18. Luka
CHAPTER 18
LUKA
Phoenix handled the news about his father faking a heart attack with grace and generosity, but exhaustion was clear on his face by the time we all clambered out of the truck and made our way inside the house.
I’d dropped him off at five thirty in the morning because he’d planned for the rush for Valentine’s day on anything chocolate and he needed to help Charlotte with her creations, as well as his normal duties.
B and I hadn’t been able to reach him at anytime during the day; the bakery’s phone was busy each time we called and B remembered Sunshine put his mobile on silent the night before and probably hadn’t remembered to turn the ringer back on.
Arthur, being the crafty man he was and knew we would want to be there for our man, called and told B of Sunshine’s trouble coming from his father. The day and the drama from his father drained what little energy he had by the time his phone calls ended.
The clicking of the dogs’ nails on the floor brought a smile to my face, especially when I noticed the joy radiating from their favorite human.
“My babies!”
He sat down on the floor and both girls gave him kisses. They acted as though they hadn’t seen him today.
Although B and I took turns with letting them out during the week, sometimes even taking them to work so Drew could spoil the girls rotten, Phoenix gave them the attention they craved and they put him first.
When it looked like the girls and Phoenix might curl up on the hardwood floor and fall asleep, I lifted him into my arms and gave his mouth a gentle kiss.
“Why don’t you go up and take a nap?”
“But… it’s Valentine’s day. Shit! I forgot the desserts I made you in the refrigerator at work. I’ll go back?—”
B wrapped his arms around the younger man’s waist from behind as I pulled both of them closer until Sunshine rested his chin on my chest, slow blinking up at me.
“Today is like any other day, Petal. You show us with every look and every kind gesture how much you love us. But today has been insane, even I can see it, and I’d rather spend a romantic night sitting in front of the TV watching whatever, talking with both of you, than going all out and exhausting you more.”
Sunshine contemplated B’s words and nodded. “Staying in sounds lovely.”
“Good, that’s settled. For dinner tonight, do you want a steak salad with garlic croutons and honey wheat bread, or a mushroom risotto with lots of parmesan cheese?” I asked.
“Oh, um, the salad, please. That sounds delicious.”
“B?” I asked.
He nodded, but my focus was back on the man in my arms since he slurred his answer. Not liking what I saw, I glanced up and B nodded, understanding my expression. I lifted the smaller man into my arms and marched up the stairs. B followed us and when I set him on his feet to undress him for a quick shower, B started the water.
My hand twitched with the need to touch, but I only allowed myself to skim along the skin on his shoulders and down to his back. There’d be plenty of time for the rest, later.
“Sunshine, are you ready for a shower?”
“Yeah.”
It was moments like these where we had the chance to take care of our man, where a sense of fulfillment crowded in with the other overwhelming emotions always present.
B and I worked together; I squeezed body soap onto a washcloth and soaped his entire body as B massaged his head with both the shampoo and then the conditioner. Once rinsed, we dried him off and tucked him in the middle of the bed, his favorite spot, and covered him.
“I’m gonna go workout before showering. You wanna wait for me?” B asked.
I stepped forward and snagged B around the waist. The groan he let out warmed my body as I captured the sound the moment my lips met his. It grew out of control and my dick inflated with a suddenness that left me both lightheaded and throbbing.
“Fuck, you are a temptation,” I whispered.
This time, I whimpered when he nipped my bottom lip and sucked at it.
“But we need Petal, I know. Fine, I’ll be a good boy and go workout. Then I’ll help you with dinner after I shower, okay?”
Without waiting for my answer, he pushed me against the wall, pressed his tight, muscled body against mine from chest to thighs with his hard cock throbbing against my leg, and attacked my mouth. I groaned as he slid his fingers into my hair and slanted his mouth, deepening the kiss and leaving me a desperate mess. My hands gripped onto his hips as I rolled mine into his and savored the sound erupting from his throat.
I thought he’d continue, but his tongue brushed against mine one last time before he pinned me to the wall with a hand on my chest, bending over and sucking in deep breaths.
“Fucking hell. It’s a near thing to come in my pants from a kiss, love. I’m heading downstairs now.”
I stood still as B gathered his wits, and even then, it took several minutes before he stood to face me. He gasped before he turned and headed toward the stairs. When he paused at the top and turned back, focusing on my face, he gave me his megawatt smile and danced the rest of the way down.
