Miles’ face lit up with so much love, any remaining doubt about the man’s feelings dissipated. “It’s no hardship, Blake. He’s special, your brother. And he’s getting what he’s always wanted, a family.”
Blake’s eyes grew misty. “Yeah. That’s… that’s good. Do you think that he’ll forgive me?”
Miles’ hand clamped down on his shoulder. “He already has. He misses you, but he’s scared to reconnect because he thinks you’re angry with him. Come by the house sometime this week. He’d love that. Just not tomorrow. We’ve got…something planned.”
Blake didn’t ask, pretty sure he really didn’t want to know. “Thank you. I will. I miss him.” He got distracted by the music dimming. “It’s Charlie’s time,” he said. “We need to go downstairs.”
By the time they made it downstairs, everyone else had, too. It took them a few minutes to reunite with the boys. Blake breathed easier once he had Aaron in his arms. He was sweaty, happy, and handsy, apparently craving Blake’s touch. Blake smiled, held him close, petting his head and neck. “Settle down, puppy. I’m right here.”
Aaron pressed up against him, seeking his mouth. The kiss was anything but short and sweet, and it resulted in a few whistles from people around them. Blake couldn’t care less. It was all in good form, and he’d witnessed far, far worse here.
The lights dimmed. Blake had seen Charlie perform a few times, and every time was a treat. The kid was a talented performer. He turned Aaron with his back against him, pulled him close.
“Good evening Flirt! A special welcome to all twinks! Lumberjacks! Daddies! Power bottoms! Hipsters!”
Blake smiled at the familiar roll call, groups of people responding by echoing the label they identified with. It was a long list, but it never failed to get a great response.
“Soldiers!”
“Hooah!” Josh and Noah responded loudly, aided by a few others.
“Marines!”
“Oorah!” Connor’s booming voice rung out, and people around them turned their heads, nodded in respect.
“And last but not least: all you sexual deviants!”
He nudged Aaron, and they replied laughing: “Deviants!”
Turned out they’d all responded, which made Josh and Indy have a fit of giggles. Those two were worse than teenage girls sometimes.
“Please welcome on stage…the one and only…the unforgettable, insatiable, unbelievable, improbable…Lady Lucy!”
Charlie’s song boomed through the speakers, an up-tempo, sexy version of “Man-eater”. The crowd burst out in the lyrics: “Oh, here she comes, watch out boys, she’ll chew you up!”
Charlie was unrecognizable in his drag outfit, as he sauntered onto the stage. The slender, elvish man had transformed in a sex goddess, with fake blond hair, fake boobs pressed into a pink, short dress with sequins that sparkled, massive lashes and thick makeup, and a pair of pink platform heels Blake still couldn’t believe Charlie could walk in.
He knew how to play the crowds, pretending to be flattered and shy while waiting till everyone was done catcalling and whistling. When they finally stopped, he quipped: “I didn’t quite catch that, what was that?” His reward was a small encore.
Next to Blake, Miles watched, enraptured, Brad pulled close to his body. “God, he’s perfect,” Blake heard him say to Brad, who stood beaming proudly.
Brad waited till it was quiet before he called out: “Hey, sexy!”
Charlie smiled, recognized his voice. “That’s one of my boyfriends,” he said, earning another laugh from the crowd. “Laugh all you want, but this girl is so sexy she needs two men to satisfy her!”
A man in the front shouted out a rude remark about her sexual preferences. “Tuttuttut,” he shushed him. “A lady never tells.”
The crowd laughed, with some yelling out for more details.
“Suffice it to say their nicknames are Big…” He held up his hands a good ten inches apart. “…And Bigger.” He indicated fifteen inches, and the crowd went wild.
“He’s talking about you, O’Connor,” Noah joked, bumping Connor’s shoulder good-naturedly.
“He sure as hell wasn’t talking about you,” the former cop shot right back.
Blake caught an eye roll between Josh and Indy and grinned. Aaron shifted restlessly in his arms. He ground his ass against Blake’s cock with enough pressure to make him hard in seconds.
