Third One

by Roe Horvat

  He hung the wet boxer briefs on the railing and jumped into the waves.

  They ate the sandwiches Marcus had made, and yes, the lettuce and radishes were fresh from Marcus’s garden. Then they swam again. Aside from a few boats passing in the distance, they spent the whole day alone, with only the seagulls watching them, shaking their tiny, empty heads at them, and screeching.

  Twelve

  Marcus

  Liam secured Priscilla in the marina, and Luke tried to help, casting Marcus confused glances.

  “This one is called spring line. You have two of them, running diagonally from midship to stop the boat from going forward or aft. You just make a figure eight around the cleat, like this,” Liam explained while he tied the rope onto the marina cleat. “If you take Priscilla out by yourself, this is all you need to know. Two spring lines, one bow line, one stern line.”

  “Don’t I need some kind of…license?”

  “You do have a driver’s license, right?”

  “Yeah, of course.”

  “Then you’re fine.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Next time we go, you can try navigating her out of the marina and docking.”

  Luke’s eyes grew wide when he mumbled, “Next time. Okay.”

  During the day, Marcus had caught himself several times biting on the inside of his cheek whenever Liam and Luke spoke to each other. He would listen to every word, analyze the tone of voice, and overthink. He was being ridiculous. When Luke had sat in Liam’s lap, his head thrown back and hands scrambling for purchase on anything he could reach—Liam’s forearm, Marcus’s shoulder, then finally, the railing—the way he went pliant in Liam’s arms… Marcus forgot for a moment why he had been worried. However, there was a difference in how Luke looked at him and how he looked at Liam. With Marcus, Luke would blink slowly, maybe blush, then raise his eyes, filled with longing and pure love. God, Marcus wanted to wrap himself around Luke like a security blanket. And when Luke’s eyes met Liam’s, he’d bite his lip, maybe swallow, squint and look away, then look back. Hope, want, fear. The fear in Luke’s features, the hesitant way he responded to Liam’s obvious desire for him, made Marcus restless with worry. Patience had never been Marcus’s strength. He would have to work on that. He threw one last look toward Priscilla, not checking—Liam was always precise—just saying a silent thank-you for the day.

  Luke strode along the boardwalk toward the parking lot, carrying the duffel. Someone was blasting music two rows down, a song by Robyn, and Marcus saw Luke’s shoulders hitch up and down with the rhythm. He grinned. Acting on impulse, he reached Luke in three strides, took the duffel, and swung it at Liam. He plastered himself along Luke’s back and followed his movement. Catching on fast, Luke took a step back, rocking his hips, and Marcus recognized the familiar routine Luke was hinting at. He spun around so they supported each other with their backs as they sank down and rolled their torsos in an upward spiral. Hooked by their elbows, Luke flipped backward over Marcus’s bent back and landed facing him. He kissed Marcus briefly, breaking the routine before he sent Marcus flying in a dodgy pirouette. Luke caught Marcus in the middle of the spin, and Marcus smacked right into Luke’s chest with an oof. He laughed, and his stomach fluttered with excitement. He lifted his gaze to see Luke grin with mischief, eyes squinting in the sharp sunlight, his tongue peeking out between his teeth. Happy and carefree. That was how Luke was supposed to look at them. Exactly like that. Marcus blinked slowly, trying to take a snapshot of the moment and save it in his mind. Stay. Stay like this. Stay with us. I’ll do anything to keep making you happy.

  Liam clapped behind them.

  “Now there’s two of them. Universe, help me.”

  “Don’t you dare to complain,” Marcus said. He was only half joking.

  “True. Dancers are… flexible,” Liam mused.

  “And I said I have plans!” Marcus couldn’t wait to be alone with them again. “Let’s stop by the store and then go home.”

  Luke turned and walked backward. “Do the plans involve dinner? I am starving.”

  “Dinner. Dessert. Wine. You in bed. Naked.”

  Luke laughed. “Let’s hurry up, then.”

  A wave of giddiness rose from deep in Marcus’s gut. He grabbed Luke’s head with both hands and dragged him down to catch his lips. They kissed, smiling and sloppy, and Marcus felt Liam’s gaze on them. He broke the kiss and turned to watch Liam approach, the duffel over his shoulder, a satisfied grin on his face.

