“I know, but—”
“There’s always going to be someone who thinks me getting spanked or kneeling for Garrett is wrong. I can’t let that stop me, though. Sure, it makes me nervous and I worry, but I can’t let that fear keep me from living my life like I need to. Do you need them? I think that’s what you have to decide.”
Wyatt looked over to Garrett, who was trying to referee something between Calen and Brent. “I love him, but I also need what we have. I’m not going to lose that because of someone else.”
Bryce threw one arm over Wyatt’s shoulders. “When did you get so smart? It certainly wasn’t hanging around this mess.”
Wyatt laughed, shoving Bryce with his hip. “I love your family. Shame on you.”
“Yes, he should be ashamed of himself. For several reasons.” The sharp words coming from behind Bryce had him wincing.
Damn. How long had she been there?
He turned around. “Sorry, Mom.”
“Don’t ‘sorry’ me.” She gave Wyatt a pat on the shoulder. “Wyatt, dear, why don’t you go distract Garrett before Brent and Calen go after him?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Wyatt gave Bryce a you’re-on-your-own look and escaped.
“He’s so sweet.” She smiled as she watched Wyatt hurry away.
Bryce couldn’t even respond before she continued, giving Bryce a disappointed look. “Of course, I didn’t get to meet your young men.”
He winced again. “There was just a lot—”
“Do not give me that line. Why didn’t you bring them? I heard several people raise that question when they thought I wouldn’t notice.” She didn’t seem to appreciate her children trying to keep it from her.
He tried to talk, but she barreled over him again. “Your father and I both would support anyone you love. No matter what they liked or who they were. It doesn’t matter that there are two of them. As long as you’re happy, that’s all that counts.”
He gave her a questioning glance, not even bothering to actually talk. She gave him another look like he was acting ridiculous and charged in again. “You may lose some insureds, but I think you’ll be surprised. Enough about you boys’ escapades has gotten out over the years that they can’t be shocked.”
Bryce looked away, afraid of what his face would reveal. He wasn’t sure what she was talking about exactly, but he didn’t want to start confessing things she might not know. She made another one of those mom sounds that always let them know when she was disappointed and frustrated.
“I think you need to go fix this, don’t you?” She stretched up to kiss his cheek. “Go on. You shouldn’t leave this. I bet they’re worried.”
He gave her a hug. “Thanks. Love you, Mom.”
“Go on. You can’t butter me up until you have your men so I can meet them. Go on, or I’ll sic your brothers on you.” She gave him a deceptively innocent smile. He couldn’t help but think about how much Oliver would be able to learn from her.
He headed out to his car, grateful that people didn’t stop him to ask questions. Bryce wasn’t sure what he would have even said. Telling everyone he was going to Oliver and Troy’s house to grovel didn’t sound like something he needed to share—even if it was the truth.
The drive over didn’t take nearly long enough. He’d thought the words would come to him on the drive over, but they hadn’t. He hadn’t even called them yesterday. They’d talked so often he couldn’t remember a whole day going by recently where he hadn’t at least talked to them on the phone.
What were they thinking?
Words and emotions were turning in his head as he walked up to the door. The countdown in his brain only had seconds left before he had to figure it out, and suddenly even those precious few were gone.
Oliver opened the door.
He was quiet, but Bryce didn’t feel unwelcome, just sorry that he’d upset Oliver. “Hi, kitten.”
Bryce watched as Oliver relaxed, finally giving him a smile. “You know you’re in trouble, right?”
Now that he knew Oliver wasn’t mad, he gave him a dramatic sigh, cuddling close and dropping his voice to a whisper. “Can’t you save me from him? I’m sure you know just what to do. I’ll make it worth your while.”
Oliver giggled, shaking his head. “I can’t give away my secrets. You’ll have to learn them on your own.”
“Will I get a spanking for being an idiot?” That didn’t actually sound too bad. However, he didn’t think it would be that easy.