He brought his mouth close to Aaron’s ear. “What’s wrong?” He slipped his left hand under Aaron’s top, wriggled it into his jeans to tease his crack. “Does Sexy Aaron need a good, hard fuck?”
Aaron’s head dropped back against him as he moaned softly, and at the same time opened his legs to give Blake room to play. The temptation to finger-fuck him was great, but they both needed more than that. He’d been busy with a tournament this week and hadn’t given Aaron enough attention, at least sexually speaking. No wonder his puppy needed his hole filled. His anal fixation was still a big thing, and Blake had forgotten to put the butt plug in he’d bought for him.
“Right after the show, I’ll take your sweet ass in the bathroom, okay? But we gotta watch the show first. Now, behave, puppy, and stop teasing me.”
Charlie had transitioned into his first song, a pitch-perfect rendition of Lady Gaga’s “Born this Way”.
Brad met his eyes, gave him a tentative smile. Blake smiled back, and was relieved to see Brad’s smile widen. It seemed Miles had been right, that all would be good between them. Thank fuck. Now all he had to do was try and mend bridges with Burke who was still being a stubborn ass.
Indy and Josh were dancing to the song and pulled Brad between them. Brad had become part of their group, Blake realized. He fit in with them. He smiled as he thought about what Miles had told him. The agent was right. It would provide Brad with the family he needed and had wanted for so long.
Blake watched as Charlie gave a flawless performance. His puppy remained restless and kept grinding against him, but it wasn’t too bad. The promise of a solid fuck usually helped, if it didn’t take too long.
As always Charlie closed off with Queen’s epic “We Are the Champions”, a big-time crowd-pleaser.
“Let’s go,” he told Aaron. “We’ll beat the crowds at the bathrooms.”
Noah spotted them leaving, raised his eyebrows. Blake winked. Noah would know where he and Aaron were headed, no doubt, and Blake didn’t care.
Aaron beelined straight for the fuck stalls, where they did indeed beat the crowds and walked straight in. Blake locked the door, and when he turned around, Aaron had lowered his jeans, and stood bent over at the sink. He’d kicked off one leg of his jeans, so he could spread his legs.
Blake would smile, but he didn’t want Aaron to take it the wrong way. He should never experience shame over his needs. Instead, Blake grabbed lube from his wallet.
“Do you have it bad, puppy?” His voice was warm, kind. “I’m gonna take care of you.”
Aaron whimpered in response, his eyes closed, and his body trembling.
Blake lubed up his cock as fast as he could, didn’t bother to grease Aaron’s hole. When he was like this, he didn’t need it. He’d want to feel it, would welcome the burn.
“I’m here. Hold tight.”
He entered him hard, not stopping till he’d bottomed out. Aaron’s moan bordered on a scream, but it wasn’t in pain. It was relief. Blake pulled out almost entirely, drove back in hard.
“Blake!” Aaron’s voice broke.
He held Aaron’s hips as he fucked him hard and deep, exactly as he had promised. Aaron came in under a minute, but Blake didn’t stop. He was nowhere near done, and neither was Aaron.
He didn’t speak, the only sounds audible the slaps of his body against Aaron’s as he fucked him, the slicking sounds of his wet cock in Aaron’s channel, and the music that filtered through the doors. People were talking loudly outside, so a line was forming of people who wanted to fuck as well. Well, they’d have to wait until he was done.
&nb
sp; The second time, Aaron did actually scream, and outside people laughed and commented. Blake didn’t give a shit. He released the tight hold he’d had on his own needs and came without making a sound, his orgasm barreling through him.
Aaron shuddered, still breathing hard. “You good now?” Blake asked.
“Yeah.”
Blake smiled now, wiping off his cock with a hand towelette. Aaron pulled his jeans up without cleaning himself. He loved the sensation of cum in his ass, he’d told Blake once. There was something inherently dirty about it, but Blake loved knowing that he’d marked him. Aaron would feel him the rest of the night, and somehow, that was deeply satisfying.
When he was dressed again, Aaron turned around, his face devoid of the stress he’d shown earlier. “Thank you,” he said.
