Chaps & Cappuccinos

by A. J. Macey

  “Maybe that’s what I was hoping for,” I whispered, a buzz of excitement filling my veins as I teased back even though Kingston and Jesse were nearby.

  “We can definitely make that happen if that’s what you want.” Jesse’s voice startled me, his soft laugh telling me he knew exactly what he had done.

  “Meany,” I called, sticking my tongue out at him.

  “Oh, so you’re telling me you don’t want that then, Em?” Jesse challenged, his eyes dragging down my body incredibly slowly. “Too bad.”

  “Aww, Jesse, be nice,” Kingston chastised playfully. “Our girl’s getting uncomfortable.”

  “I am not,” I countered even though I was. Knowing we were near other students while my panties were starting to grow wet was definitely not what I’d planned for today.

  “Then why are you shifting your hips like you need some relief, hm?” Reid murmured. His lips brushed over the crest of my ear, sending a shiver down my spine.

  “Wouldn’t you like to know?” I sassed with a smile. “If you won’t tell me what we’re doing, will you at least tell me where we’re going?”

  “King’s,” Jesse told me at the same time that Kingston said, “Our house.” They narrowed their eyes at each other in a battle of wills; Jesse refused to acknowledge that Kingston’s home was now his as well, and it drove King crazy.

  “Okay, so I’ll follow you?” I asked, breaking their staring contest. After they nodded, I slipped into the driver seat of my car and waited for it to heat up. As I did, my phone started to buzz. Digging it out of my pocket, I saw my dad’s name flashing on the screen. I hesitated briefly, feeling slightly odd after not really having talked to him since moving and meeting my actual dad, but I answered before the call could end.

  “Hey, Dad,” I greeted. Placing it on speaker, I pulled out of my spot and followed the guys.

  “Hey, sweetheart. I just wanted to call and tell you Happy Valentine’s Day.” As soon as I heard his voice, my chest squeezed and a pang of sadness washed over me. With everything that had happened, he was still my dad, even if he wasn’t the one who had given me my genetics.

  “Happy Valentine’s Day to you too,” I responded, my voice thick as I tried to keep the lump in my throat from strangling me. “I’m really sorry I haven’t called or anything recently. It’s just been so crazy, and I was trying to get through school and work, but I’ve missed you, Daddy.”

  “I’ve missed you too, sweetheart,” he told me, his own words growing emotional.

  We’d been through so much over the last six months, from growing apart to the disaster at Christmas, but after he finally told me the truth about everything… about wanting to reconnect, it felt like all of the stuff before it didn’t truly matter. He was my dad, and he cared about me, just like I cared about him.

  “And it’s all right, we’ve both been pretty awful at communicating, but we’re talking now and that’s what matters,” he reminded, seeming to know exactly what I was thinking. “Any fun plans for tonight?”

  “I’m hanging out with my boyfriends, but they’re keeping our plans a surprise. And before you worry, it’s at one of their houses, so their parents will be there.”

  “Boyfriends, huh? How many do you have exactly?” he asked, his tone curious and hesitant. Refreshingly, there was no judgement threaded within his questions, unlike my mom’s every word.

  “Uh... three?” I hedged before rushing to explain. “They’re friends, and it was their idea because they all liked me, and I liked all of them, and we didn’t want to have any jealousy or anything.”

  “So, the three of them date you and then you date them?” he repeated, trying to understand.

  “Yeah, it’s just us.” The more we talked, the more my worry grew. What if he reacts like my mom did?

  “Are you happy? With them, I mean.”

  “Yeah, I am,” I admitted, turning onto Kingston’s street.

  “Then that’s all that matters to me. I’ll let you go so you can enjoy your night. Want to talk this weekend or next week sometime?”

  “I’d love that, Dad,” I agreed, my eyes starting to water for a totally different reason than sadness. “I’ll talk to you soon, love you.”

  “I love you too, sweetheart. Have fun.”

  With that, we hung up, my cheeks hurting from how wide my smile was. I was so glad I had just thrown my car in park because a wall of watery shapes filled my vision. For the first time in a long time, I felt like some semblance of my past hadn’t been ripped away from me.

