by Nora Phoenix
Josh took the stairs a few steps at a time, burst into the guest bedroom. “You okay?”
Noah had dragged himself into a sitting position, leaning against the headboard. “Yeah. Bored, but more importantly, I’m in desperate need of a shower. I stink.”
Josh smiled. “You do, a little.”
“Think you could help me shower?”
His first instinct was to say “Sure, no problem”, but then he reconsidered. Showering Noah would mean getting naked in the shower. With Noah. Would Connor be okay with that?
Also, he hadn’t told Noah yet about his decision. Especially since Indy hadn’t come back yet, Noah might ask him for help, and what would he do then? He had to tell Noah first, but could he do that without Connor being here? Was he strong enough for this, to face Noah’s reaction?
Noah was watching him patiently, his lips curved into a soft smile and his eyes understanding. Does he suspect what I’m about to tell him?
“Noah, I have to tell you something,” Josh started. He sat down on the bed, careful not to touch the stump.
“You can tell me anything, you know that.”
The kindness in his eyes gave Josh the strength he needed. “I won’t have sex with you anymore.”
“Okay.”
“Okay? That’s it?” Josh dragged a hand through his hair. Not the reaction he’d expected.
“You want me to tear out my hair in grief, put ashes on my head, and dress in burlaps?”
Josh smiled. Classic Noah. “No, Mr. Drama Queen, but I thought you might be disappointed, or mad, or at least ask why.”
“You forget how well I know you. You love him, Josh. It’s easy to see, and even easier to understand. You’re his now, I get it.”
Tears formed in Josh's eyes, unexpectedly. On impulse, he crawled toward Noah on the bed, sought his arm on his good side. Noah pulled him close like he had done so many times before, and Josh found his favorite spot on Noah’s shoulder. “I still love you,” he mumbled, overcome with emotions.
“I know. Your heart is big enough for the both of us, or I should say the three of us, Indy included. But Connor deserves first place, Josh. He’s a good man.”
Josh's heart expanded, relieved of the weight of telling Noah this. He should have known Noah would understand. “I love him so much.”
Noah kissed the top of his head. “He’s good for you.”
Josh sighed. “He is. He grounds me, even more than you do. Sorry, I don’t mean to compare.”
“It’s fine. Though you both are a couple of kinky fuckers, dude,” he joked.
Josh snickered. “You have no idea. We went to see a Dom together. He’s teaching us how to grow in our Dom/sub relationship.” He told Noah what he had experienced in his session with Master Mark.
“Wow,” Noah said slowly. “Just, wow. I had no idea. I can tell you’re really into this.”
“I love it,” Josh said simply. “There’s a peace in submitting to Connor that completely relaxes me. I always fall asleep after a session.”
Noah snorted. “No wonder if the guy fucks you that intensely. Indy saw his dick when I decked him in the kitchen. Said it was huge.”
“Trust me, it is. And I proudly take every inch of it and fucking love it.”
“You are a kinky little fuck, aren’t you?”
How liberating it was to talk about this with Noah. Josh had feared losing this aspect of their friendship, the ability to talk about anything and everything without judgment from either of them. But here he was, sharing what was in his heart with his best friend. If only Indy would come home, life would be perfect.
“Have you heard from Indy?” he asked, almost fearing the answer.
Noah let out a long sigh. “No. What if he doesn’t come back?”
How Josh wanted to reassure him, but he couldn’t. “Do you have any reason to believe he won’t?”
“He’s so scared, Josh. Scared of being found, but even more of being found with us. He fears what those fuckers will do to me, to you, to anyone Indy loves. And how can I blame him for that? Connor checked, and there is a contract on his head. Two hundred grand. Alive. They don’t want him killed. They want to torture him, then kill him. With an amount like that, there’s got to be some bad people looking for him everywhere.”
“He’ll never be safe as long as Duncan Fitzpatrick is alive,” Josh concluded, his heart heavy all over again, if for a different reason.
“Or in jail,” Noah said.
“Would Indy be willing to testify after all?” Josh thought out loud.