Shaking my head, I chuckled as I went into the bathroom and started the shower.
***
“Burton told me you two humped each other against the wall while I was out cold in the bed right next to you. Did one of you think to record it for me?”
Sunshine’s hands slid along my hips, up my stomach, which twitched under his touch, before they settled on my chest. He buried his forehead in the middle of my back and his hot breath struck all the right nerves, making me desperate to get my hands on the man.
On top of the searing kiss I shared with B and the innocent ask of naked fun in the shower, I was almost at my wit’s end, leaking in my tented sweats.
“What was the question?” I choked out as his fingers danced down my hips before he stroked up and down my ready cock.
He huffed a choked laugh against my back and gave me one last squeeze before he lifted himself onto the counter next to me and leaned in for a kiss. I breathed out, more to get my equilibrium back than relieved he released me, and leaned my forehead against his.
B came into the kitchen, showered and with damp hair, with a smile on his face as though he knew what we’d been up to and he approved.
“Is this how you guys predicted our first Valentine’s day would go?”
Both Sunshine and I laughed.
“With how chaotic your lives became since you brought me home, I wasn’t expecting anything. I only want to be with you two, even if we’re eating our romantic dinner on the couch with the girls in their beds near us. Sex isn’t a requirement, although I enjoy every bit of what we do together.
“I’ve heard stories of couples who, on their wedding day, becoming too overwhelmed by the day. At the end of the night, people expect the best sex of their lives. The same assumption happens on days like today. As long as I’m with you two, I’m good.”
B gasped out, “The ultimate disrespect thinking that I , Burton Kavka-Horváth, do not have the energy to fuck you both into oblivion tonight, and have the energy left over to drag you both into the shower for another round.”
Sunshine snagged B and cuddled him in between his legs, giggling as B pressed his face against his neck and breathed out.
“Nope, I wasn’t questioning that. I was trying to admit even after the four-hour nap I took when we arrived home, I’m still beat from getting up at an early hour that somehow used to be normal, but is contemptible at my old age of twenty-six.”
B lifted his head and glared at me.
“The last thing I would ever say is that you don’t have stamina,” I agreed. “But you have to admit, with the way Sunshine crashed after we tucked him in earlier, we should give him time to recuperate before we fuck his brains out.”
Of course, concern for our man had B relenting, going back to cuddling against him after he blew out a long breath.
“Okay. But tomorrow morning, since we all have the day off, and I mean all morning, we fuck like bunnies!”
I chuckled out a laugh and finished chopping grape tomatoes, adding them to the diced cucumber, red onions, avocado, and white mushrooms that were on a bed of spinach and arugula. I removed the homemade buttermilk ranch dressing and the blue cheese crumbles from the refrigerator, setting them on the side. The marinated steak in the ziplock was the last step, set aside for me to sear, and then dinner was ready.
The oven beeped. “Oh, B, can you grab the croutons and the bread from the oven?”
With his everlasting energy, he bounced over and pulled out the trays, taking the time to shut off the oven after putting both of them on trivets, before moving back into Sunshine’s embrace. The younger man smiled at me as I reached out and traced my knuckles down his cheek, returning his smile.
With the cast-iron skillet on high heat, I flipped the switch above the stove, grateful for the vent, which had an air filter to remove cooking smells from the house, and placed the steaks on the hot pan. I discarded the marinade down the sink before I cleaned the bag for its next use, and it gave me enough time to flip the steak.
Another three minutes and I pressed a finger onto it, and happy it was medium rare, removed it from the pan and onto a cutting board to rest.
B and Sunshine were both looking at me as I set the pan aside to cool and blinked at them.
“What?”
“I love capable men making things like cooking look easy. Can I please have your babies, lover?”
Sunshine blinked at me with innocent eyes, and I shook my head at the silliness, especially when B fluttered his eyelashes and fanned himself.
When I leaned in and caught the look of pure desire on the younger man’s face, I pressed my lips to his with a sigh. B caught my lips as I pulled back from the kiss and then he tilted Sunshine back and nibbled on his neck, making him giggle and squirm.
“I love how you two are mine, as improbable as all of this is to me,” I said. “Come on, let’s go find something to watch and eat dinner. What do you want to drink?”
