I lean in for another kiss. “Sounds amazing. You’ll have to drug me up for the flight though.”
Aldis snickers. “Afraid of flying.”
“Technically, I’m afraid of crashing, but yeah.”
“We’ll drug you up and keep you safe.” His arm slides around my back, bumping his cock into mine. “Fuck, I miss you.”
“Come over tonight. Stay with us.”
“Definitely.” He kisses me again before releasing me, glancing in my direction as we head out to start cardio. “Things are still good with you and Thorne, right?”
My stomach clenches at the reminder of Hawthorne telling me he’s in love. “We’re good. We had something to work out, but I think we did.”
“What’s that? If you can tell me.”
“He was upset because I kissed you but not him.”
“I noticed. I figured you’d jump at the chance to kiss his pretty mouth.”
I chuckle, nodding my head. “I would’ve thought that too, but I was scared. In some weird way, I thought kissing would break the spell he’s under.”
Aldis stops walking, grabbing my wrist. “He’s not under a spell. He’s aware of what he’s doing.”
“I know. He told me. We kissed.”
The grin on his face grows. “And?”
“It was…awesome.”
“Spell broken?”
“No.”
“Good.”
“Aldis…” I pause, wondering if this is the right thing to tell him, but it feels wrong to keep it from him. “I’m in love with Thorne.”
Something dark flashes across his face before he blinks it away. “I know, babe. I’ve always known that. Why do you think I helped things along?”
I nod, squeezing his hand. “I love him, and, um, I’m falling for you.”
His features relax as we step to the side to avoid people. “Thank you for telling me that. I’ve been lowkey afraid that I would bring you guys together and then get shut out.”
“It’s the exact opposite of that. We want you with us.”
His jaw twitches. “Thorne wants me too?”
“Yeah. No one is getting shut out. I think we need to talk about…” I shrug. “Rules, boundaries, whatever, so we’re all on the same page.”
“I agree.”
“But I want you and Thorne to have your own thing too.”
Aldis brushes my hair behind my ear. “I’m really happy. I saw all the possibilities this weekend, and I wanted it badly. It sucked leaving you guys.”
“We want it too, babe. Stay with us tonight. We’ll talk.”
“I’m there.”
“Good. Now I’m gonna kick your ass in the gym.”
“Bring it on, gorgeous.”
* * *
HAWTHORNE
“How was the gym?”
Bowen kicks off his shoes and drops his bag in the foyer. “Good. New personal best on the bench.”
“Yeah?”
He grins, dragging a hand through his sweat-damp hair. “Let’s just say Aldis brings out my competitive side.”
I chuckle. “Dude, same.”
He walks over, putting his hands on the back of the sofa as he leans down and kisses my cheek. The scent of his sweat mixed with his body wash and deodorant instantly makes me hard, causing me to squirm.
“Fuck,” I whisper, reaching up to grip the back of his neck and pull him closer for a kiss.
Our lips meet, clumsily at first, until Bowen slides over the back of the couch into my lap. My muscles are whining after this weekend, but I give zero fucks as my tongue tangles with his. When we break apart, he gazes up at me with such sweetness in his eyes, my heart skips.
“I love everything about you, Bow.”
“Thorne…”
“I was sitting here thinking about all the times you put up with me dragging women home, letting them take up our shared space. I feel like an ass for not noticing sooner.”
“Not noticing what?”
“That you loved me. The way you look at me…” I exhale. “I see it now. You’ve always looked at me like that. I was so blind.”
“It doesn’t matter anymore. You were just living life. Nothing to feel bad about.”
“I wish you would’ve hit on me at least once.”
Bowen laughs, shifting to sit upright next to me. “Nah, man. Wasn’t gonna take the chance.”
“You were never tempted?”
“I was tempted every day of my life.” He rubs my thigh. “You were too important to me to take chances though. I would’ve rather kept you as a friend than risk losing you.”
I nod, searching his blue eyes. “And then Aldis came in and just made it happen. He says he saw something in my eyes. Ending things with Jess woke me up. I could finally see what was always right in front of me.”
“Better late than never.”
“Agreed. Is Aldis coming over?”
“He is. I’m gonna shower. Unless you want to join me.”
I groan, squeezing my growing bulge. “What are the rules?”
“Rules?”
“You know. Can we fuck around without Aldis?”
Bowen exhales, smiling. “That’s what we’re talking about tonight.” He cups my cheek and kisses me. “I’ll be right out.”
I smack his ass as he passes me, then lean back on the couch. My dick is aching with need, and as much as I would like to join him, I want to talk things out with Aldis first. I don’t want anyone’s feelings getting hurt.
We spend the afternoon straightening up the place and starting dinner, deciding on simple grilled chicken and vegetables. I grab three chilled glasses from the freezer just as the doorbell rings. Bowen runs to grab the door while I get the beer.
When they don’t return quickly, I peer out to see them standing in the foyer still. Aldis has his arms around Bowen’s waist, speaking too softly for me to hear. A turbulent mixture of joy and envy clutches my stomach. I want Bowen to be happy. I want Aldis to be happy too, but fuck, seeing their connection makes me wonder if I’ll ever have that with Aldis.
I slip back into the kitchen, mindlessly pouring the beer. When they appear, Aldis walks right to me and kisses my cheek, smiling as he rubs my back.
“Hey, gorgeous.”
I turn my head to face him, wondering why we don’t kiss. Is it the same weird reason Bowen had or something else? Maybe he doesn’t want that with me yet?
“Something wrong?” Aldis asks.
I shake my head. “Not at all. Good to see you.”
“You too, babe.”
“Food’s almost ready,” Bowen says, squeezing between us. “But first, I need to be totally gross for a second and tell you both I’m so happy you’re here.”
Aldis kisses Bowen on the temple. “I’m happy too.”
“Same.” I brush my lips across his cheek. “Beer?”
“Please,” Aldis says, his eyes lingering on mine.
Once we’re all plated up and sitting at the dining table, a heavy silence falls over us. It’s obvious we all have thoughts, but no one is speaking up. That is until Take Charge Aldis clears his throat.