Arlen

by Catherine Lievens

  “I should keep the secret and let you find out, like Nick said.”

  Arlen slid his arms around Gentry’s waist and pulled him closer. Their wet chests slid together and Gentry groaned. His cock perked up but he ignored it, just basking in the feeling of wet skin against wet skin.

  “I’m sure I can convince you to tell me. Besides, you’re not as mean as Nick is.”

  “But he doesn’t want me to tell you.”

  Arlen kissed Gentry. Gentry knew it was a way to try to distract him, and while he enjoyed it, it wasn’t working. “It’s going to take more than this if you want to bribe me.”

  “Aww, come on! Tell me. Please?” Arlen’s puppy eyes were perfect, except for the color. They were blue instead of brown, but they were big and had a pleading expression. He even let his lower lip wobble just a bit.

  Gentry shook his head and laughed. “He does, but not often. I don’t know if it’s because he doesn’t like it or because I prefer to bottom, though. You’ll have to ask him.”

  Arlen’s expression was tender as he cupped Gentry’s cheek and kissed him softly. It was a one eighty from the teasing and playing around they’d been doing seconds earlier. “You should laugh more often.”

  “What?”

  Arlen smiled. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you laugh this often in such a short time. You should do it more often. You look carefree and younger when you do.”

  “I didn’t have much to laugh about before meeting Nick and you.”

  “You do now. Right?”

  Gentry kissed Arlen. “How is it that you were steamrolling us yesterday yet you’re insecure today?”

  Arlen looked down and Gentry thought about what had happened yesterday. “Is it because you said you loved us and we didn’t say it back?”

  Arlen still ignored Gentry, so Gentry nudged Arlen’s chin with his nose. “Remember what we said yesterday? We have to talk, even if it’s the last thing we want. I won’t make fun of you or dismiss you, I promise.”

  “I know it’s too soon for you to say it back.”

  “But it still hurts.”

  Arlen pushed the wet curls plastered on his forehead to the side and looked at Gentry. “Yeah, a bit. I mean, I do know you really only had two days with me. It’s actually a wonder we already had sex and decided to be together. I didn’t expect you and Nick to accept all this in such a short time, and I’m grateful for it. I just feel vulnerable, that’s all.”

  “I can understand that, but you don’t have to try to hide it. I’ll get there, and so will Nick.”

  The doorbell rang and Gentry and Arlen looked at each other.

  “Do you think Nick will get up to open it?” Arlen asked.

  Gentry shook his head. “Nothing wakes him up when he’s really asleep. I’ll go. You shower.”

  Gentry hurried outside the shower stall and grabbed a towel as the doorbell rang again. He dried his body as well as he could as he walked through the house and paused to wrap it around his hips before opening the door.

  A man he didn’t know was on the other side of it. He was about Gentry’s height but that was where the common stuff between them ended. The guy had blond hair that flopped in front of his hazel eyes and was wearing jeans and an open jacket. Under the jacket was a T-shirt with a guy Gentry vaguely recognized from a movie.

  “Yes?”

  “Uh, hi. I’m looking for Arlen.”

  Gentry shivered as the cold December air hit his skin. “Sure. Can I ask who you are?”

  “I’m Mal. Malcolm.”

  “Oh, right. Arlen told me about you. Come in,” Gentry moved to the side and waited for Mal to come in before closing the door. “I’m Gentry.” He offered Mal his hand and Mal shook it. Gentry noticed the guy’s glance moving down from Gentry’s chest to his waist, then lower, and he blushed. “I’m going to go throw some clothes on and I’ll tell Arlen you’re here. Why don’t you go sit in the kitchen while I’m gone?” Gentry pointed at the kitchen door.

  Mal nodded. “Yeah, okay. Thanks.”

  He looked about ready to jump out of his skin. Gentry understood that after a year he couldn’t wait to see his best friend, so he hurried back to the bathroom. He noticed Nick was waking again, groaning and rolling on his back.

  “Arlen?”

  “Yeah?” Arlen was still in the shower and Gentry shucked the towel and hurried under the spray.

