Chapter Four #2
Aries picked up the blanket and peeked under it. Nix was indeed curled up with his knees tucked under his chest. His naked chest. In fact, his brother was completely nude. Aries slammed the end of the blanket back down.
Well, that wasn’t the brightest idea. Aries climbed onto the mattress where he was sure he wouldn’t touch any of his brother’s naked body and patted the lump hard. Very hard.
Nix jumped and squawked as he fought to get the blankets off his head.
It would most likely be helpful if Aries wasn’t holding the top blanket down, but it was the least Nix deserved for making Aries see him naked.
Eventually, Nix was able to poke his head out from the top of the blankets. His face was red and sweaty and he scowled at Aries.
Aries gave a little finger wave.
“What is your problem?” Nix demanded.
“I need to talk to you,” Aries replied.
“And you needed to smack me awake?”
“I tried to crawl into bed with you, but you don’t have any clothes on,” Aries told him. He gave a mock shudder. “Eww.”
Nix huffed, then smirked. “Did you wake up naked?”
That was completely beside the point. “Stop being gross. I need to talk to you before Vin starts to look for me.”
Nix immediately started to get more than just his head out of the blanket. He wiggled and squirmed until his shoulders were also free and Aries had his full attention. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong,” Aries said quickly. “I just want to ask your opinion on something.”
“This must be important if you're hiding it from your Daddy,” Nix said. “Or…is it about your Daddy?”
Aries nodded.
“You came to the right place,” Nix said as he grinned. “Hit me with it.”
“Maybe I should have waited for Gem to get here,” Aries teased. He’d still talk to Gem but Aries wanted Nix’s opinion as well. Nix might understand better since he was in a relationship with a teammate too.
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that,” Nix said. “And before you ask, I promise not to say a word to anyone. Not even Evan.”
This was why he wanted to talk to Nix. His brother was more than he showed the world. Nix was Aries’s protector, his biggest cheerleader, and a good sounding board when Aries was trying to figure himself out. Like when Aries had run across the term demisexual and things began to click into place.
Reaching over, Aries grabbed Nix’s hand and held it between his.
“Take your time,” Nix urged. “Just breathe and then tell me that you want to ask Vin to move in with you.”
Aries groaned.
“Oh? Did you want to be the one to say it out loud?” Nix teased.
“Yes,” Aries said with a huff.
“Sorry.” Nix squeezed his fingers. “Go ahead.”
It made it easier. Aries took a deep breath. “I want to ask Vin to move in with me. In my apartment. I don’t want to live in his. Mine is better.”
“Of course it is,” Nix agreed at once.
“But he’s lived there longer,” Aries said. “He has more stuff than I do. Am I just being a baby?”
“You are his baby,” Nix said.
“That’s not what I mean and you know it.”
“It is kind of the point though. You always sleep at your apartment,” Nix pointed out. “Because that’s where you are most comfortable and Vin knows that.”
Which had been Aries’s thought as well. “You don't think he’ll mind?”
Nix smiled. “Vin doesn’t care about anything but being with you.”
“But he hasn’t brought it up. I worry it’s too soon.
” That was Aries’s real concern. What if he asked Vin and it wasn’t something that he wanted too?
Would that break them up? Aries would rather not say anything at all if it meant that he could lose Vin.
Vin was his entire world. Aries wouldn’t be Aries without Vin being his Daddy, teammate, and best friend.
Nix leaned into him. Their fingers were still linked. “There’s no way that Vin doesn’t want that. I don’t know why he hasn’t brought it up yet. It’s possible he’s worried that you’ll think it’s too soon or something.”
“Oh!” Aries hadn’t considered that.
“Ask him,” Nix whispered. “I think it would make him really happy.”
“Yeah.” Aries hoped it would.
The bedroom door swung open and they froze.
Evan looked into the room and immediately relaxed. “I found him!” he shouted.
Aries scrambled from the bed. Vin must be looking for him. He usually waited in bed until Vin came and got him up and ready for the day.
“You gave your Daddy quite the scare,” Evan said as he held the door wider.
“Sorry!” Aries said as he passed so he could find his Daddy and give him a big hug. Vin didn’t like it when he couldn’t find Aries. Like Aries was going to disappear or something.
* * * * *
Gem
Following the directions from the GPS, Gem pulled his rental car up the long winding driveway. What Nix had called a cabin was anything but. Not that Gem was really surprised. He knew that Evan had money not only from his many years of playing professional hockey, but some he inherited.