“I’ll get it. Petal?”
“Water is fine. I’m afraid if I have anything alcoholic, I’ll pass out on the couch before long.”
I nodded, agreeing to have the same and B fetched three glasses with ice and water, taking them out to the living room before we each grabbed our plates, mixed the amount of dressing we wanted before I sliced the warm bread.
We settled on the couch, and before long, were watching an obscure game playthrough about a diver who fishes during the day and helps run a sushi place at night. Immersed in the storyline, we smiled when Sunshine gushed as he spotted a cat in the game. Both Stella and Ruby glanced up from their spots on the bed and looked put out.
“You girls know I love you the most. I can coo at an animated kitty if I want to.”
His answer brought a smile to my face as B laughed.
The contentment I felt after we finished dinner and settled on the couch took me a little by surprise. While I wasn’t able to remember a time without B in my life, since we were so young when our lives intertwined with friendship, I enjoyed thinking back to the start of our genuine relationship with Phoenix.
The temperature dropped, and I grabbed a throw to drape over all of us.
“I like this,” Sunshine said.
B lifted his head from the younger man’s neck and asked, “What? Sitting on the couch after gorging ourselves on Luka’s delicious salad… wait, I said that aloud, and it sounds so dirty. Okay, I made myself shiver, but I’m sticking with it. Is that what you mean, Petal?”
He nodded as he giggled at B’s outrageous words.
“That, and how sometimes fate works when you least expect it. Or maybe it’s not fate, but enormous luck. The probability all three of us were going to meet, and fall for each other, is astronomical.
“I guess there is one thing in my life I can thank Hale for. When he demanded you have your meeting at the bakery, you spotted me and waited until I was ready. Although it wasn’t his intention. But him inviting you to the bakery for that meeting is the greatest gift he could have given me. All of us, to be honest.”
B found that sentiment hilarious because he cackled as he held his stomach, shaking his head at the irony.
“I’d forgotten Hale was the one who suggested your bakery. But in all honesty, while I’m grateful that he pointed us in your direction, I’m proud of us for recognizing the fact there was an overwhelming attraction we shared instead of continuing to ignore it for three more months,” B said as he wiped the moisture from his eyes.
I shook my head. “Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. We can sit and talk, or have the hottest sex I’ve ever experienced in my life, and there’s still this palpable connection I have to both of you. And since we’ve integrated our lives together with ease, I also want to experience the world with both of you. We’re all older and established, so we don’t have to work ourselves into a coma because we’ve put in so much to get to where we are in life.”
Sunshine perked up and beamed at me. “Travel with both of you? That would be a dream come true. Poppy fields in the Netherlands or South Korea in the winter; anywhere sounds perfect.”
“B and I have scheduled all our projects for the next few years at least, and we could promote Drew and train him on how to run the business, so when the time comes, he’d be the go-to person. He already understands the business inside and out. And you, Sunshine, now have Charlotte and Matthew, and Arthur is the perfect manager. Just don’t tell him I said that.”
Both Sunshine and I glanced at B, and he smiled. “New Zealand would be my dream vacation. I’ve heard how gorgeous the country is, but you have to see it to believe it. Also, I would love it if we rented a lakeside house in Finland, alone in the middle of the forest.”
Sunshine sat up in stunned wonder. “We’re… making plans for our future.”
B and I exchanged a confused look before he said, “Yes. When you find yourself in a committed relationship?—”
Tears formed and tumbled down our man’s cheeks and we both leapt into action, cuddling him in between us.
“Whatever it is, Sunshine, we can fix it.” I promised as I rubbed my hand up and down his back as he leaned his forehead against my chest and sobbed.
B begged while running his fingers through the soft blond hair, “Oh, no, Petal, don’t cry. It breaks my heart. I need to fix this. Tell me what to do so I can fix it. Please?”
“No…” Sunshine gasped out. “These aren’t sad tears, I swear. I spent so long. So, so long, being alone and thinking I would always be. But you two, who I love with a fierceness I can’t explain, are thinking about what will come next, and it felt as though I stepped off a cliff. It’s an exhilarating feeling knowing we have a future full of adventures and promises.”
“Happy tears still suck,” B pouted.
As I glanced back and forth between the two men who held my heart, I vowed to protect our love with the fierceness it deserved and bask in the contentment of being loved by these two men.