Vidar's ice blue eyes followed his movement, the intense scorching stare of them making Niko's blood race and mouth go dry. He walked until his chest was nearly brushing Vidar's, and without saying a word, reached down and grabbed the hem of his shirt before pulling it over his head. The moment it fell to the mat, Vidar was on him. Big hands gripped the back of his thighs and lifted him up, even as Vidar's mouth descended on his. He kissed and sucked with the tenacity that seemed fueled by an all-consuming need.
Niko held on, legs wrapped tight, hands buried in damp hair, and mouth hanging open as Vidar’s beard roughed up the skin of his face and throat. His back hit the side of the cage, startling him and he gasped, pulling back and dislodging Vidar's mouth. Like an animal bent on consuming its prey, Vidar growled, latching onto Niko's throat, sucking a mark into the sensitive skin beneath his jaw. Niko moaned low, pulsing his hips forward, and grinding his erection against Vidar's stomach.
He cried out as Vidar hoisted him higher, and caught a nipple between his teeth. Niko's hands scrambled, reaching behind himself and gripping the top of the cage. Holding up his weight and using it as leverage to roll his hips seeking friction against Vidar’s sweaty torso. To his left, he was only vaguely aware of the cage door opening, and then Roc was there beside them. While Vidar ravaged his chest with licks and bites, beard scraping across the skin, he leaned to the side and gave Roc his mouth.Vidar growled at the sight of them and Roc pulled back, fusing his mouth with Vidar's in a quick hard kiss before pulling back and holding something up for Vidar to see.
"Fuck yes," Vidar said, lowering Niko's legs to the floor and slipping his hands inside the waistband of his shorts. Blue eyes met his, and the Vidar looking at him was the one who always took care of him, that made sure he didn't have to drive in the snow, that made sure he had enough to eat, made sure he was always safe. His lust addled brain calmed, and he saw that it was condoms and a bottle of lube that Roc had in his hand. Niko groaned, yes. He wanted that. He slid his hands beside Vidar's under the waistband of his shorts and pushed them down his legs. "Yes, yes, yes," he chanted, grabbing hold of Vidar's shoulders and jumping back up to wrap his legs around Vidar’s waist.
The hard length of his dick slid over Vidar’s stomach and one big hand wrapped around it, stroking him roughly. Niko arched and groaned, grabbing the top of the cage again, anchoring his shoulders against it, rolling his hips, and fucking himself through Vidar's fist. Roc moved to stand behind Vidar. Vidar held out one hand to the side accepting a squirt of lube, and then he reached a hand under Niko, and without pause, slid one slick finger into him. Niko cried out, hands spasming where they held his death grip on the cage as Vidar immediately, relentlessly plunged one and then two fingers in and out of him, Niko held on tight, holding most of his weight as Roc pulled Vidar's shorts down his legs.
Niko watched as Roc ran his hands all over Vidar's glistening body, and then tore open a condom wrapper and rolled the latex down the hard length he could feel prodding at his ass.
Vidar removed his fingers and stepped forward, pressing Niko's body against the cage and met his eyes. He was breathing hard—hot puffs of air skating over Niko's flushed skin. He watched him for a moment, eyes searching Niko's. Niko wasn't sure exactly what he was looking for, but he lowered his hands from the top of the cage and wrapped them around Vidar’s shoulders and brought their lips together.
"I want this," he whispered against the skin of Vidar's lips. Vidar leaned him back against the side of the cage again and reached beneath him to guide himself inside. Niko grabbed the top of the cage, lifting himself up, only to lower down as Vidar's cock breached his hole. The burn of the first push spread through him, making him pant and clench his eyes shut, but he wanted it more than he'd ever wanted anything in his life—this connection, this tangible certainty that he was theirs and they were his. He opened his eyes and stared into Vidar’s as he was filled to the brim, sure that the fierce love he had for these two men was written all over his face.