Oliver leaned into Bryce’s embrace. “No, worse, he’s going to—”
“Make you talk it out.” Troy’s voice came from the doorway where he leaned against the frame, crossing his arms. “Upstairs, you two.”
Bryce gave Oliver a quick glance. “We’re going to get tied to the bed again, aren’t we?”
“Yup.” Oliver nodded, starting to head inside to follow directions. “And I know that look. He might have you tied up for a long time.”
Bryce didn’t understand the look on Oliver’s face. He was missing something. “As a punishment?”
“No.” Oliver’s look turned tender as he walked up the stairs. “Until you understand we’re keeping you.”
Bryce fought back a smile. He didn’t want them to think he found their reactions humorous, but it was adorable and made him warm inside. They were going to keep him. He wasn’t sure he deserved them. All he’d done was question what he and they wanted. He still wasn’t sure he’d made any progress, either.
Sandwiched between Oliver and Troy, Bryce walked up the stairs, thoughts swirling. When it came out, would it really matter to the insureds in his office? He believed Oliver and Troy when they said they wanted a long-term relationship with him, but could they really make it work? Would he be able to sort out the dominant and submissive parts of himself that didn’t always agree on who was in charge? He had more questions than answers, but he knew one thing.
He was where he needed to be.
“Strip down. You can leave your briefs on if you want, but everything else goes. Then climb up.” Troy stood in the doorway and watched Bryce and Oliver. His expression was still guarded, but Bryce saw a warmth in his eyes that made him feel steadier.
Taking off his clothes, Bryce let everything fall into a pile and got up on the bed. He didn’t bother keeping on anything. He didn’t want any barriers between them and he didn’t need to hide from them. Curling up into the pillows, he watched as Oliver joined him on the bed. They stuck out their feet and gave each other a grin.
As silly as it might have looked, Bryce liked the symbolism. He knew it was Troy’s way of making sure Bryce understood how serious they were about communication, but it made him feel like part of their family. The idea that they wanted him enough to tie him down shouldn’t have pleased him as much as it did. They might have been mad at him, but they still…wanted him…needed him…loved him.
Maybe.
Maybe he was overthinking it again.
When Oliver and Bryce were stretched out and patiently waiting, Troy calmly walked over to the bed and tied them down. The cuff would have been easy to remove, but Bryce liked how it felt. Secure.
Troy gave them both a long look. “Are you cold? Do either of you want a blanket?” He was calm and serious, but the heated glance he gave both men let Bryce know he wasn’t unaffected.
Oliver shook his head. “You’re like a big heater. I think we’ll be fine.”
Troy climbed up on the bed and, not even pausing, stretched out between the two men, pulling them close. He gave Bryce, then Oliver simple kisses on their heads and wrapped his arms around them. Bryce let his head fall to Troy’s shoulder, enjoying his warmth and strength.
It made the submissive side of him want to curl up and purr beside his Dom and it made the dominant part of himself sit a little straighter. “I’m sorry for…for everything that I put you through the past couple of days.”
Oliver peeked over Troy’s chest and reached out to take Bryce’s hand. “Are you ready t
o talk about it?”
“Yes.” Bryce relaxed into their touch. “I’ll admit there are a lot of things still floating around in my mind, but it’s not going to keep me away from you.”
“You should have talked to us about what was bothering you.” Troy tightened his hold on Bryce. “Next time I know something’s swirling in your head I’m not going to wait. You’re going to get tied to the bed right away.”
Bryce tried to smother his grin but it didn’t work. “And I won’t let it get that far without talking to you both.”
“It’s okay not to know everything. We just need to be able to talk about it.” Oliver rubbed his fingers over Bryce’s hand.
“That’s probably part of the problem. I like knowing what happens. Whether I’m submitting or dominating, there’s always an element of control. I might be giving that control to someone else, but it’s still mine. You two just send everything in my head flying.” Bryce wasn’t sure it made sense, but Troy and Oliver seemed to understand. They nodded, and Troy reached up to run one strong hand down Bryce’s head.