  At least one of my parents still supports me.

  6

  February 14th

  Already made a joke for today, can’t think of anything else funny…unless funny equals horny then there’s plenty of that.

  #DeathByTeasing #TripleTheLove #TripleTheFun #FunnyFriday

  The guys were all climbing out of the car at different paces, Reid’s brows drawing down when he saw me in my car crying. As soon as he did, he came over quickly and opened the door.

  “What’s wrong? Why are you crying, Cali girl?”

  “Happy tears. Just talked with my dad, like my Cali dad. I’ve missed him, and it was just nice to hear his voice. That’s all, babe, promise,” I reassured him, slipping out of the car. “He asked me about you guys and said that if you make me happy, then that’s all that matters. It was nice to hear someone being supportive.”

  “That’s great, Babydoll,” Kingston told me with a smile, him and Jesse having come over while I was explaining. “Come on, it’s cold out here.” When we walked in, my brows knitted together as I looked around the front hall. It was quiet and seemingly empty. “My parents are out on a date, and Kill’s staying at a friend’s for the night. They said we were good to be here as long as we behave.”

  “Lame,” Reid playfully whined. “Who wants to behave? Boooring,” he teased, drawing out the word.

  “Oh, shush,” I said with a laugh, hanging my coat up in the closet and taking off my boots near the door. “So... what are the plans?”

  They didn’t have to tell me, because when I walked down the hall and into the kitchen eat-in area, I found the island filled with baking items. There was a bag each of flour and sugar, measuring cups and spoons, cookie sheets, two stand mixers, and more ingredients lined up on top of the marble countertop. A smile spread across my face when I got closer and found heart-shaped cookie cutters, red and pink sprinkles, and Valentine’s Day-themed cupcake wrappers.

  “Baking?” I asked excitedly. “I love to bake!”

  “Figured we could put on some music, make some delicious treats, and then curl up on the couch and watch a movie while we binge on all of the sugar,” Reid explained, shuffling back and forth as if suddenly nervous about their plans.

  “We wanted you to be able to relax and enjoy yourself,” Jesse tacked on quietly. His hands were tucked behind him oddly, but Kingston started talking before I could question his strange behavior.

  “There will always be dinner and movies and fancy dates,” Kingston stated with a small shrug, “but we know how much you enjoy making memories and being able to scrapbook them. Happy Valentine’s Day.”

  Jesse shifted at the end of the sentiment, both he and Reid echoing it as he held out a gift. It was a small box, wrapped in sparkly wrapping paper and no less than three bows somehow squeezed on top. Taking it, I carefully plucked each bow off and stuck it to the boy I thought had picked it out. Brightly colored and extravagant with lots of little curly-q ribbons for Reid, a giant bow that was almost three times the size of the others for Kingston, and finally, a simple yet sparkly bow for Jesse.

  “How’d you know?” Reid questioned.

  “Because she knows us,” Jesse said with a grin.

  “Go on, Babydoll, open it,” Kingston urged happily. I made quick work of ripping off the wrapping paper and opened the box. Inside sat an instant printer, one that would connect to my phone and could print out photos whenever I felt like. A cute valentine sat next to i
t, a sweet ‘we love you’ scribbled on the red paper heart.

  “It’s perfect. Thank you, guys!” I squealed, putting it down on the counter and rushing into them for a group hug. “I have gifts for you three too!”

  It was similar to their Christmas presents, something they could each get use out of. Another graphic t-shirt for Reid, this one with a statement of ‘guess what’ with an arrow pointing to a chicken’s butt. It was silly and made me shake my head when I saw it, but it was a joke my sweet clown would find funny. For Kingston, a few more pairs of fuzzy socks since I’d noticed several of his Christmas ones were already getting holes from being worn so much. Lastly was Jesse, who had been watching the others open theirs. I’d gotten him a new set of drawing pencils and sketch pad since the last time I saw his current ones I noted they were nearly used up.

  “This shirt is probably one of my favorites. Thanks, Cali girl.” Reid laughed as he held the shirt for the others to see.

