Arlen

by Catherine Lievens

  Arlen turned and faced Jared. “I forgot to ask something.”

  “Yes?”

  “Can I have sex?”

  Nick slapped his hand on his face while Jared laughed. He couldn’t believe Arlen was so direct, especially about things like that.

  “Yes, you can. I’d just advise you to be on your back if you’re planning to do it before your legs are steady. You wouldn’t want to collapse at the wrong moment.”

  Nick groaned. Were they out to get him? Because it sure felt like it.

  “Aeron is waiting for you outside. He’ll take you home.”

  Well, at least it wasn’t Nysys. That would’ve been way worse.

  Arlen rushed to the door and Nick took the time to stop and thank Jared before following his mate. Arlen was chatting with a guy Nick vaguely recognized, probably from the raid where they’d freed Arlen, Elliott, and the others. Nick extended his hand without saying anything and the Nix smirked and took it. “Ready?”

  Arlen beamed and took the man’s other hand, and a few seconds later they were on the porch of Nick’s home. He looked at the Nix. “Thank you.”

  “No worries. Bye.” The man disappeared, and yup, Nick still wasn’t all that used to shimmering. Arlen opened the door and Nick followed him inside.

  “Did you manage to talk to Gentry?”

  Nick shook his head. “No. He didn’t answer when I called or texted him.”

  “Do you think he ran?” There was a glimmer of worry in Arlen’s eyes and he was wrinkling his brows.

  “He told us he’d wait and talk.”

  “Doesn’t mean he didn’t decide he knew better and ran.”

  “Let’s look in the bedroom, okay?”

  Nick’s heart was beating fast as they made their way to the bedroom. They both could hear someone was there, moving around, so at least Gentry hadn’t run. Yet.

  He was throwing clothes into his suitcase when Nick followed Arlen inside the room. The three of them froze, Gentry looking like a deer caught in the headlights, ready to bolt, his eyes huge. A pair of dress pants was on the bed next to the suitcase and he’d put a pair of jeans on, but he’d kept his dress shirt.

  “What are you doing?” Arlen asked, his fists tightening.

  “I’m packing.”

  “I can see that. Why are you packing?”

  Gentry sighed and slumped a bit forward. “Because I already know how this is going to go, even if you don’t want to see it.”

  “So what, you decided to skip the talk? To dump Nick without an explanation?”

  Gentry put his hands up. He looked weary and sad, and most of all, defeated. “Fine, all right. Do you want to go in the kitchen or in the living room?”

  Arlen seemed to deflate, his anger disappearing as fast as it had appeared. “Living room, please.”

  They trudged out of the room, first Arlen, then Gentry, and finally Nick, almost as if they could keep Gentry there by sandwiching him between them. Arlen led the way to the living room and sat on the couch, pulling Gentry along by his hand.

  Gentry scooted as far away from Arlen as he could and Arlen made a hurt expression. “You didn’t mind being close to me yesterday, or the days before.”

  “It’s different now. You’re not a wolf anymore.”

  Arlen opened his mouth but Nick stopped him before he could start accusing or fighting. “We all need to keep calm, all right? And we need to respect everyone’s wishes, no matter how much they hurt.”

  He sat on the coffee table so that he could face both men. One was his lover, the other one his mate, and he wanted them both, although for different reasons. He loved Gentry and he didn’t want to lose him, but his wolf and his instincts wanted Arlen.

  “I don’t want you to go, Gentry. I’ll leave before I let that happen.” Arlen wrung his fingers in his lap as he talked.

  Nick stayed out of it, even though he wanted to argue. Gentry needed to hear that Nick wasn’t the only one who wanted him there if they wanted a chance to make this work.

  “You can’t leave Nick. He’s your mate.”

  “So what?” Arlen’s voice was rising. “You’re his lover. Why should that be less important? It’s not like he’s human. We don’t have to mate to keep him healthy or make him live longer.”

  Gentry’s hands were trembling and he pressed them on his thighs. “I know you mean well, Arlen, and believe me, I want what you’re offering. I love Nick, and I think I could fall in love with you, in time.”