Not willing to hide, he decided to lay it all out for his men. “Do you want to know one thing I do know?”
Oliver’s eyes twinkled. “Is it dirty?”
“Kitten, that’s not helpful. Do we need to go over the rules again?” Troy gave him a long-suffering look, but the twitch at one corner of his mouth gave him away.
Bryce laughed. “No, but it’s just as good.”
“What?” Oliver’s head came up and he smiled.
Bryce shifted and gave them both short, tender kisses. “I know that I love you two very much.”
Oliver leaned over, wrapped his arms around Bryce, and gave him a silly, smacking kiss. “I knew that. We love you, too.”
Troy laughed. “You’re supposed to let me say that myself.”
Oliver shrugged. “You took too long.”
His men were funny, loving, and wonderfully his. “I think that means you need to punish him, Sir.”
Troy snorted. “Don’t look so eager. We’re not done talking.”
“We’re not?” Bryce felt a little like Oliver.
Giving him a look like he must be crazy, Troy shook his head. “No. I plan on keeping you right here for a very long time.”
Oliver smirked. “Told you so.”
Chapter 14
Troy
Troy watched his boys as they walked into the lounge. They were both striking but so different. Oliver lit up the room, flirting and bouncing around. He loved being noticed and knew just about everyone there. His bottom looked absolutely fuckable in his tiny little shorts, but the front was equally as eye-catching. The thin material didn’t hide the long length of his cock or the thick ring around the base that kept him from getting hard.
When Carter first saw them as he and Grant walked into the lounge from the back hall, his eyes had nearly bugged out of his head. Oliver just bounced over to them both, giving them hugs and completely ignoring that he was nearly naked. Once Carter got over his surprise, he seemed to feel much more confident about his own outfit.
He looked almost fully dressed compared to Oliver.
Grant had mentioned that Carter was still unsure about what he would be wearing, but the feminine, sexy outfit covered the most important parts. That in itself, besides the fact that no one blinked over his feminine style, had him much more relaxed. He clearly wasn’t going to go anywhere without Grant right there beside him, but he wasn’t holding on for dear life, so Troy thought it was wonderful.
Bryce was wearing more clothing than Oliver, but unless someone was naked, it would have almost been impossible to wear less. He was wearing jeans, but was also shirtless and had the same bare feet that Oliver did. They’d talked about the visit to the club several times and had decided that Bryce would go as a Dom, but would let Troy lead for the evening.
It was their first trip up together, but he thought things were going well. As they walked over to the small seating area in the corner of the room, he saw the rest of the family hanging out and talking. Troy and Bryce settled down on the couch, and Oliver knelt on a cushion between the two of them. Wyatt was across from him, kneeling beside Garrett and talking a thousand miles an hour to Oliver and Carter.
Carter was perched on Grant’s lap, cuddled into the Dom’s arms. He stayed close to Grant, but was gradually getting more talkative and laughing at Wyatt’s antics. Every so often, Carter would wave his hands around or say something, making Wyatt laugh. At first, he would look around to see who was watching them, but after a while, he didn’t seem to even think about it.
Troy thought it probably helped that, aside from Oliver, they were the most conservative-looking group in the club lounge. The variety of half-naked to completely naked subs also included a handful of pups and even a few age play couples. Carter’s lingerie and makeup were not the most colorful things in the room.
Brent and Calen were more laid-back. Brent was dressed very similarly to Bryce, but was kneeling on the floor by Calen. They were mostly lost in their own world, talking to and teasing one another. Their heated glances let everyone know those two would be heading off to find some privacy sooner rather than later.
“How are the plans going for next month?” Bryce leaned forward, talking to Garrett.
Garrett rolled his eyes, but Wyatt perked up and started talking a mile a minute with dramatic hand movements that made Troy want to smile. “It’s good but a little frustrating, and we wanted something intimate but she wants something classy, and she’s going a little over the edge.” He took a breath, then charged right back in. “I kept it small, but she won on the clothing and she said you guys had tuxes but I wasn’t sure, and I think it’s going to end up being expensive and I’ve told her it’s not a wedding but she’s not listening. I’m not losing, though. Just on the tuxes and how formal it is.”