  “I love these! I can never have too many socks,” Kingston exclaimed, his eyes lighting up as he smiled at the pairs in his hands.

  “How’d you know I was almost out of paper?” Jesse asked softly.

  “Saw it by accident last time we had our study session. Besides, even if you weren’t, I had hoped you’d use them eventually,” I explained with a smile.

  “Thank you, Em,” Jess whispered, putting the lid back on the box and setting it on the table. The rest of us followed suit, my stomach growling with the very thought of baking.

  “Now, who’s ready to make some yummy snacks?” Clapping, I practically skipped over to the counter. “What exactly do we have ingredients for?”

  “Tarts, cookies, brownies, cake, basically whatever you want,” Kingston laid out for me, pulling out a binder nearly exploding with laminated recipes. He handed me the cookbook and we all flipped through it, each of us working on claiming our own dessert. Kingston and Reid got started, picking their desserts quickly, leaving Jesse and me to continue perusing the pages.

  “What are you thinking about making, Em?” Jess murmured, his arms curling around my waist so he could hold me against his muscled body. The sensation of his taut planes pressing against me was slightly distracting, so to save myself from doing something embarrassing, I picked the recipe the book was open on.

  “Tarts.” My voice was breathy as his fingers started to trace my sides. Goosebumps flared over my skin at his touch, the beat of my heart thudding more rapidly in my ears. “Did you know the first valentine ever was written from prison?” Jesse’s laughter was soft, his breath shifting my hair, but he stopped his teasing at my rambled fact.

  “I didn’t know that, but I’m excited to see your tarts, Love,” he told me sweetly, as if he hadn’t just purposely tried to wind me up. Jesse gave me a soft peck on the cheek and made his way over to the baking ingredients. Since the guys had chosen to make cookies, brownies, and cupcakes, I went to the refrigerator and started picking through the fruits lining the shelves and bins, deciding on strawberry, cherry, and apricot.

  We worked without much talking, letting the music playing through Kingston’s house speakers fill the kitchen with noise. As I got started on the crust, I glanced around, taking in each guy as they took turns working with the stand mixers, oven, and stove. Reid was rolling his cookie dough in between his hands before plopping them onto his baking sheet. His curls flopped into his eyes, requiring him to rub his forearm over his face in an attempt to sweep the hair away.

  Kingston was using the whisk to add in his brownie ingredients, his head tilting as he inspected inside the bowl. A small grin spread across my face as he snatched up the recipe. His eyes narrowed, and his brows furrowed in confusion as he tried to figure something out. After a few moments, his expression smoothed into understanding, and he grabbed the next ingredient. Jesse was ahead of all of us, sticking his cupcake tins into the oven before stepping over to the decorating items. It was cute to watch him take his time picking out what color frosting and sprinkles he wanted.

  We continued to all work in comfortable silence for another half hour in the single space without issue—much to my surprise. It probably helped that Kingston’s family had a kitchen that would make any at-home chef drool—two wall ovens, an oversized fridge and freezer, and a giant oven stove combination. Those, along with the copious amounts of countertops, allowed us to work in peace, though the roominess certainly didn’t stop them from rubbing up against me or crowding into my space whenever they got a chance.

  Not that I mind, of course, I thought when Kingston leaned over, pressing a kiss to the top of my head as he poured his brownie batter into the pan. I nearly reached out to dip my finger into it, the chocolatey goodness already looking yummy, but I stopped myself.

  “So, what exactly are you making, Babydoll?” he questioned, when I began to roll out my pastry dough and cut out the hearts I would put on top of fruit filling.

  “Tarts! Decided to do little pastry hearts on top as an extra touch.” I held up the metal cookie cutters, pointing to the dough heart that was left on the cutting board. “One for each of you actually. How do they look? Obviously they’ll look better when they come out of the oven, but hopefully they don’t look horri—”

  “They look wonderful, Babydoll,” he cut me off, shooting me a reassuring smile.

  “You ready for the oven now, Cali girl? What about you, King?” Reid asked as he pulled his own dessert out, the second oven dinging with the pre-heated signal.

