12. Chapter Twelve
Chapter Twelve
E zra had swung to As You Like It to pick up a book. A history and dissection of the Evil Dead franchise was in his wheelhouse, and he’d been looking for a new read.
Finding Kai out on a date had been a surprise but not as big as seeing him with the guy who’d run out on him the other week.
He’d sent the text to Sloan afterward in the hopes he’d maybe be able to get to the bottom of the extreme reaction on the off chance they could salvage things, but his text remained had unanswered.
Getting dragged into the middle of drama was the last problem he needed, though, so he should hightail it out of there before this grew any more awkward.
He lifted his book. “Just came to pick this up. Let me get out of your hair.”
Sloan heaved a heavy sigh. “You heading anywhere? ”
“Home,” Ezra responded before he could piece together the question.
“Go grab a seat.” Sloan glanced between him and Kai. “I think we all need to have a chat.”
Kai furrowed his brows. “What am I missing here?”
The idea of escaping still blared like a siren, but the fact that Sloan wasn’t running away or telling him to get the fuck out had him intrigued. And curiosity had always been his kryptonite.
“Let me grab a chair,” he said, his voice coming out a little gruff. Sloan might want to tell him to his face that they’d never happen, but he couldn’t pass up the chance for an honest conversation. He’d rather have pain than ambiguity. He nabbed a chair from one of the unused tables and carried it back over. His mind reeled, his senses were hyperalert for danger, but the hint of adrenaline was something he’d always chased.
When he popped into the open spot between Sloan and Kai, his nerves simmered on full boil. Kai brimmed, probably confused about what was going on between Sloan and Ezra, but this had also seemed like a date. Ezra was crashing, and the smart move would’ve been to walk the other way.
“Care to clue me in on what’s going on?” Kai asked.
“Ezra and I went on a date the other week, and there might’ve been a misunderstanding.” Sloan didn’t look in Ezra’s direction. Sloan handled everything with the same smoothness he did everything else, but Ezra could read between the lines. His heart thrummed. “We knew the same shitty guy, and I jumped to conclusions.”
Relief crashed down on Ezra, and he sank into the seat.
Sloan’s tone was light, even though he’d clearly walked over boiling water to get there .
“Definitely not in good standing with him.” Ezra shrugged his leather jacket off and placed it on the back of his chair. Sloan handed him an olive branch he didn’t deserve, so maybe he could offer something too.
He leaned against the table, his bare arms out, casual enough not to be in their faces but obvious. He had a couple of ugly scars from breaks and burns, and depending on the day, he wore long sleeves to cover the marks, but not today.
Sloan’s gaze stilled on his arms.
When he looked up, those gorgeous blues were haunted, filled with an empathy he hated. His insides shriveled up.
Ezra wouldn’t make him spill his guts for running out. He understood firsthand why someone would want to avoid Rick at all costs.
“Are you guys in trouble?” Kai said, his shoulders bunching together. His eyes flashed, a protectiveness in his demeanor. Warmth curled through Ezra like a struck match. “Who do I need to beat up?”
Ezra arched a brow. The thought was sweet, and while Kai still had some bulk and muscle from his farm boy days, he also had a chronic illness. Plus, Rick wasn’t someone any of them were equipped to handle. “Trust me, it’s best to steer clear of him. The next step would be a restraining order, but the dick’s far too good at circumventing the law.”
“Already hopped on the restraining order train,” Sloan said. “But you’re right. It doesn’t fill me with an immense sense of safety.”
“He won’t touch you,” Ezra said, his tone flat and deadly serious. Whether Sloan had the physical scars like him, guaranteed he’d collected his own sort. His guess was Sloan and Rick had dated. “I’ll make sure of that.”
Sloan stared at him, the guile fading from those eyes for a rare slip of honesty. Unlike Kai, who wore his emotions on his sleeve, Sloan seemed like the evasions for days type. Except the way his stunning blues shone a little, the genuine shock on his face—yeah, those words had struck home.
Good, because Ezra fucking meant them.
He sat here facing two guys he’d experienced immediate connections with, and he didn’t want to walk away from either of them.
“We’ll keep you safe.” Kai reached across the table and squeezed Sloan’s hand.
Ezra lifted his brows at the mention of we . He would’ve thought Kai chugged along on the monogamy train, but after that statement, a hint of something elusive curled within grasp, daring him to claim it.
Sloan looked between them, and a second later, his usual charm slipped back into place.
“Oh, so you’re telling me I’ve got two sexy Doms to watch over lil old me?” He fanned himself and tilted his head back, exposing his tanned neck, the Adam’s apple Ezra wanted to lick. Sloan and Kai were two different flavors, but ones Ezra was desperate to taste. If Sloan was willing to pivot in this direction, he was happy to lean in.
“Didn’t get enough from the class the other week?” Ezra asked, his voice coming out throaty.
Sloan’s gaze sparked. “Mmm, I’d prefer to upgrade from an alley to a bedroom.”
Kai widened his eyes, and realization filtered in. “Oh, you two…”
Ezra tensed the slightest bit. Would that be too much? Kai was new to everything, and he’d gotten lobbed into the deep end left and right.
Kai licked his lips and blew out a slow breath. “Damn, that’s hot.”
Sloan’s lips curled into a minx-like grin, one that had charmed Ezra from the start. “Oh, it was. But you know what would be hotter?”
Kai’s cheeks flushed .
“So innocent,” Ezra said, unable to restrain the urge to tease him. “If you tell him, he might melt into the seat, Sloan.”
Kai blushed even brighter. “I’ve had sex before, fucking hell.”
