforting. Like I want to get hard, but I can’t. Not to spoil the punishment or anything, but can I maybe wear this more often?”
Gideon mentally face-palms.
“Bend over the bed, baby. We’re only halfway there.”
Luca whisper-sings, “Ohhhh, ohhhhhh, livin’ on a prayer.”
Holding back his smile, Gideon knows he’s doing just fine.
Luca leans gingerly over the bed, careful not to pull on the cage. Gideon lubes up the prostate massager, which is only the width of a large finger but almost twice as long. “Push out.”
With Luca’s help, Gideon presses it into Luca’s tiny hole slowly until the base is flush with his rim. His moans are loud in the quiet room, and Gideon gives him a minute to get used to the two sensations.
“Oh, my goddess. It’s not even on yet. What did I do?”
Gideon can’t help a tiny smile at the regret in Luca’s voice. Pre-come is dripping through the bars of the little silver cage, and Gideon wants to lick it up, maybe see if he can get him to cry a little.
Maybe after dinner.
“The last thing, baby. Who do you choose for the code?” This might be the hardest part, although Gideon knows who it will probably be. “Let me see who’s staying after dinner before you decide.”
Gideon types a quick group text, and the responses are almost immediately affirmative. “Everyone’s in except Rowan, who might not stay. He’s worried about a rebound.”
Luca nods and pretends to be deep in thought, although he already knows who will get the honors. The massager app has an access code, and it’s downloaded to everyone’s phone; it can be used simultaneously by up to ten people. Luca just needs to worry about two tonight.
“Jay and Finn.”
Just as Gideon thought—the others can be either too enthusiastic (Leo and Rowan) or a tad sadistic (Grayson and himself). Nix doesn’t have a phone yet, and Gideon hopes Nix will be too busy with Luca to worry about being left out.
Which reminds him he’s going to need to have that talk with him soon.
“Sounds good. I’ll text them, so you don’t have to worry about it. We won’t begin until after dinner, and I’ll check in before.”
Gideon hugs him to his chest and sighs. Luca is going in for his nipple, but the clock is ticking, and Gideon has one more thing he wants to do before they head down. “I thought you were going to pick out something pretty?”
“Yes!” He skips into Gideon’s closet, where he keeps some of his prettiest things, and comes out with a short red dress with a full tulle ballerina-style skirt. The top is strapless, and when he pulls it up and Gideon tightens the corset in the back as tight as he can, it sits firmly under his nipples, pushing his pecs up so they’re on display.
The bottom half of the dress is short and unlined; it’s rarely chosen because the tulle is rough on Luca’s dick, and he’s rarely in the mood, though pants are never an option. When he turns around, the bottom of his cheeks is visible, and from the front, just the edge of the silver of the cage.
It’s beautiful and filthy, and Gideon can hardly wait to show their mates.
“Are you sure? Baby, that won’t be comfortable to sit in at all.”
“What? I can sit, see?” He goes to his bum in a perfect side sit, knees daintily to one side and feet to the other.
“Not after I’m done with your spanking.” The spanking is more for him tonight than for Luca, although they both enjoy it. If the red dress is staying, Gideon wants that juicy butt to burn.
“Gideon! Why? You never said that before.” More noise about how unhappy he is about the spanking while he assumes the position over the bed and pulls the skirt up.
Gideon has long ago stopped listening to Luca Wilde complain about the spankings he loves.
“I want this pretty ass to be as red as your dress. Color?”
“Green, so green.”
“I know, baby. I think twenty-five. Count, please.” The first catches Luca under the left cheek, and then the second, third, and fourth, too, just to see the cheek bounce and jiggle. The next five land on the other side for the same reason. Gideon is ambidextrous and makes sure his baby’s ass is on fire by the time he reaches the agreed number. The last ten are counted in a garbled voice, whining out around Luca’s fingers.
Running a feverish hand over the very red ass, he’s so proud of his soulmate. “So good for me, sweet baby. Can I send a picture to the chat?”
“Mmhmm. Please. Is it pretty?” Luca is well on his way into his happy place, and Gideon is trying to keep him on the edge for a little bit so he’ll be able to enjoy the appreciation he’s going to get from his mates.