Blake grabbed his head, kissed him deeply. “Always. I love fucking you, and I love taking care of you even more. I love you, puppy.”
Aaron all but melted against him. “I love you, too.”
Epilogue
One Hundred Days Later
Indy woke up wrapped around Josh, Noah and Connor already up. Josh looked at him with beaming eyes, a soft smile playing on his lips. “Good morning, baby.”
Indy leaned up on his elbow for a kiss. “Good morning… Did you sleep well or were you as excited as I was?”
Josh grinned. “It feels like Christmas morning to me.”
“I know, right? It’s the weirdest feeling…” Indy leaned in for another kiss, then disentangled himself from Josh.
Indy looked around their bedroom as he threw on some sweatpants and a shirt. The contractor had done an amazing job with the renovation. He had added a few square feet to the former in-law wing, making it big enough for the huge bed they’d ordered custom-made. They had also added a second shower to the bathroom, and had created a second walk-in closet.
And, of course, he’d built a play room Josh and Connor made good use of. Indy still couldn’t stand to watch when Connor whipped or caned Josh, even though he knew Josh craved it, but he loved seeing the bliss Josh experienced afterward.
It had become their sanctuary, this house, and especially this room. They’d all found their place, both literally and figuratively. Noah and Connor on the outsides of the bed with Indy and Josh in the middle. Indy loved that whenever he woke up, someone was always holding him, touching him. Josh’s nightmares were gone for good, too.
On the other side of the house, the contractor had built another wing, slightly smaller than this one, but roomy enough to comfortably house Miles, Brad, and Charlie. Watching the three of them making their relationship work had been a joy.
Brad had rebelled hard at times, and Miles had patiently been there for him. Even Noah and Connor had stepped up at times to give Brad the stability and discipline that he needed. Miles had to go through a week training upstate a few weeks ago, and Connor had taken over Brad’s daily morning spanking to make sure Brad knew he was not invisible. It was heartwarming to see that Brad was slowly, but surely getting better at trusting he was loved and wanted.
Charlie had blossomed into a sassy, spunky, but super sweet guy whose biggest joy was loving his two men. He loved his job as a beauty consultant, and still did monthly performances at Flirt.
Indy sighed as he thought of Miles. The former FBI agent was developing a counseling practice working with teens. Recently, he’d been asked by the school district to help train teachers in recognizing mental issues in students, and Indy couldn’t have been prouder of the man.
It was also clear that Brad wasn’t the only one who loved having a family again. Miles had become close with Noah and Connor, the three of them hanging out a lot. Miles and Noah loved having long conversations about psychology, Miles cheering Noah on every chance he got for Noah to finish his degree. The safety Miles experienced at home, being able to be himself, had made a huge difference for him as well. And he doted on Charlie and Brad, the love between the three of them healing for all.
“You ready?” Josh asked, snapping Indy out of his thoughts.
“Yeah.” He sighed. “They’re gonna react well, right?” His stomach rolled a little.
Josh quickly closed the distance between them and gave him a gentle hug. “You really worried about that?”
Indy’s stomach settled as Josh’s hug steadied him. “A little.” His voice sounded muffled, his mouth against Josh’s shirt.
Josh let go and grabbed his chin. “Indy, Noah loves you. Don’t you ever doubt that. And you know he’s more than fine with us.”
Indy nodded. He did know—on a rational level. Still, there was this flutter in his stomach, this deep-down fear that Noah would reject him anyway. “Let’s go,” he said, not wanting to bring Josh down. “We’ve got a plan to execute.”
His nerves wouldn’t go away the rest of the day. When they started the preparations for the barbecue party, they were back in full swing. He pushed them down as he let Aaron and Blake in, helped set everything up outside, then prepared the side dishes with Josh, Aaron eager to help as well.
It was a gorgeous autumn day, the sky crystal blue with soft white wisps of clouds in the distance. The men were laughing and eating, catching up and joking around. Aaron was at Blake’s feet, more confident than ever before. He was excelling at his new job, making local and even statewide headlines for his work. Brad was playing chess with Noah, Max sleeping at his feet as usual, while Connor and Miles were talking about Connor’s job at the school district, Charlie content to simply sit on Miles’ lap.
