21. Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-One
U nlike Ezra’s first date with Sloan, this one filled him with nerves.
The first had been anticipation to see the hot guy from the class again, no strings attached.
Except now he was tangled up in a fuck ton of strings between not just one guy but two.
Considering he was now crashing at one of those guy’s places, his life couldn’t get more complicated. He locked up after himself and headed to his car. Leaving Kai’s apartment still felt foreign, but he couldn’t sleep at his old apartment any longer. He’d gone over in shifts to salvage what he could, and Sloan had agreed to let him store some of his belongings at his house. He’d clean the apartment to the best of his ability and start the hunt for somewhere new.
As much as Kai’s kindness had extended to him without strings or an end date, Ezra didn’t believe in forevers.
Sloan wanted to meet them to grab light fare from Tabletop Tavern before they went to Dolores Park. While Ezra had been to the park, Tabletop Tavern hadn’t existed growing up, and when it first opened, he’d been in Sacramento. Since he’d moved home a year ago, he’d buried himself in work, recently building the nerve to try to find a community.
He zipped down the streets to their first stop. Kai had left a few minutes ago. As much as he’d wanted to go with him, Ezra would be straight on to work afterward, so taking separate cars was better. Chances were, Sloan and Kai would continue the date with mutual orgasms. Jealousy flared through Ezra’s chest, less about the two of them together and more of a longing to be a part of what they’d get up to.
If something happened to him, Sloan and Kai both deserved to be happy. Ezra had spent most of his life with the understanding that at any moment it could end. As long as Rick roamed free, the probability was higher than ever. So he drove a little faster. Lived a little harder.
However, he hadn’t let anyone in, not like these two.
He pulled into street parking along the block for Tabletop Tavern, not far from Whipped in the SOMA district. Two familiar figures stood at the end of the block.
His heart thumped a little harder at seeing Sloan and Kai. They were both gorgeous in their own ways. Sloan, with his glossy blond hair and vibrant blue eyes, lightly tanned and lithe in the sexiest way. Kai, with his sharp nose, olive skin, his frame broader than Sloan’s. He closed the span between them in quick strides .
Sloan stepped up first, planting a kiss on his lips. It was sensuous and smooth, just like him. Ezra wrapped his hand around Sloan’s nape, licking into his mouth. He drew away only for Kai to slide in beside him. Ezra dove in for a kiss there too, devouring the sweetness of this man. Fuck, he was going to enjoy these two as long as they’d keep him.
“I placed the order online, so we’ll pick up and head out to Dolores Park,” Sloan said. “But since neither of you had been here and you knew Mason, I figured it was a good stop.”
“Sounds great to me.” Ezra pulled the door open. The scent of coffee and citrus greeted him. The place was a board gamer’s heaven. A repurposed warehouse, it had a brick interior, stretched-to-high ceilings, and steps leading up to a loft of sorts. Shelves and shelves of board games lined one wall, and groups played at the different tables.
“What are you fuckers doing here?” a familiar voice called. Fin sat at one of the tables with a few of the regulars he recognized from the munch, all invested in a board game.
“Going on a date,” Sloan said.
“Need a fourth?” They waggled their brows.
“Maybe at the next Play Night,” Kai said, a grin crinkling his features.
Ezra’s brows shot up. The man’s inner fire had been hidden by not only his nerves over the new circumstances but also the lupus flares and general pain he managed daily. Seeing more of his comfortable snark slip out—fuck, it was attractive as hell.
“Don’t tempt me.” Sloan chewed on his lower lip, a dreamy look in his eyes.
“Odd to see you here on another night than Friday,” a woman said from the counter. She had her dark waves pulled back in a low ponytail and a Star Wars tee on .
“We’re just snagging a bite to go, Roxie.” Sloan wandered to the counter. “I’ll be here for another Friday Night Magic soon.”
Ezra soaked in the casual comfort of the place, something he would’ve loved as a teen with nowhere to go. Somewhere he could’ve been openly queer without fear of ramifications. Whipped was a similar type of haven for him now, but the more spaces that existed, the better.
“Let me grab your food,” Roxie said. “I’ll be right back.”
Sloan cast an affectionate glance around the room, and Ezra’s chest tightened. Sloan taking him and Kai to Play Night, to here—that mattered. The visit was his way of sharing little parts of himself.
He leaned in and whispered in Sloan’s ear, “Thanks for bringing us here, sweetness.”
A flush spread on Sloan’s cheeks. Fuck, Ezra wanted to tease him just to watch it spread. The man was so comfortable with his sexuality that he never blushed over anything physical, but emotions were different territory.
“I’d love to come out here again.” Kai examined the board with the weekly theme nights on display.
“We can definitely go,” Sloan said. “Whether you want to board game or just hang.”
Roxie strode over to the counter with a laden bag in hand. “Here’s your food. Enjoy. Arjun’s in a rare mood tonight.”
“Is that a good or bad thing?” Kai asked.
“Good.” Roxie grinned. “Most of the time he’s cursing up a storm back there.”