“I don’t know if I want him to. It’s a catch-22, you know. Testifying could get him killed, but not testifying means being on the run forever. There’s no solution here, at least, not one that I can see.”
If there was a way out of this, Josh didn’t see it either. Until Indy came home, there was little they could do.
“I’ll text Connor and ask him if I can help you shower,” he said, raising his head and kissing Noah softly on his lips.
“Thank you.”
Connor’s answer came fast. Fine. Keep your cage on.
Josh smiled. “Let’s go get you cleaned up because you really do stink.”
Minutes later, they were both in the shower. Noah was leaning heavily on the handrails, while Josh was attending to him. He’d carefully put a plastic bag around Noah’s leg, had taped it off so water couldn’t come in. Noah groaned as Josh lathered his hair with shampoo, giving a little scalp massage while he was at it. “Damn, that feels good. It’s been, like, a week since I washed my hair.”
“You need a haircut.”
“Yeah, amongst other things.”
“Lean back so I can rinse it out.”
Noah shook his head when it was clean. “So much better.”
Josh grabbed a sponge, squeezed out a healthy amount of Axe shower gel. He inched past Noah to get behind him so he could wash his back. Noah was fully aroused already, which was no surprise. His body remembered, obviously. Josh's own cock wanted to stir as well but had no way to go with the cage around it.
“Connor makes you wear that?” Noah asked.
“I want to. It’s part of the dynamic. And I like that I can’t even get hard without Connor’s permission.”
“Damn right,” Connor’s voice said.
Josh found him leaning against the wall, studying the two of them with burning eyes. “Hi, baby,” he said, happy.
“Sure, walk right in. It’s not like I’m naked in the shower, or anything,” Noah muttered.
“With my boyfriend. And you have zero right to talk, considering how you let your own boyfriend watch while you fucked another man.”
Josh had stopped worrying about this dynamic between Noah and Connor. Apparently, they both got a rise out of teasing each other like this. Whatever, as long as they got along.
“True,” Noah admitted. “Wanna return the favor? I could watch while you ravish our Josh here.”
Josh grinned, squeezed past Noah again and started washing his front.
“I wouldn’t do that to you,” Connor said.
“Oh, you think I would get jealous?”
“No. More like performance anxiety and feelings of inadequacy,” Connor said with a straight face.
Josh's body shook with laughter, and Noah smirked, too. “I heard some rumors,” Noah said.
“Did you, now? Then you know why I want to protect your fragile ego, Flint.”
“Fragile ego, my ass,” Josh muttered. He’d reached Noah’s cock and kneeled. He grabbed it, started washing it without even thinking about it.
“You like watching your boyfriend on his knees, washing my dick?”
Josh froze. He shot a quick look over his shoulder. Had he fucked up? Connor’s smile assured him he was fine. He continued, curious how Connor would respond.
“Not particularly. But let’s see how you like this. Josh, come here.”
Josh dropped the sponge immediately, walked out of the shower stall, dripping w
et. What was Connor’s intention?
“You did good, babe, asking me for permission. As a reward, I’m gonna let you suck me off now.”
Josh's eyes grew big. Was Connor serious? Hell, yeah, he was. Oh, damn, payback really was a bitch. His answer came swift and definitive. “Yes, Connor. Thank you, Connor.”
He sunk to his knees on the plush bath mat, unbuckled Connor’s belt and unzipped him. Seconds later, he held that beautiful cock in his hands. Noah gasped behind him, but Josh ignored him. He took a tentative lick from the base to the tip, licked his lips at the delicious salty taste.
He dragged Connor’s pants slightly farther down so he had full access. He dropped kisses on the massive shaft poking in his face, then started licking Connor’s balls, making sure to tongue the hypersensitive area between his balls and his hole. Connor loved that, and he proved it by moaning loudly when Josh put his wet tongue there, swirled it around. Damn, he tasted so good. Sweaty. Musky. All male.
He licked Connor’s testicle again, lapped it like a dog, then switched to the other one. He dribbled some saliva on his cock to create some lube, started jacking off at the base while he licked around the crown. He tongued the slit, extracting another obscene moan from Connor.
