by Sean Michael
"You were not!" Bake squeezed him tight. "That man was drugging you -- making you sick."
"And I let him drug Dare."
"No. You didn't let him do anything. He did it. He was a monster, and you are not responsible for his actions."
"I feel so guilty," he whispered, confessing softly.
"Oh, sweet boy. Dare would hate that, you know."
He nodded, trying to take a deep breath.
"You and Dare are both sitting here feeling guilty about each other. You should both pack it in."
"I think Dare has. He's sleeping. Not dreaming."
"Good. So now it's your turn."
He sighed. "I'm trying. I really am."
"I just want you to be happy. So does Dare, hmm?"
"I know. I know." His cheek rested against Bake's shoulder. "Do you think everything's going to be okay?"
"Look at him." Bake nodded at Dare. "He's sleeping hard; he's going to be just fine. And so are you."
"I hope so. I'm ready for Dare to start cooking for us again." He was so tired of pizza.
Bake's stomach growled and he nodded. "Me, too. Me, too."
"In the morning, guys. It's late." Dare's hand tugged at his wrist. "Sleeping."
Bake chuckled. "There you go, sweet boy. He told you."
Dev shook his head, laughing softly. "He's so pushy. That's why I was born first. He pushed me out."
Bake laughed hard and hugged him close. He took a deep, deep breath, let Bake ease him down into the sheets and blankets. Bake cuddled him and Dare together, the three of them fitting together like pieces of the same puzzle.
"Love you, Devvy. Sir." Dare sighed, and the sound was happy. "Waffles in the morning. Promise."
"Sounds perfect." Bake kissed them both.
He nodded. "Hold me 'til I fall asleep?"
"I'll hold you both forever."
"Okay." He could live with that.
Dare's hand curled around his hip, warm and sure. "Shh. Love you, Devvy. Syrup. In the morning. I promise."
He chuckled. "Love you, Dare. Night."
"Night, my sweet and spicy boys. Tomorrow I'll tell you about how waffles are going to make you rich."
He frowned, lips parting to ask what Bake meant, but by the time he figured out what to say, he was already asleep.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Bean hummed as he put his last bag of shit into the back of Clay's truck. There wasn't a whole lot to move, really -- Clay had the basics, furniture and all, and Bake and his boys had a use for all their stuff, so it was just clothes and his computer and carpentry shit that was sort of a hobby. For when getting his brains fucked out by Clay no longer took up all their spare time.
He figured that day wasn't going to come anytime soon, but the tools might as well collect dust at his and Clay's place. Bean stopped for a minute just to grin at that thought.
He tossed the garbage bag full of his underwear and socks into the truck and, still humming, went back in. They'd promised Bake and the boys pizza and beer at the other end.
"That it, babe?" One of Clay's arms hooked around his neck, drew him in for a hard, sharp kiss.
He pressed against Clay's body and let himself just feel the kiss, ignoring everything else around them.
"Mmm." Clay stole his breath, stole his good sense, then eased him back down. "You ready to go home?"
"Fuck, yes. I love my brother, but he isn't you." There was no contest there. None at all, twins or not.
"Good thing you don't have to choose, babe. I just want to be your lover, not your brother."
No. No, after watching Clay handle the huge, long-distance family that was the Gimble clan over the last two weeks, Bean knew his lover had enough siblings.
"Lover all the way, babe. Speaking of brothers, I suppose we have to feed ours, huh?"
"Yes, so that they'll leave."
That made him laugh. Clay tickled him, on many levels.
Dev and Dare were helping Bake unload the car back at Clay's house. His house.
"Take me home, Clay."
"You got it." Clay patted his butt, then got into the truck, whistling away.
Chuckling happily, Bean climbed up into the passenger seat, his hand finding Clay's thigh as they got moving. Clay started singing along with the radio, the sound sweet, low. Rich. Bean just sat for the whole drive and took it all in. He was so fucking happy it almost hurt.
They pulled into the driveway, and Clay killed the engine. "Home sweet home."
"My home. No. Our home." He leaned over to beg a kiss from Clay.
Clay gave it easily, tongue pushing into his lips easy as pie. It was only the knowledge that his twin was inside that kept him from throwing himself across Clay's lap and begging for a good, hard fucking.
Clay's eyes were on him, laser-focused. "Want you."
"After we feed the troops, huh? Did you order the pizza yet?"
"I left cash with Dare." Clay rolled his shoulders, nodded. "Let's get this last load in."
"You do think of everything, don't you?" He gave Clay a quick kiss and climbed out to grab his stuff.
Bake and the twins came out to help. Dare and Dev looked better already, both focused on getting their little breakfast and lunch place up and running. Bake said the boys were working together beautifully, and Bean was working on the books for them, helping out.
The boys hadn't wanted to take 'charity' from him and Bake, but they'd assured Dare and Dev that this was an investment. According to the research he'd done, if the place did half as well as they were hoping, they'd get their money back, and hell, he'd tasted Dare's food -- the man would keep customers coming back, no doubt. It was a win-win situation for all of them.
He watched Clay's ass move as the man carried in a box of crap. Besides, Bake and the boys deserved to be as happy as he and Clay were, right?
Bake nudged his shoulder on the way. "Is this it, bro?"
"Oh, yeah. I'm in this all the way." He grinned at his twin, knowing damn well Bake had meant the last of his stuff. Didn't matter, the answer was true either way.
Bake rolled his eyes, but his twin looked happy for him, glad.
The twins were chattering at Clay, who was nodding and smiling and not listening a bit, Bean could tell. He chuckled and shoved the last bag into the bedroom. He could deal with unpacking later. After everyone had gone and Clay had fucked him through the mattress a time or two.
There was a six-pack of beer waiting and they all popped one, Clay flopping down on the sofa. "Thanks for your help, guys."
Bake grinned. "Just making room for my boys." He winked at Dare and Dev.
Bean flung a cushion at his own twin.
"We're going to make your room into a game room, we think." Either Darius or Devin smiled; the other one nodded.
Bean chuckled. "I take it we're not talking Parcheesi."
Clay groaned. "No. No way. I don't want to hear about those two getting it on, man."
Bake tossed the pillow at Clay. "They're hot."
"No, no! No turning my man off!" Bean didn't want that.
"They're turkeys." Clay tossed the pillow back and the twins cracked up.
"If they're turkeys, then they're hot turkeys," Bake insisted.
Bean couldn't help himself; he started laughing, too.
"Gobble gobble gobble." The twins starting flapping their arms, and the room seemed to just explode with the sheer happiness of it.
The doorbell rang, and Bean was sure they were going to scare the pizza boy right away.
"I'll get it." One of the twins hopped up and headed for the door, and Bean leaned into Clay, the muscled arm draped around him.
Fuck, he was happy.
And so was Bake, which made it even better.
He met his twin's eyes and he got a smile. A real, relaxed smile. Home. They were all home.
All of them.
Finally.
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