  Liam caught up with them and brushed a small kiss on Luke’s temple. This time, there were relief and serenity written in Luke’s features when Liam touched him, and Marcus felt hope swell. Liam’s and Marcus’s gazes met briefly in understanding before they sped up toward the parking lot.

  Liam drove to the store, and Marcus sat in the back, leaving Luke in the passenger seat. It was a small detail, but all these small details would make all the difference in the end. Luke needed to feel he was one of them, their equal partner.

  They bought a few light beers and a piece of fresh salmon for dinner. As soon as they came home, Marcus turned the oven on, rinsed the fillet, and prepared the salad, while Liam unpacked the wet towels, and Luke set the table.

  “Avocado salad,” Liam said, humming, when he walked into the kitchen a few minutes later, carrying a bottle of rosé. “You’re an alchemist, Marcus.”

  “What’s your relationship to cookery, Liam?” Luke asked.

  “I am an ardent admirer of the art,” Liam said, placing a chaste kiss to Luke’s temple.

  “He doesn’t cook, does he?” Luke asked, throwing Marcus a look.

  “Nope.”

  “Hey! I cooked breakfast,” Liam protested.

  “You made eggs,” Luke corrected.

  “But your skills with the lawnmower are unparalleled.” Marcus nodded.

  “You make me sound so middle-aged and straight,” Liam grumbled, making Luke laugh.

  “He’s hopeless. If he wants to make soup when you’re sick, don’t let him,” Marcus warned.

  Liam threw Marcus a sour look. “I’m still trying to woo the boy, Marcus.”

  Luke stepped closer to Liam and took the opened bottle of wine from him. He leaned into him and spoke in a sultry voice, “Oh, I am wooed. I want to see you mowing the lawn, Liam. Sweaty, shirtless, drinking beer directly from the bottle…”

  Marcus burst out laughing. God, they were so good together. Was he just seeing what he wanted to see? But Liam was smiling at Luke now, mischief and admiration in his gaze, and Luke bit his lip, playful. Their gazes locked, and the air seemed to shimmer. No, Marcus wasn’t imagining anything. The excitement was obvious. In front of his eyes, the two great loves of his life were falling in love. He felt undeserving and so damned lucky.

  Marcus settled against the pillows. He didn’t want to touch himself yet; he would come too soon. Just the prep he’d done made him so hard he had to turn the water temperature all the way down at the end of his thorough shower to calm himself. But he loved the buildup, those peaks and dips of his arousal when he balanced on the edge, toying with his control. Orgasms were fleeting, explosive but forgettable. One second he was screaming with ecstasy, and another he struggled to remember where he was and why he was folded like a pretzel, his joints aching. With Liam, he learned the true pleasure that came with the wait, with giving, and with staying conscious in the aftermath so he could feel every tingle, every tremor of his tired muscles, until all quieted, and there was just love and serenity.

  With Luke, his self-control and patience were put to a test, though. Seeing Luke and Liam touch and kiss made Marcus ache all over. He shivered as he watched Luke’s hands tremble while Liam undressed him. God, they were staggeringly beautiful. They kissed deeply, Luke’s eyes fluttered closed, and he bucked his hips, mashing his body to Liam’s. So hungry, so passionate. Marcus realized he was lightly stroking his cock after all. He sighed, slowing his movements to gentle teasing. Wait. Just watch and wait. Liam
grabbed Luke’s ass cheeks, and Luke wavered, almost losing his balance.

  “On the bed, both of you,” Marcus said, chuckling.

  They obeyed. Luke crawled backward until he lay just in front of Marcus, his head close to Marcus’s thigh. Liam chased after him on all fours. Without warning, he sucked Luke’s cock into his mouth. Luke groaned, head tipping back, and he grabbed Liam’s hair with both fists. His eyes met Marcus’s, and he grinned. Marcus could have sworn he felt the grin in his cockhead. A pulse of pleasure. Another as Luke moaned quietly. Damn. It was as if they were connected with tiny wires, and everything Liam did to Luke, Marcus could feel in his own groin. Liam licked Luke’s cock with the flat of his tongue and circled the head, making Luke buck.

  “He is so good at this,” Luke mumbled.

  You have no idea, Marcus thought. “Let him rim you. Trust me,” he said and winked.

  Luke’s mouth fell apart with a surprised gasp, which turned into a long moan when Liam sucked harder, bobbing his head. He let go of Luke’s cock and looked up.

  “Show me your hole, Luke.”

  “I’ve never done that,” Luke breathed.