  “Mal is here.”

  Arlen’s eyes widened and he beamed. “Really? He said it would take him a few days to come!”

  “Well, it didn’t. I told him to sit in the kitchen and wait for us.”

  Arlen zipped through washing his hair and rinsing, and he was out of the stall before Gentry could even start on his own hair. He smiled as he watched Arlen quickly dry and dress. “I’m going.”

  “Sure. I’ll be right there.”

  Arlen exited the bathroom only to return with a small frown on his face. “Where’s Nick?”

  * * * *

  Nick rolled to his back when he heard Gentry pass through the bedroom and scratched his hip. His men were both in the shower, which meant no one had thought of starting coffee. Nick needed coffee.

  So he got up and closed his eyes and yawned as he walked to the kitchen, not bothering with putting clothes on.

  “Oh, wow.”

  Nick’s eyes snapped open. There was a guy sitting at his kitchen table, and the guy wasn’t even trying to hide the fact that he was shamelessly ogling Nick’s bits. Nick grabbed a kitchen towel from the counter and unfolded it. It wasn’t big enough to go all around his waist, but at least his dick was hidden now.

  “Who are you?”

  “Malcolm. Uh, a guy named Gentry told me to wait here.”

  “Malcolm, as in Arlen’s Malcolm?”

  “Yeah.”

  Nick snapped his fingers when Mal’s glance slid down to his towel-covered groin. “Hey, I’m up here.”

  “Yeah, sorry. It’s not my fault, though. What do you expect when you walk naked in front of a guy?”

  “I didn’t even know you were here.”

  “Well now you know, and if you don’t want me to look at you, you should go and cover up.”

  “I’m going. Don’t touch anything.”

  Nick turned around and a loud whistle came from behind him. Damn, he’d forgotten the towel covered only his front, but not his ass.

  “You’re taking away the only thing I want to touch anyway.”

  Nick growled and stalked out of the kitchen, leaving a laughing Mal behind. He should’ve known Arlen’s friend would be as much trouble as Arlen himself.

  “Nick! Where were you?” Arlen asked as soon as Nick stepped into the bedroom.

  “Kitchen,” he replied between clenched teeth.

  “Umm, you’re naked.”

  “Yeah.”

  “And Gentry told me he let Mal in and into the kitchen.”

  “I noticed.”

  Nick stalked past Arlen and into the bathroom. He dumped the towel that had been protecting his dignity—and not even that well—in the hamper and walked into the shower just as Gentry was exiting it.

  “What happened?”

  “Nothing.”

  “He showed Mal his junk,” Arlen yelled from the bedroom.

  Gentry arched a brow at Nick. “What?”

  Nick huffed and leaned his forehead against the cool tile of the shower. “I didn’t do it on purpose. I just thought I’d start coffee before showering, and he was in the kitchen. You didn’t tell me about him when you passed through the bedroom.”

  Gentry snickered. “Sorry. I didn’t think you’d wander naked in the house.”

  “It’s my house! Why should I put clothes on?”

  “So you don’t flash guests.” Gentry’s voice wasn’t as warm and amused as it’d been only seconds before, so Nick rethought his last words. It was something he had to do quite often, because he often put his foot i
n his mouth, and while most of his friends knew him well enough to know he didn’t mean it badly, Gentry was so sensitive sometimes.

  “It’s our house, Gen. You know that.”

  Gentry sighed and finished buttoning his shirt. “Yes, I do. Sorry.”

  “I’m sorry.” Nick leaned out of the shower stall and pulled Gentry to him, uncaring about the way he was dampening his lover’s clothes. He kissed Gentry, trying to put everything he felt and wasn’t able to express in it.

  It seemed to work, because Gentry relaxed in his arms and kissed him back. He gently pushed Nick away after a while. “I’m going to the kitchen, okay?”

  “I’ll be right there.”

  Gentry left and Nick hurried through his shower. He could hear laughter coming from the kitchen even while he was still in the bedroom dressing. He threw on the first clean jeans and sweater he found and made to exit the room, but he paused.