“We’ll be back soon.” Sloan grabbed the bag. “And, Fin, see you tomorrow. ”
They saluted with their mug of whatever they were drinking. Ezra shook his head. The easy camaraderie of the crew at Whipped, the closeness, was the rarest thing he’d ever experienced.
“How about I drive us, and you guys can take the Muni after?” he asked as they went out the door. “The stop near Dolores Park is an easy walk.”
“Sounds good to me,” Kai said. Truth be told, Ezra selfishly wanted to spend as much time as possible with them before he had to go to work.
He stepped onto the street first, the honks and calls from the city filtering in. His shoulders tightened on reflex, the ever-present awareness settling in. “Come on.” He cut a direct path toward his car. “I’m starving.”
Even though his stomach stirred, he was hungrier for something else. He settled into the driver’s seat, and Kai slid into the passenger’s seat. Sloan climbed into the back. With their proximity, the heat, the lingering scent of their colognes mingling—fuck, the idea of working a shift tonight sounded like hell. He’d much rather stay with them and see where this night took them, preferably tangled up together in bed.
“So, what’s a normal date like?” Ezra set off down the street. “You know, without trauma or other bullshit surfacing.”
“Mmm, mine are mostly hookups,” Sloan said.
“I haven’t dated since I was a teenager, so fuck if I know.” Kai’s lips twitched with a grin. “We’re a fucking mess, aren’t we?”
“Nothing’s fun if it’s not a little messy.” Ezra drove down the side roads he had memorized. The traffic wasn’t terrible by some miracle, and he closed in on the stretch in the Mission District that led to Dolores Park.
“Speaking of messy, has your ex-wife backed off?” Sloan asked .
Kai scrubbed at his face. They’d talked about his ex a little, and living with him, Ezra had overheard slips of conversation while Kai was on the phone, but he tried to give the guy his space. After all, he crashed on his couch, intruding on his apartment.
“She’s called a few times to complain about the dates she’s gone on, but the frequency has slowed,” Kai said. “I’m hoping she’s starting to move on.”
“That’s hard,” Ezra said, even though the words were empty. He’d never had a relationship that lasted, and he actively avoided his family. For him, people were as transitory as leaves in autumn. “How are you feeling after the divorce?”
Kai snorted. “Free. I didn’t realize how many restrictions I’d placed around myself, and breaking them has been exhilarating.”
“Are you happy with the job too?” Ezra asked. Dolores Park stretched out before him, a comfortable green space to amble around and escape the concrete jungle. “I’d ask you the same, Sloan, but I’m pretty sure being an accountant at Whipped is your dream.”
“Uh, fuck yeah. Where the hell else is the work social hour a play night?” Sloan said. “What about you, Mr. EMT?”
“I’ll answer if Kai does,” he teased.
Kai’s cheeks had a slight flush to them again at being the center of attention. Would the guy respond well to humiliation kink? Fuck, he was tempted to find out. “I always wanted to be a history professor, if this is honesty hour. But that ship has sailed.”
“Why?” Sloan asked.
Ezra didn’t question. Sometimes, life wasn’t kind enough to offer opportunities, and if he was strapped for cash, the idea of adding loans to the heap with school might not be doable. “Hey, if funds are the issue, I’m sure you could find a guy who might be crashing on your couch who’d gladly pay you rent. ”
“If you’re looking for a roommate, I’m going to take you up on that,” Kai said. “My lease ends in a few months, and I can’t continue to afford my place on my current salary.”
Sloan remained quiet, but Ezra didn’t expect him to step in. Unlike the two of them who rented, he had a house, a stable location. And Ezra didn’t want to risk drawing Rick in that direction if he could avoid it. Though the idea of all three of them living together…hell, he’d never see that sort of heaven. Not in this lifetime.
“Let’s go eat our food before it gets cold.” Ezra turned his car off and hopped out. He soaked in every ounce of the late afternoon sun beaming down on his skin, knowing he’d need it for the night ahead.
“Wow, this place is gorgeous,” Kai said, his head on a swivel. Ezra’s heart beat a little harder. There was an innocence to Kai—maybe the small-town boy in him—that lured him in. Like a fresh spring of hope to his jaded desert. And yet with Sloan, he found the camaraderie and understanding he craved too.
Honestly, the two of them were such rare and beautiful people, and he didn’t want to let go. He reached out for both Kai and Sloan, and they slid their hands in his without hesitation. A shiver ran down his spine. Most days, his exterior was Kevlar, but this open affection, this gentleness turned it to weathered glass, one harsh gust away from shattering.
“This way,” he said.
Kai and Sloan accepted his lead with ease, something that made their dynamic effortless. He’d gone on dates with guys where they’d expected a submissive because he was trans, and they’d been sorely disappointed. Domming was an outlet he craved, a chance for stability in a world that had always been out of his control.
People scattered around on the hill, some with blankets spread out, others chilling on the grass. At the base of the park were clusters of palm trees around the water. The sky was an aching blue, like the last burst of color before it faded into night, and barely a cloud marred the sky. The crispness of the greenery surrounding them threaded through the breeze, and he drank it in. So often his world involved the sharp scents of asphalt, disinfectant, and blood.