  Oh wow. Marcus’s balls and ass tingled at the thought. Liam’s eyes widened infinitesimally, and his look flashed to Marcus before it returned to Luke.

  “And you want to try?”

  Marcus could hear the possessiveness in Liam’s voice, see it in the determined frown between his brows.

  Luke hesitated, his eyes never leaving Liam’s. “Yes,” he said quietly.

  Yes! Damn, Marcus needed to see! He shuffled around so he sat by Luke’s feet, next to Liam, while Luke rolled onto his stomach, curving his spine and opening his legs. Marcus’s erection pulsed at the view. The small pink hole clenched tight. He ran a hand along Luke’s calf and up his thigh, soft blond body hair tickling his palm. He sensed the slight tremor in Luke’s body. Anticipation made his stomach flutter. Luke trusted them; what a gift. Not waiting for Liam, Marcus spread Luke’s ass cheeks. He placed a gentle kiss right onto Luke’s opening. The sound of Luke’s gasp… Just one more kiss. Reluctant, Marcus moved aside. Next time, he’d play with Luke’s body, trying and testing if they liked the same things. Today, he made space for Liam. He pushed on Luke’s shoulders so Luke sank lower, still on his knees but his torso on the bed, hands grabbing the covers.

  “Marcus, shit… I…”

  “Changed your mind?”

  “No!” Luke gasped as Liam first kissed his lower back and the top of his ass. Kneading Luke’s ass muscles, he ran his tongue up and down Luke’s crease. Luke sighed, and his ass rose just a bit higher in a movement that didn’t seem conscious at all. It made Marcus believe Luke might not entirely know how much he actually craved and loved ass play.

  “Luke,” Marcus cooed, following the curve of Luke’s spine with his gaze. The globes of his perfect ass… god! “You look so gorgeous right now.”

  When Liam finally pushed his tongue inside Luke’s hole, his lips flush against the skin of Luke’s crease, Luke let out a guttural groan of surprise.

  “Yeah?” Marcus asked.

  “Fuck,” Luke muttered and moaned again.

  After watching Luke dance for years, Marcus wasn’t surprised to realize how easy it was for him to read Luke’s body language. Luke’s back curved just a bit more, his shoulders hunched up and relaxed again, and he lifted his head for a moment, only to sink back on a sigh. He loved it.

  Marcus fisted his hands, the ache in his cock and ass cresting again, like tidal waves, stronger and stronger. But still, he didn’t touch himself. He took a deep breath, feasting on the sight of Luke’s stretched, wet hole as Liam leaned back and blew across the skin. Luke gave out a faint whimper. The sound called out to Marcus, so he lay on his side, facing Luke, close enough so he could feel Luke’s breath. He watched with fascination how Luke’s face transformed. At first, Luke tried to keep his eyes open, his gaze locked on Marcus, even when his mouth fell open and uncontrollable moans started streaming out, higher, melodic. Gloriously human. His cheeks grew pink and eyelids heavy, and he fisted the sheets.

  “It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Marcus asked. He realized he was unconsciously rolling his hips, in sync with Luke’s sounds, fucking empty air. He reached down and ran a hand along his erection, just a light brush of fingers. Shit. He fisted his hand. Luke’s eyes rolled in his head.

  “Marcus, I…ah!”

  He was so breathtakingly beautiful. “And now I can kiss you while Liam is licking your ass,” Marcus murmured.

  “Kiss me!”

  Smiling, Marcus leaned closer and flicked his tongue over Luke’s parted lips. Luke cried out, and Marcus heard Liam’s muffled groan. He kissed Luke, their tongues sliding against each other, and Luke’s cries resonated into him, reaching all the way into his heart. He felt his cock leak, so he touched the tip with his index finger and painted his precome over Luke’s lips before he kissed him again. Luke just kept moaning, louder and louder.

  Luke lay limp, face slack with mindless pleasure, and he didn’t even wince when Liam rose, repositioned, and lifted the whole lower half of Luke’s body off the bed. Luke followed Liam’s gentle tugs and pushes until he was on his back, ass high in the air, holding his legs open.

  “Liam, please,” he begged.

  Marcus leaned back. He gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut for a few seconds. Breathe. It didn’t help much. His mind kept replaying the images from the past few minutes as if his eyelids were a canvas. But if he jerked off like his lizard brain urged him to, he’d come after three strokes. And he didn’t want to lose a second focusing only on himself, dammit. He dug his nails into his palms and opened his eyes in time to see Liam licking up Luke’s crease from a new angle. He sucked on Luke’s balls and then pushed his tongue back into Luke’s hole, caressing the underside of Luke’s hard cock with his palm.