His phone is in his hand, and he takes a few photos of just his pretty, red butt. Nudging his legs apart a bit, he reaches around to pull the cage down so it’s visible between his legs and holds his cheek open so the end of the massager is as well. It’s beautiful. It’s incendiary.
Gideon is glad his mates are up for playing tonight.
He waits to drop them into the chat until just the right moment. “Luc? Are you going to pick something pretty out for Nix?”
That gets Luca’s attention.
In the next instant, he bounces into the closet again, this time emerging with a light pink slip dress, just as short as his red one but softer, silkier.
A quick detour into the bathroom to grab the pink bows—where he’d placed them earlier—has him returning, shifting anxiously from foot to foot.
Gideon grabs his sweats, forgoing boxers—they’ll just be in the way, pulling on his Long Road Home tank top, the one Nix had admired. When they open the door, they can hear music and laughter and smell something delicious. Pasta, probably. Luca is frozen in the door, though. “What is it?”
“Will they know I was bad?”
“Luca. No one thinks you are bad, and no one will be thinking about anything at all once they see you in that dress. Now, come with me for a second, I’m going to send the pictures—do you want to see them lose their minds?”
He nods eagerly, and they creep up to the balcony; from here, they look right down onto the couch. The non-culinarily talented—Grayson, Rowan, and Leo—are playing a game on the TV through an interface with their phones. There’s trash talk and jostling, and it’s the epitome of family. Nix is sitting on the floor between Grayson’s knees, watching and cheering them on, one slender arm wrapped around Grayson’s calf.
That must mean Finn and Jay are responsible for dinner—at least it’ll be edible.
“Ready?” He shows Luca the photos he’s sending, and when he nods, they peer over in time to see the texts pop up simultaneously.
Grayson is the first to react, and it’s gratifying to see him show Nix, who moans loudly and takes the phone so he can see better. All four turn their faces up at Luca’s giggle, and he waves, just his hand and face visible.
There’s a crash in the kitchen, followed by a “Dammit, love!”
Gideon hoped that it wasn’t dinner. It’s worth it, though, to see Luca happy.
After a quick peck to his forehead, Gideon leaves Luca in his room and asks him to sit quietly until Nix comes up or Gideon comes to fetch him. He protests being alone, even though it’s not a punishment but a chance for him to be still. Luca is part of the way down already and often enjoys the quiet before the storm.
Gideon heads straight down the stairs into the living room to see if Nix will talk with him before he sends him to see Luca.
The three gamers and Nix have resumed their game, but he’s able to catch his kitten’s eye. He holds out his hand with a small smile, and Nix is more than happy to come to him, a long black t-shirt from Jay’s closet covering him almost to his knees. “Hi, kitten. Are you doing okay? Can you come and talk with me for a few minutes? Then Luca wants to show you something upstairs in my room.”
“Is it his dick?” He’s sly but still shy—blush high and tongue in his cheek.
“Well, it might be, but I need to talk to you before I let you go. Want to see Finn’s library?”
Nix is eager, and they skirt the kitchen, where Gideon catches sight of Jay cleaning up cooked spaghetti from the floor.
Gideon winks at Nix and says, “Oops.”
“I don’t think you’ll be laughing if he just rinses that off and serves it up.” Nix giggles at Gideon, who stops in his tracks, ready to make sure that’s off the table—literally.
But Nix drags him along.
“Sassy. Here we are. House: library lights on, zones A and B.” The lamps in the center of the office and the upper level turn on, and it’s easier to see some of Finn’s space. It’s a two-story room at the front of the right-wing of their home. There are two floors joined by a central spiral staircase, and the hundreds of books are meticulously organized by the Dewy Decimal System, for fuck’s sake.
The desk is clear of clutter and sturdy as fuck—he knows this from experience. The scent of black currants and books is strong, and it’s the scent of home. He’s spent a lot of time here on the soft, welcoming couch behind the desk, in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows that never see direct sun .
It’s to the couch that he leads his sexy, vanilla-scented mate.
“Am I in trouble?”
He wants to laugh at his tone that’s part sass and part concern—like a teenager caught sneaking out but unsure if they should admit to any wrongdoing just in case.
Future Gideon will ask if there’s something he did that Gideon should know about, but today’s Gideon just wants to be sure his newest love is up to play.
When he sits, Nix helps himself to his lap with comfortable familiarity, and Gideon knows that no matter the answer to his questions, he and his kitten will be good.