Wyatt looked up at Garrett like he was starting to realize he might not have won after all. Garrett smiled, reaching out to stroke Wyatt’s face. “You did wonderful standing up to that freight train. You kept it small and stopped her from renting that banquet room.”
Nodding, Wyatt settled back down. “She’s…Well, she’s your mother, but…”
“She’s a menace who needs a hobby.” Grant spoke up, laughing when Carter frowned at him.
“Grant!”
“Hey, that’s me being nice.” Grant cocked an eye at Carter. “What were you saying last week when she came into the store?”
“Shh, I want her to like me.” Carter looked around like he didn’t quite trust the rest of them not to tell on him.
Grant just beamed like a proud parent whose child was finally learning about the world. Troy was starting to agree with Wyatt and Carter, Bryce’s family was weird. But they were loving and open, so he was making an effort not to let them know how crazy they were.
Some days were harder than others.
Like the dinner where Wyatt and Garrett had announced their plans to have a collaring ceremony. When Bryce’s mother calmly asked if they were having an old-fashioned ceremony where Wyatt would be naked, Oliver almost fell out of his chair and Troy hadn’t been far behind him.
Everyone else seemed to think it was normal, while Wyatt blushed trying to explain that they weren’t going that far. Carter hadn’t been much better than Troy and Oliver. He’d tried to cover his laugh with a cough, but he’d choked and Grant had gone overboard trying to make sure he was okay.
It had gotten Wyatt out of the hot seat, but it had taken Oliver forever to get himself under control. The whole collaring ceremony was turning into a circus and he thought most of the family agreed. None of them wanted to tell their mother no, though.
Looking over to his boys, Troy decided that when they had a formal ceremony, it would be done like an elopement and they would only tell Bryce’s family at the last minute. He wouldn’t fight with Bryce’s mother about how it should be organized. It would be the closest thing he and his boys would have to getting marrie
d and he wasn’t going to let someone else butt in.
Not that he’d mentioned it to the boys.
Oliver was starting to give him looks like he knew what Troy was thinking, but Bryce wasn’t quite ready. In the two weeks since Bryce had come home, realizing they needed to talk about his concerns, things had improved dramatically.
Bryce was more open with what he was feeling and what he needed. Troy hadn’t even felt the need to restrain the boys to the bed so they could talk since that evening. He was planning on rewarding both the next day when Bryce as well as Oliver was submissive.
As they’d talked, they’d found that having a schedule would feel better to Bryce and Oliver. Bryce thought that it would be too hard to change from being in control at work to submitting at home in just the course of a short drive. So they’d decided that, in addition to any time he was over at their house during the week as a Dom, he would spend weekends with Troy and Oliver where he would submit the entire time.
Waking up tied to the bed, even for a few minutes before Troy released them both, helped Bryce to switch over in his head. Troy had even stopped being such a stickler for dates being more about getting to know each other and less about scenes.
“You guys aren’t going to do any better when she gets her paws into you.” Garrett was frowning at the group, but giving special attention to Brent and Calen.
“What? Why us?” Brent shot him a frustrated look.
Troy was wondering the same thing. If anyone was going to be having some kind of a ceremony, he thought it would be Grant and Carter. Carter was still a little nervous, but Grant was determined to keep him close. There wasn’t a better way to let a submissive know you were incredibly serious than to have a ceremony.
“Because she said she’s been watching you two flirt for years and it was time for you to settle down.” Garrett looked like he’d won the lottery when both Brent and Calen looked at him in shock.
“What?” They spoke at the same time.
Oliver was giggling as the drama unfolded. Troy could understand; it was always like watching a TV sitcom. He’d always thought his own family was frustrating until he’d meet Bryce’s. They made his look easygoing and normal.
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