Chapter Three
Gem
Even though he’d showered in the locker room after the game, Gem had taken another much longer shower at home in preparation for the phone call that was about to happen.
Mostly to take up the time between him arriving at his house and eleven, when he’d finally get to talk to his boy again. Nerves had him on edge.
He’d put in the brown contacts that he wore for these calls and wore his customary black leather vest and pants, soothed by the now familiar routine. Being in control of something when Gem was worried that his boy was about to slip through his fingers kept him strong.
Checking himself in the mirror, Gem gave the front of his hair a little tweak.
Perfect.
Now he just had to wait for the phone to ring.
Walking out of the bathroom, Gem passed through the master bedroom and down the hall.
The townhouse had four bedrooms. The master, an office, a guest room for when his parents visited, and an empty room that held a black leather couch and a single black standing lamp.
He settled onto the new leather couch and stretched his legs out in front of him.
Still having several minutes before it was time for the call, Gem was struggling to keep himself in the right headspace. Ty’s message had come out of nowhere and Gem didn’t know if that was a good thing or not. Gem adjusted the couch cushion behind his back, then placed his cell on his knee.
His body was still sore from the hit that he’d taken from Crowly earlier.
Fucking asshole.
Gem had tried to stay alert from any cheap shots from the Grinders’ players but after such an intense and hard second period, Gem had been tired. And Crowly had taken advantage of Gem’s momentary inattention with that bullshit hit.
Luckily, Gem had skated away with only bruises. Mostly. His ribs didn’t agree with his assessment, but Gem was just going to ignore that for now. His ribs would heal. They always did.
Watching his newest teammate jump on Crowly and punch the shit out of him…that had been satisfying. It might even have helped Gem push the pain down a little. Crowly had been the one that had to skate away bleeding.
He’d love to soak in the tub with a bowl of plump juicy grapes but Gem took his job seriously as a Dom.
If his sub needed his time, Gem would give it to him even if his entire body felt like one giant bruise.
At least he could finally start planning for what he was going to do with this room as he sat there and stared at the nearly empty space.
Eventually, Gem wanted to transform the room into a space where he could do private scenes outside of the club. When he bought the house, Gem had been thinking of Ty. Now he was pretty sure this phone call would be the end of what had been the best six months of Gem’s life.
Not that Gem would hold it against Ty. They weren’t even supposed to have started such an intense online relationship. Things like that didn’t work out. Not in the long run.
It had been fun while it lasted and Gem would always have a place in his heart for the man that had been such a perfect match for him.
If things had been different, Gem would have loved to try an actual relationship with Ty.
With the season coming to an end, maybe Gem would be able to find someone local to put his attention into.
That thought instantly brought up a picture in his mind of his newest teammate.
Luka Kotov.
Between the heated looks he’d received from Kotov and seeing Kotov half-dressed after the game, Gem had been trying very hard not to think inappropriate thoughts about his newest teammate.
Especially since he’d given both Aries and Nix a very long lecture about dating teammates, which they both had promptly ignored.
Gem sighed.
He loved his brothers and missed them more than Gem had expected when they’d all been drafted onto different teams in the league.
They just never listened to him! Gem did what he could to protect them in a league that didn’t want fruit bat shifters or other small magical paranormal involved.
From Boston, with Nix in Florida and Aries in Las Vegas, there was only so much Gem could do.
Gem hated having to rely on the teammates of his brothers to do what Gem couldn’t.
Speak of the little devil. Gem’s screen lit up with a request for a video call. Not from who he expected, but his little brother. Gem checked the time. He still had fifteen minutes, and Ty would not be early.
Ripping off his mask, Gem accepted the call. “Hey, baby bro.”
Sitting cross-legged on a bed, Aries grinned at him. He wore an oversize shirt that must belong to Vin hanging off one shoulder as he looked back down. “Hi, Gem.”
“Whatcha doing there?” Gem asked with amusement. Aries must have his phone mounted or on a stand as Gem could see both his hands and a thick arm over his lap.
“Coloring Daddy’s tattoos,” Aries replied. He picked up a bright pink marker. Placing the tip of the marker to Vin’s arm, he started to color.
That was right. Vin and Aries were on a set of three road trips.
Aries hated flying, in a plane, although he loved to fly in his shifted form, and Vin had come up with special ways to keep Aries occupied when not on the ice.