  “Then what’s the problem?” Arlen asked gently. He reached out and took one of Gentry’s hands in his.

  “I don’t think the mate bond will allow you two to do this over time. You might be okay with it now, but what will happen when you see me kissing Nick? Or when you see us making love?”

  “You forget I already saw all of that, Gen. I was a wolf for months, and I lived here. Okay, so I was more often outside than in here, but still. I saw you together. I even peeked in on purpose the first few times!”

  That was news to Nick, and wow, he’d never have imagined he’d find it so hot. The thought of being watched while he and Gentry had sex tickled something in him.

  “So you’re... okay with it?” Gentry asked hesitantly.

  “Yes. I thought I’d have to wait years before I could be human again. I got to know both of you, and I like both of you. I’d accepted the fact that I’d have to watch from outside, but now I don’t have to. I can be inside, with both of you.”

  Gentry looked at Nick. “What about you? Arlen might’ve had the time to get used to it, but you haven’t. How will you react if you see us kissing or—or having sex?”

  Nick looked at his hands. “Honestly? I don’t know. I want both of you, so a threesome sounds good... in theory. I’m not sure how I’ll react, though. I hope I’ll take it well, but my wolf wasn’t very happy this morning when Arlen asked me to leave you two alone.”

  “But you can work on it, right?” Arlen’s voice was eager, and Nick’s wolf reacted to it. It wanted to make their mate happy, and if that was what Arlen wanted...

  Nick nodded and Arlen beamed at him. Gentry was a bit more hesitant, but he was smiling too, and Nick hated that he might be about to squash their happiness. “What about mating, though?”

  “We won’t mate,” Arlen declared.

  Nick’s brows rose on his forehead. “Oh?”

  “It would leave Gentry out of it. He won’t be able to share the bond with us, and if we want this to work we have to be equal in it.” Arlen narrowed his gaze at Nick, silently daring him to say he wasn’t okay with it.

  “That’s fine with me, but—”

  “It’s still in theory.”

  “Yeah.”

  “How about this? Why don’t we suspend this conversation for today, decide what we want for dinner and cook, and just... we can just be together, all three of us, and see how it goes. Then tomorrow we can talk again and decide on some basic rules each of us wants.”

  Arlen looked at Nick and waited until Nick nodded to turn to Gentry. Gentry gave him a small smile, but it seemed to be enough for Arlen. He leaned forward and kissed Gentry on the cheek, then got up and did the same to Nick. “Come on, let’s go see what we find in the kitchen.”

  “You two go ahead. I’m going to call into work and ask for a few days.”

  Both Arlen and Gentry smiled at him, and it was enough for Nick to know he was doing the right thing.

  Chapter Four

  Arlen hadn’t expected it to be candy and flowers, at least not right away, but things were... awkward.

  Gentry had exchanged his shirt for a T-shirt, then the two of them had cooked spaghetti while Nick was on the phone, first with work, then with Kameron, taking time off so that they could see if this thing between them had at least a chance to work.

  They’d even managed to clean up and wash the dishes without too many problems—Arlen had washed and Gentry had dried while Nick put ever
ything where it belonged and swiped the floor. It’d all been very domestic, and it hadn’t prepared Arlen for the awkwardness that had appeared as soon as they’d reached the living room.

  They were watching TV, or rather they were pretending they were. Gentry was reading a book on his side of the couch, although Arlen was pretty sure he hadn’t seen Gentry flipping pages in a while. Arlen was on his own side of the couch, as much space as possible between them, and idly listening to Nick taking apart the series they were watching. That was oddly comforting, at least, because Nick was being himself. He looked unfazed by the growing tension in the room, and it made Arlen want to curl up next to him. But that wasn’t allowed. Or was it?

  Arlen reached for Nick with one hand. Nick noticed it and looked up just the time to give him a smile and grab his hand before turning his attention back to the TV. He twined their fingers together almost without thinking about it and Arlen smiled.

