9. Chapter Nine
Chapter Nine
Cade
Cade felt a hand on his arm—not squeezing, just touching—and as he was about to jerk away, he turned to look into the most beautiful green eyes he’d ever gazed into in his life. Of course, they belonged to Jackson Delacroix. Cade looked at the clock over the bar to see it was nearly midnight, and he knew the man had a game the next day, albeit an exhibition game.
“Jackson, you should be in bed or at least at the hotel under lockdown or whatever it is that the coaches call it.” Cade leaned forward and kissed the man on the cheek under the ever-present Oakleys.
When Jax reached up and rubbed his fingers over Cade’s neck, he winced in pain. It was still tender because the encounter was fucking raw as it filled Cade’s head.
“You little pussy! What the fuck do you think you’re…? You thought I couldn’t find you? I know where you live. I know where you shop. I know where you eat, and I know where you work. You’re going to leave with me right now,” Marcus Drury ordered.
Cade was in a panic. There was a permanent restraining order against the man, but who would enforce it? The police? Fuck, Chicago had the leading crime statistics in the country. What cop would stop trying to catch a murderer to enforce a restraining order against an asshole? It went downhill from there, and even Griffon’s failed rescue attempt hadn’t scared Marcus away.
“I know where you live, bitch,” Marcus spat out as he left.
Marcus’ departure had been a fucking relief for Cade because they were drawing a lot of attention, but now, he faced Jax who looked ready to kill someone.
“Go get your clothes on. You’re done here, chère. You wanna dance? Fine. You can dance at Ford’s place where nobody will ever lay a fucking hand on you. Who was it?”
Cade had alluded to having a boyfriend in the past who wasn’t perfect, but he’d tried never to make an issue of it. As he stood looking at Jackson, he hated he hadn’t been honest with the men.
“I’m sorry, Jax. It was an old boyfriend, and I should have told the cops about the permanent restraining order I have against him, but I doubt they’d do anything, anyway. I’ll call the police tomorrow and alert them to the P.R.O.” Cade truly was sorry he’d allowed things to get out of hand.
Jax laughed. “I’ll already owe a fine of about five grand to the team for leaving the hotel. Go get dressed and turn in your… hat. You’re done here, Kincade.”
As Cade was about to argue—because he was going to prove he was his own man—Marcus Drury walked up to him with a slimy smile on his face. “I fucking told you to quit this job and get your ass to my apartment where you belong. Goddamn you. I didn’t know you’d turn into an all-out whore, but that shit’s over, do you hear me? You’ve belonged to me for a long time and nobody’s gonna stop me from taking you out of here. I’ll beat that realization into you right here if I have to, and ain’t no motherfucker gonna stop me.” Marcus grabbed Cade by the arm and jerked him away.
Jax sidled up next to Marcus, menacing grin in place. Cade knew the football player could, and would, stomp Marcus into the ground but he didn’t want Jax to get into trouble.
“I’ll be there as soon as I change, okay? Marcus, just go home. They’ll call the cops on you if you don’t leave. I have a restraining order against you, remember?” Cade reminded the beast standing in front of him.
When Marcus reached for Cade’s arm again, Jax slapped the man’s hand away. “I wouldn’t do it if I was you.”
Marcus smirked. “Oh, you think you’re gonna stop me, faggot?”
Kincade wondered if Marcus Drury was on drugs because if he couldn’t see the man in front of him was bigger and likely meaner than anyone in the bar, he’d obviously lost his damn mind. “Jackson, let it go, seriously. He’s not worth jail. I’m not worth the two of you fighting over for you to kill him.”
“Oh, chère, you have no idea what you’re worth to us, do you? You didn’t tell Ford about this, did you? He has no idea about this prick, does he? He’d have been here if he knew, I promise. He’s as protective as me but I’m the lucky one to be here right now. Will you please go change while I talk to your friend?” Jax’s face morphed into a fake smile that didn’t fool Cade in the least.
Out of the corner of Cade’s eye, one of the bouncers strolled up before turning away, clearly not willing to handle the bullshit in front of him for the money they paid him. Cade saw the bartender on the phone, likely calling the police, so he needed to defuse the situation before they all ended up in handcuffs.