Chapter Fifteen
Rocco was sure he'd never seen anything hotter in his entire fucking life. He came to spend the night with Niko, getting back late from doing a little reconnaissance for a case he was considering. He had expected to find Vidar and Niko in Niko's apartment, but when he hadn't found them there, he wandered down into the tattoo shop, only to grind to a halt in the reception area. When he caught sight of what was happening in the gym beyond, Vidar looking like a beast feasting on a precious delicacy as he pressed Niko back against the side of the cage ravishing his mouth and body. And Niko looked absolutely lost to his lust and completely debauched from Vidar's roving mouth and hands. It had taken all his strength to pull himself away and run back upstairs to dig in Niko's bedside drawer, praying he’d find lube and condoms there.
It had been worth it. Vidar was thrusting into Niko in a punishing rhythm, making them both moan as Niko grip the top of the cage, holding on like his life depended on it. Vidar let him hold most of his own weight keeping a hard grip on Niko's hips while he leaned back enough for leverage on his thrusts. From Niko’s delirious cries of pleasure, and the way his hard dick was bouncing with every move, Roc didn’t think Niko would last much longer.
With quick movements, he shed his clothes, lubed the fingers of one hand, and reached behind himself to press two fingers inside. He groaned at the feel of it, anchoring his other hand on Vidar’s shoulder and matching the thrusts of his own fingers with that of Vidar's body into Niko's. There was something in the intensity of Vidar's fucking, in the serious set of his jaw, and the lust darkened blue of his eyes. Something had rattled their big man, and while Rocco didn't know what it was, if Vidar needed to fuck it out of his system, much like Niko, he was both ready and willing to be what Vidar needed.
Niko's moans morphed into a rough shout as his dick spasmed, and then shot cum all over his chest. Vidar growled, fucking him through it, and then caught Niko as his strength failed him, and he started to slide down the cage. Vidar lowered Niko’s shaky legs and kissed him hard, pushing his hands into the sweaty mop of Niko's dark hair. Then Vidar turned to him, his cock was still hard inside the empty condom, and Roc reached forward pulling off the latex and tossing it on the pile of his clothes before bending down to grab the other packet.
He kissed Vidar as both their hands worked to roll the new condom down his length. Then he turned around and dropped to his knees in the middle of the cage before lowering his hands to the floor, as well, and looking back over his shoulder at Vidar. Vidar's nostrils flared as his eyes roved over Rocco's body, a creeping flush following the movement. Vidar stepped behind him and lowered himself down, using his knees to knock Rocco's thighs farther apart. Rocco gasped and dropped to his elbows, anticipation racing through him at the feel of Vidar behind him.
Vidar pushed a finger inside. "You ready for me?"
"Yes," Roc moaned, fucking himself back on Vidar's finger. The fingers disappeared, and a moment later, something much broader took its place. The thick head of Vidar's cock pierced him in a steady push until Vidar's balls slapped against his own, and they both stilled, groaning at the sensation of it. Then Vidar clamped his hands down on Rocco's hips and gave him only a couple shallow thrusts before he was pistoning in over and over, knocking Rocco forward, making him brace and press back with all his strength to keep from being forced flat to the mat.
The friction was overwhelming, an all-consuming pleasure pain that drowned out every sensation, except Vidar's cock hammering into him—until white-hot suction closed around his dick.
He cried out, lost in the feel of his men pleasuring, using, his body. He glanced down to see Niko laying sideways beside them, head lifted off the mat, lips stretched around Roc’s cock, and eyes closed in bliss. He didn't even have to move as each snap of Vidar's hips, sent Roc back and forth, seesawing through the warm, wet suction of Niko's mouth. The orgasm that had been building slowly charged ahead until it was a blinding blur behind his eyes, splintering him into a million
pieces as he came with a shout down Niko's throat. He was vaguely aware of Vidar’s roar behind him, of Vidar pushing in one last time and grinding his hips against Rocco's ass. He felt bereft as Niko released him, and Vidar pulled out of his body, until Vidar hit the mat beside him, sweaty and red-faced, reaching out his hands to pull them both close.
Vidar's heart slowed in his chest as his breathing came back to normal and he pulled his lovers close. He was on his back in the middle of the cage with Roc on one side and Niko on the other.