“What did you and Jay talk about after you left my room?”
Nix flushes an even deeper shade of pink. “Uh…we talked about how Luca needs you to feel happy and that you decide stuff for him so he doesn’t have to do it—and that includes sex stuff.”
“That’s actually pretty accurate. Do you know anything about BDSM?”
Nix tilts his head. “Not really.”
They both know why, and he has no place here right now. Gideon allows himself a surge of relief that the earlier show of deference at the lunch table had been Nix’s instinct and not some mockery of the dynamic.
“That’s okay, but sometimes, when things aren’t so hectic, we can maybe talk more about it if you are interested in what Luca and I do. It’s something we both need to be happy, and it works well for everyone in the pack.”
He makes sure he has all of Nix’s attention before continuing.
“You are not, and I cannot express this enough: you are not required to be involved in anything we do; if it ever makes you uncomfortable, you can tell me or Jay at any time. I only ask that if you can, try not to make Luca feel bad or interrupt him if he seems…”
He’s at a loss for the right words to use for someone outside the community. He hates that he’s ill-prepared, and for the first time, he thinks maybe Nix should sit this evening out.
“Floaty?”
“What?” He’s surprised because that’s a great description.
“Is it like how I get when I scent too much and everything fades away?”
“You feel like that? Hmmm. It’s a lot like that, but in this instance, Luca gets there through sex and sometimes pain.”
“He likes it when you hurt him?” He seems skeptical.
“He does, but we have a list of ways he enjoys and a very clear understanding about how I do it or let others do it.”
“The others play, too?”
It’s said with no small amount of interest, and Nix’s butt feels damp through his t-shirt and Gideon’s sweats. The scent of vanilla is so strong that Gideon allows himself a nanosecond fantasy of tipping his kitten over the back of Finn’s couch.
But he’s not done, and this is important.
It’s been a while since he’s had to explain their dynamic to anyone, as the pack has grown along with them through the process of them figuring shit out. Putting it into words is hard, especially when he’s invested in Nix’s acceptance for both his and Luca’s sake.
Luca will be heartbroken if Nix can’t accept them or, worse, criticizes them. If Gideon is completely honest with himself, he will be, too.
“Not the same way Luca and I do. If we involve the others, it’s usually as a tool that I’m implementing to satisfy a need for Luca—and me, too.”
Nix shivers, goosebumps on his thighs and arms. Gideon is excited to learn that his kitten likes the idea.
“This afternoon in my room, Luca came without my permission for the second time today. He has agreed to give me ownership of his pleasure, and he disobeyed.”
Nix’s scent turns a bit burnt, and Gideon does not like that one bit.
“He didn’t do it on purpose, though. Both times were my fault.”
“Nix, if Luca had felt he couldn’t handle it and didn’t want to accept the consequences, he could have safe-worded, and I wouldn’t have been upset at all.”
“Consequences? Like punishment ?” He flinches, biting his lip and clenching his hands on the tops of his thighs. It’s the last thing Gideon wants associated with the life of love and acceptance he and Luca live every day.
“Fuck. Let’s call them consequences in this context. Luca has chosen a list of consequences that he’s excited about but has an element of effort that acts as a deterrent, which I can implement to help him keep his anxiety and other things under control. Have you noticed that Luca does a lot of complaining but happily does what is asked of him, with no stress or hesitation?”
Nix nods his head. Everyone in their home has seen it in action.
“Those are ways Luca copes with his anxiety. There are several, but he knows that if he wants to stop anything, he can use his safe word or the stoplight system. He’s safe, and it lets him be whoever he wants—whatever I want him to be—all the time. He’s free.”
“So he needs you to help him so he isn’t thinking too hard and worried all the time?” Curiouser and curiouser. Gideon wonders, not for the first time if Nix is intrigued for his own reasons.
“So smart, kitten. That brings me to tonight. You saw the chat pictures I sent?”
“Yes. He’s so pretty…he’s wearing a skirt?” That enticing scent is back again, and he licks his bottom lip.
“He is. He picked it out special, but that’s what I wanted to ask you. As I mentioned, I promised Luca we could play with the others tonight, and they all agreed, knowing that when I lay out the rules, they are the ones Luca agrees to, and they know that Luca belongs to me. He and I would love it if you wanted to play with us, but we don’t want you to be uncomfortable. We do not want to pressure you.”
