by Ward, Quinn
Daniel gaped at me as if he couldn’t believe I wasn’t lashing out. It was rare for me to get into any sort of physical altercation but talking smack about how I would beat the shit out of people had become yet another toxic personality trait of mine as I progressed through puberty. It was also a habit I needed to drop. I was too old for that sort of posturing as I tried to fit into the ideals my father had taught me.
The waitress approached our table carrying a tray filled with eggs, bacon, sausage, and pancakes. It was enough food to feed the average middle-class family, or a group of college guys getting ready to work out in the sun all day. Colin and Daniel dug in as though they’d been starving for days, just waiting for this greasy feast. I picked at my plate for a while, not sure if my nerves would allow me to actually eat.
The silence at our table, as always, wasn’t uncomfortable. Every once in a while, I caught a quick jerking motion, and the table would shake. When I’d look up, Colin and Daniel were stifling their laughter.
“Next time, I’m going to have to separate the two of you, aren’t I?” I teased. And hell yes, I was going to make one of them sit next to me if we went out again. I wasn’t cool with them playing footsy and me being the odd man out. I still wasn’t sure if or how this whole three dudes fucking around together was supposed to work, but I did know it wouldn’t if somebody was constantly sitting on the sidelines.
My entire body tensed as I considered what I was about to do. I caught Daniel’s gaze, refusing to look away as I slipped out of my shoe. His eyes widened as I pushed my socked foot into the leg of his jeans. He sucked in a deep breath as I slid my foot higher.
Colin cocked his head to the side, lifting one eyebrow. I smirked, winking at him. He peeked under the table, then pursed his lips to keep from laughing. These guys thought they were going to shock the hell out of me, but I’d be damned if I was going to play the role of the blushing virgin.
I had game. Even if I had no fucking clue what I was doing, I needed to prove they weren’t pushing me to do anything I didn’t want to. And that I wasn’t going to be their little puppy dog following along with whatever they planned.
“Careful,” Colin warned. “Don't start anything you’re not willing to finish.”
He didn't look at me the entire time he spoke. His face was buried in his phone and he was tapping away at the screen as if whoever he was talking to was more important than what was happening between the three of us.
“You think you're so damn smart,” I shot back. “You're going to learn that I don't do anything I don't want to do. No one can make me do anything.”
“At least you understand that much,” he quipped. I stared at him, trying to figure out what the hell he meant by that. Colin practically ignored me as he went back to eating his breakfast.
When I slipped my foot out from inside Daniel's pant leg, his foot nudged mine beneath the table. I looked up and he smiled at me, completely melting my insides. My heart raced, but I was determined to play it cool. While Daniel and I finish our breakfast, Colin was engrossed in a conversation with someone. Every time I looked up, he was texting again.
“You're a lousy date,” I teased him.
He blushed, setting down his phone. “I didn’t realize this was a date. I thought it was grabbing breakfast before heading out to work up a sweat.”
I choked on a huge bite of scrambled eggs, narrowly avoiding spraying them across the table. Daniel handed me his glass of water.
“You have a dirty mind, Zach,” Colin teased. “I just meant that working on the house build is going to be hard work. What did you think I was talking about?”
“Nothing.” I curled an arm around the front of my plate and kept my head down as I continued eating. “What’s so important you can’t set your phone down for even a minute?”
Colin took the hint and stuffed his phone in his pocket. “Sorry, just trying to see when the coast would be clear.”
“Clear for what?” I asked him.
He shot me a cocky grin and I couldn't help but squirm under his intense gaze. “Pretty sure you don't want anyone hearing what's going to go down once we get back to the suite.”
Valid point.
“What time are the guys heading out?” Daniel asked. Obviously, the two of them knew more about our roommates’ plans than I did.
“They're spending the day at Jayden's mom's place,” Colin responded, then turned toward Daniel. “He asked if I wanted to come over for dinner, but I'm pretty sure everyone would be more comfortable if I didn't bust in on Chase’s time. He needs his weekends to relax, especially with the small year’s course load. Matty is probably the same way.”
“What the hell’s up with that? Jayden’s practically family. If anyone should be there, it should be you, not them.” Colin didn’t seem upset, but I was, dammit. Jayden’s mom kicked ass. She would love getting to know Chase’s brother.
It made sense when Chase started going home with Jayden. It gave them a bit of privacy, and I was pretty sure Jayden didn’t want to run the risk of me being an asshole when he wasn’t around to protect his boyfriend. But now, all four of them disappeared every Saturday morning and were gone until late Sunday night, leaving the rest of us on our own. Seemed like a dick move to me that Chase would invite his buddies to go with him but not his brother.
Colin kneaded the back of his neck. Every time I glanced his way, he quickly averted his eyes. That wasn’t a big surprise but when I looked at Daniel for an answer, he did the same fucking thing.
“What the fuck is going on? You’re both acting weird.”
“I'm not going to lay all their shit out but let's just say they have a unique relationship.” Colin’s cryptic response gave me more questions than answers.
“The four of them?” Great. Now I was imagining all of our roommates in some sort of freaky orgy when they left Daniel and me behind.
