Luscious Beginnings [Love in Luscious, Kansas 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting ManLove)

by Mia Ashlinn

  “You’re damn straight we are,” Ethan retorted. “Now we need a new plan.”

  “I think I have one.”

  Ethan arched his eyebrow.

  “We wait and see what he does. If Sam is half as smart as he thinks he is, maybe he’ll make the first move.”

  Ethan couldn’t help but ask, “And if he doesn’t?”

  “Then we have time to strategize our next step.”

  A Cheshire grin lifted Ethan’s lips. “Works for me. We wait.”

  * * * *

  Waiting is easier said than done. After fifteen minutes of being at the Paisley House, Brett decided his plan sucked. He’d thought he could come back here and wait. But that was a joke. He couldn’t be still. His anxiety had adrenaline pumping through his veins.

  Shit, he’d been so zealous that he’d already called Deke and Adam about taking the job. And he’d stuffed most of his belongings in his bag before shoving the damn thing under the bed. Sure, he’d more or less thrown the clothes and other things in. But still, he had done it.

  “Calm down,” Ethan muttered from his spot next to Brett on the bed. “He’ll come…one of these days.”

  Brett turned on his side to face Ethan. “Since when are you so optimistic?”

  Ethan shrugged. “I don’t know. I just have a feeling.”

  “A feeling?” Brett parroted. “You’re the neurotic one. I’m the calm one. Why are we changing places?” He didn’t want to change places. That was for damn sure. He liked being calm, not crazy and panicky.

  Smiling, Ethan pecked a kiss on Brett’s lips. “Because I know something you don’t.”

  What a shock. Ethan always knew shit he didn’t. “And what is that?” he asked before returning Ethan’s kiss.

  Ethan smirked. “On the way back here, I remembered I have his keys.”

  Brett chortled. “How did you swing that, pretty boy?”

  “It was an accident.”

  Lifting his eyebrows, Brett gave Ethan a disbelieving look.

  “It was,” Ethan said defensively. “He handed them to me before he went to the Book Nook.”

  “And how is that going to help? If he shows up for his keys, he’s not necessarily going to beg for our forgiveness or declare his undying love. He may unleash his dark side, grow horns, and then beat us to a pulp with his flaming fists of fire.”

  Ethan snorted. “What makes you think that cockamamie bullshit?”

  “Because he’s a stubborn pain in the ass.”

  Ethan rolled his eyes. “Yes, he is. But he’s a stubborn pain in the ass who loves us more than anything.”

  “How do you figure?”

  “Brooklyn sent me a text,” Ethan replied, his arrogant tone grating Brett’s already fragile nerves.

  Ethan was hinging everything on a goddamn text? Are you fucking kidding me? The sudden urge to strangle his lover swamped him, and he had to shove his hands beneath his chin to keep from following his compulsion.

  “And what was in the text?” Brett pressed. When Ethan didn’t reply, he stared at him with probing eyes. “Come on. You know you want to tell me.”

  “Let’s just say that he’s at The Catch All buying us something special.”

  Before Ethan could explain what their lover was buying at Luscious’s general store, there was a knock on the door.

  “Saved by the knock,” Ethan retorted as he hopped up and let Sam in.

  As soon as Sam crossed the threshold, he launched himself at Ethan. He practically tackled him. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I’m sorry that I left you all those months ago. I’m sorry that I was too embarrassed to tell you why. I’m sorry about the way I acted with my brothers. God, I’m just so damn sorry.”

  Ethan wound his arms around Sam, embracing him. He laced his fingers behind Sam’s back with a groan. “I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have gotten so worked up. I just…I don’t know. I—”

  “You had every right to be upset, Ethan. Brett did, too.” Sam’s voice hitched. “I hurt you two today, and I hurt you both when I left.” Coughing, Sam carried on, “Hell, I’ve hurt you two every day since you got here by not telling you truth. But damn it, I was ashamed. How was I supposed to explain that I saw you in bed together and had some grand epiphany about being head-over-heels in love with you? How could I tell you that I was confused about my feelings, how I couldn’t stay and fight for you because I was afraid? You both came here. You both fought for me. How could I say that I was weak when you were both so strong?”