  The room was a mess. The sheets on the bed still smelled like sex, there was lube smeared on the nightstand where someone had put the bottle last night, and three pair of soft pants on the carpet. Nick was actually surprised that Gentry hadn’t already cleaned up or thrown a fit, but Nick guessed Mal’s arrival had distracted his lover.

  He hesitated, but from what he could hear, things were going well in the kitchen. He hurriedly grabbed all three pairs of pants and bunched them together, then stripped the sheets from the bed. He brought everything in the laundry room and scowled at the mess he found there.

  Arlen was the only who could’ve done it. The drier was still full of clothes, but it was open. Some of the clean clothes had ended up on the floor and on top of the washing machine.

  Nick pushed them aside and put the sheets in the washing machine, then started it. He left the pants in a neat pile on top of the washing machine and the rest exactly as it was. He wasn’t Arlen’s maid, and neither was Gentry. Nick wasn’t exactly angry, because he could understand why Arlen had been in a hurry, but still.

  Nick went back to the bedroom, put the lube back in the drawer and cleaned the smears. He then opened the window and left. He needed coffee, and he hoped someone had thought of making some.

  When he entered the kitchen, Arlen was talking a mile a minute with Mal while Gentry leaned against the counter, a mug in his hands. He was smiling in Arlen’s direction, but looked up at Nick when he heard him. He quickly turned sideways and took another mug from the counter, then handed it to Nick.

  “Coffee. Thanks.”

  “You’re going to need it. Those two haven’t shut up since we got in here, and I’m honestly not sure which one talks the most.”

  “What has Arlen told Mal?”

  “They’re still at the lab part.”

  Nick noticed Mal’s glance sliding his way and he huddled closer to Gentry. Gentry chuckled and kissed the corner of Nick’s mouth in answer. It wasn’t enough for Nick, so he turned a bit more toward his lover and slanted their lips together. Gentry made a little satisfied noise and opened his mouth, and Nick slid his tongue inside.

  “I’m kind of confused. I thought one of them was with you,” Nick heard Mal say.

  He ended the kiss and looked at Arlen. Arlen looked a bit flustered, and it made Nick wonder if Arlen would admit to what there was between them or not. God knew most people wouldn’t understand them. He already knew his parents would be scandalized, but it wasn’t like he could avoid telling them.

  “They, um, both, actually.”

  “Huh?”

  “I’m with both of them.”

  “And they’re together.”

  “Yeah.”

  “You did say you found two someone’s. A threesome, huh?” Mal tilted his head to the side and looked at Arlen’s face. “I guess I can see it.”

  Arlen’s eyes widened. “Really?”

  “Yeah. You’re laid back and everything. I mean, if you can’t be in a threesome, then I don’t think anyone can. You’re one of the most accepting people I know. Have you had sex yet?”

  And of course the guy had to ruin it by nosing in what didn’t regard him. At least Arlen seemed happy, and Gentry was smiling at Nick’s side.

  “And how does it work? Who does what?”

  “I don’t see why you should know this,” Nick pointed out.

  “Because Arlen’s my best friend. He tells me everything.”

  “Well, he can tell you whatever he wants as long as it doesn’t have anything to do with our sex life.”

  Mal scrunched his nose. “Pity. You have a great ass. I want to know if you let Arlen take it.”

  “Mal!”

  Gentry snorted in his coffee and Nick wanted to boot Mal out of the house or to go hide in their room. He wasn’t sure which one yet. Maybe both. “You won’t find out, so you can stop asking.”

  “You’re no fun.” Why was that obnoxious guy so cute? The pout on his face made Nick want to hand over the world to him, or at least a lollypop.

  “I don’t care. I said no.” He narrowed his eyes at Arlen. “If I ever find out you told him anything that happens in our bedroom...”

  “Or in the living room,” Gentry added, laughter in his voice.

  “Gen, you’re not helping.”

  “What about the kitchen?” Arlen asked.

  Nick saw Mal give the table an interested glance and groaned. “Oh my God, what am I doing? Am I really so crazy to actually want a relationship with the two of you?”