He hurried to the back and pulled on his clothes as quickly as possible. As he walked out of the dressing room, he heard sirens, so he ran to the bar just in time to see Jax carrying Marcus Drury out on his shoulder. Then Jax slammed his body onto the sidewalk.
Cade rushed out the door and grabbed Jax by the arm. “Come on. Let’s get out of here,” he yelled before the two of them took off down the block. Cade led him down the alley until they arrived at the back door of Fairytails, knocking furiously on the door. When it opened, Cade was grateful to see Griffon. He pulled Jax, who hadn’t stopped laughing since the two of them took off in a dead run, in behind him.
“Where’s Ford?” Cade snapped.
Griffon looked concerned. “He was heading to Pat Down. What are you… Oh my god! You’re Jackson Delacroix. What the fuck are you doing here?” Griffon sounded breathless. Obviously, he’s not as up on current events as me!
“Don’t worry about him. Go get Ford and tell him to get back here for an emergency. I can’t go back down there, and neither can he.” Cade hitched his thumb over his shoulder toward Jax.
The big man chuckled as he pulled Cade into his arms. “Go get Branford and tell him we’re in the office, please? Call me Jax, by the way. We’ll be upstairs after I get my guy a drink.”
Thankfully, Griffon didn’t waste any time. He hurried out as Jax walked over to the bar, ordering a drink for Cade. Cleveland took the order and smiled, winking at Cade as he poured something over the rocks and grabbed a bottle of water.
Cleveland shook hands with Jax and laughed as the big redhead—well, stubbled redhead—started walking back to Cade.
“Come on, chère. Let’s go upstairs. I want to see your neck. Why, dear god, didn’t you call the police?” The two of them climbed the stairs to Ford’s office.
Jax reached to the top of the doorframe and found a key, letting them inside before he returned it to its perch. Jax handed Cade his drink before he walked over to a bookcase and picked up a picture of the two of them from the paper. It was the paparazzi picture from Cabo, and it captured Jax’s face straight on. His eyes were closed as he kissed Ford. Cade had seen the picture on the internet a million times because he had to see their faces before he went to sleep.
Jax returned to where Cade was standing, holding out the picture. “See this spot right here?” he asked as he pointed to where each of them was holding onto the railing of the balcony, not touching each other.
“Yeah, I see it.”
Jax poked the picture frame for emphasis. “That spot… right there… is the spot where you belong, Cade. You belong right there with us. I know you and Branford have plans for Sunday evening. I don’t want to crash your party, but I’d like the next night off you have. Since you just blew that joint, you should have plenty of evenings free.”
Cade started laughing, which brought a deep, throaty chuckle from Jax, as well. When the door opened, and the two men saw Ford with his shirt torn, both stopped cold.
“What the fuck happened to you?” Jax’s face flushed red in an instant.
Cade knew it was in Ford’s nature to confront a situation head-on, so he stood next to the big red-headed protector and crossed his arms, waiting for Ford’s response.
“That fucking bartender down there, what’s his name? Brady? He grabbed me as I was about to go into the building which was swarming with cops. What did you do, Jackson?”
Ford took off his tie and then his shirt, showing Cade an attractive, hairless chest. The man was tanned and muscular. Cade swallowed hard so he didn’t drool on the floor.
Jax, of course, didn’t miss the look. “See, he’s hot. I have a little fur on my chest and elsewhere, but Ford likes it. How about you? I saw your chest and legs were hair free. Do you shave or wax?” Jax asked, which made Cade laugh hard for reasons he’d have to consider later.
Cade slapped Jax on his T-shirt covered pec and smiled. “You’ll have to find out on your own, Cajun,” Cade used the nickname the fans had given him. The Ragin’ Cajun was a force to be reckoned with on the Chicago Breeze, and everyone knew it. Based on the look on Jax’s face as he carried Marcus Drury out of the bar like a sack of potatoes, Cade was sure it was only the tip of the iceberg.
All three of them laughed and hugged. Cade wasn’t sure what the fuck it meant, but he knew for certain he had two large, ferocious protectors, and he adored them more for it. He didn’t want them getting into trouble over him. He broke the hug and took a step back.