  “Oh God,” Brett breathed.

  “Then today, I nearly fucked it all to hell and back—again.”

  “It’s okay,” Ethan assured Sam.

  Brett remained silent, dumbfounded by Sam’s admissions.

  Ethan leaned away from Sam. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m still hurt and mad. But I love you enough to work through this. I hope you love me enough, too.”

  “I do,” Sam whispered before peering over at Brett.

  Brett lowered his gaze, refusing to meet Sam’s eyes. It hurt too much to look at him, especially when he asked, “When are we going to stop running? I feel like one of us is always keeping the others at an arm’s length.” A lump formed in his throat, and he had to swallow around it. “And it’s not just you. The first time our feelings were tested, Ethan and I just walked away.”

  Without looking at Sam, Brett heard the sound of footsteps on the hardwood flooring. Then he felt the tip of a finger tipping his head back. “But you didn’t go far.”

  “So?”

  “That counts for something,” Sam replied.

  Ethan added, “That counts for a lot.”

  Sam sighed. “You’re right. We really shouldn’t run away from each other. But this whole relationship is new.” He lifted his hand before either he or Ethan could say a word. “I mean the loving, sexual relationship.” Brushing Brett’s cheek with the tips of his fingers, Sam kissed Brett’s lips, a brief caress of their mouths. “We’re new to being a trio. It’s just the beginning. With time, everything will work out.”

  Sam was right. It was the beginning of something good. They just had to take the leap—together.

  With a smile, Brett got to his feet. He pulled Sam’s body against his. “When did you get so wise?”

  Sam grinned. “This morning. After you walked away, I realized that you two are more important than anything—even my family.” He cupped Brett’s face and pulled him down for a tender kiss. “You and Ethan are my family. As long as I have you two, I have everything.”

  “Aw,” Ethan said as he sandwiched Sam between them, his body pressing Sam’s to Brett’s. “Ouch!”

  “Oops. I forgot,” Sam replied. With a sheepish smile, he reached around his back and pulled two things out of his jean pocket. When Brett saw the toothbrush and box of condoms, he threw his head back and released a booming laugh.

  So that was what he was buying. Most people wouldn’t get the meaning of the two “presents,” but Brett did. “I guess that means you’re staying. You have your essentials.”

  Sam had always joked that condoms and a toothbrush were essentials. They were sacred. And they were his kind of commitment. So if he’d brought them here, he wasn’t going anywhere. Brett had no doubt about that. It wasn’t like he’d ever given those two things to another soul before.

  Sam shrugged. “A man knows which side the bread is buttered on.” A grin broke through his serious expression. “So you two better just suck it up and make room for me in that damn bed because you’re stuck with me. I’m not going anywhere. I’m in it for the long haul.”

  Ethan chuckled. “You’re so sexy when you’re sweet.”

  “Horndog,” Sam accused.

  Ethan nuzzled Sam’s neck. “You love me.”

  “I do,” Sam replied. “You love me.”

  “Mmm.” Ethan licked Sam’s ear. “I do.”

  “And we both love Brett,” Sam continued as he tilted his head for Ethan.

  Ethan took Sam’s blatant invita
tion, peppering his neck with kisses. “We do.”

  I do? We do? Their word choice gave Brett an idea, a good one. “Let’s get married.”

  Both Sam and Ethan froze.

  “We might not be able to have a piece of paper declaring us husband and husband and husband.” Brett couldn’t help but laugh at himself, despite the seriousness of what he was saying. “But we can have a ceremony committing ourselves to each other. It could mark the true beginning of our lives. And it would fulfill our dreams of love and marriage. And maybe one day, we could find a way to have kids and grandkids. There’s adoption. Or there’s surrogacy. Or you never know, we might find a woman crazy enough to take on the three of us and pop out our babies. Or...”

  Sam pressed a finger to Brett’s lips. “Stop it. You’re starting to babble.”

  “But he’s so damn cute when he babbles,” Ethan murmured.

  “Yes, he is.” Sam smiled. “But I would rather talk about wedding plans than listen to his babbling.”

