by E M Lindsey
“I want to see your face, Sparky,” Parker said. “Can you turn the computer please?”
Jonas’ free hand was trembling, but he managed to pull the laptop around and face it toward him. It was far enough away he could see himself in the little window—his face, his cock, his hand between his legs. He finally got a look at what the other two men were doing on screen, and he almost lost it right there.
Parker was on his side, Ronan behind him, and his hand was thrusting, sharp and firm. He could hear the faint slapping of skin as Ronan fucked him wide open. “Please,” Parker babbled. “Please…please.”
“Yes,” Ronan said. He pulled his hand away, displaying slick fingers to the camera before they disappeared again, and Jonas didn’t need to see it when Ronan’s cock entered Parker. It was evident on the other man’s face, the way a red flush crept up his neck, and his eyes went wide, his mouth dropping open. It was clear in the way he fell back, boneless in places and tense in others.
Ronan held him with his other hand wrapped around his torso, and he let his hips do the thrusting. It was obvious where Parker helped—more than he might have with another man—but it was natural. It was perfect. It was wild and gorgeous, and it was easy for Jonas to start fucking himself harder.
“Not gonna last, Sparky,” Parker slurred. “Grab your cock…hard…”
Jonas did. He didn’t need telling twice. His palm curled around himself, and he stroked. He was seconds away, and he felt the distance between them like it was an entire universe, and yet he was still more connected than he ever had been to a lover.
And he meant that word—lover. Because he was falling in love. Painful, and terrifying, and sure.
“Come, baby,” Ronan said, and Jonas knew it was meant for both of them.
So, he did. He came, his eyes slamming shut, the orgasm ripping through him like fire through his limbs. He fucked his hips into the air, and his back arched, and his breath stuttered in his chest. Somewhere in the background, he heard Parker cry out, and he heard Ronan giving a deep grunt.
He knew it was over, even without watching. And maybe he’d feel cheated later that he hadn’t gotten to witness that last moment of them together, but he knew there would be more. There would be more where he could reach out and touch, where their hands wouldn’t be separated by a computer screen and a thousand miles.
It wasn’t tonight, but there would be a tonight soon enough that belonged to just them.
A tonight that wouldn’t end with life ripping them apart in the morning.
He just needed to stay clever and be patient.
“You’re beautiful, Sparky,” Parker finally murmured. Jonas opened his eyes to find Ronan curled around him and Parker’s gaze half-lidded, a smile sloppy across his mouth. “Come home soon.”
Jonas reached out a trembling hand and touched the screen where their faces were close together. He wanted to exist in that small space they left for him, let it swallow him up and keep him. “Soon,” he said. And he would die before he broke that promise.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Ronan wasn’t quite sure how months could somehow feel like years and yet like no time had passed at all, but his time apart from Jonas was just that. It existed in a sort of vacuum of expectation—knowing he would be coming home, just not when. Jonas was tight-lipped on his plans, and the most Ronan had been able to get out of Gwen was that there were no plans for commercial use on the property Jonas’ company owned, and if there were any real estate deals, they were out of her hands.
Jonas had given them a sort of vague promise that everything would be all right. Ronan had no reason to doubt him, though an ugly voice reminded him they had spent more time apart than together, so he had no logical reason to trust.
Well, except the fact that he was in love. He was absolutely and completely in love. It was nothing like how he felt for Parker, and yet everything like how he felt for him. Jonas created his own spaces inside them both and filled them up. No one had to share, and no one lost out. There was just, to put it simply, more.
The only thing missing was the physical presence of him. They got very good at Skype sex, so much so that Ronan now had an almost Pavlovian response to the chime. His MS didn’t always cooperate when it came to performing for either of them, but when his dick refused to get hard, he made good use of his mouth, and there was no feeling of satisfaction better than watching Jonas come apart at the sounds Ronan forced from Parker’s lips.
He’d never eaten so much ass in his life, and yet he didn’t regret a second of it. He felt more connected to his husband than ever, and he felt more than ready to welcome another man into his life and into their home.
Jonas had agreed to three things upon his return. The first that he would stay with them, but would move out if it seemed too fast. The second was that he was allowed his own room, because it would be a transition. And the third that there would be date nights three times a week because they had a lot of time to make up for.
Everyone was eagerly on board with that plan.
The rest would happen as it happened. Ronan was a planner by nature, and more so after getting sick, because his body didn’t allow for spontaneity. Every action, every trip, every date, every morning and night—they were a carefully organized dance that he made look easy over the years, but he and Parker were both well aware of the attention it took.
He wanted to believe that Jonas was ready to accept them and everything that came with their marriage, but a small piece of him was prepared for it to fall apart. Whatever happened, he would always have Parker. And whatever happened, he would not regret loving him.
“Birdie just texted,” Parker said. “Want to go down to the Market?”
The holiday market didn’t have the same feeling as the one in summer. It was more subdued, and it was cold. Ronan couldn’t attend very many, because the weather made him sluggish. Even now, he was using his chair because his legs didn’t want to cooperate past five pm. But it would be worth it tonight.