“Oh?” Ezra rested his head on his elbows and craned in a little closer. “So you’d be comfortable binding Sloan up so he can’t move? Teasing and toying with him until he’s trembling? And then fucking his mouth while I filled his pretty little ass until we all combusted?”
“Mmph, yes,” Sloan said, a feverish look in his eyes. “That sounds like a dream.”
“Oh god.” Kai scrubbed at his face. “Between the two of you, we’re going to get kicked out of this place.”
“Sir, this is an Arby’s.” Sloan smirked.
It was clear that despite their disastrous first date, he and Sloan were on the same page now, and Ezra could scream with relief. He hadn’t realized how much Sloan’s silence had weighed on him, the potential that his brother could’ve cost him anything more than he already had. He’d met a million and one different assholes, but genuinely good people and connections like this were rare.
And the fact that he sat at a table with two men he’d connected with already?
Fucking mind-blowing.
“Would you want another lesson?” Ezra asked, his voice dipping low.
“Now I’m jealous.” Sloan grinned, not seeming troubled in the slightest. “What did the two of you get up to in these lessons of yours?”
“Uh, impact.” Kai looked down as if he searched out a way to crawl under the table.
God, he was fun to play with. Both would be even better. Ezra’s heart thumped hard, and adrenaline coursed through his veins at the prospect. Lust woke up his whole body, every sensation enhanced. Would this actually happen?
“Turns out Kai likes a bit of pain,” Ezra said. He glanced at Sloan. “Think I could play good cop, bad cop with the two of you?”
Sloan snorted. “With you embodying both? Dunno. Sounds like it has the potential to get weird. Lucky for you, I like weird.”
“What do you mean by more lessons?” Kai asked, curiosity overtaking his embarrassment.
“The art of co-topping,” Ezra said. “As long as Sloan’s up for it, I’d love to join you in taking him apart.”
“Sign me up.” Sloan’s throaty voice was seductive, and heat and desire flickered in his gaze as he scanned over both of them, which settled something inside Ezra. “If you both are game, I am. But, Kai, if you’re not comfortable—”
“I want to,” Kai said, his eyes flashing. “I…well, shit, I’m new to all of this, but I want to try.”
“Should we take this back to my place?” Sloan asked. His eyes were hooded, the desire and the intent clear in them.
Ezra licked his lips. Relief cascaded through him at not having to evade offering his apartment. Thank fuck he’d driven here. His go-bag was in his car, which meant he had a cock to fuck with on hand.
Was this actually happening?
An undercurrent zipped through the air like the tension before a storm. The connection was a transformer ready to spark, one moment away from combustion. Ezra did a steady scan of his peripheral. A server approached with plates. The guy did a double take upon seeing Ezra sitting between them at the table, but he placed the meals in front of Sloan and Kai.
“Can I get you anything?” the guy asked .
“I’ll take the check and boxes for the meals.” Ezra handed his card to the server.
“Wait, what?” Kai spluttered, “But you’re not even eating anything.”
“Mmm, depends on what’s happening next.” Sloan’s salacious grin conveyed everything. And fuck yes, if that was on the table. His main regret the last time they’d hooked up was not getting to taste the man. And after that disastrous date, he wasn’t sure he’d get the option. This was a gift, one he wasn’t about to walk away from.
“I’ll be right back,” the server said, his eyes a little wider as he bustled off.
“Look, you traumatized him,” Kai said.
“We could do a lot worse,” Ezra teased. The server returned with his card and the receipt to sign, along with the boxes. Sloan and Kai made quick work of wrangling their meals, and within a few minutes, they were ready to go. Every time Ezra glanced in either Sloan’s or Kai’s direction, electricity zipped up his spine, and their shared looks fueled the fire.
The three of them had the potential to be combustible, and this was an opportunity he’d be a fool to pass up.
“All right, so we meet at yours?” Kai asked Sloan and rose from the table.
“Yeah,” Sloan said, and Ezra nudged him from under the table. Hopefully, he’d catch the signal.
Sloan moved slowly, same as Ezra, as they walked toward the entrance. Outside, Kai made a beeline down the street to where he’d parked. Ezra lingered by the front door, grateful Sloan did too.
“Hey,” Ezra said. “If you’re putting on a brave face, tell me now, and I’ll go home. You and Kai can enjoy the rest of the night together. ”
Sloan sucked in a sharp breath. “Guess I wasn’t going to get out of this with a direct conversation, would I?”
Ezra shook his head. “Not with me. My brother terrified me growing up, and he’s back in town. If you had anything to do with him, I understand why you’d want to stay away from me.” The words hurt to say, the association like a bruise that never left, a permanent stain on his skin he couldn’t erase.
Too many wishes he’d cast into the universe over the years. If only he’d been born into a different family. If only he’d been born into a different body.
Sloan threaded his fingers through Ezra’s. The touch, the gesture—fuck. His chest spasmed with feelings he didn’t realize he was still capable of.
“My issue is with him,” Sloan said slowly as if the words cost him. The gravity in his blue eyes sank into Ezra’s veins. “I’m not going to let that asshole steal anything else from me.”
“I promise you here and now”—Ezra couldn’t help the growl—“that bastard will come nowhere near you. I won’t let him.”
Sloan’s body relaxed, and the understanding in his gaze undid him. “See you at my place, handsome.” With that, Sloan pulled away and marched toward his car.
Ezra leaned against the siding of the restaurant, tipped his head back, and closed his eyes. He was a realist. He knew fires only flashed for him, that he’d never be able to clutch onto anything that lasted.
Too broken, too damaged, too different.
Yet tonight, he would pretend, just for a little while.