Chess

by Sean Michael

  The hot mouth around Jason’s nut slid away, Rook twisting to look back at Bishop. “I’m okay. I guess I just wanted everything to be back to normal.”

  Bishop nodded and came in, resting a hand on Rook’s hip. “We all do.”

  “I told Rook that it’s just a matter of time. He still has a lot of healing to do.”

  Bishop nodded. “We need to be patient—he gets frustrated that he can’t just pick things up where he left them off before he got hurt. It’s harder on him than on us.”

  “I know,” Rook murmured softly.

  Jason scooted over. “There’s room for you here, Bishop.”

  “There is!” Rook grinned. “You can do Jason while I tongue-fuck your hole.”

  Jason looked at Rook, wide-eyed. “We just came!”

  “Bishop didn’t, though. This is for him.”

  A low chuckle came from Bishop. “Like any sane man would say no to an offer like that.”

  Jason snorted, but opened his arms, even as Rook jumped up, stripped Bishop down. They settled back on the bed with Bishop between them, Rook with his face already buried in Bishop’s ass.

  Jason looked at Bishop. “Sometimes the fact that this is my life blows my mind.”

  “It’s a good life, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. It’s…yeah.” He hadn’t known life could be this good.

  Bishop suddenly grunted, then groaned. “Fuck, Rookie…”

  Jason looked down, but all he saw was Bish’s muscles.

  “Magic tongue,” muttered Bishop. “Turn around for me, baby boy, let me have your ass.”

  Jason nodded, moving to hands and knees, offering Bish his hole. So much had changed since the first time.

  Bishop groaned again and moved up behind him. “Help me slick him up, Rookie.”

  “You’re the boss.” Like Rookie needed to be asked even the first time.

  A hot, wet tongue slid across Jason’s hole, making him jump. He felt Rook’s smile against his ass before that tongue swiped over his hole again.

  “Rook. Oh, God.” So naughty. That felt so naughty.

  “He’s got a mouth made to drive us crazy, baby boy.” Bishop’s grin was evident in his voice.

  Rook’s tongue pushed into him, proving the point perfectly. He rocked forward, hands sliding on the pillows. Rook followed him, face pressed up against his ass, tongue pushing deep.

  “Oh, God. Oh, God…” He climbed the headboard.

  Bishop slipped a finger into his ass alongside Rook’s tongue. Then Rook’s heat disappeared, Bishop’s touch undeniable.

  Bishop slipped another finger in and jerked. “Jesus, Rook, wait till I’m in him if you’re going to do that.”

  Jason could almost hear Rook’s self-satisfied smile. Jason chuckled, then Bish pushed those thick fingers deep, making his toes curl.

  “Pay attention, baby boy.”

  “Yes. I am. I’m here.”

  “Good.” Bishop let his fingers slide away and a moment later Jason felt the press of Bishop’s big cock against his ass.

  He braced himself, eager for Bishop’s cock.

  “Sweet boy.” Bishop’s hand slid along his back, solid and warm, then the man’s prick pushed into his ass, opening him up for the thick invader.

  He groaned, his head falling down between his arms.

  Bishop moaned softly. “Fucking heaven being inside you.”

  This was heaven. His life. His whole life.

  Bishop began to fuck him with slow strokes, the man calling out Rook’s name. It felt good to give Bish this release, this pleasure.

  “You two are a one-two punch,” muttered Bishop.

  Jason was glad. He wanted to be. Bishop held onto his hips, pulling him back into each thrust. The man pegged his gland, unerringly, and even though he couldn’t come again, it felt so good.

  “Do that again, Rook, and I’m coming. Fuck yes!” Bishop jerked hard into him, filling him with heat.

  Jason pushed back, taking Bishop’s strength. Bishop’s need. Bishop’s cum. Leaning over him, Bishop rested his face against Jason’s back.

  “Better?” He held their weight.

  “Yeah. Thanks, guys.” Bishop left a kiss on his skin before sliding out.

  “Stay for a nap?” Rook asked and Bishop nodded.

  “Just for a bit.”