  “Oh god, yes,” Luke mumbled, his now swollen eyes shut.

  Fuck. He was breathtaking. A complete submission of body and mind. “Can you come like this, Luke?” Marcus asked.

  “Please,” Luke whimpered.

  Liam licked Luke’s cock, looking up his folded body. He grabbed a pillow and stuffed it underneath Luke’s hips, and Luke’s legs fell open, his feet all the way by his head.

  “Suck him while I eat his ass.”

  Marcus grinned. Yeah.

  “Let go, baby. I want you to come for me,” Liam said before he bent down again and pushed his tongue back inside Luke’s ass.

  Luke gasped.

  Marcus’s hole ached in sympathy. God, he wanted to fuck and get fucked, but it was too soon. One day, he’d have Luke inside him. Another crest of need. He gritted his teeth. Fucking hell, I want him. I want his cock. I’d take him raw and dry right now and be grateful. Marcus reached back and ran his fingers through his crease, just a brief tickle over his hole. His cock pulsed for the thousandth time, and he actually cried out. A helpless whimper of need.

  “Fuck!” Luke exclaimed, and Marcus opened his eyes, crashing back into the moment where he was kneeling by Luke’s splayed body. Luke’s sounds spurred him into action. He hovered over Luke’s exposed body for a few seconds, taking in the details, memorizing, loving the curve of Luke’s long cock, longer than Liam’s but slimmer. He leaned closer, grabbed Luke’s cock where it lay against his belly, and sucked the tip into his mouth. It was slick with precome, and Marcus let the taste linger before he swallowed. He imagined being in Luke’s place, a hot wet tongue wiggling in his ass and a mouth tightening around his cockhead. Another wave of insistent ache rushed through his groin, and Marcus humped the air helplessly as he sucked deeper, imagining the relief Luke would feel. And then the ache would return.

  Luke moaned louder and louder, squirming and shaking, but Marcus only licked him slower to tease and prolong his pleasure. Without needing to talk, Liam knew what Marcus wanted. Every time Marcus felt Luke strain with his lower body, trying to rock into his mouth, he softened his suction, slowed
down, and gently kissed his cockhead, making Luke whine and whimper with frustration. Right then, Liam reached deeper, adding a single finger, and Luke’s head shot off the bed. When Liam retreated, licking softly over Luke’s hole, Marcus sucked harder again.

  After a few minutes, Luke began babbling.

  “Fuck me! Please! Fuck me!”

  Marcus knew Luke didn’t mean it. He’d been where Luke was now, begging and yelling for release. Luke shouted at them with desperation, too close to orgasm to think. His legs trembled, and he clawed at the sheets. Next time, they should bind him. They could work him over for hours.

  “Fuck me! I want you, please. Fuck me… ah!”

  This time, Liam didn’t pause. He ate at Luke’s ass, humming into his crease, and the tones mingled with Luke’s hoarse cries and the slick sounds of tongue and suction. A gloriously obscene symphony. Marcus swallowed Luke’s long cock, circling the base with his fist and tightening his grip. His other arm ached as he hovered, perched awkwardly over Luke’s folded body, but he didn’t care. He slid up and down, sucking harder.

  “Fucking hell! Yes! Oh please! Yes!” Luke shouted. Then words left him, and he just yelled out his orgasm. The power in his voice pierced through Marcus’s heart and groin. Marcus sucked Luke clean, swallowing his release and licking his slit, reveling in the taste. Then he sat up and watched as Liam soothed Luke’s hole with gentle licks and kisses. He tugged on Luke’s legs, allowing the man to sprawl on the bed. Luke’s torso lifted with harsh breaths.

  Abruptly, he laughed.

  “Fucking hell, my whole body is tingling. Jesus. What did you do to me?”

  “Edging?” Marcus suggested innocently.

  “Never done that either. Fuck. I never came so hard in my life.”

  He looked energized. Luke’s happiness poured right into Marcus’s heart like manna. Liam lay down next to Luke, grinning, all smug, stroking his hard cock with leisure.

  “If I rim Marcus long enough and peg him, he’ll come without touching his cock,” Liam said, winking at Luke.