Chapter Three
Teagan shut the door with a soft click, his hand lingering on the knob.
Liam’s scent still hung in the air—something wild that made his stomach flip in ways he couldn’t afford.
He’d been so cold to the man, practically snatching plates from those large, gentle hands.
Of course, he felt horrible. But he felt even worse at the overwhelming attraction toward Liam.
Hayden was his entire world, and Teagan wasn’t going to let some gorgeous, sweet, rugged man come between them.
When he turned, Hayden stood with his jaw set at that familiar angle, eyes narrowed to slits. That look didn’t bode well. Crap.
“Whatever lecture you’re brewing,” Teagan said, folding his arms tight across his chest, “save it.”
Hayden leaned against the kitchen counter, coffee mug steaming in his grip, the bitter aroma cutting through the lingering scent of bacon grease from breakfast. “Why the hell were you so rude to them? They fixed our car for free, and you acted as if they’d stolen it instead.”
Outside, birds chattered in the overgrown bushes, their noise filtering through the thin window glass like unwanted commentary on Teagan’s behavior. Sweat already beaded along his hairline from the rising heat, and the faint woodsy smell from Liam’s presence lingered on the air he was breathing in.
Teagan wiped at his forehead, buying a moment before responding. “Because you’re too trusting, that’s why. Strangers show up out of nowhere, offering rides and repairs, and you just invite them in like we’re running a bed and breakfast for potential serial killers.”
Laughter bubbled up from Hayden, but it carried an edge, sharp enough to cut through the stuffy air. “Serial killers? Come on, they’re just nice guys helping out. Not everyone’s out to hurt us.”
“Excuse me?” He stared wide-eyed at his boyfriend. “Just last week you were scrubbing slurs off our car! Now you’re all friendly to complete strangers like none of that happened!”
Staring at the counter, Hayden shrugged, tracing his fingertip over the surface. “I prefer not to live in a world where everyone is seen as an enemy, Teag. Some people are genuinely nice without having some kind motive.”
Teagan stopped pacing to glare. “Nice guys, sure. Until they aren’t. You act like every person who smiles at us wants to be our best friend, but I end up dealing with the fallout when your optimism blows up in our faces.”
A muscle ticked in Hayden’s jaw, visible even from across the room, and he pushed off the counter, closing the distance with two long strides.
“This again? You’re projecting your paranoia onto everyone we meet.
We left that shit behind, remember? New town, new start.
But you keep dragging your fears behind you like a coffin you refuse to put down. ”
Heat prickled along Teagan’s neck, the familiar burn of frustration mixing with memories he’d rather keep buried. He remembered the alley behind their old apartment complex, the metallic tang of blood in his mouth after two guys cornered him on his way home from the convenience store.
A run Hayden had sent him on.
Their fists had landed with dull thuds, each one accompanied by slurs that echoed louder than the pain. Broken nose, bruised ribs, and a lesson etched into his skin.
Trust was an illusion, especially when you didn’t fit the “typical” mold. Hayden had befriended the guys, their neighbors, even after Teagan had voiced that his gut was telling him they were bad news.
Not that he blamed Hayden. His best friend was right. It wasn’t living if you treated everyone as the enemy until proven otherwise. Which was why Teagan felt stuck, like he couldn’t move forward.
But ever since his attack, every new face did carry potential danger, every act of kindness a possible setup.
What if next time it was Hayden who was attacked, who woke up in the hospital with tubes sticking out of him?
Or worse, what if next time one, or both, of them didn’t survive? Teagan couldn’t live in a world Hayden wasn’t in.
Hayden glanced up at him, expression carefully masked. “I thought you didn’t blame me.”
“I don’t.” Teagan scrubbed a hand over his face. “I swear. I’m just worried. You saw Liam’s size.” Like either of them could ignore his massive form. “Someone that big could do a lot of damage.”
Even though he didn’t blame Hayden, the guy would never understand what it felt like to be brutally attacked for something he couldn’t help or change. To have his autonomy ripped away from him because someone else wanted to violently impose their beliefs on him.
But Teagan hadn’t given Liam the cold shoulder because he thought the guy would hurt them. It was guilt. He’d punished Liam for his fierce attraction toward him.
That was ass backward and made no sense, but it was still the truth. Instead of snapping at Liam, Teagan had wanted to crawl into the larger man’s lap and surrender to him.
And that guilt was eating him alive.
Just admit it to him. Tell Hayden the real reason you’re acting like a dick toward Liam. He couldn’t. Teagan had loved Hayden even before he’d been in love with him. Best friends, a lifetime of memories he refused to throw away over some stupid attraction he felt toward another guy.
The feeling would pass. Teagan just needed to stop lusting over Liam and remember who truly mattered to him.
The image of Liam’s face popped into his mind.