Connor spread his legs wider, pushing his cock in Josh's face. The message was clear. He wanted more. Josh lived to please. He sucked on the crown, scraped it every so lightly with his teeth.
“Oh, fuck,” Connor groaned. “Damn, you’re so good at this, baby.”
He’d just gotten started. Josh took him into his mouth, sucked. He teased him a little, but when Connor’s hands dropped to his head and started pulling him closer, he obliged and went to work. His mouth opened wide as he took him in and sucked hard. His head bobbed as he slid back and forth on Connor’s cock, taking it as deep as he could. As always, he held the base to protect Connor from jerking in too deep.
His head found peace even as his own body surged with desire. God, he loved giving head. It was so perfectly dirty, with the kind of discomfort that would’ve made him rock hard if not for the cock cage. He hummed around Connor’s dick, knowing that drove him wild.
Connor started moving with him, fucking his mouth with deep thrusts. Josh's eyes watered, but he had enough air, so he ignored it. Spit dribbled out of his mouth, onto his chin, but he didn’t bother wiping it away. It wouldn’t take long anyways since they hadn’t fucked yet this morning. The first orgasm was always fast with Connor.
Behind him, the water shut off and the sounds of someone jacking off were unmistakable. It seemed Noah was enjoying the show.
“Babe,” Connor growled.
Josh pulled back slightly, and a big squirt of cum painted his throat. He swallowed happily, waited for more. Connor moaned again, erupted in another prolific surge of fluids. Before he’d swallowed it all, Josh was yanked up under his arms and Connor kissed him deeply. Josh closed his eyes, moaned at the dirty kiss. Behind him, Noah groaned and sighed, presumably coming.
Finally, Connor broke off the kiss and pushed Josh back, turning him sideways with one strong hand on his shoulder. He slapped Josh on his butt, hard. “Towel Noah off and get him dressed so I can carry him downstairs. Make sure he has everything he needs because we’re not done yet.”
“Yes, Connor.”
With a triumphant look at Noah, Connor strode out of the bathroom. Josh turned to face Noah, who hung against the handrail. The shower wall was painted with his cum, and his cock had gone soft.
“You weren’t kidding about his size,” Noah said.
Josh grinned. “Told you.” He stepped back into the shower, turned it on quickly to clean off the wall. With quick, efficient moves he cleaned Noah up again.
“I hadn’t pegged him for the type who’d let others watch,” Noah remarked.
“He’s an exhibitionist, but he’s only started to discover and accept it. Secretly, he loves it when others get to watch us.”
Josh toweled Noah off first, then grabbed another towel for himself. He shivered. Time to get dressed. Or get busy.
Noah leaned on him heavily as they made their way back to the guest room where he lowered his friend carefully on the bed.
“Let me get some clothes for you.”
He came back with boxers, a shirt, and jogging pants.
“Only the boxers right now. I’m gonna take a nap,” Noah said.
Josh didn’t even bother putting anything on himself, not with what Connor had planned.
“Connor,” he yelled downstairs. “He’s ready for you.”
He could help Noah downstairs, but it was way easier for Connor who simply carried him without breaking a sweat. It had to be embarrassing for Noah, but if it was, he didn’t show it. Instead, he merely thanked Connor once he was settled on the couch in the living room. Josh brought him a glass of lemonade and a bottled water, set out some nuts and baby carrots with ranch dipping for him.
“You need anything else?”
Noah shook his head, smiled. “Go, obey your man. Have fun. I’m gonna take a nap.”
On impulse, Josh bent over him, kissed him on his lips. “He’ll come, Noah. He loves you. I don’t know when, but Indy will come back.”
Indy sighed as he stepped back into the house, coming in through the back door. He kicked off his sneakers, hung his jacket in the closet near the back door and walked inside. The house was quiet, at first. When he listened a little harder, he picked up rhythmic noises from upstairs. Connor and Josh, in all likelihood. Would Noah be upstairs as well? Indy didn’t think the cop was the type to let someone watch, but you never knew with people.