“Jackson, you better get back to your hotel before you get fined more than what you’re already looking at. Ford, are you okay? Brady didn’t hit you, did he? I believed him to be a decent guy. I hope I didn’t misjudge him.” Cade remembered Brady Jones hadn’t been on duty the night Marcus had hurt him the first time when Griff tried to come to his rescue.
Ford touched Cade’s shoulder. “No, sweetheart, he didn’t hurt me. He was trying to save me, I think. The cops were all over the place. I’m going to contact Vincent Zuko, that scum-sucking bastard, tomorrow. I’ll get your last check out of him if I have to beat it. Now, Jackson, go to the hotel. Do you have tickets for the game tomorrow? Maybe Cade and I can come?”
Jax’s face showed surprise as he held Ford’s gaze. “You’d come? You’ve never come, babe.”
Ford swallowed before a low chuckle escaped his throat. “I’ve come to every home game you’ve ever played in. I just sit in the cheap seats. I never wanted to out you, love. Why do you think we have the NFL package? When you’re gone, I watch all the games at home. Now, I have someone to watch and attend the games with me. If you don’t care, can we have your family tickets?”
Jax hugged the two of them tightly before he kissed each of them gently on the lips. “They’ll be at will-call. Please, take care of each other. I’ll be home tomorrow night.” Jax hurried out of the office, pulling the door closed behind him.
Cade was in Ford’s arms, and he wasn’t sure what to say. “I can’t go to the game. I have to work at the store.”
“No, sweetheart, you don’t have to work at Fairchilds anymore. I want you to come here to work for me, please. You’re too important to us for… Why didn’t you tell me about Marcus Drury? He’s in the hospital, by the way. Oh, and I hired Brady to work for me, now. Until we can get Marcus Drury behind bars for assault and violating a protective order, Brady will be watching out for you when you’re here. Jax and I will be watching out for you at home.”
“Don’t overthink all of this, Kincade. We care about you. We want to take care of you because you’re important to us. Don’t freak out about it, okay? It’ll all be fine.” Ford pulled him closer. The strong hug felt good.
Cade absorbed the safety of Ford’s arms, even if he was confused. He was pretty sure the haze would clear, and he’d be able to make decisions for himself. Maybe for the night, it was good to turn over the decisions to Ford. It felt right.
Cade was standing next to Ford as the game clock ticked away. The Breeze was ahead by two points, but Jacksonville had the ball at the thirty-yard line. They both watched Jax, the defensive captain for the team, talking to his linemen along with Tony O’Brien, the defense coach.
All the fans in their seating area were as engrossed in what the coach was saying as Cade and Ford, which made Cade’s heart swell for some reason. The large men all clapped at the same time then the defense headed back to the line of scrimmage to wait for Jacksonville to break the huddle before everyone settled into position.
“So, is he good in the clinch?” Cade knew fuck all about football, though he was trying to learn. Ford seemed to have a handle on the game and was willing to explain it without seeming upset by the distraction.
Ford wrapped his arm around Cade’s shoulders and kissed his temple. “Marcus has no idea how lucky he was Jax didn’t kill him. The man is a beast in situations like this. He’s also a beast when it comes to us, Kincade. He’ll do everything he can to protect us from the bad guys in the world. He cares deeply for us, just as I care deeply for the two of you. He’ll always have our best interests at heart.”
Cade watched the teams get into position, and then Jax was in action. It was impressive. Ford said, “See, he’s reading the offensive line and calling the adjustment, and then there’s the hike. Watch Denny Walker. He’ll sneak around the outside.” Ford continued to describe the play to Cade as it took place. Cade was impressed.
Denny went right and Jax went straight forward, mowing down offensive linemen in his way like a freight train before he caught the wide receiver and took him down just as the ball tipped off the young man’s fingers. One of the other guys scooped up the ball and started running the other way until the end of regulation. It was a great win.
Cade and Ford made their way to the BMW, climbing inside and sitting together in silence for a few minutes. The roar in the stadium had left Cade’s ears ringing, so the quiet was welcome.
After a few minutes, Cade had a couple of questions. “So, how does the season proceed? I mean, can I go with you to the home games? I don’t mind sitting in the nosebleed seats.” The words and sentiment settled easily into Cade’s soul.
Cade had fought the attraction he felt for the two men because he couldn’t understand why they would want him involved in what seemed like a great relationship, but after he saw how dedicated they were to each other and how they included him, he gave it serious thought.