Wrong fucking face!
Floorboards creaked under Hayden’s weight as he stepped closer, his larger frame blocking the light from the window. “Not everyone’s like those assholes who jumped you. Liam’s not like that. Hell, he stepped in last night without being asked. He defended you, Teag.”
Fingers dug into his own biceps as Teagan kept his arms crossed, the fabric of his shirt bunching under the pressure. “And what if he is? What if letting him in means we end up running again? I can’t do that. Not again.”
Hayden’s hands settled on Teagan’s hips, firm and unyielding, gently pinning him against the wall. The surface felt cool through his thin shirt, a contrast to the heat radiating from Hayden’s body. “Then we handle it together. Like always.”
They were on two different wave lengths. Hayden thought Teagan was referring to friendship with Liam. Friendship was the farthest thing from his mind.
The argument hung there, unfinished, but Hayden’s thumbs pressed in with that firm grip that always short-circuited Teagan’s thoughts.
Lips brushed his neck first, soft and insistent, trailing down to his collarbone while hands worked at his shorts, tugging them open with efficient yanks.
Before Teagan could argue, Hayden dropped to his knees, the movement fluid and determined, his fingers already working open Teagan’s fly.
Zipper teeth parted with a soft rasp, and Hayden tugged the shorts down, exposing skin to the morning air.
Teagan’s cock twitched free, half-hard already from the proximity, the scent of arousal thickening between them.
Hayden’s mouth hovered close, breath hot against the shaft, but he waited, dark eyes looking up expectantly.
Wet heat enveloped him as Hayden took him in, lips stretching around the girth while his tongue flattened along the underside.
Teagan’s fingers threaded into Hayden’s hair, guiding the rhythm with firm pressure, pushing deeper until he hit the back of Hayden’s throat.
Saliva slicked the way, dripping down to coat his balls, and the obscene sounds of sucking filled the room, punctuated by Teagan’s ragged breaths.
Heat roared through Teagan, consuming his entire body, the feeling rocketing through him.
Suction built steadily, Hayden’s cheeks hollowing as he bobbed, one hand bracing against Teagan’s thigh while the other cupped his balls, rolling them gently. Teagan directed the pace, pulling Hayden deeper with each thrust, the slide of lips and tongue sending jolts through his core.
Teagan gasped, a half-moan, half-laugh, hips pressing forward, craving more, testing how far he could push.
His tongue swept over Teagan’s cock, stroking with every slow, sensual slide.
Pleasure coiled tight in his gut, building with every drag of Hayden’s mouth, the pressure perfect and unrelenting. Hips rocked forward, fucking into that willing heat, his grip in Hayden’s hair tightening to hold him steady. Internal sparks fired off.
God. This felt filthy in the best way, Hayden on his knees like he belonged there, taking every inch without complaint.
Hayden’s fingers spread wide, gripped Teagan’s ass, firm and possessive, holding him still. He licked and sucked, driving Teagan crazy.
“So good,” he murmured, brushing the backs of his fingers along Hayden’s cheek.
As the edge approached, Teagan’s control slipped, words tumbling out unbidden. “Fuck, I’m attracted to Liam!” The confession was raw and unexpected, even as his balls drew up tight.
Orgasm hit hard, pulsing through him in thick spurts down Hayden’s throat, muscles clenching as he rode it out, guiding Hayden through the aftershocks with gentler tugs on his hair. Hayden swallowed around him, milking every drop before pulling off with a final lick along the sensitive slit.
Teagan slumped against the wall, legs shaky, waiting for the fallout. Hayden would hate him now, probably storm out or worse.
Hayden stood up slowly, his hand filled with his own cum. “Me too. Attracted to him, I mean.”
Jesus. It was hot as fuck that Hayden had jerked himself off at the same time he’d been giving Teagan a blowjob.
But…relief mixed with confusion, which left Teagan blinking at Hayden’s flushed face, his lips still swollen from sucking him off.
What did this mean for them? Teagan had no clue, the admission cracking open possibilities neither had discussed.
Polyamory? Sharing? Did it change what they had?
Open doors neither had considered? Or would it just complicate everything until it broke?
Hayden spoke first. “Doesn’t change us. But maybe…you know, we could possibly see where it leads?”
Teagan was still catching his breath, the wall’s texture imprinting on his back. “I—”
“It could lead to nowhere. Don’t put any undue pressure on yourself, Teag. Let’s just go eat some barbeque and have a good time, okay?”
Slowly, Teagan nodded, but inside, the thought of his relationship with Hayden changing, in any way, scared the crap out of him. Or, maybe, and it was a slim chance, Liam just saw them as friends and Teagan was panicking over nothing.
Keep lying to yourself.