Ronan had commissioned a ring once Jonas definitively gave the answer that he was coming back. It wasn’t anything like the bands that he and Parker wore, yet it was pieces of the both of them which he hoped Jonas would be willing to carry for as long as he was willing to stay. Birdie had asked for several weeks in order to get it right, working with Greyson on the design, and Ronan was starting to worry that it wouldn’t be ready in time.
They still had no date for Jonas’ arrival, just a vague ‘soon’ every time they asked. But in the Skype videos, Ronan could see moving boxes in the background, and he could see final utility bills lying on the counter of the kitchen.
It was happening.
This was not a broken promise.
Parker managed to find decent parking by the bank, and he waited for Ronan to transfer in his chair before he led the way down a cleared path where snow sat in heavy piles. Rene had the streets salted well enough that there was nothing more than slush, and Ronan knew he was more steady on his wheels than Parker was on his feet.
“I want to visit Levi’s stand,” Parker said, rubbing his gloved hand over his thigh to warm his palm. “He promised to have some of those boozy doughnuts.” Parker loved the holiday market, and Ronan loved watching the excitement in his eyes and his fingers loose with his cash as they passed each stall.
Before they even neared Birdie’s little corner, Parker already had three bags hanging off his wrist, a bounce in his step, and hot chocolate in his hand which he was drinking in delicate sips “Are you sure you don’t want something?”
Ronan shook his head. “I just want to see the ring.”
Parker rolled his eyes, but his cheeks, already pink from the frigid night air, went even darker. There was more haste in his step as Ronan rolled over frosty grass behind him, and they finally caught a glimpse of Birdie leaning over his table, talking quietly to Wilder, who looked worn and tired. When Birdie caught sight of them, though, he reached beneath his table and pulled out the small wooden
box, grinning as he slid it over the table.
“It’s about fucking time,” Parker bitched.
Ronan smacked him on the thigh, then reached for it. He didn’t say anything, just held his breath as he lifted the lid and stared down at it. Seeing it now was different from the computer images Birdie had sent him during planning, and it was so much better than he imagined it would be. Now, all that was left was for Jonas to get there and be able to slide it onto his finger. His belly went hot with that fantasy, and he swallowed back a rush of emotions.
“Jesus,” Birdie said after a beat. “You really are in love with this guy.”
Ronan closed his fist around the ring, and Parker’s hand landed on his shoulder, squeezing gently. “Yeah, I guess we are.”
“So, it’s fine for you two to take gifts from Birdie, but not for me?”
The voice he’d been desperate to hear—the voice he’d been craving down to his very bones—spoke behind him, and Ronan’s heart leapt in his throat. His hand gripped his wheel to turn, and Parker’s prosthetic fingers released the hot chocolate, the cup splattering on the ground.
Ronan was too afraid to believe it, but he managed to spin just in time for Parker to reach Jonas and pull him in to an embrace. Ronan’s hands shook as his eyes drank in the sight of him—from the heavy boots that sank into frozen grass, to his jeans, to the thick sweater and scarf that wrapped around his neck. His black curls poked out from beneath a thick wool beanie, and his eyes were squinting behind his glasses as Parker curled fingers into the fabric of his sweater and buried his face in Jonas’ neck.
“Sparky,” Parker said.
At that, Ronan pressed his hands into his chair and rose, and Jonas took a panicked step forward before Ronan stopped him. “I can stand up long enough to kiss you hello.”
And it was a half-truth. He had to brace most of his weight on Jonas, holding him tight by the hips and leaning, but Jonas took it all as his head tipped up and their lips met. His kiss was impossibly warm against the winter air, his tongue heating Ronan up from the inside. It was filthy and deep, and neither of them gave a single shit that people were watching.
Jonas’ fingers pressed hard against the back of Ronan’s neck, then slid into his hair under his hat. “I wanted to surprise you.”
“Consider us fucking surprised,” Parker said. He offered his arm out, which Ronan braced himself on to sit back down, and then Parker took a real and proper kiss for himself. “When did you get in?”
“About ten minutes ago. That’s how long it took me to find parking. Fitz sent me a text and told me you were both here.”
Ronan swallowed heavily, his breath a little heavy in his chest, and the ring was still clutched in his palm. “I…”
“You three need a room,” Birdie interrupted.
Parker flashed him his middle finger, but the purpose in his eyes definitely wasn’t hard to read. They would need a room and soon. “You didn’t book at the Lodge, did you?”
Jonas bit his bottom lip, shaking his head. “You said I could…I mean, if it’s still fine that I…”
“Yes,” Parker said, then kissed him again, surging into it with his whole body. “God, okay. Time to go.”
Ronan followed, his stiff, gloved hands working the wheels over the grass, and they made it out of the Market in record time. Ronan didn’t even mind that Parker took over folding his chair up just so they could get in the car faster, and Parker didn’t seem to mind either when Ronan took the backseat with their lover.
“Where are your things?” Ronan asked suddenly with a frown.
Jonas laughed and patted the small backpack he hadn’t noticed him carrying. “The rest of it’s being delivered in a few days. I don’t know why I thought surprising you was a good idea.” His brow furrowed. “I should have given you actual time to prepare for this.”
