Chapter Seventeen
Kaiden awoke to the light peck of Dylan’s lips pressed to his own.
“Go back to sleep,” he whispered. “Just wanted to give you a proper goodbye.”
“Huh?” Kaiden opened his eyes with a squint to find Dylan rushing out the door. “Where’s he going?”
“Said Jasmine needed him,” Rus answered as he rolled over and filled the empty space in the bed.
Kaiden found Rus’ touch sweet, the gesture itself of moving closer to remove the gap between them. When Rus wrapped a thigh over Kaiden’s legs, his heart fluttered in anticipation, reminded of all he’d explored last night.
The taste of Rus and Dylan still filled his mouth, and the idea that he’d been intimate with them both at the same time made him buzz with excitement.
Perhaps just oral, but it was still a big step.
A big lots of things. Well, one big thing in particular.
Something Kaiden considered as Rus’ rather large member pressed against him this morning.
“I’ve never really done the morning after,” Kaiden playfully joked.
Well, he tried to play it off as comical, but he really had never experienced waking up at a hookup’s home the following morning.
On the rare occasion that Kaiden messed around with another guy, it usually resulted in a quick finish, awkward farewell, and a likelihood that he never saw that profile online again.
Whether from the guilt of the closet or the boredom of Kaiden’s performance, after getting off, the guy in question usually blocked Kaiden.
“Here’s hoping for lots of morning afters.” Rus kissed Kaiden, a light peck much like Dylan’s quick goodbye.
Then Rus buried his head in the crook of Kaiden’s neck, giving a little primal growl as he snoozed.
“Hell, maybe even some morning fun,” Rus said with a breathy tease.
“Oh, someone’s looking for a little relief first thing?” Kaiden grinned, running his fingers through Rus’ curly hair.
His hand slowly trailed down Rus’ body, relishing his firm muscles. Rus had the most compact, yet very sturdy, build. Like a tiny little tank.
As Kaiden’s hand worked its way down to Rus’ waistband, he paused. Every part of him wanted to reach down and stroke Rus’ massive cock, to take it back into his mouth, to feel it hit the back of his throat as he worked to get him off, but something was missing in this moment.
Dylan.
“Can we even…” Kaiden’s hand retreated. “I mean, are we allowed to mess around without Dylan here?”
“I don’t see why not,” Rus said, rolling off Kaiden and propping himself up on a single elbow. “So long as we’re not exploring with someone outside the three of us, then I think we should be allowed to interact with each other however we feel.”
“Right,” Kaiden said with a hesitant nod. “It’s not like it can always be the three of us together. My job, Dylan’s very busy career, your whole school thing.”
“I don’t think it’s so much about scheduling intimacy, but merely enjoying each other’s company when we’re together,” Rus elaborated. “I would personally have no problem with you and Dylan messing around without me because I trust you two still want me there when I’m absent.”
The words made sense, yet for the briefest of moments, Kaiden lost himself to the insecurity of Rus and Dylan having fun without him, of them realizing how happy they could be without him.
“None of that,” Rus said, cupping a hand under Kaiden’s chin.
“What do you mean? I’m fine.” Kaiden averted his gaze.
“You’re lost in your head, probably questioning where you fit into this.”
“No, I’m not.” Kaiden grimaced. “Is it that obvious?”
“It is when someone is paying attention, and if you haven’t noticed, I pay attention to you,” Rus explained. “Dylan pays attention to you. We do this because we care about you. So, whatever is spiraling in your head right now about not fitting in, ignore it.”
“Right,” Kaiden said, a bit more confident. “So, as long as we’re not intentionally leaving a partner out, it’s okay to be intimate? I mean, we didn’t know Dylan was rushing off first thing…”
“Exactly, but if, for example, you and Dylan continued messing around without me, then there would need to be a discussion.”
“Right,” Kaiden said with a light chuckle. “Because what’s the point of being a throuple if one of them is always being excluded?”
“Then it’s just a messy couple with no understanding of having adult conversations about feelings.”
Kaiden tried to ignore the doubts that lingered in the back of his head, telling him he didn’t quite fit with this relationship.
His thoughts were his worst enemy, and he wouldn’t allow his own insecurities to sabotage his best relationship.
His first and only relationship, but still…
Rus and Dylan were always honest with him, direct, sincere.
These doubts came from years of watching the relationships between his family and the years of feeling uncomfortable in his own skin.
“Is it okay if we wait for Dylan before deciding anything?”