  Brett’s heart soared. Sam wanted to marry him. He loved him. Now they just had to convince Ethan. In the end, they didn’t have to do any convincing. Ethan said, “Yes, I’ll marry you two. But I’m not wearing the white dress.”

  Chapter 17

  On a warm summer day in Luscious, surrounded by family and very close friends, Sam walked down a long aisle with Ethan and Brett on either side of him. He beamed as he read the vows he’d written. He teared up when he listened to the vows his partners had penned especially for him. And his heart went pitter-patter when the three of them kissed for the first time as husband and husband and husband. Then when their private ceremony was over, Sam grabbed his new husbands’ hands and pulled them into their rented Rolls-Royce before heading to The Luscious Lady, where their two closest friends, Brooklyn and Katie-Anne, were throwing a party to celebrate their union.

  Once the driver pulled up in front of the old building that had been recently restored and parked, Sam opened the door and stepped out of the Rolls-Royce.

  “So who’s carrying who into the reception?” Ethan asked when he shut the door of their flashy rental car.

  Uh-oh. This isn’t going to go well. Sam groaned. “Not me.”

  Brett’s face paled a sickly white. “Not me either. I don’t want my ass getting embarrassed in front of everyone. I’d never live it down.”

  Ethan let out a loud peal of laughter. “You shouldn’t say things like that. Now I want to do it, just to embarrass you.”

  A surge of color returned to Brett’s cheeks. “Don’t even think about it, pretty boy.”

  Giving Brett an innocent look, Ethan asked, “Aw. Why not?”

  Brett snorted. “You two couldn’t carry me if you tried.”

  “Wanna bet?” Ethan smirked, his face glowing with a smugness that caused an itch to run like hell in Sam’s feet.

  Humor glinted in Brett’s eyes. “I’ll take that bet, pretty boy.”

  “We’ll discuss the terms later,” Ethan said as he slid closer to Sam then whispered in his ear, “You take the top. I’ll take the bottom.” Pausing, he snickered. “That sounds so wrong.”

  Sam rolled his eyes. “You’re shameless.”

  Ethan playfully preened. “It’s one of my endearing qualities,” he joked.

  Sam snickered. “Whatever.”

  “On the count of three,” Ethan instructed. “One. Two…”

  As Ethan paused, Brett eyed him then Ethan. The apprehensive look on his face was priceless. But that didn’t stop them. It only served to amuse them.

  “Three,” Ethan yelled. And the two of them moved into action. They both grabbed Brett and swept him off his feet.

  “Hey,” Brett said sternly. Only his good humor seemed to take over, and he barked a laugh. “You two are going to be in so much trouble later.”

  “Right,” Sam murmured as the door to The Luscious Lady flew open.

  “I thought you might need a little help,” Brooklyn said as she stood on the other side of the door with a breathtaking smile, one of pure joy.

  Ethan winked at Brooklyn. “I always knew I liked you—a lot.”

  Ethan’s half-truth brought a happy smile to Sam’s face. His two partners had become very close to Brooklyn over the past three months. Now that they knew he’d never been with Brooklyn, that he’d never been in love with her, there was no jealous or tension between the three of them. Hell, they’d grown to love her as much as he did, which was a huge weight off his shoulders

  Predictably, Brooklyn didn’t fall completely under Ethan’s spell. “No, you didn’t,” she replied with her no-nonsense tone. However, Sam could tell her attitude was all for show. The mirth vivid in her eyes betrayed her. “But that’s okay. You like me now. That’s what matters.”

  “Can we get inside before you drop me?” Brett interrupted, his breathless voice reflecting his concern that they would actually let him fall.

  As if that would ever happen. Between him and Ethan, they would always find a way to save him somehow. Nonetheless, Sam didn’t want him to worry so he said, “Come on, angel boy. Let’s get our new hubby inside.”

  Picking up their pace, Ethan and Sam passed Brooklyn and stepped inside The Luscious Lady. Without pausing, they carried their new husband through the throng of clapping people and all the way to the front of the giant room where the groom’s table was at. Then they put him down, situating him in the seat between them.