"Not that I'm complaining, because I'm not, that was fucking awesome, but," Niko said, tilting his head up and meeting Vidar's eyes. "Are you okay?"
Vidar pulled in a deep breath, getting his body back under control and gathering his thoughts. He felt like all he'd done recently was confess; about things he felt responsible for, about things he knew he'd fucked up, and he supposed this wouldn't be any different. But he was worried that no matter how much they cared about him, they might view him differently after this next one. Dropping his chin, he pressed his lips to Niko's forehead, holding him there and breathing him in, even as he tightened his arms where he was holding Niko and Roc both.
"Vi," Roc said. "What is it? You know we’re here for you no matter what."
Vidar turned his face to his other lover. "I know. Daniel Proffitt called me today. He wants me to do one more fight in the MMAPRO."
Roc's brow furrowed. "Okay, is that a bad thing?"
"Not necessarily. But the reason for the fight might be."
Niko propped himself up on an elbow. "What's the reason?"
“I’ve fought the guy before. When I was seventeen.”
“Seventeen?” Roc asked, propping himself up as well so that he and Niko were both looking down at Vidar. “Stella signed for you to fight before you were eighteen?”
“No.” He took a deep breath, relishing the feeling of having them both there and in his arms. “It was an underground fight.”
Roc’s eyes widened a fraction and Niko’s brow furrowed.
“That gym I worked for after we left my dad? One of the guys who hung around recruited me. I knew it was wrong, but at the time, the money was worth the risk of getting caught.”
“Jesus, Vi. Those fight circuits are fucking dangerous.” Roc stabbed the fingers of one hand into his dark hair, tugging at it like he was picturing all the ways Vi could have been injured or worse.
“I know. I hurt someone in one of those fights. Beat the hell out of him and broke his arm and now, well, I guess it wasn’t enough to stop him from fighting because he’s worked his way up the ranks and wants a re-match.”
“In the MMAPRO?”
“Yes.” Vidar looked from the worried lines in Roc’s forehead, to Niko, who’d been silent since his admission. Finding Niko’s eyes lowered and his lips pressed hard together, sent a jolt of uneasiness through him. “Niko?”
Beautiful, dark eyes opened to meet his, but he still didn’t speak.
“Baby, you can say whatever you need to say.”
When Niko opened his mouth, what tumbled out was the last thing Vidar expected. “I don’t want him to hurt you.”
Vidar blew out a breath and raised up enough to kiss Niko’s lips. “So little faith in me, huh?”
“That’s not what I meant. It’s been all these years; why challenge you to a fight now?”
“I asked the same question, honestly, and after I got off the phone with Daniel, I looked him up. Apparently, once Drake got out of the underground fight scene, he went legit and has fought his way through the amateur circuits in several countries. Undefeated.”
“He wants to set the record straight,” Roc said, pulling himself up and sitting cross-legged so he could see them both.
“That’s my thinking.”
“But that doesn’t make any sense,” Niko protested, sitting up as well. “You still beat him. It’s still a loss, and it’s not even a loss that’s on his record, right?”
“Fighters are weird about stuff like that.” Roc rested his hand on Vidar’s thigh, running his fingers through the crinkly blond hairs there. “If he beats Vi now, then it’s a wash. This win would cancel out that loss.”
“That’s dumb,” Niko said, a petulant pout in his voice, making his bottom lip stick out. He was so fucking adorable Vidar could barely stand it. Curling himself up to sitting, he looked at each of them in turn.
“I’m taking the fight.” Before either of them could protest, he lifted his hand. “I need to do this. After that fight, I never thought I’d be able to close my eyes without hearing the snap of Drake’s bone. He deserves this re-match, and at least this time, it will be a legal, sanctioned fight for all the world to see and not some bare-knuckle brawl in a dirty diner basement.”
“When?” Roc asked.
Niko sat chewing of his bottom lip, his silence more telling than any words he might say. He didn’t like it. Vidar understood that, but they would have to find some way to move forward regardless.
“The first week of May.”
Chapter Sixteen
March blew in rainy and cold, and even though Niko would like to be cuddled up under a blanket with one of his men, he was sitting in the sweat-scented gym on the edge of the cage’s platform watching Rory and Vidar spar.