“No, you pervert.” Colin chuckled, throwing his wadded up napkin at my head. “But it's not exactly the type of thing they can do when other people are around.”
“That's a bunch of bullshit,” I scoffed. “I don't give a flying fuck what they're into. They pay just as much as any of us do to live there.”
I slumped back in my booth as it hit me. They ran off every weekend because of me. Because I had never given them a reason to think they could be open about who they were when I was around.
“Hey, relax.” Daniel gripped my hand tightly. “I don't know what got you so worked up just then but it's not your fault.”
“The hell it's not,” I argued. “Look, I might be new to all this touchy-feely shit, but I don't want you trying to make me feel better when I deserve to feel like a bag of dicks. I know who I am, and I know what I've done. I was so fucking scared to let you—or anyone really—see me, that I made them uncomfortable in their own home.”
“You didn't,” Colin reassured me. “To say things with them are complicated would be an understatement. If it’ll make you feel better, all of us can sit down and you can apologize, even though they’ve probably forgiven anything that happened last year. And then it might be a good idea to let them know why you were the way you were, and we’ll make sure they know we’re going to help you do better this year.”
“As if they'd believe me.” Even if they didn't laugh in my face, I couldn't exactly see any of them easily forgiving me. I wouldn't if I was them.
“Don't you think it's time you start mending fences?” Not giving a damn who might see, Colin placed his hand over Daniel's. “The first thing you really need to do is forgive yourself, Zach. Maybe someday you can tell us why you're so scared for anyone to see the real you but, for now, it would be enough for you to stop hating yourself.”
I was not going to break down in the middle of a god damn diner at nine o'clock in the god damn morning. It wasn't going to happen. Even if I was done lying about who I was, that didn't mean I was all of a sudden going to get in touch with my emotional side.
Colin turned to Daniel. “
Where are we going and what time do we need to be there?”
“I have an address in the email. Normally we start by eight in the morning, but kickoff day is always a little different. We should probably finish up and head out.” Daniel gathered all of our dishes and neatly stacked them before flagging down the waitress. I pulled out my credit card and handed it over before either of them could tell me I didn’t need to pay.
“That sounds like a damn good plan,” I remarked as I guzzled the rest of my coffee. I hoped they had plenty of work for everyone today, because I needed to work out some of this frustration. Preferably with a hammer in my hand.
8
Zach
Colin and Daniel didn't let me out of their sight once we were on the build. No matter where I turned or what job the project manager gave me, one of them was nearby. They probably thought I would bolt the second I saw an opening. The thought had definitely crossed my mind but, eventually, I would have to face them.
And as terrifying as it was, I spent the entire day half hard whenever I thought about what they might have planned. When they called everyone over to take a break for lunch, Colin grabbed three boxes, and led Daniel and me to a shady area near the property line. We followed without question.
“How long do we have to stay here?” I asked as I dug into the paper box that I already knew contained soggy, stale potato chips and a dry sandwich. Decent food was rare on Saturdays, but it wasn't like any of us were here for a free meal.
Most of the time, I was excited about helping out, and soaking up Daniel's infectious enthusiasm. But most days, I wasn't distracted by the knowledge that someone was going to push me out of my comfort zone later. I had no clue what to expect once we went back to Talbert Hall. I felt out of sorts because I would be completely out of my element.
Colin obviously knew his way around a cock, and I was starting to realize Daniel wasn’t so straight after all. I didn’t know how much he’d done in the past, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. I didn’t like thinking about him fooling around with other guys, which was stupid since I was just now starting to admit to myself that I wanted to see what the big deal was with dick. I couldn’t be pissed at him for getting what he needed before I even considered it to be a possibility. The only thing I knew was my personal experience started and ended with jerking myself off.
Working side-by-side with both of them, it was a fucking miracle I hadn't seriously injured myself because I was distracted thinking of all they might do to me or make me do to them later. At this point, part of me wanted to get back to our suite and get it over with. The only upside was I trusted Daniel with my life and knew he would stop at the slightest sign of discomfort. Hell, knowing him, he’d probably stop before I even realized I was in over my head.
“There isn’t too much more we’ll be able to help with today,” Daniel responded. “They’re bringing in the crew that will pour the foundation so we can really get to work next week. Today is mostly symbolic, a way to introduce everyone to the family we’re building a house for and talk about what everyone’s going to do over the next few months to get them moved in by Christmas.”
“You mean to tell me we could have stayed home today,” I grumbled. “I thought we were going to be doing more than odd jobs that won’t mean shit until way down the road. We could be at home with the two of you telling me what you’ve been plotting.”
“It won't kill you to be patient,” Colin scolded me.
I bristled, biting my tongue before I said something that would make him change his mind.
He smiled as he leaned forward, so only I could hear him. “Good boy. I’m proud of you for not running away. I knew you needed this.” His gaze dipped to my lap. “If there was no one around right now, I’d make you beg Daniel to take care of that for you.”
“I'm not a dog,” I ground out. “You can't make me beg for anything.”
Colin chuckled as he slid his hand along the inseam of my thigh. “You say that now, but twenty bucks says I'll prove you wrong tonight. We’re going to have the suite to ourselves, and I’d bet we’re going to have you pleading for more before we’re all so tired we can’t move.”