Hayden’s smile came easy, and he leaned in for a quick kiss, tasting of salt and Teagan. “Good. Now help me with these dishes.”
“You just wrecked me and you expect me to do chores?” Teagan stared wide-eyed at him.
“Not gonna do themselves.” Hayden grinned. “That sounded so dirty.”
“As dirty as the dishes,” Teagan muttered.
Washing them passed in comfortable quiet, soap bubbles popping under running water, the mundane task grounding Teagan after his confession. He dried plates while Hayden scrubbed, their elbows brushing occasionally.
“What if things change between us?” Teagan finally voiced his fear. So much for feeling grounded.
“Things always change.” Hayden handed over a soapy glass. “That’s part of life.”
Teagan wanted guarantees. He wanted to know they’d be okay. He’d spent so long protecting what they had that the idea of it altering—even potentially for the better—was scary as hell.
“I mean change for the worst. What if we explore this thing with Liam and one of us gets jealous or Liam is only interested in you and not me too and we have this big fallout then we call it quits and have to split custody of the car, which I’ll probably sleep in since you and Liam will want to shack up together—”
Hayden cupped Teagan’s cheeks with wet hands. “Breathe. You’re talking so fast you’re turning red.”
Forcing himself to breathe in through his nose and out through his mouth, Teagan finally nodded.
“There is only one thing I want you to worry about today.” Suds slid down Teagan’s cheeks.
“What?” he asked.
“The food not sucking.” Hayden grinned and gently patted Teagan’s cheek. “Now, let’s finish these dishes before my fingers prune.” He kissed Teagan’s nose. “Love you.”
“Love you too,” Teagan replied with a goofy grin.
* * * *
By noon, they’d changed into fresh clothes. Teagan was in his favorite fitted tee, which showed off his slim build without trying too hard, while Hayden wore a button-down that hugged his broader shoulders.
The drive to Liam’s took longer than expected. Neither of them had paid attention to what the guy had written down and gaped at the map he’d drawn under the address.
He clearly lived up in the mountains, making Hayden navigate the switchbacks as Teagan told him which way to take at every fork in the road. Twice they’d had to backtrack, study the map, then hope they were going the right way.
Finally, they turned into the driveway indicated on the paper. Teagan had tried to use the GPS on his phone, but it had gone all wonky before they’d even hit the mountain road. It kept trying to guide them through the guardrails and over the cliff. Now he saw why Liam had drawn such a detailed map.
The driveway wound through thick trees before opening up to a large home nestled among towering pines that whispered with an afternoon breeze.
“Holy shit,” Hayden muttered. “Liam lives here?”
Teagan gaped at what could only be described as an architectural centerfold. The structure rose three stories high, its two wings extending like open arms, forming a perfect V of gleaming glass and polished timber that caught the afternoon light and threw it back in golden fragments.
Hayden pulled next to a few cars and trucks then killed the engine.
“Are you sure about this?” Through the open car window, Teagan could hear rock music blasting as his nostrils flared at the mouthwatering scent wafting from the grill.
“About eating whatever that fantastic smell is?” Hayden asked, squeezing Teagan’s hand. “Just stick by me, okay? If the vibe feels funky, we’ll leave.”
Taking a deep breath, Teagan got out, closing the car door before joining Hayden at his side. When they rounded the house, Teagan was stunned to see so many people. Over a dozen men were built like Liam, but there were some who seemed to be their height.
“You think they’ll kill us before or after dessert?” he whispered, resisting the urge to grab his boyfriend’s hand.
Hayden’s lips quirked. “If we’re lucky, they’ll let us finish dessert before the ritual sacrifice begins.”
As they approached, some of the men waved hellos, while others played cornhole or tossed a football or frisbee. Nobody crowded them. Only a handful of people bothered to look their way.
It was as if Liam had told everyone, “Pretend they don’t exist.”
Except for the smaller men who’d waved.
The rock music was much louder now, and steam curled up from a table filled with side dishes and desserts. From three different kinds of salad—potato, macaroni, and pasta—to deviled eggs, baked beans, corn on the cob, and so many others. Teagan had no idea where he would start.
The desserts looked professionally made.
Please let them kill me after I’ve had some of those huge chocolate chip cookies.
Liam spotted them immediately, breaking away from a group near the grill with a smile that made Teagan’s stomach flip with somersaults.
“Glad you two made it.” He handed them each a soda, condensation cool against Teagan’s palm. “Food’s almost ready. Make yourselves at home.”
Introductions blurred together—names like Vaughn and Jalen, faces friendly but overwhelming in their number. Teagan stuck close to Hayden, observing how easily his boyfriend chatted with strangers, drawing laughs with stories from their old town, carefully edited for obvious reasons.
Liam had slipped inside the house, both men leaving Teagan to stand there by himself like a wilting wallflower, minus the wall.