Vin was the best at distracting Aries and spoiling him rotten.
“Has the team just given up and put you and Vin together in a room or are you still pretending to sleep separate?” he teased.
The last time Gem had spoken with Vin, he was cursing about having to move his things to Aries’s room without anyone seeing.
Aries glanced up from his coloring. “I think Daddy just told them how it was going to be. He was all growly and stuff. They had us on separate floors.” Aries shrugged. “Now we’re in the same room.”
Gem chuckled. Vin had been around the league long enough that he could probably make demands like that. And anyone who had seen Vin and Aries together should stop trying to follow league rules and keep the two of them together.
Suddenly Aries leaned closer to his phone. “Why are your eyes all weird? And why are you sitting in the dark? Are you hurt? Nix said he talked to you after the game and you said you were fine.”
“I’m fine,” Gem insisted. Sore. Bruised. But he was fine.
“Then why do you look weird?” Aries asked. “You don’t look like you.”
Vin leaned forward, filling Gem’s side of the screen. He turned his head to whisper into Aries’s ear before kissing Aries on the temple.
Aries gasped as his face turned red. “Gem!”
“What?” He honestly didn’t know his brother could look so embarrassed.
“You’re not supposed to answer the phone when…” Aries lowered his voice. “You’re being naughty.”
Leaning back onto the couch, Gem ignored the twinge from his ribs. “But I’m not being naughty yet.”
Aries shook his head frantically. He was so embarrassed and it was adorable.
“You are literally sitting there wearing Vin’s clothes while coloring on your Daddy,” Gem pointed out. “And I can see a half-drunk bottle of milk by your hip. So don’t you Gem me.”
“That’s different,” Aries said with a huff.
“How?” Gem was seriously asking. It had to be extremely odd that out of triplets, all three were kinky in their own way.
Aries was new to the lifestyle and hadn’t even known about the Daddy Dom and little boy or DDlb dynamic until he’d met Vin.
Nix had always been adventurous in his sexual exploration.
It was Evan that had matched Nix’s kink expertly by introducing Shibari into their relationship.
Hell, even his mom had hinted to exploring the scene during Christmas, which Gem had and always would ignore. Because…just no…his mom and stepdad and kink…hell no!
“Because!” Aries squirmed.
So no reason. Aries was exploring the age play dynamic and they all supported him but Gem was…
what? Not supposed to see to his own needs.
It was true that Gem had a harder edge to him than either of his brothers.
And there wasn’t a submissive bone in his body.
Gem needed to be in control. To take a larger man, preferably paranormal, who could handle the punishment that Gem delivered.
“Ouch!” Aries squealed. “Daddy! You pinched me!”
“Because you’re being rude.” Vin’s voice rumbled out. “You called to check on him, not judge. You wouldn’t like it if he judged you, would you?”
“I’m not judging,” Aries drawled.
Gem laughed. “It’s okay, brat.” It wasn’t like Gem didn’t understand how different he was from his brothers.
He could enjoy seeing both Aries and Nix being loved and doted on, but that wasn’t for him.
Control. A boy kneeling in front of him.
His box of paddles and floggers. That was what called to Gem’s soul.
“I’m not a brat!” Aries argued. “That’s Nix.”
Tilting his head, Gem narrowed his eyes.
Actually, it had been a role that Nix played.
And Nix played it well. In truth Nix was as big of a sweetheart as Aries.
Nix’s way to show how much he cared was by acting silly and making everyone around him laugh.
And as Aries became more comfortable in his relationship with Vin and exploring his little side, there had definitely been more brattiness on Aries’s side. “Hmm,” Gem replied.
“I’m not!” Aries said firmly. “And I don’t like talking to you with weird eyes. I’m glad you’re not hurt and Daddy promised to beat the snot out of Crowly the next time that we play him. But I’m hanging up now.”
The phone went dark and Gem blinked at the screen.
Okay, wow, Aries wasn’t normally that assertive.
Must be Vin’s influence, which Gem totally approved of.
Aries was a people-pleaser by nature and needed someone to allow him to grow into himself.
The high level of brat did need to be addressed.
Not that it was Gem’s place. Gem was certain Vin was not happy with Aries at the moment.
Gem would never allow his own boy to talk that way or get away with that much sass.
His boy.