Okay, Gem might have internet-stalked both Vin and Evan once his little brothers had gotten into relationships. Not that he planned to share that information with anyone. Gem didn’t need to be called overprotective again. Even his mom had acted like Gem was going overboard.
The cabin’s interior lights shone out to where Gem had parked giving the house a welcoming feel.
It had been a sketchy drive from the airport, and he was relieved to finally arrive.
Snow covered the ground, the house, and, well, everywhere that Gem could see.
At least it had stopped falling within the last few minutes of his drive.
He grabbed his phone off the holder attached to the dash and spotted the new notification. Gem’s heart thudded. They’d said they’d both be busy. Busy with family and celebrating the holiday. The daily check-ins weren’t a requirement for the next few days. And yet there was a new notification.
Gem’s fingers shook as he opened the app hidden from the main screen of his phone.
‘I should have told my parents I couldn’t make it. The airport was a madhouse.’
The message might seem mundane to some, but Gem knew better. This was his texter’s way of starting a conversation. The messages always began with a simple sentence before the dynamic changed.
With a swipe of his tongue over his bottom lip, Gem typed out his response. ‘Did you get to your parents’ safely?’
The reply was immediate. Had he been waiting on Gem?
‘Yes, sir.’
Beneath his tight jeans, Gem’s cock woke. Just reading those two words had him half hard. And that wasn’t good. Gem was not walking into a house where his two younger brothers were waiting on him with a hard-on. Well, he had already committed to the conversation.
Gem settled back in the driver’s seat that thankfully had a warmer built in. The heater for the car was on high. Neither of his brothers had rushed outside so hopefully Gem had some time.
‘Did you eat breakfast this morning?’ Gem questioned.
Again, the reply was instant. ‘Yes, sir.’
Gem snorted. The other man knew better than not fully answering Gem’s questions. The rules were in place for a reason. ‘What?’ Gem demanded.
This time the response came slower, but it did come. ‘I grabbed a breakfast bagel and coffee at the airport.’
‘And?’ Gem sent.
‘I drank one bottle of water after my workout this morning. I finished my second by the time I reached the airport. Had one on the plane.’
‘Good job.’ Gem made sure to send the praise. ‘Only two more for the day.’
‘Yes, sir.’
Gem could practically hear the pout in the words. He hadn’t meant to get into a twenty-four-seven D/s relationship when he’d made an impromptu visit to a BDSM event while on a road trip but here he was.
He’d been in town for a game against the Seattle Harbor Seals the next day when Gem hadn’t been able to settle.
Aries had been hurt in Vegas. With Gem in the middle of his own season and fighting for the starting goalie position, he hadn’t been able to get to his youngest brother.
He’d been assured repeatedly by Vin and his mom that Aries was fine, but it had been killing Gem that he couldn’t get to see Aries for himself.
His exclusive membership of a BDSM organization in Boston also came with guest passes around the country to other clubs.
And there had been a masquerade event happening that night.
He’d worn the black suit he’d packed for before the game and found a mask online from a local store available for pickup.
Luckily, it had been close to Halloween.
It was easy enough to sneak away from the team.
Gem hadn’t even needed to sneak about. He’d just walked out of the front of the hotel to an Uber waiting at the curb. Some of his teammates had been out to dinner while others were hanging out in the hotel’s sports bar. No one had missed him.
Once he’d arrived at the warehouse in the Belltown area where the event had been taking place, Gem had slipped his new black leather demon mask over his face.
The mask left his mouth and some of his forehead visible, but Gem was certain no one would recognize him as the new rookie goalie for the Boston Beans.
Especially since he’d also worn the brown contacts to hide his unique eye color.
The demon theme of the mask had fit Gem’s mood perfectly. He’d entered the event with the intention of finding a sweet sub that he could spend a few hours working over to get out of his own head. Gem had found so much more.
Subs interested in finding a partner for the night had been lined up, with bands wrapped around their upper arms indicating their interests for the night.
Gem had zeroed in on the man in black leather pants with a tight black leather vest and three bands indicating that he was looking for a D/s session with a full power exchange, including impact play, and was open to sex.
The sub’s black leather mask had been fitted much like Gem’s, hiding everything but his mouth and those amazing dark eyes. Those eyes haunted Gem to this very day. There had been so much need in the depths of that challenging gaze.
‘Sir? Should I do anything else?’