“God, it feels good to get out and move.” Sloan swung their connected hands back and forth. “Meg keeps me caged away all day.”
Ezra snorted. “Something tells me you’d love that.”
“Only if it led to getting bred like a bitch.”
Fuck. The idea flushed heat through Ezra. Mmph. “Yeah, I could get behind that.”
“And in front of?” Kai asked.
“Look at you getting bold, sweetheart.” Ezra squeezed his hand. “Do you think we should chain Sloan up and get a bunch of us to breed him?”
Sloan’s eyes glazed over, the lust brimming from him in waves. Clearly, the scenario was something he wanted very much.
“God, yeah.” Kai bit his lower lip. “That sounds hot as fuck.”
“I wouldn’t be sad if you wanted to flip me over and fuck me here,” Sloan said, his tongue darting out to the side of his mouth. It was pink and perfect, and Ezra wanted to suck it into his mouth. His T-dick throbbed, needy and insistent. His state of arousal would be hell on his shift tonight, but he was used to edging himself. It’d make getting to fuck Kai or Sloan even sweeter.
“Look, I’m all about a little risk in public, but if we tried, I wouldn’t even get to finish,” he said.
Kai snorted. “Priorities.”
Ezra led them a few feet over to a clear spot along the hill, in full view of the San Francisco skyline. The slightest bit of gold had skimmed across the horizon, highlighting the buildings in starker relief. With the shadows growing longer and the air the perfect mix of low humidity and warmth, a sense of comfort traveled through to his core.
Holding hands with two men he cared a little too much about, out as his true self—fuck, it was beyond anything he’d dreamed of.
He hadn’t believed he’d last until thirty.
“Let’s eat here.” He plunked onto the ground, dragging them both with him.
“Anyone ever tell you you’re bossy?” Kai teased.
“Please don’t stop,” Sloan said, his tone throaty and so goddamn sexy.
“If you want to boss someone around, you’ve got the perfect outlet.” Ezra winked at Kai. “Our boy would love to get double dommed.”
“How about double penetrated too?” he said, his blue eyes glittering with lust.
Ezra pushed down on his packer, which ground against his T-dick. Fuuuuck. The idea of sliding into Sloan with Kai, seeing his hole stretch out. Hot as hell. “Yeah, we can make that happen.”
“Ngh, then what are we doing here?” Sloan asked, his eyes rolling back. He sat with his legs spread out, the bulge in his dress slacks evident. God, the man was beautiful, and Ezra wanted to give him everything he needed.
Which in this case was a hefty helping of edging.
“Eating dinner, sweetheart.” Ezra reached past him, his arm purposefully grazing Sloan’s cock, and grabbed the plastic bag.
Sloan let out a low groan. “You’re a monster.”
“Mm, just making sure you’re fed.” Ezra placed the plastic takeout containers in front of them.
“Not the kind of meal I want,” Sloan muttered.
“I’m hungry enough to go for either,” Kai said, his eyes a bit wan but crinkling with amusement. During their walk, his features had become a little more drawn, but Ezra didn’t want to be a dick and point it out. He probably got enough “are you okays?” in his day-to-day.
Sloan had picked out a caramelized onion flatbread, an avocado BLT on ciabatta, and a honey mustard chicken wrap. His stomach rumbled for real, and he nabbed a crispy fry from one of the containers.
“You’ve either got great taste or pay attention,” Ezra said.
“Both,” he said with a grin. “So dig in.”
“I’ll take the BLT.” Kai grabbed it.
“I’m guessing the wrap was for me?” Ezra asked.
Sloan nodded. “I’m partial to their flatbreads, but I would’ve eaten any of it.”
Warmth spread through Ezra, the sort that was foreign for him. He’d grown up surviving by staying out of the limelight, as unnoticed as possible. Domming had been a way for him to claim space, but this here, with Kai and Sloan? They saw him effortlessly. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, but whether it was the thrill or fight-and-flight kicking in was beyond him.
All he knew was he never wanted to leave.
“I appreciate it,” he said. When their eyes locked, the knowing in Sloan’s gaze burrowed straight into his soul. He knocked his knee against Sloan’s.
“God, I was starving.” Kai dove into his food. A laugh ripped out of Ezra, one so free, so true it felt a little too raw to exist out here.
Sloan’s phone buzzed, and he glanced at it. “The boss lady. Let me get it, or she’ll keep bothering me.” He picked up the call and put it on speaker. “You’re interrupting my date, Megs.”
Ezra shook his head. The relationship that crew had was something unique, that was for damn sure .
“Damn, I’m sorry,” she said, a seriousness in her tone. Alarm bells rang in Ezra’s head. “We got Rachel to open up a little more, and yeah…we were unfortunately on the mark. She ran into trouble with a local gang. And I hate to sound false alarms, but the guy you dated, Rick…what was his last name again?”
Ezra’s stomach plummeted. “Mitchell.”
His eyes met Sloan’s. The same resigned knowledge rested in his too.
Meg let out a hiss. “Fuck.”