  Jason was put between them, cuddled in close. Bishop patted his hip, then Rook’s before settling heavily against Jason’s, his breath quickly evening out.

  God, he was lucky.

  He heard something, looked at the door, and Knight was standing there, looking in. He opened his mouth and Knight shook his head, finger over the thin lips in a ‘shh’ gesture.

  “You sure?” he mouthed. There was plenty of room for one more.

  Knight nodded, waved, then headed back down the hall, the sound of the shower starting.

  He pondered going to make sure Knight was okay, but Rook shifted, pushing in closer, and he’d probably wake up Bishop if he tried to get out of bed.

  Knight would be okay.

  The man just needed time.

  Chapter Four

  Knight headed downstairs to his old studio, moving slowly. It took most of an hour, after his shower, but he made it, sweating and shaking. The place was as he’d left it, so he went in, closed and locked the door, and turned on the music. He needed to work. He needed to be alive. Alone.

  He had no idea how long it had been when his concentration was interrupted by banging on the door.

  “I’m working.” Go away. He was in the zone. Okay, so he was trying to be in the zone. He just wanted to close his eyes, though.

  “Let me in, baby. Now.” Bishop sounded angry.

  “I’m working. Go away.” Go back upstairs and play. They didn’t need him. The door was miles away, anyway.

  “Open up! Knight. Let me in.”

  “Hold your horses.” He held onto his chair, using it to help him make it across the floor.

  “Baby, I’m worried.”

  “I’m coming. It’s a long walk.” He was drowning in sweat when he finally opened the door.

  “Never lock this door again!” Bishop walked in, wrapped around him.

  “It’s my studio. I’m stinky.” His knees buckled.

  Bishop caught him, hoisted him up. “I’ve got you.”

  “I was working.” He found himself in Bishop’s arms, heading up the stairs.

  “You can’t lock that door. What if something happened to you?”

  “It didn’t.”

  “This time!” Bishop moved them into the master bathroom with its shower.

  “I took a shower earlier.” He didn’t think he could stand through another one.

  “And then you exhausted yourself, pushed too hard. Locked me out, damn it.” Bishop turned on the water, still holding him, the both of them still dressed.

  “I was working.” He felt like he kept saying the same thing, over and over.

  “Shut up.” Bishop’s mouth closed over his.

  Knight’s eyes went wide, his lips parting.

  When their lips finally parted, they were both panting. “I’m not going to lose you.” The words were little more than a growl.

  “I was downstairs.” He licked his lips.

  “With a locked door between us. Anything could have happened.”

  “Art.” Except not really, because he’d been too tired and hadn’t even found a groove, hadn’t found the art at all. Not really.

  “You have a studio upstairs! You don’t need to go all the way to your old studio. You—” Bishop cut himself off, giving Knight another hard kiss.

  The water was running, steam starting to fill the bathroom, making his sweaty clothes feel even heavier.

  Bishop set him on his feet and started stripping him down. “Don’t shut me out, Knight. Ever.”

  “I was working. You were busy.”

  “I’m never too busy for you. And you don’t need to lock your damn door to work.”

&n
bsp; He always had. Before. Always.

  Bishop smoothed his hands over Knight’s arms and his shirt fell to the floor.

  “You hear me?” Bishop didn’t actually shake him, but he looked like he wanted to. “I can’t have you behind a locked door, baby. I’ll try not to disturb you, but I need to be able to check on you.”

  “I’m a grown up.” He was started to get wigged out.

  “Who nearly died!”

  “I’m going to bed.”

  Bishop picked him up again, took him out of the bathroom and headed down the hall to the bedroom.

  Knight was going to go back to sleep and stay there. Dreaming. Until things were normal again.

  Bishop got him into the bed, and climbed in after him, curled around him. Knight just closed his eyes. He couldn’t deal with this shit, not right now. Not for a while. Maybe not ever.

  “I’ve got you, baby. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

  “Good thing everything’s already happened.”

  “Too much. That’s why I need access to you, baby. I need to know you’re okay, I need to be able to get to you if you aren’t.” Bishop stroked his skin, touches warm, careful.