Indy felt Josh behind him before he saw him, then Josh’s arms came around him. “You ready, baby?”
Indy nodded. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
Josh handed him the small box, and hand in hand they made their way to their family, their tribe.
“Everyone,” Josh said, then waited till the conversations had stopped. “Indy and I have something we want to say.”
He squeezed Indy’s hand, and suddenly those nerves were gone, and Indy’s heart filled with so much love it felt like it would burst.
“I don’t know if you realized what day it is today, Noah,” he said.
Noah frowned, shook his head.
“It’s exactly a year ago that I met you and Josh, and even Connor for the first time.”
Recognition lit up on Noah’s face, and he smiled, but stayed silent, sensing apparently that Indy had more to say.
“In hindsight, that was the best day of my life, even if I didn’t realize it at the time. Meeting you changed my life in so many ways, that I can’t even put it into words.”
“It was the best day of my life, too,” Josh took over. “Because that day changed everything for me, for us. It was the start of a new chapter, and looking back, it’s hard to imagine my life before that day. Meeting Indy was the catalyst for a lot of changes, all of them good. We would not be sitting here with this company, if not for that day.”
“That doesn’t mean this year was easy, because it wasn’t,” Indy said. “We all paid the price for the crimes of others…and we came damn close to losing some of us. I’ll be forever grateful to what you all have endured and sacrificed because of me.”
His voice choked, and Josh squeezed his hand again.
“It was also not easy because all of us, we didn’t take the easy route to love. We found love in unexpected ways and forms, and that was often a struggle in itself,” Josh said. “It’s what makes us a family: to be able to see and accept that love comes in many shapes and forms. And no one knows that better than Connor and Noah, who had the courage to set Indy and me free.”
This was it, Indy realized. This was the cue he and Josh had agreed on. Peace descend in his heart, as he let go of Josh and reached for that small box. They kneeled at the same time, and an audible gasp sounded in the garden as the others realized what was happening.
Indy opened the small box at the same time Josh did, and they both held it out to their men.
“Noah Flint, I love you more than wo
rds can say, and I want nothing more than to have your name. Will you marry me?”
Next to him, Josh repeated his words for Connor. Then all Indy could see was Noah’s face, lighting up like the sun, radiating with so much love it would’ve brought Indy to his knees if he hadn’t been there already.
“Yes! Oh, yes, Indy, hell yes.”
Noah came out of his chair, dragged Indy to his feet and kissed him senseless. Those strong arms held him so tight it felt as if Noah never wanted to let go.
“God, I love you,” Noah breathed in his ear. He leaned back. “Are you sure this is what you want? I wanted to ask you a hundred times already, but I didn’t want to make you feel like you had to choose between me and Josh.”
Similar words were uttered by Connor at the same time, and Indy and Josh smiled at each other. They’d guessed it right when they had discussed it.
“We both agreed that we want your names. For us, it’s enough to be together. We don’t need anything else. But we want to make it official with you,” Indy said.
“We’ll do it together,” Noah said with a quick look at Connor. “Right, Connor? Same day wedding, the four of us.”
Connor nodded, his eyes suspiciously moist. “There’s nothing that would make me happier.”
Then they kissed and hugged, and the others stepped into congratulate with even more hugs and kisses, and Indy’s heart swelled inside his chest.
He’d found love when he never expected it.
He’d found a family he’d never dared imagine.
Life was pretty damn good.
THE END
Acknowledgments
I can’t believe I did it: four books in four months. Wow, what a ride.
A heartfelt thank you to every single one of my readers. I can’t express in words how much your love for my books means to me. The Nookies in my FB reader group deserve a special mention since you guys rock.
Amanda, Kyleen, Michele, Tania, and Vicki, thanks so much for beta reading this book. I so appreciated the feedback, and you made this book better.
No Shame: The Complete Series: Including exclusive bonus materials and deleted scenes Page 112
