Chapter Twelve
By some miracle, the car survived the drive back to Callie’s father.
David invited them to stay for dinner. Callie agreed but warned her father not to be resentful toward Ryan.
Although David didn’t know what had happened, he would, of course, side with his daughter.
Ryan won him over by suggesting he help David buy a new car.
Callie wanted to object; she didn’t want her family using Ryan for his money, but Ryan seemed determined, and if a new car was what it took to regain her father’s approval, she would let Ryan buy it.
They were on the late-night flight home, which landed after midnight.
Exhausted, they stayed the night at the airport hotel, which was closer to Ryan’s standards.
In the morning, they took a cab back into the city.
Once in the cab, Callie quickly fell asleep against Ryan’s shoulder and didn’t wake until the car stopped.
But when it did, she didn’t recognize where they were.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“We need to visit a friend,” Ryan said, offering her a hand as she stepped out of the car.
Ryan led her to the porch of the house they had stopped at and knocked on the door. It took several loud knocks before Damian opened it. He was only wearing sweatpants, they had obviously woken him.
“Is this your thing now?” he said to Ryan as he offered them to enter. “Waking me on my days off?”
“Seems like,” Ryan said.
Damian made coffee and set the steaming mugs in front of them.
“It’s a long way to come. My coffee can’t be that good,” Damian said as he waited for them to explain their visit. However, Callie was as lost as he was.
“It really isn’t,” Ryan smirked, setting his cup back on the table.
He paused, looking at them. He had every intention of telling them exactly how he felt about both of them. The thought of making the revelation scared the hell out of him, but the idea that he had almost lost both of them terrified him even more. They waited patiently until he continued.
“I owe both of you an apology,” he started.
“I wasn’t being honest with you or with myself.
And I hope it isn’t too late to say this, but I think there’s something really good between the three of us.
” He waited to see if either of them would object.
When they didn’t, he went on. “I do have insecurities and biases that were ingrained in me at a young age, but I want to get past them and make sure I’m not the reason we can’t explore this.
I don’t know what any of this means or how it would work.
All I know is I want to be with both of you. ”
“And you are saying this sober?” Damian joked.
“Yes,” Ryan assured him. “Completely.”
“You’re sure?” Callie asked. “Because I don’t want you to do anything you aren’t completely certain about.”
“I am,” Ryan said. “I had a lot of time to think while I was in the hospital. I realized I had lost both of you and was starting to turn back into someone I hated. You both have made me a better person, and I want to be that person again, not just for you but for me as well. I don’t understand this relationship between the three of us, but it doesn’t scare me anymore.
Losing either of you is what scares me.”
There was a long, silent pause as Damian looked at both of them. But the awkward wedge that had been between them in Gullrock was completely gone. Callie looked at Ryan to see if he was certain. Damian did the same. Ryan smiled at both of them, completely relaxed and sure of his decision.
“OK,” Damian said, getting up. They looked at him, confused. “If you’re going to wake me up early on my one day off, you’d better make it worth my while.”
Callie glanced at Ryan, who was now grinning, and nodded in agreement.
They followed Damian into the bedroom, and he turned to them.
He went to Ryan first, kissing him as his hand fondled Ryan through his pants.
Ryan let it go on for a few moments, then groaned and gently pushed Damian away. Damian looked at him, confused.
“If you think sneezing is bad with broken ribs,” Ryan explained. “It’s excruciating when I…”
“Oh,” Damian said, laughing but looking at him, uncertain about what should happen next.
“I want to watch you with Callie,” Ryan confirmed.
Callie went to Damian. Her heart raced. It had been months since she had been with him.
He had been an addiction for her, a euphoria she thought she couldn’t live without, but because she loved Ryan, she gave Damian up.
Now, as he stood before her, ready to take her with Ryan’s permission, the desire almost overwhelmed her.
He misinterpreted her hesitation and paused, but she pulled him close and kissed him.
He pushed her back up against the wall, pulling her arms above her head, as he let his free hand and mouth explore her.