  Knight just stayed there, half-dozing, half-lost in his own thoughts. The touches continued, Bishop not trying to arouse, just touching.

  Finally Knight just let go, relaxed. Slept.

  * * * *

  Bishop held Knight while he slept, taking deep breaths and trying to talk himself down.

  Jesus fuck, he’d thought he was going to have to break the studio door down and was going to find Knight passed out on the floor. Thank God he hadn’t.

  He swore to God if he had to, he was going to take the lock right off that door.

  Rook peeked in, frowning. “Everything okay?”

  Bishop checked to make sure Knight was still asleep and slipped out of the bed. “He locked himself in his studio.”

  “Was he pissed off?” Rook frowned. “Wait. He made it all the way to the basement?”

  “Barely. He was sweating and shaking and anything could have happened to him!”

  “Poor Knight.” Rook frowned. “He’s got to be so frustrated.”

  Bishop ran his hand through his hair. “Yeah. Yeah. I imagine so. We gave him Jason’s room for his artwork, though. He can’t be dragging himself down there.”

  Rook nodded. “He’s a grown up, though. We can’t tell him no.”

  Bishop sighed. “I already did.”

  Rook kissed him. “Well, it’s not like he’ll listen, Bish.”

  He snorted and nodded. “He can’t lock us out, Rookie. It’s too dangerous. If he does pass out or something, we need to be able to get in there.” He didn’t know how to do it without making Knight feel like…like he was being babied.

  “Well…” Rook sighed. “I don’t know, love. I mean, he’s so…emotional.”

  Knight always had been temperamental, but it was different now.

  Bishop hugged Rookie. “He needs us to remind him how good it is he’s alive.”

  “He’s going to have to fall down sometimes, too.” Jason joined them. “I think it’s a good sign that he did it, made it downstairs.”

  “And all I could do was yell at him about locking his door.” Man, he’d screwed up today.

  “You were scared.” Jason touched his arm. “And guilty because you were with us.”

  The kid was pretty on the money these days when it came to figuring out what was going on.

  “I might have freaked out some,” was all Bishop would admit to.

  Rook melted against him. “You were worried. He’ll understand that.”

  Jason shrugged. “It happens. We have to watch. I don’t think he could have made it back upstairs yet. He’s too weak.”

  “I wish he hadn’t gone downstairs in the first place. What if he’d fallen? Or he should have at least let one of us know.” Bishop couldn’t help but worry.

  Rook looked at him like he’d lost his mind. “This is Knight we’re talking about.”

  “Point.”

  Jason snorted. “He saw us making love. I think he feels like he’s…unnecessary? Maybe? I don’t know.”

  “But I want to make love with him! I tried!” Rookie looked like he was about to stamp his foot.

  “Oh, stop pouting, Rookie.” He swatted Rook’s ass. “It doesn’t have to be logical—it’s Knight.”

  Jason really did laugh this time, deep and happy. “He’s special. Honest.”

  “He is.” Bishop couldn’t agree more.

  “Of course he is!” Rook gave him a hug. “We’re going to make him better.”

  Bishop didn’t know if that was the truth, but he had to believe.

  “Come on.” Jason linked arms with him. “Let’s go work out. Rook can keep an eye out for Knight.”

  “I totally will. I need to do some paperwork for the stores.”

  “Yeah, okay. Come on, Jase, let me beat your ass. Metaphorically speaking.”

  “Sounds like fun.”

  Bishop found himself grinning. Their Jason had become this fascinating, confident, sexual man who fought for them, with them. Knight had known Jason was the right choice, too. Hell, Knight had found their baby boy for them.

  Jason turned the music on and went over to the bench, starting putting weights on the bar. “Let’s work your upper body out.”

  “Task master.”

  Jason flexed. “You know it.”

  Bishop chuckled and lay down on the bench, grabbed the bar and started bench pressing.

  “Slow down, let your muscles hold the tension.”