Nix leans in and presses his nose to Gideon’s cheek, his hair, and then his ear. Gideon can almost hear the gears turning—he’s thinking about it, wanting to see Luca and certainly to be a part of the excitement. He’s expressed his desire for some of what will happen, but it’s the uncertainty about Luca’s safety that has him hesitating.
“You’re sure Luca is safe? Sure, he wants all this? Can I see him before and talk to him?”
It’s a test Gideon is determined to pass.
“Always, but that’s a great idea. But two things: Number one is that he’s not allowed to come until I say so, so if you could be conscious of that? He wants to be good. It’s just that you are…uh…” He’s not sure where he was going with it, but Nix must because he nods.
“I’ll help Luca be good. I’m good, too, right?”
Fuckity-fuck.
“You are such a good kitten. Number two, be the kind and gentle person you are; he’s had so much shame about who he is, and he’s so happy these days, I just want that to continue for him. Please?”
His words must have convinced Nix of something, as his smile is back, and he’s got the equivalent of hearts in his eyes.
“If you go upstairs to my room, he’s got a surprise for you, and I’ve already told him not to pester you if you don’t want to.”
“Okay! Thanks, Gideon. Kiss?” He leans forward, and Gideon feels the softest touch to his mouth—lips slick and tasting like heaven. But it’s the sudden bite to his bottom lip that makes his cock ache. He’s just about to grab his omega’s hips when Nix eels away, his giggle following him out.
***
There’s a new pot of boiling water on the stove when Gideon enters the kitchen, thank fuck, but by the looks of the still-full boxes on the counter, they might never get to eat it.
Jay has Finn pressed up against the breakfast bar, tongue down his throat, and Finn’s leg up over his hip. They’re fully clothed, thanks to all that’s sanitary, but they are about thirty seconds from needing new pants.
“Don’t come in my kitchen, Finn Merritt.”
Jay’s groan is deep at being interrupted, and Finn flips Gideon off.
“It’s not like you’ve never done it.”
It’s hard to take his snark seriously when it’s squeaked out as their pack alpha sticks his hands down the back of his sweats.
Still, their alpha is not deterred by Gideon’s snark. “Baby, I can make you come in the kitchen in front of Gideon, or do you want to save it for Luca and Nix?”
Personally, Gideon thinks there’s a third, better option: both.
“Both?” Great minds.
But now is not the time because Gideon has plans, and they cannot happen until he’s fed the masses.
“I am finishing dinner, and despite popular opinion, there cannot be both come and carbonara at the same time. So, out. I’ll finish this.”
His two mates look like his alliterative attempt at humor might be too gross for the moment.
“What? You both have been known to eat both , no? I don’t see the problem, but you are in my way. Go.” He shoos them away with his spoon and gives Jay a smack on his juicy ass.
Sighing, Finn grumbles. “Mood is ruined, Jay. Curse you, Gideon. I’ll set the table.” He adjusts his erection in his sweats so that it’s tucked behind the waistband and grabs the pasta bowls and utensils to take them out to the table.
“Wash your hands! You’re a doctor, for fuck’s sake. What is wrong with you!”
“To be fair, it was my hands in his pants, not the other way around.” Jay turns the faucet on and lathers up. “How is Luca?”
Jay pulls the eggs and bacon out of the fridge, then does what a great sous chef does: he gets the fuck out of Gideon’s way to lean against the counter, arms crossed over his chest.
“He’s good—will be better very soon. Sorry about the pasta earlier.” He smirks and washes his own hands before cutting the bacon into tiny pieces, knife flying.
“Yeah, well, I can’t complain at all. Was everything okay with Nix?” He gestures with his head over his shoulder toward the library. “Did it go okay?”
While Jay would never ask him if Luca was ready to play because this is 100% Gideon’s jurisdiction, Nix is another story. Given Nix’s recent past, the idea of sexual play at this level with so many players and kinks on stage could be a recipe for disaster.
“Good, I think. I laid it out for him, gave him the unpressured option to not play, and told him he could ask questions or leave any time. He’s most concerned that Luca is safe and happy.”
Gideon feels that place he holds his mates warm up, and he’s at once grateful for their new mate’s caring and for his willingness to try.