She closed her eyes, trying to control her senses so she wouldn’t come just at the thought of him.
He released her hands, then lifted her so her legs could wrap around him.
He kissed her more desperately as they fell into a rhythm of pressing hard into each other.
Callie could feel Damian swollen to his fullness, and she wanted him.
She pulled her shirt off, hoping Damian would follow her lead, but he didn’t seem to want to rush things.
He carried her over to the bed and lay her down, but instead of undressing her, he positioned himself over her, continuing to kiss her, his hands exploring her softly.
He was teasing her on purpose, and her frustration at wanting more amused him.
Then she remembered Damian’s own teachings.
He was the one who had told her that she could take control and bring a man to a point where he was powerless and would do anything for her.
She reached between them, slipping a hand into his loose-fitted sweatpants.
She took hold of him and gently started stroking.
Damian groaned against her neck as the power shifted to her.
After a few more firm strokes, he had lost focus on what he was doing, and she was in control.
She rolled him over on his back, pulling his pants off.
Then she undressed and stared at him, he was looking at her longingly.
She took him into her hands again, rubbing him even harder and bringing him just to the edge of orgasm, then stopped.
She glanced at Ryan, who grinned at the torture she was putting Damian through.
She saw him stroking himself and she shook her head in disapproval.
“Careful now,” she cautioned, and he smiled.
With her short distraction, Damian decided to retake control. He grabbed her by the waist, flipped her on her back, and moved between her legs. But he still didn’t give her what she desired. As she tried to push forward on him, he kept resisting.
“Payback,” he smirked.
After a few more moments of teasing her, he reached a point where he also needed satisfaction.
He finally gave her what she wanted, longingly.
She knew that as much as he was her addiction, she was his as well.
He drove her steadily, trying to delay the climax as long as possible, but his efforts were futile, and they both were quickly quivering.
Once he caught his breath, Damian looked over at Ryan, who was leaning against the wall, still stroking himself slowly. Damian got up and pulled a sheet off the bed.
“I have an idea,” he winked. “Trust me.”
He gently removed Ryan’s shirt and wrapped the sheet tightly around Ryan’s chest like a large bandage.
With one hand, he held the sheet tight against Ryan’s broken ribs while the other took over the position on Ryan’s member.
Damian leaned in and kissed him, their chests making contact and he could feel Ryan’s heart beating rapidly against him.
Ryan once again relished the feeling of Damian’s strong hands pleasuring him.
As he started to pulse, Damian added pressure on Ryan’s injury, and Ryan came hard as Damian continued to satisfy him.
There was still slight pain from his fractures, but it was bearable and even intensified his climax.
They got into bed together, with each man on either side of Callie.
She was facing Ryan and kissed him passionately while Damian wrapped his arms around her.
Since Callie had resigned from the law firm, she felt awkward about Ryan asking George to rehire her.
She also didn’t want to go back there, even though she knew Ryan wouldn’t have smeared her reputation.
She was still embarrassed. She was surprised that Ryan agreed so easily to her working with Edward, but she recognized that their relationship had evolved.
It was thanks to Edward that Ryan knew the truth, and they seemed to have formed a friendship that went beyond party invitations.
“I’m glad you finally came to your senses,” Edward said to her on her first day.
“Came to my senses?” Callie asked. “You mean with Ryan?”
“No,” Edward laughed. “Finally accepting my offer of employment.”
They were in his office. The role he had hired her for was a training position on his team. She would report to him and work on any project he delegated to her. It was similar to the role she had with George, and she was grateful to Edward because it was real work, not just charity.
“You were persistent,” she teased. “Though Ryan’s worried we won’t be invited to your parties anymore.”
“Obviously, I don’t invite staff,” Edward confirmed. “But for you, I’ll make an exception. We’ve been familiar with each other, long before this employment, which is probably the most inappropriate part of me hiring you.”
“I can keep a secret,” Callie assured him.
“I know, my dear,” he replied. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have you here.”