Rory was still making time to train with him and Luca, but the preparation for Vidar’s fight had grown into a living, fire-breathing demon that had taken over their lives. Niko knew he shouldn’t feel that way, and did his absolute best to be supportive on the outside, but on the inside? He was scared. Who came back a million years later and demanded a re-match on such short notice? It sounded a lot more like someone seeking revenge then some dude trying to re-establish his fight cred or whatever.
Fighters usually spent months and months training for fights. Vidar had two. True, he was in top shape, but he hadn’t actually been in a fight in ages. Niko felt he had the right to worry, but everyone else had jumped right on the bandwagon. Except sometimes he’d catch this look on Rocco’s face—when Vi was crawling out of bed at four a.m. to get to the gym or would have to ice his knee after a hard spar—that said Roc was feeling some of the same trepidation he was. Vidar hurt Drake, and now Drake wanted to hurt Vidar. It was the tale of schoolyard fights the world over.
Niko had always admired the fighters around him, called so many of them friend, but he’d never loved one of them. Not the way he loved Vidar, and for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out a way to settle the unrest in his belly and accept that his lover was going to willingly walk into a cage with a man who had every intention of hurting him. Maybe it was easier for Harbor and Theo because they were both fighters, but he didn’t know how they did it.
“Bored, yet?” Dagen’s voice came from behind him. He turned to see the youngest and biggest Rourke brother smiling at him as he rested his hands on the platform next to Niko’s hip.
Niko shot him a tight-lipped smile. “Not bored, exactly. Just...concerned.”
“I can understand that,” Dagen said, eyes following his brother’s movements inside the cage. “He’s tough though, you know? Vi’s not going to let anyone walk all over him, regardless of their past.”
After Vidar had confessed about his involvement with illegal fights when he was younger, he’d told his family, too. That Sunday dinner had been an awkward one. It had been hard to listen to Vidar tell his mom that he’d agreed to the fights because that money allowed him to help pay rent and keep food in their bellies. Stella cried. He thought Vidar almost cried, but they’d come out of it stronger than ever, and Vidar was lighter. The ever present scowl Niko was accustomed to seemed to lessen with every passing day. And the sex...well, Niko couldn’t bring himself to complain about that. Vidar was voracious—completely insatiable when it came to him and Rocco.
Niko was often thankful there were two of them because he couldn’t imagine either of them having to keep up on their own. Then there were moments like this when he was so worried and all he wanted was a
moment of reassurance, for Vidar to see him sitting there and call a time-out so he could spend a few minutes with Niko that didn’t involve their dicks or fight preparations.
“I know. But...he’s mine, you know? How would you feel if it was Ollie heading into some grudge match?” When Dagen didn’t immediately reply, Niko shook his head. “Yeah. Sorry, I’m just tired and irritated. Will you tell him I said, bye? I need to go to work and his highness can’t be bothered to pause his spar.”
Spinning around, Niko hung his legs over the side of the platform and hopped down, ignoring Dagen’s wide eyes.
“Yeah, I’ll tell him. Drive safe, okay?”
“I will. Thanks, Dagen.”
He was half-way up the aisle in the center of the gym when he heard Vidar call out to him.
“Niko!”
Every last irritated fiber of his brain was screaming at him to keep putting one foot in front of the other until they carried him right out the door.
“Niko.” Vidar’s voice was closer now. Niko grit his teeth, a deep, unhappy feeling knotting his chest. He stopped and turned, meeting worried blue eyes.
“I’ve got to go to work,” he said, trying to keep the burn he could feel building behind his eyes in check. He wasn’t even sure what he wanted, other than for Vidar to not be gearing up for this stupid fight, so he dropped his eyes to Vidar’s chest and waited.
“Okay. Be safe,” Vidar said, leaning down to kiss him.
Niko pressed their lips together for a beat, then pulled away, never meeting Vidar’s eyes. “I’ll see you later.” He turned and rushed out the door before he said something that made him feel even smaller than he already did.
Open Wounds: The Boxed Set Page 45