  “Better?” Ethan asked. His voice was louder than normal. But it had to be to carry over the sound of Benjamin Black resuming his haunting vocals from where he stood on the stage.

  Brett nodded. “Much.”

  “So, husband. About that bet…” Ethan trailed off as he plopped down next to Brett. “What do we get?”

  “Anything you two want,” Brett replied without hesitation.

  Feeling all lovey-dovey after their wedding, Sam scooted his chair closer to Brett’s before clasping his hand and squeezing. “I have everything I want right here.”

  “Everything?” Ethan asked skeptically.

  His husband sounded as though he were leading Sam somewhere. Curious as to what he was up to, but too worried to ask, Sam replied, “Yep.”

  “Are you sure about that?” Ethan tilted his head forward. His eyes captured Sam’s and held him spellbound. “Really, really sure?”

  Without cutting the connection between their eyes, Sam nodded and repeated, “Yep.”

  “Because I can think of a few things,” Ethan declared.

  Brett put his hand on Ethan’s shoulder, the move possessive and hot. “Like what?”

  “How about a house with a fence?” Ethan flashed one of his irresistible grins, the kind that was nearly impossible for Sam and Brett to deny. “Of course, it has to be in Luscious. I’m never leaving this place.”

  Sam wasn’t leaving either. He loved Luscious. Yes, the people were unusual and nosy. The thespians were extremely dramatic, and the artists were out in left field. And some of the hippies were borderline crazy in the most adorable way. But Sam adored all of them anyway. “Me either.”

  When Sam had originally moved here, he’d believed that Serenity was home, his only home. But he was wrong. Luscious was his home. This town was where his heart was, just like it was Brett and Ethan’s home. And none of them could be truly happy anywhere else.

  So it only made sense they officially put their roots down here. After all, they’d already given up their apartment in Serenity and had temporarily moved into the River Inn, which blessedly was next door to The Luscious Lady. But Sam wanted a house, not this crazy town’s version of a hotel suite. He wanted a place to come home from work and have a nice dinner with his husbands, a place to watch television and have their friends over. And he wanted a bedroom where he could make love with Brett and Ethan then sleep in their arms.

  Oh hell, who was he kidding? He just wanted a house in general. He obviously wasn’t the only one, either.

  “That’s what you want?” Brett asked,
sounding every bit as mischievous as Ethan had a few moments ago.

  Ethan smiled as he stared off into space. “Of course, I have everything else I could ever want in Luscious. I have a loving, supportive family and friends that most people only dream of having. And I get to run this really…interesting bar with my two favorite people. Not to mention, I live in a kooky town filled with complete weirdos who I can’t even imagine being without. Best of all, I have two husbands I love who, blessedly, are good in the sack.”

  Ethan’s naughtiness never failed to elicit a laugh from Sam. And this time was no different. Sam chuckled. “I should have known our prowess in bed would come into play somewhere. You, horndog, you.”

  Wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, Ethan murmured, “Always. Now I just want us to settle down in our own house—with a dog and a white-picket fence. If we can throw in a baby or three then that would be good, too.”

  “Is that it?” Brett asked. There was a smugness in his eyes that told Sam he was up to something.

  Eagerly, Ethan nodded. “I think so. If you want, I can try to come up with more stuff…”

  Heaven help us. “No thanks,” Sam said. “I think we’ve got the general idea.”

  “We sure do,” Brett declared, grinning widely. “Well, I guess you just wasted your winnings because I already bought us a house—with a white-picket fence on the outskirts of town. And I told Tate I wanted one of the puppies he found outside the animal shelter in Trinity.” Winking, he blew Ethan a kiss. “Now the baby…I can’t give you one of those. I’m missing certain necessary equipment. But I’m sure we can work something out.”

  Sam had no doubt they could. Apparently, Brooklyn thought so, too, because she popped up in front of them and said, “Working it out is the easy part. Accepting your fate is the hard part.”

  Huh? Sam stared at his friend dumbly.

  “Ah crap, Brooklyn,” Ethan whined, his tone mocking, not petulant. “Are you bringing out those riddles again? You know I can’t ever figure the damn things out.”