“I think that’s a brilliant idea.” Rus gave Kaiden a sloppy kiss on the cheek.
While Kaiden believed Dylan would be fine with the idea of their throuple occasionally coupling off in the absence of one member, he wanted certainty in that decision. Dylan meant a lot to him, and he didn’t want to even accidentally betray his trust.
After all, Kaiden had quickly learned that he didn’t know Dylan as well as he once thought.
Dylan had shared a very personal piece of his history with Rus and Kaiden.
It was more than that, though. Dylan could keep any darkness of his life secret for as long as he needed.
Whatever made him comfortable was fine by Kaiden.
But there was more than that, more than Kaiden realizing he still had so much to learn about Dylan.
If Kaiden had to predict his best friend’s feelings a few weeks back, he would’ve called them entirely wrong. It was bizarre, the switch from platonic to romantic. It didn’t feel forced, but it still came with this unexpected flutter.
Kaiden wondered if he’d have to learn Dylan all over again, and that excited him. Learning what made Dylan tick outside of friendship, learning what made Rus tick, learning how to please them both.
Kaiden’s phone buzzed, and he checked to see several early morning missed calls from his mother.
“Ugh.” He ignored them, then rolled over to face Rus. “You know, I am comfortable with you and Dylan messing around without me. In fact, I think it might be entertaining to see you two go at it.”
“Oh?” Rus gave a coy smile. “A little voyeurism? I can get behind that.”
“I’m just curious to see how it’ll play out,” Kaiden said. “I mean, I know we’re not there yet, intimately, but I’m more of a bottom. People pleaser to the extreme.”
“You’d be a support healer all the way,” Rus said, making some game reference that Kaiden only half grasped.
“Anyway,” Kaiden said, rolling his eyes because he was not being dragged into a video game conversation. “Dylan is mostly a top from what we’ve chatted about. And you strike me as… Well, it’s just you give off top energy.”
Rus broke out into laughter. “So, you wanna see us fight for dominance?”
“Just curious who would land on top is all.”
“Maybe we’ll just take turns plowing you.” Rus grinned.
Kaiden’s entire face burned, blushing uncontrollably. While the idea of being the treat between Rus and Dylan sounded hot, he’d also struggled to suck both of their cocks last night. He could only imagine how much taking both of them back-to-back would feel.
“So, where’s this top energy coming from?” Rus asked. “Is it my big dick, or my bi status? Not sure why folks always think bi boys are somehow manlier.”
“Not sure how being the top is somehow manlier,” Kaiden retorted.
“Touché.”
“Sorry for assuming you’re a top,” Kaiden said with a smirk. “Shouldn’t have stereotyped you.”
“Never,” Rus said, smiling back. “But I am a top, so you were right.”
“I knew it.” Kaiden poked Rus in the chest. “That is, of course, until Dylan has his way with you.”
“Oh? Now, you’re doubting my top energy conviction?”
“No, but I know Dylan has flipped many men over the years, which is why I don’t mind sitting on the sidelines from time to time if I can see how that’ll all play out.”
“Nah,” Rus said, rolling over and facing away from Kaiden.
He pulled his boxer briefs down just enough to reveal the top of his right ass cheek, showing a shiny rainbow die.
Only it had more than six sides. It seemed to have twenty or more.
“Anyone who’s gonna tap this ass is gonna need to roll a Nat twenty for sure. ”
“I don’t know what that means, but I’m guessing it involves a lot of luck.”
“Precisely, skill be damned.” Rus rolled back over. “If I’m getting my back blown out, then the dude doing it just got lucky bending me over.”
“So, do all of your tattoos have such deep meanings?”
Rus pursed his lips, contemplating. “Yes and no.”
Kaiden tilted his head, leaning closer and showing his intrigue.
“I try not to take anything too seriously, but I enjoy humorous meanings.” Rus pointed to his bi goose neck tattoo. “I’m a big believer in Pride, but you know, having fun with it.”
Kaiden ran his hand over the angry goose with a knife in its bill, smiling. Delicately, he traced his fingers down Rus’ chest, examining the pentagram tattoo over his heart, then moved his fingers along the fiery tattoo of Rus’ right arm.
Kaiden studied the exquisite artwork of fire, the silhouettes of so many people burning, and the jagged text of a quote that said so much and so little.
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged,” Kaiden read off the words.
“Yeah,” Rus sighed. “I went through an angry ex-Christian phase.”
“Really? That’s surprising.”
“Me being angry?” Rus scoffed. “When am I not?”
“No. The you being religious thing.”