  Then he peeked Gentry’s way. Gentry was still pretending to read, but his stance was a lot more tense than it had been minutes ago, if that was even possible. Arlen gave him a crooked smile, knowing Gentry would see it even if he was acting like he didn’t, and reached for Gentry with his free hand. Gentry’s legs were curled up at his side, so the only thing Arlen could touch was them. He curled his hand around Gentry’s ankle and waited for Gentry’s reaction.

  Gentry looked up, looking a bit startled, and their gazes met. Arlen arched a brow in question and Gentry gave him a little nod before he started reading again. Arlen could almost feel the tension seeping out of the room. It didn’t completely disappear, but it was enough for him to really relax, a hand on his mate and one on his... boyfriend.

  The hours passed and Arlen knew they were all delaying going to bed because that was going to be another awkward situation. So he decided to take things in hand and tugged his hand away from Nick’s while letting go of Gentry.

  They both looked at him as he got up and stretched, and Arlen smiled at the twin stares. “Are you guys done here?”

  “The show’s almost over,” Nick replied.

  Arlen looked at Gentry. “You?”

  “I, well, I wanted to read a bit more...”

  “You can read tomorrow. Come on, let’s go to bed.” Arlen held a hand toward Gentry and Gentry looked at it like it might bite him. “Come on.” Arlen wiggled his fingers.

  Gentry slowly closed his book. He put it on the coffee table and got up without taking Arlen’s hand. He scratched his head and looked at the floor. “So, where do I sleep? The guestroom?”

  Arlen snorted. “I should be the one sleeping there.”

  Gentry opened his mouth to reply, but Arlen shut him up. “Not that anyone’s going to sleep there, of course. I think bed shopping is in our near future, but for now we’ll just have to squeeze ourselves a bit.”

  Arlen saw Nick smile from the corner of his eye, but Gentry didn’t look convinced. “So you want the three of us to sleep together?”

  “Yeah.”

  “How is that supposed to work?”

  “Someone will have to be the meat in our sandwich. I think it should be you.”

  Gentry’s eyes went wide. “Why? It really should be Nick. He’s your mate and my-my lover. I’m nothing to you, though.”

  Arlen sighed. “I know you’re guarded and that it’ll take you a while, but could you just stop thinking I care nothing about you? I know you don’t know me since I spent a lot of time in wolf form, but I know you. I know you love Nick and that you always make sure to buy his favorite maple syrup brand when you buy groceries, even if you hate maple syrup. I know you love to read but that you’d never admit your favorite genre is romance. Your e-reader is full of them because that way no one sees the cover. I know you love to garden and that it’s something you got from your mother. I know you still miss your mate because I see how you look at the picture of him you have in your nightstand sometimes, and by the way, I really think you should take it out and put it up over the fireplace next to your parents’ picture. I know—”

  Gentry held up a hand in surrender. “I get it. You might know me better than I thought you did, okay.”

  Arlen smiled and took the hand that was still palm up. “Now let’s go to bed. Nick, you’ll join us when the show is over?”

  Nick’s jaw was tense and his expression wasn’t as happy as before, but he gave Arlen a curt nod and looked at the TV again. Arlen could tell he wasn’t really watching the show but rather Arlen and Gentry as they moved through the living room and headed to the bedroom hand in hand, Arlen half tugging Gentry along, half leaning against him because his legs felt like overcooked noodles.

  “So, I still don’t have any clothes.”

  “Oh, we can go shopping tomorrow. I only have one appointment at ten AM, but that’s all.”

  Arlen grinned. “Great. I’m going to take my T-shirt off to sleep, is that okay with you? But I kind of need a clean pair of underwear and pants.”

  “Uh, sure. Or do you want me to give you a clean T-shirt too?”

  “I actually used to sleep naked, but I guess I can sleep with at least boxers on for a while. Is that okay with you?”

  Gentry nodded and Arlen pulled the T-shirt off and let it fall on the floor. Gentry watched it fall and Arlen remembered that Gentry was always grousing at Nick for leaving clothes everywhere but in the hamper, so he picked it up and headed for the bathroom. He had to take a deep breath and sit on the chair next to the huge shower stall once there, but he managed to push the T-shirt in the hamper.