My breathing sped up as his hand drifted higher. My cock ached thinking about all the places I wanted his hands and his mouth, what it would feel like to kiss Daniel while Colin sucked me off. I’d never planned on getting myself into a situation where I had two dudes focusing on me, but goddamn did I want it now.
My insistence that I would never beg was quickly crumbling. My dick was so hard, it would’ve had an imprint of my zipper if not for my briefs. I groaned when Colin’s fingertips grazed the edge of my length.
“We’re here because helping means a lot to Daniel,” he reminded me. I looked up at Daniel who was watching us like we were his own personal porn clip. His hand rested at the front of his jeans, making me wonder how in the hell he wasn’t stripping naked. God knew I would be if it didn’t mean Colin taking away his hand. “We’re staying until he's ready to go home.”
I glanced up at Daniel, again, silently pleading for him to say we could race to the car now. If two of us sat in the back seat, we could get started while the other drove. Daniel smirked and I knew that look. His eyes twinkled like he was up to something. I flipped him off as he opened his mouth, knowing I wasn’t going to get what I wanted.
“On second thought, maybe we should stick around. No one likes helping get everything organized, and since this is my third year, they could probably use someone with experience.” He scratched his chin, glancing around the tree toward the tent where the skilled laborers were eating their lunch. “Besides, it might be good to start networking, so I have a foot in the door when we graduate.”
“You're an asshole,” I hissed. My entire body tensed when Colin cupped my aching dick. My gaze darted around the worksite, trying to quickly locate where everyone was sitting to make sure no one could see what we were doing back here. It was bad enough I was letting a dude touch me, I didn't need the whole world finding out how much I liked it.
“No one can see us,” Colin whispered. He stroked the palm of his hand along my entire length. I sucked in a sharp breath, clenching my eyes closed as if that would help me forget how badly I wanted to come. “Does that feel good?”
“You know damn well it does.” I lifted my ass off the ground, chasing Colin’s hand as he pulled away. He captured my wrist as I reached to flick open the button on my jeans.
“There's a fine line between teasing and all three of us getting arrested for indecent exposure,” he taunted. “There’s nothing you can do about that until we get home, and even then, you’re going to have to be a good boy if you want me to let you come.”
“You started it,” I shot back, trying to block my mind from all the shit he just said. If I didn’t, I was going to find out how much fun it wasn’t to spend the afternoon in the sun with cum-soaked underwear.
“Real mature,” Daniel teased. “Come on, we only have a few minutes left before they hand out afternoon assignments.”
“You're not really going to ask them if you can do extra work today, are you?” I whined.
As I finished the last couple bites of my sandwich, Daniel gathered all of our garbage.
He stood, stepping so his feet were on either side of my legs. If anyone looked over, there was no way they’d think we were just buddies with his dick so close to my face. I leaned in, trying to smell his arousal. That shouldn’t be something I craved, but I wanted proof I wasn’t the only one affected here. Daniel laughed again as he reached out a hand to help me up. “No, that would just be cruel. I think we need to get you back to someplace a little more private. I’m going to head over and let Gus know something came up and we have to take off.”
Private was good. Private would eventually lead to naked. And naked would answer the million questions running through my brain.
I couldn’t help but track his movements as Daniel stuffed a hand into the front pocket of his jeans. He too
k a couple extra seconds fishing out the car keys, pulling the denim tight enough that I could see the outline of his dick.
Fuuuuuuuck. I licked my lips, desperate to finally get a taste of him.
“Colin, why don’t you and Zach head to the car,” he suggested, handing Colin the keys. His gaze slowly traveled the length of my body and he hummed. “The rest of the guys better have already left.”
* * *
“Do either one of you have plans to fill me in on what's going to happen once we get home?” I was trying to be patient but the silence from the front seat was killing me. I rode with Daniel enough times to know that he usually had a lead foot, but today, he was acting more like a ninety-year-old woman out for a Sunday drive. Daniel’s eyes met mine through the rearview mirror. Even though I couldn't see his mouth, the twinkle in his eyes told me he was enjoying this.
“You sound like you're in a hurry,” he teased. I shifted, reaching down to adjust myself. We had reached a critical point where the only thing that was going to help the pain in my dick was an orgasm. At this point, I didn't give a flying fuck if I had to take care things on my own. I just needed to come.
“Didn't I tell you, you weren't supposed to play with yourself?” I glared at Colin when he twisted around in his seat, grabbing my hand and not letting go. “You need to save that so we can watch when you do get off. You wouldn’t want Daniel distracted while he’s driving, would you?”
“This is gotta be cruel and unusual punishment,” I complained. “My nuts are going to explode pretty soon.”
That was the wrong damn thing to say. Colin reached back, sliding his hands between my legs. He didn’t squeeze hard enough for it to hurt, but it also wasn’t enough attention to get me off.
“If I let you come now, you'll have to wait longer once we get home. I’m sure Daniel can find someplace secluded so he can watch, too.” He curled his fingers around the button on my jeans. “The choice is yours.”