“He’s going to talk to Luca and then decide. He was very intrigued by Luca’s dress and, I think, what is under it.”
Gideon drops the bacon in the pan and turns to look his alpha in the eye. “Do you think we’re pushing too hard? I can’t walk this back with Luca, not now, but we could keep it…”
“Tame?” Jay offers skeptically.
Gideon huffs. “Fuck. When have we ever been able to keep it tame? We’ve got a cornucopia of kinks that fit like puzzle pieces, and the sex drives to back it up.” Gideon runs a hand through his hair. “Maybe one of you should sit this out with him.”
“Bacon’s burning, Chef.”
Gideon’s not sure they’re going to eat dinner tonight after all.
Jay sighs. “Look, wasn’t it you who said, ‘We’re going to do what he asks us to do, and we’re going to keep our heads. It’ll work out?’ You were right—he’ll not thank us for making him a victim, and we have to let him tell us what he wants, what he needs. We have to trust him, Gid.”
Gideon is not a trusting man. He knows this about himself, and perhaps it’s his upbringing or just who he was born to be, but he has never let others do what he can do for himself. But he trusts his mates–Jay, especially, who has never steered them wrong when it really mattered. “Okay.”
“Okay? It can’t be that easy. The last time it looked that easy, I was breaking the door down to rescue you from the Dev–”
“Rescuing Gideon from whom?” Rowan interrupts from the other side of the breakfast bar.
Their hungry mates, minus Gideon’s kittens, are now standing four-abreast in the kitchen, clearly coming to see what the hold-up is with dinner, no doubt. Ravening beasts, though they are.
For the food or what’s after, Gideon doesn’t know.
“Nothing. Mind your own business, Rowan.” Gideon tosses the rest of the pasta in the sauce, slides it into a huge pasta dish, and tries to ignore Leo’s raised eyebrow and crossed arms.
“Jay?” Finn is too observant as well, and Gideon does not want to hash this out before they’re about to play.
He can’t let it get in his head and still be the Architect of Pleasure. Does he need that on a t-shirt? Yes, he does.
“Can we not talk about this tonight? It’s been a fucking fuck of a day, and I need…” Gideon rubs his face with his hand, praying his family will let this go—for now, at least.
Finn looks like he’s inclined to push, but after a look from their leader, he nods.
Okay, then .
Gideon slaps Rowan’s hand away from the croutons in the salad and shoves the bowl into his hands so he can take it to the table. Grayson gets the pasta with a yelp because the bowl is hot, and Gideon walks away with a smirk.
He’s a bit sadistic, sue him.
“Finn, wine. Trebbiano d’Aburzzo 2015, please.” They won’t drink to excess because Gideon is a stickler for sober play, but everyone except Luca can enjoy a bit at dinner.
Speaking of which, where are his kittens?
“Leo, can you go see if Nix and Luca are ready for dinner, please?” He hears no complaint this time from delegating the task, and Gideon is sure it has everything to do with those photos he sent to the chat.
Finn arrives fresh from the wine cellar, and Gideon takes the bottles of d’Aburzzo and the corkscrew. Once they’re open, he lets Grayson pour six glasses, though he seems unsure if Nix is bound by the same rules as Luca for tonight’s debauchery. He must decide to ask Nix himself because he places it near his and Nix’s end of the table.
“Gideon?” Grayson shifts from foot to foot, uncharacteristically fidgety.
“You alright with all this, Gray?” Grayson seems to know what he means: tonight’s plan and Nix’s role in it. Leo has mentioned that Grayson had a theory or two about them. It was another thing that he had lost track of in the past two days.
“Yeah, I’m glad I had him to myself for a bit this afternoon. He’s excited, so I’m excited. I mean, I would be anyway, but he could decide he wanted to join a circus, and I’d be excited, you know?”
It hits him, then.
Soulmates.
It’s what’s been tickling his brain about the two of them. Grayson’s behavior at the hospital, his rebound rut, and certainly the bond bite—it’s the exact feeling he gets with Luca.
Anime? Sure. Dancing in the rain? Let’s do it. Pizza picnic in the hot tub in January? Yes, please. Cat cafe? Obviously. Okay, that one is him. But the truth remains. If his soulmate loves it, so will he, and it looks like Grayson and Nix have that, too.