They wanted a relationship with him, which was all he’d thought about the past eighteen hours. Yes, it started because he was a cute bottom, that much was true, but they’d given him some space and then began their pursuit again. It was time to see if there was a chance for them—the three of them—to be together.
Cade and Ford had returned to the apartment after fighting the postgame traffic while listening to the interviews on sports-talk radio. Cade had enjoyed his first football game and looked forward to attending more games and learning more about football as the season progressed.
He hooked his sunglasses on the front of his T-shirt as they walked into Ford and Jax’s apartment. “Jackson said it was okay with him if I took you out tonight. He’ll be home later, so we could go get dinner together before he gets home.
Cade had other ideas about how the three of them should proceed in the arrangement they seemed to be trying to craft. “If you don’t mind Ford, I should come up with a cute nickname for you, Branford Xavier. Hmm… What should it be? Bran? No, that sounds too much like fiber cereal. Sexy? Hell, that could be both of you.” The two of them sat on the sectional to have a glass of wine.
Ford laughed. “Jax used to call me Tom-tom till I put a stop to that shit. You can work on the nickname, sweetheart. So, do you want to stay in tonight?”
Cade smiled. “Actually, cherry blossom, I thought maybe we could order a pizza and wait for Jax to come home?”
“That name’s not gonna work for me, but you keep plugging away, slugger. Anyway, if you want pizza and to wait for Jax to come home, we can do that. Do you feel uncomfortable going out with only me?”
Cade scooted closer and turned Ford’s face to his, leaning forward to brush his lips against the soft, pouty mouth of the blond god in front of him. Ford pulled him onto his lap and continued to kiss him, pushing his tongue into Cade’s mouth, which was welcome. He tasted like cinnamon, which was what Cade thought he smelled like most of the time.
Ford smelled like fall: leaves, candy corn, sweetness, and cinnamon. Bonfires and pumpkins. It was stupid to relate Ford to the smell of fall because he was as blond and bright as the summer, but Cade couldn’t help it. Ford Thomas reminded him of his favorite season. Fall.
When they broke the kiss, Cade saw the man’s lips were a bit puffy, which brought a blush. “I guess I was a bit aggressive,” he whispered from his place on Ford’s lap.
Ford smiled as he pushed the top of Cade’s hair out of his eyes. The cap he’d worn to the game had melted his pomade, so his hair was a damp mop. “You can never be too aggressive with us. How do you think we see you?” Ford whispered the question.
Cade swallowed, thinking about what the man had asked. He knew it was as much about him as it was about them. If they couldn’t be honest with each other, then they had no business trying to have a relationship.
“I think you both respect me, but I know you’re looking for a bottom. I’m a bottom, Ford, but I’m not sure how I fit into your relationship. This isn’t the first time I’ve said it.” Cade didn’t want to sound bitchy, but if he was going to be in a three-way, he needed to learn to stand up for himself.
“Take sex out of it, Kincade. How do you think you’d fit into our relationship?”
Cade exhaled. He wasn’t prepared for that question. “I’m not sure. I mean, do you see me as someone who can’t take care of himself? I’ve gotta admit with the shit that Marcus pulled, I don’t come off as independent, and I failed to see the bigger picture. I should have gone to the police and registered the restraining order, not that the cops would have done anything about the attack. How do you see me?”
Ford looked down before he took Cade’s hand and kissed it. “I see you as the romance Jax and I need. You are an amazing man, Kincade. Jackson and I grew up in families where we were expected to be strong and stoic. I don’t talk about my family because they disowned me, but I’ve learned to live with it. I want someone who I can be weak and sentimental with and that’s not Jax. I want someone I can watch sappy movies with and if I cry, then you’ll hold me and not make fun of me. Jax doesn’t have it in him not to make fun of my sentimental side.”
It was then it clicked for Kincade. They weren’t looking for him to be their toy. They were looking for him to give them permission to show love and kindness and vulnerability and affection, especially to each other. The two of them couldn’t do it alone, but with Cade, they could be all those things and not feel judged. Those things, Cade could do.
“Well, okay then,” he responded before he kissed Ford gently on his lips as the two of them heard the door of the apartment open. They hurried to the front hall to hug Jax. It was a new beginning in many ways.