  “Yup! Just need another few seconds,” I explained. Placing the last two cut out hearts on top, I finished constructing my tarts.

  “Yeah I’m ready now, but it’ll take a while to bake. You two almost done?” Kingston said as he put his pan in the oven. I followed suit, handing over my pan for its quick baking time

  Glancing over at the others, I saw them nod, Reid shoving a freshly baked cookie into his mouth. His rapid, open-mouthed breathing made me giggle, but my clown didn’t seem to care that the cookie was too hot to be eaten since he shoved a second in immediately after.

  “Movie time, then?” Jesse prompted, his focus intent on his cupcakes. He’d been the first to finish his baked treats, giving his cupcakes time to cool before he decorated them. As he frosted each with a pink swirl, he hunched over and made sure to hit the top with a pinch of red sprinkles. It was cute, and I loved seeing him getting so serious and into our Valentine’s Day date.

  “My tarts won’t take long since I baked the crust earlier. It’s just the final touches that need to bake,” I told him, glancing at the timer as it counted down. “Do you guys have a movie in mind?”

  “Nope, figured you could browse the movies and pick,” Reid explained.

  “Once your tarts are out, we can go up and check the shelves in the room. Give Jesse time to finish decorating his cupcakes. Sound good, Babydoll?” Kingston asked.

  Nodding, I waited patiently for the timer to go off. After a little while later, right when it was about to ding, I turned it off and pulled out the tray of tarts. As soon as they were situated, King held his hand out for me to take. We didn’t talk as we ascended the stairs, but as soon as we reached his room, I became very aware that it was just him and me. Alone in his bedroom with no parents around.

  “You look pretty today, Babydoll,” he murmured, warm coffee brown eyes centering on my face. A hint of heat flared as he stepped closer, the tips of his fingers caressing my cheek softly.

  “I think you look very handsome in your new shirt,” I whispered, excited nerves rattling through me as I ran a palm down the front of his new emerald green flannel.

  “Thanks.”

  I wasn’t sure if it was the bright smile that spread over his face making my heart pitter-patter, or if it was the affection in his gaze as he looked at me, but I had a sudden surge of boldness fill me. Grabbing hold of his shirt in a tight grasp, I popped up onto my toes. Kingston seemed to know what I wanted because he met me halfway, our kiss a unique mixture of eagerness and jitte
rs.

  He tasted like chocolate and sugar, the sweetness only adding to the heat that had started to build as our lips locked. As Kingston’s tongue slid along the seam of my lips, begging for entrance, I realized I wasn’t the only one feeling bold today. Opening, I tenderly brushed my tongue against his. Each lingering kiss sent another wave of excitement through me, my skin tingling with anticipation.

  Slipping his hands around my waist, Kingston roved my curves softly until finally starting to work lower. My heart thudded loudly in my ears as his fingers brushed across my butt. I was nervous, yet I wanted more. King and I hadn’t gotten much alone time together. We’d never gone too far, and even though the others were downstairs, I wanted to savor our time together on our first Valentine’s Day.

  “Did you know,” he whispered, his lips brushing against mine with each word. As he talked, Kingston started to walk me toward the bed slowly. “That ever since you told me about your bath I haven’t been able to get it out of my head?” Everything in me ignited at the heat in his voice.

  “Really?” I asked, my question sounding breathy even to my ears.

  “Mhm, daydreaming about it when I’m relaxing. Imagining what I would do if I had been there.” Each word filled me, my mind thinking of all the things I had pictured before. “Might have even gotten off imagining it,” he revealed, stunning me. An image of Kingston jacking off appeared in the front of my thoughts, and a surge of need built in my core.

  Before I could say anything, he kissed me deeply. When I reached the edge of the bed, the soft mattress pressed against the back of my legs, urging me to lie back against it. Letting go of his shirt, I scooted up onto the bed, King following me with a small grin. Something in his movements sent a shiver down my spine; his eyes were sparkling with excitement and his smile was tentative, but each step closer felt like he was prowling toward me. And if I was honest with myself, I had to admit I loved it. Kingston was always the laidback one of the three, but when we were alone, his confidence shone through.