  He gave himself over to Jason’s instruction, letting the workout push everything else out of his mind. Soon he was sweating, his muscles groaning. Jason kept him moving from one machine to another, working his muscles in groups.

  By the time the workout was done, he felt clear-headed, sharp. Settled. Ready to encourage Knight to heal, to come back to them physically and mentally. Ready to start again.

  He could do this. He was born to do this. He gave Jason a smile. “Thanks for the workout, Jase.”

  “You’re more than welcome.” Jason grinned at him. “It’s one of the best parts of my day.”

  He gave Jason a hard hug, more touched by the words than he’d have expected. Somehow, weirdly, he and Jason had become friends.

  He slipped his arm around Jason’s shoulders as they headed upstairs. “I need a shower.”

  “Yeah, me too.” He got a quick look. “You want to share?”

  He nodded. “I sure do. Long as Knight doesn’t need me.”

  “That’s fair. I’ll start the water while you check.”

  “Thanks, baby boy.” He slid away to peek in on Knight, finding his lover still in bed, Rook curled up with him.

  Rook had his laptop, was working away, little glasses perched on his nose. Rook was adorable, really. The whole scene was. Bishop couldn’t do anything but believe it was going to be okay when he saw that. He headed for the shower.

  Jason was already in the hot water, soaping himself up.

  “Careful you don’t drop the soap,” he teased.

  “I trust you.” Jason chuckled.

  “You trust me to take you whether you drop the soap or not?” He slid his hand along Jason’s ass cheeks, the glutes strong, lovely.

  “How’s Knight?”

  “Still sleeping. Rook’s working in there with him.”

  “Cool.” Jason started washing him with soap-slick hands, massaging him.

  “God, you’ve got great hands, baby boy.”

  The compliment had Jason smiling. “Thank you. They love your body.”

  “Mmm. You always manage to make me feel better. The workout, this…”

  “I try to. It’s important to me.”

  He turned and kissed Jason. “Thank you.”

  Jason moaned for him, tongue sliding against his. He drew Jason’s tongue into his mouth and sucked on it. He got a soft cry, Jason leaning
closer. He wrapped his arms around his lover, sliding his fingers along Jason’s spine. He loved how Jason trusted him, believed in this thing they’d found.

  He circled the spot in the very small of Jason’s back, where all those little nerves lived to be stimulated, stroked.

  “Bishop.” Jason nodded, cock filling against his thigh.

  “I take care of my lovers too.” They all took care of each other.

  “Yes. Always.”

  He brought their mouths back together again, letting his fingers continue their slow exploration. It was lazy and relaxing, really more about touching than sex. He leaned back against the tile, taking Jason’s weight easily, almost craving it.

  They breathed together, the water pouring over them. It was almost better than sleeping—grounding him, cleaning his head out. It was even better than the working out had been. It was just being, right there, together.

  “Thanks, man. I needed this.”

  “Me too.” Jason nodded, face relaxed, easy.

  He made sure they were both rinsed off and turned the temperature of the water up so it made their skin turn red.

  “Sauna time.” Jason winked, grinning at him.

  “Now there’s a good idea. We should put one in. Off the deck so in the winter we can go jump in the snow between steaming-ups.”

  “Oh, God. Could we? I’d help.”

  “You want to build it ourselves?” It wasn’t a half bad idea. And if they screwed it up too badly, then they could have someone come in and fix it.

  “Why not? We’d have fun trying.”

  “Yeah. Yeah, we would.” He grinned at Jason. “I bet we can find what we need on the internet. Like a do it yourself sauna kit.”

  “I’ll look, make up a budget and stuff.”

  “Don’t worry about the budget, baby boy. We want top of the line, and we can afford it.” Sometimes Jason forgot that they were, well, if not filthy rich, at least very comfortably off. Nah, if they could afford to give the man a million dollars for a year of time, they were filthy rich.

  “Still, I worry. I want to contribute.”

  “You are contributing, Jase. You’re doing the research and we’re going to build it together.”

  He loved the interest, the excitement in Jason’s eyes.

  They were going to have to find other projects to work on, once this one was done. He’d bet he could come up with a huge list.