Gideon looks to Jay, who has the bigger Rowan on his lap, casual affection overflowing now that the pre-rut/rut territorial posturing is done. He wonders how his pack alpha is taking the idea.
“Soulmates, huh?”
Grayson’s eyes bug out, dumbfounded by Gideon’s genius, no doubt.
“It’s all right, pretty. We can talk later. Let’s eat before it’s cold. Now, where are they?”
Leo’s been gone longer than it takes to retrieve Luca and Nix. Does he have to do everything himself?
“Rhodes pack! Sit. I’m going to find out what happened to Leo. Start without us.” He’s half out of his chair before he sees Luca in his red dress, a blond head peeking out from behind him, tiny pink bows in pigtails. They’re standing in the doorway from the right-wing, and Luca appears to be gently dragging his kitten along.
Where Luca is a devil with his bright red dress, dark hair, and a mischievous smirk, Nix is an angel.
He’s wearing the pink dress Luca had picked out for him, but they’d found some matching ruffled panties, Goddess knows where. He’s covered in ways Luca is not because only his long legs and arms are bare. But in the light of the room, it’s easier to see the material is diaphanous; its shimmer seems to mimic the glimmer of gold brushed along his cheeks and down over his collarbones.
Together, they look like devil and angel—spicy and sweet. A combination that has Gideon unable to put a single thought together. He’s proud of Luca for being so giving and even more of his kitten for giving this new thing a try.
Gathering his wits about him, Gideon smiles. “Baby, I was just coming to find you. We sent Leo up ten minutes ago.”
There’s a giggle from behind Nix’s hand.
“Leo took one look at us and locked himself in his bedroom. He says to start without him—he’ll be a few minutes. I think he liked our dresses.” He raises Nix’s hand in a twirl so the dress flares out, and they can all see the tiny ruffle-bottom cheeky panties. “Nixie likes the ruffles, sugar.”
Rowan groans and drinks all of his wine in a single gulp, wasting no time in refilling his glass.
Gideon is keeping a close eye to be sure that rut does not rebound on them.
“Rowan, enough. You want to play—you drink in moderation.”
The young alpha nods and gives his new glass to Grayson, who has no qualms about shooting it back.
“Ya! That’s a three-hundred-dollar bottle of wine, you heathens.” He shakes his head and tries to catch Nix’s eye. He’s so shy, and everyone is waiting for him to make the first move, afraid to startle their fae beauty.
But he should know Luca has this.
Drawing him forward, he pushes him a bit toward Jay, who is sitting at his usual place at the table. Their alpha is completely still, plush lips open a bit, with eyes flashing from hazel to red.
“Daddy, Nixie is shy.”
“Jay,” Gideon growls. “Get it together.”
Between one breath and the next, Jay has his hand out for Nix, and Gideon relaxes upon seeing the angel straddle his lap so he can hide his hot red cheeks in his alpha’s neck.
Jay whispers something so low he can’t hear, but Nix giggles and wiggles his butt.
Luca climbs into Finn’s lap on Jay’s other side, much to their mutual delight. Finn is careful not to touch below his waist, and Gideon appreciates his family’s dedication to his boundaries. They haven’t started playing yet, and he needs to check in with his babies before they do.
His carbonara is still surprisingly steaming when a damp-ish Leo slips into his seat, cinnamon scent sweetly satisfied.
“What kept you, Leo? Hmm?”
“What do you want me to say? If you saw what I saw, you’d have needed three minutes to yourself, too. At least now, I might last long enough to see one of them come.” He’s reaching for the salad and dishing some onto Finn’s plate so he can feed Luca a little while Jay is twirling his pasta, making choo-choo-choo train sounds to get Nix to eat, while their omega rolls his eyes in protest.
Gideon is hardly hungry, but he made the damn thing, and the faster they eat, the faster they can get to the after-dinner entertainment.
He quickly texts the massager’s code to the two currently occupied Alphas before he forgets, then picks up his fork with anticipation—for something other than food is burning through his veins.
He’s barely taken a single bite before Rowan is already on his feet, eager to clear the table—his own plate empty. He must have inhaled his meal, unable to contain his excitement. Gideon can’t help but laugh when Rowan takes a horrified Leo’s still full plate right out from under his nose.
Guess they can always eat later—it’s time to get this show on the road.