“We’ve been prepared since the day you left,” Parker told him as he navigated the icy streets with care. They weren’t far from home, but they had to make it there at a crawl. “Never apologize for showing up, Jonas. This is your home now.”
Ronan was burning with questions—like how all the final meetings had gone, like what happened with the land and his company. Like what Jonas was going to do now that his entire life had been turned upside down.
But that could wait. He reached across the space between them, and Jonas folded his palm against Ronan’s. “Thank you for showing up.”
Jonas closed his eyes, then opened them and leaned in to nose gently along Ronan’s jaw. “I’ll always show up.”
It was another promise—a perfect promise. And Ronan didn’t doubt him.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Parker lifted his brow at the two men in the exam room—one of them, the younger one, seated on the table, the other looking a bit sheepish with his hands pressed between his knees.
“So. You tried to pet a wild animal?” Parker asked.
The man on the table—Beau Watson—didn’t need an introduction as a Motel, at least in genetics. He looked strikingly like the former owner of the Lodge, and strikingly like the brothers, apart from his eyes. Parker knew through Eddie all the skeletons in the Motel closet, and Beau hadn’t exactly been a secret, just a reluctant piece of their family.
“It was a petting zoo,” Beau complained as he brandished the mark on his forearm. “And my partner told me goats don’t bite.”
“I told you,” the man on the chair said primly, “I wasn’t educated in goats, but I thought they were friendly since it was a petting zoo.”
Parker snorted. “I know for a fact there’s a sign about that goat in particular. You are not the first victim I’ve seen this holiday season.”
Beau looked more ashamed than he was angry, in spite of the fire in his eyes. “That’s…great,” he said with a sigh.
Parker offered out his hand and Beau handed his over, and he exposed the goat bite to the fluorescent light. “It’s not going to need stitches. I’ll clean it up and put some adhesive on it though, which you can take off in about five days.”
Beau looked displeased. “That thing is a fucking menace.”
“He definitely is,” Parker said cheerfully. “He tried to murder my best friend’s fiancé a year ago.”
“Why is he even allowed near people?”
Parker lifted a brow. “He’s the town mascot.” Which wasn’t officially true, but Parker had noticed the way Antoine had stuck a little silhouette icon of a three-legged goat on the Cherry Creek website.
Beau muttered something a little unfriendly, which made his lover chuckle, and Parker decided he liked these two. Then again, it was no surprise. Parker liked all of the Motels, and apparently that extended to the ones who hadn’t been raised together.
He made quick work of Beau’s arm though, and had him wrapped up and ready to go in minutes. “I’m going to send a script down to the pharmacy which you can pick up tomorrow. It’s a general antibiotic, and I’d suggest you take it, just to be on the safe side. Wouldn’t want to ignore doctor’s orders and end up like me.” He held up his prosthetic hand with a sigh.
At that, Beau’s eyes widened, but behind him, the other man chuckled. Beau’s gaze zeroed in on him, in the similar way Parker saw Levi look at James, and Eddie look at Charlie. “Heath apparently thinks losing your arm to an animal bite is funny.”
“Only because I know he’s lying,” Heath said.
Parker shrugged. “Maybe I am, maybe I’m not.” He wriggled his mechanical fingers. “The fact remains, infections aren’t anything to screw around with. The antibiotic is mild, so at worst you’ll have a case of the runs for a few days. Just eat some yogurt.”
Beau grimaced, but he hopped off the table and took Heath’s outstretched hand. “Thanks for this.”
“Any time. I mean…” Parker said as Beau reached for the door, “not really. Please stop petting the wildlife.”
“I wasn’t…” Beau started, but Heath said something quiet, and Beau sighed, following him out.
>
It only took Parker a few minutes to finish filling out the script, and when it was sent, he popped his head into the office where Eddie was finishing up some last-minute filing.
“Hey, boss, you take care of my brother?”
“Is he your brother, though?” Parker asked.
“It’s complicated, but it counts,” Eddie said. “We’re in-laws, so if you could do a good job, I’d appreciate it.”
Parker shrugged. “Well, he probably won’t lose his arm. If he takes his meds like a good boy.”
Eddie laughed. “I don’t know him well enough to make a smart-ass comment about that, but I’m sure it’ll be fine. You got big holiday plans?”
“Just going to fuck my men into the floor under the Christmas tree,” Parker said with a shrug as he took his arm off, then slid into his coat. “You?”
“Something similar,” Eddie retorted with a smile. “See you after the New Year?”
Parker nodded, then tipped him a salute before digging out his keys and heading to his car. The roads were dangerous, but he had two men counting on him to get home in one piece, which meant driving slow and careful. All he wanted was to be there, in the warmth of their living room, or in their bedroom. Anywhere they could exist just the three of them and not stress out about the next, and the later, and the almost.
Parker was still reeling about the way Jonas had showed up, and even more so after Jonas told them that he’d sold the land below market value to Brad and James, and then handed the company shares over to his dad’s long-term CFO.
“I don’t give a shit what happens now,” Jonas confessed. “The land here is sold and protected, so they can’t do shit. I know it’s wrong not to care about other people he might fuck over, but…”