  Gentry stood at the bathroom entrance, clearly hesitating. “Do you need help?”

  “I really just need to shower and brush my teeth.”

  Gentry finally came in and turned the shower on, then got a fluffy towel from the cupboard under the sink. “I’ll help you. You can sit on the bench in the shower if you need to.”

  “Not that I have anything against you helping me, but you realize you’re going to have to see me naked if we do that, right?”

  Gentry blushed and looked at his hands, but he nodded. “I already saw you naked this morning, remember? I can do this. I’m a doctor, I’m not afraid of nudity.”

  Arlen laughed. “You’re a psychologist. That has nothing to do with nudity. But okay, I’ll let you help me. I think I need it if I don’t want to slip and end up on my ass.”

  Arlen leaned his back against the chair and lifted his hips up enough to slide his pants and underwear down. He wasn’t ashamed of his body, and knowing Gentry was there, maybe watching him, gave him a little thrill. He looked up to see that Gentry was actually doing his best to avoid looking at him, and it made him laugh again.

  “You should take your clothes off, unless you want to shower in them.”

  Gentry blushed again and Arlen was thrilled to know he was about to find out if that blush extended all the way down his chest. He didn’t even try to hide the fact that he was watching Gentry as Gentry grabbed the bottom of his T-shirt and pulled it up.

  Gentry was quick. He put the T-shirt into the hamper before straightening and pushing his jeans down. Arlen was pleased to know he’d been right. The blush really did extend down Gentry’s neck and to the top of his chest.

  His skin was pale and his nipples a dark pink. They were surrounded by patches of dark hair that met in the middle of Gentry’s chest. That was the only hair he had there, except for the dark trail that led down into his pants. Pants that were now in the hamper, leaving Gentry only in his white boxer briefs.

  He couldn’t hide the fact that he was half hard, but then so was Arlen, so he wasn’t about to point it out. This was about learning intimacy, not about sex. They hadn’t even kissed yet, although Arlen would rectify that before the three of them went to sleep. He wanted to kiss them both, to end the day well and to take a step forward. The shower wasn’t the right place to do it, though, and he wanted Nick to be there.

  He’d have to wait until they were in bed.
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  Gentry wasn’t fully comfortable with being naked with Arlen in the shower, but it wasn’t for lack of interest. He definitely was interested, but he still felt unsure about everything. He knew both Nick and Arlen meant well, and that they’d try to include him, but he didn’t think it’d be as easy as Arlen had made it.

  Still, he’d said he’d try, and he would. Losing Nick couldn’t be as painful as losing Leonard had been, as feeling the bond they shared break and Leo’s feelings disappear from Gentry’s mind.

  It would be painful, because he loved Nick, but at least Nick would still be alive. People were dumped for someone else every day—Gentry would survive it.

  So once he’d taken off his underwear and put it away in the hamper, he held his hand out to Arlen, earning himself a surprised glance and a pleased smile. Arlen took his hand and let Gentry haul him upright.

  Gentry stuck a hand under the spray to check the water temperature and guided Arlen inside the stall.

  “Wow. This is the biggest shower I’ve ever seen,” Arlen said in awe.

  “Me too.” Gentry had his hands ready to catch Arlen if he slipped, but Arlen just stood under the spray, his head tilted upward as the water slid down his body. Gentry really couldn’t help looking, even if it made him feel guilty.

  Arlen had little hair on his body, and none on his chest. The hair Gentry could see was as dark as Arlen’s head of hair and was concentrated on his legs, under his navel, and around his cock.

  Gentry quickly looked away when he realized he’d been ogling Arlen, but the image was seared in his mind. How would it feel to have Arlen drive into him with that cock? Maybe while Gentry blew Nick? Gentry’s cock twitched and he scowled at it.

  “What’d it do?” Arlen’s amused voice asked.

  Gentry’s head snapped up and he blushed—again. He seemed to be doing that all too often around Arlen, but then he’d been the same way around Nick when they’d started dating. “What did what do?”