Familiar smells tickled his nose. The lemon-scented cleaner Josh always used. The vanilla from the scented candles on the kitchen counter. Cinnamon, probably left over from something Josh had cooked. Fresh herbs, from the cute little pots in the kitchen window.
Home. This is what home smells like.
He’d stopped by the jiujitsu studio. Kent had handed him the documents from DA Merrick about Connor. As Indy had expected, his story checked out. It had cleared the way for him to come home. Even more, Merrick had informed Connor he was still patiently building a case against the Fitzpatricks. He had found some secondary witnesses willing to testify. Indy shuddered. Fuck, he hoped they’d be safe. And the DA himself, too. Taking on the Fitzpatricks wasn’t for the faint of heart.
He’d asked the PI to call the Army JAG Corps. She had affirmed what he already knew: the appeal had been withdrawn. Beaufort, Moloney, and Winters were going back to jail for another three years. After that, he might have to pay them a little visit to make sure they’d behave. But that was for later. Now, all he wanted was Noah.
The sounds from upstairs were increasing in tempo. Indy smiled. Someone was about to be ecstatic. Hopefully both. He made his way into the living room and immediately spotted Noah, deep asleep on the couch. His head was turned toward Indy, his face peeping out from under a soft blanket.
He kneeled beside him on the floor, studying the face of the man he loved so very much. Noah still looked pale and tired, which sent a fresh wave of guilt though Indy. He should have been there for him.
Indy’s heart stuttered, then fell all over again as he watched his man sleep. How had he ever been able to get a man like this to like him, let alone love him? No matter his fears and insecurities, he didn’t doubt for a second that Noah loved him. It was too obvious, too clear to miss, even for someone like Indy who had so rarely encountered love before.
He cocked his head, listened to what Josh and Connor were doing upstairs. It seemed they were gearing up for another round. Perfect. Besides, it wasn’t like they would be shocked if they’d catch him and Noah. Not in this house.
Within seconds, Indy had stripped naked. He lifted the corner of the blanket up and carefully lowered himself on top of Noah, making sure to stay away from his wounds. Almost immediately, Noah’s arms came around him, pressed him close. Indy inhaled Noah’s scent, reveling in the feel of naked skin on skin.
Half-asleep, Noah’s hands trailed his back, then lower to his ass, cupped both cheeks. Indy smiled, brought his mouth to Noah’s and delivered a soft kiss. Noah’s lips opened, and Indy teased him with his tongue, sucking and biting until suddenly Noah’s eyes flew open.
Recognition was instant, and Noah’s face lit up. The pure joy he displayed brought tears to Indy’s eyes. If he had ever doubted he’d be welcome after running away, here was his answer. Noah’s hands came up, tenderly held his face as their kiss deepened.
“I love you,” Noah said, his voice broken, after they had kissed for what seemed hours. “I missed you so much. Please, Indy, please, don’t ever leave me again. I can’t do this without you. I need you by my side.”
Indy nodded, his eyes teary at the love he saw in Noah’s eyes. “I love you, Noah. I’m so sorry for running off. I fucked up. I’m scared, but I want to be with you more than anything.”
Noah’s eyes welled up, and he brought their mouths together again for another deep, hot kiss.
“I need you,” he said with desperation when they broke off the kiss, almost gasping for breath.
“I’m right here, baby,” Indy comforted him.
Noah found his mouth again. His tongue explored every inch of Indy’s mouth as if he had to internally map it all over again. Indy’s heart softened. His tough man had suffered without him. There was no doubt how much he’d missed Indy.
Indy traced Noah’s bottom lip, then nibbled on it. Noah let out cute little sounds, indicating how much he loved it. He kissed Noah’s eyelids, still slightly wet from his tears, then proceeded to cover every inch of his beautiful face with little licks, kisses, rubs. Their eyes met, and Noah’s hand rose to caress Indy’s hair.
“I love you,” he said as if he wanted to make sure Indy knew for certain. How could he not, when the love was radiating from those gorgeous green eyes?
Indy found his mouth again, kissed it wet, deep, long. He wanted to keep doing this for hours. It had been too long. But he wanted more than mere kisses. He needed Noah, longed for him to claim him, fill him.