  Gentry patted his shoulder. “You know you’d be lost without us.”

  And wasn’t that the truth.

  Chapter Seven

  Arlen was happy. Really, truly happy, and that hadn’t happened in a while. He had a home, he had two boyfriends, he had his best friend, and his stuff. The only thing missing was a job, but he was hopeful he’d find one soon.

  But, there was a but.

  He still had to meet the parents.

  Gentry’s father had sounded nice on the phone, but he hadn’t known about Arlen, Gentry, and Nick being together at the time. Added to that, Nick had already told him he didn’t think his own parents would be too happy about their situation. Arlen had no one to tell apart from Mal, so at least that was done and over with.

  To say Mal had taken it well would be an understatement. He hadn’t blinked twice when Arlen had told him Gentry and Nick were both his lovers and even seemed to be a bit too interested in how that worked in the bedroom. Of course, Arlen knew Mal was mostly teasing, but Nick didn’t, and he wasn’t overly happy about having Mal around. Still, he hadn’t said much, nor had he suggested that Mal should find a hotel or something, so Mal was staying in their guest room at the moment.

  “I don’t want to go back.”

  Arlen frowned and looked from the box he’d been emptying to his best friend. “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t want to go back to Montana.”

  “Your life’s there, Mal.”

  Mal shrugged and played with the edge of the sheet while he was sitting on the bed. “Not really. Sure, there’s my job, but that’s about all.”

  “What about Felix?”

  Mal snorted. “That’s been over for months.”

  “It’s not like I could know that.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “So, what are you trying to say?”

  “How’d you know I was trying to say something?”

  Arlen sighed and put down the clothes he’d been about to put away. He sat in front of his best friend on the bed and mirrored his crossed-legged position. “I know you better than anyone, Mal. You can’t hide anything from me, just like I can’t hide anything from you.”

  “Except details of your sex life.”

  “Except that, yes. You heard Nick, he’ll kick my ass if I tell you anything.”

  “He wouldn’t... really do it. Right?”

  There was something in the way Mal said those words, something that put Arlen on alert. “Mal? What’s wrong?”
/>   “He wouldn’t really hit you, right?” Mal seemed almost desperate for an answer.

  “No, of course not. Nick would never do that.”

  Mal’s expression softened. “Good. You don’t deserve that.”

  “But someone does, Mal? What are you hiding from me?”

  Mal gnawed on his lower lip, clearly unsure whether to tell Arlen whatever he was hiding. It was weird, because he and Arlen had been friends for years and they told each other everything—well, everything important. He was the first person Arlen thought of calling once he became human again, just like Arlen was the first person Mal came to when he had a new boyfriend, or when he’d had to decide whether to keep his job or change.

  Neither of them had any family. They’d both been kicked out when their parents had found out they were gay, and they’d been lucky enough to find each other seven years before. Mal had been living on the streets then, and Arlen had let him sleep on his couch. They’d never been apart after that, except for the time Arlen had spent in the lab and as a wolf.

  Mal seemed to make a decision. He looked at the wall behind Arlen’s head and slowly lifted his T-shirt. Arlen gasped when he saw the bruises underneath it.

  “What happened?” He thought back at the fear Mal seemed to have that Nick would hit Arlen. “Who did that to you?”

  “After you disappeared, things weren’t good for me. I was worried, but there was nothing I could do to find you, nothing I hadn’t already done anyway. Then Felix dumped me, and it made things even worse. So when I met Paul... well, I didn’t really care about the bad reputation he had.” Mal shrugged. “It’s my fault, really.”

  “No, no it’s not.” Arlen reached for Mal’s hand and squeezed it. “It’s never the victim’s fault.”

  “I knew what I was getting into, Len. At least in part. I knew Paul had the reputation of hitting his boyfriends, but I was so lonely... I thought that maybe it would be different with me, you know? But of course it wasn’t.”

  “Why didn’t you leave him? Or did you?”

  “Nope. Still with him, actually. I did try to leave him once, but he wasn’t all that happy, and it only made things worse, so I didn’t try again.”

  “And what did he say when you told him you were coming here?”