Chapter Fourteen #2
“Christ, that feels good,” he groaned as Oren moved his leg so that he straddled Dale’s waist and leaned forward, licking into Dale’s mouth.
He knew the exact moment when Ty began to prepare Oren for him, because Oren shivered above him.
He reached up to stroke his back, knowing that he was adding to the sensations.
A few moments later, everyone was where they needed to be.
Oren was impaled completely by Dale, his hands on Dale’s stomach, Ty’s tattoos on his arms, crossed over Oren’s body, a stark contrast to the pale expanse of his torso, head thrown back onto Ty’s shoulder.
Ty was pressed forward between Dale’s spread legs, his own knees outside Dale’s hips, and from the burning full sensation in his own ass, was buried balls deep within him, and no one moved.
All of them so enthralled with this, the first moment of possession for them all, that they hesitated to shatter the peace before the inevitable storm that would no doubt rise within them.
“Fuck,” Dale groaned through gritted teeth. “Someone had better fucking move and I mean now.”
Ty huffed a laugh, making Dale groan at the vibrations that sent through his ass. “Translation—Please, someone fuck me.”
Oren looked down at him, face filled with lust. “My pleasure.”
And then they all moved together, Ty thrusting steadily into him, Oren riding him just the way he liked it, rushed movements with the odd smooth glide thrown in for pleasure, and at the same time, Dale slid his hands up and down the shaft of Oren’s cock, making sure all three of them were on this crazy ride to release together.
Their movements became rough, their breathing harsh, the room filled with the sounds of their mutual pleasure. Dale didn’t know who crested first, but they all seemed to shudder as they came with hoarse cries within moments of each other.
When Dale finally came back to his senses, Oren was slumped against his chest, breathing hard, and Ty was collapsed against his back, and Dale was the foundation of their love pile. A role he found he adored, and would no doubt play many, many times in their long future together.
When Ty and Oren were settled against his sides, and the three of them were tucked under the blanket of the huge bed that they shared, Ty murmured, “Hard to believe it was only a little over two weeks ago.”
Dale sighed. “Yeah.”
Oren’s thumb drew an idle line just under the scar at Dale’s jaw. “You scared us.”
“I scared me,” Dale said. “Woke up on my toes thinking I was somehow defying gravity.” He exhaled. “Not my finest hour.”
Ty made a small sound. “We had you inside ten minutes once we saw the footage, but it was still a lot longer than we were comfortable with.”
Dale still couldn’t believe his luck. Marsh had grabbed the SD card from the drone, and ran a quick view and actually watched them dragging his unconscious ass out of the gym and over to the build site.
“As much dumb luck as investigative magic, but that drone certainly worked as a diversion, though,” Ty said. “We locked the Ridge down and brought you home.”
Silence for a beat. Then Dale said, “I wanted to be the man who walked himself out.”
Oren’s hand pressed once. “You were the man who gave us what we needed so we could walk in and get you.”
Ty lifted his head, so his eyes lined up with Dale’s. “And then you were the man who let us hold you. That is how this triad rolls, so don’t argue.”
He didn’t. Not because he couldn’t. But because he was outnumbered and they had the truth on their side.
They drifted for a while—kisses without haste, a slide of hands that was more inventory than heat, the kind of touch that said stay with us, and meant it. Dale’s ribs didn’t argue. His shoulder made a slight complaint, but he ignored it.
Eventually Ty settled along Dale’s right side, half draped, half brace. Oren tucked in left, arm across Dale’s middle, chin on his sternum.
Ty’s voice softened. “Have you heard from Hogan?”
“Still dark,” Dale said. “No news from Dev either. Bateman’s pretending he’s not watching the clock, but we know that he is. Out of all of us, Hogan was the one we never would have thought would go AWOL on us. He is rock solid steady, which is why he makes such a damn good pilot.”
“Any word on Kai?” Oren asked.
Dale shook his head. “No, and I think that is what Dev and Bateman are so concerned about.” He paused.
“From what I can tell about the man, he has exit strategies upon exit strategies. If you need to get a hold of something or find a way into a place, then Kai is the one they go to. For him to be completely off grid like he is? It means that something not good has happened, and he is on his own in hostile territory. But if anyone can find him, it’s Hogan. We owe him when he gets back.”
“Thank you and whiskey,” Ty said. “Hogan sounded rough when he called that day.”
Oren nodded in agreement. “Stressed, but if he was still looking for Kai, then, yeah, he probably was.” He turned his gaze to look up at Dale. “He’ll reach out, though, right? When he needs us?”
“Christ, I hope so.” Dale was quiet for a moment then voiced a thought he had been having these last couple of weeks. “Been thinking about our future, and building something that is ours, just for us.”
“Uh-oh,” Ty said. “He’s about to ask for a forever home.”
“Luckily, we have an architect in the family,” Oren said.
“And an engineer,” Ty added.
Dale let himself smile. “Was planning on leaning on those two handy little skill sets. The Ridge has the south rise nobody uses—good sun, wind break from the pines, close enough to be here when we are needed, but far enough away that we can be loud. We put our house there. One level. Big kitchen. Mudroom like an airlock, because I refuse to keep sweeping sawdust out of our hall.”
“Excuse me,” Ty said, indignant for sport, “my hall is pristine.”
“Because Oren sweeps up behind you when you’re not looking,” Dale said.
“Allegedly,” Oren said.
Ty laughed into Dale’s shoulder. “Fine. Forever home. High windows. Wraparound deck. An indecently large shower that also qualifies as physical therapy.”
Oren’s voice warmed. “Radiant heat. Good insulation. We’ll overbuild the frame and make Marsh happy with a security package that makes him drool. Ty will label the drawers and pretend he isn’t delighted when we put things back where he said.”
“I do not label drawers,” Ty said.
“You do,” Dale and Oren said together, which earned them a bruised-ego look and a kiss each to settle the score.
Dale let his eyes close because he could.
“We’ll need more houses eventually,” he said into the quiet.
“Not just ours. What we’re building here—people are going to need places to come back to.
Family, not just team. Somewhere you can leave your gear and know that when you return, it will still be here. ”
Oren’s hand tightened once. “We can draw that.”
“Tomorrow,” Ty said. “Tonight, we do the staying part.”
Dale let the word sit with him. Staying.
It tasted like something he’d been hungry for without naming it.
He felt their weight and didn’t resent it—he claimed it.
He thought about the path that had brought them here, the stupid turns and the part where he’d said the wrong thing with the right fear behind it.
He thought about Oren’s voice in his ear and Ty’s hands on the cuffs and the way the Ridge had held its breath while they moved through it.
“We’re not done getting it wrong,” he said.
“God, no,” Ty said.
“But we don’t run now,” Oren said. “We hold.”
Dale opened his eyes and found both of them because that was the point. “That’s the job, that’s our future,” he said. He slid his palm over Oren’s hand, curled his fingers into Ty’s. “We hold the line.”
Ty kissed his shoulder again. “Forever home and a future worth fighting for.”
They’d held at the line long enough. Tonight wasn’t retreat, it was the count before go.
“Our line of departure,” Dale murmured, and Ty’s mouth curved against Oren’s temple. Three breaths. One step. Whatever came next, they crossed it as one.
He breathed in, out, in again. “Forever,” he said, and meant it.