“No, nothing like that.”
“What then?”
“Maybe you should just see it for yourself.”
Bowen walks over slowly. I can see the tension and concern on his face as he looks from me to the laptop. As he reads the email, he slumps against me, whispering, “No.”
“Maybe it doesn’t mean anything, Bow.”
“How could he turn down a salary like that?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know what to do now. Do we ask him about it and admit we read his email or wait for him to bring it up?”
Bowen exhales slowly, rubbing his forehead. “I think we have to be honest and tell him what we saw. If he’s planning to take this job, I’d rather know sooner than later. I can’t keep falling deeper in love knowing he’s going to leave.”
I nod, wrapping my arms around Bowen. “I don’t want to believe he would leave. I know what we have is new, but it’s real. It’s solid.”
“That’s what I thought, but why didn’t he tell us about the job offer?”
“I don’t know, babe. Maybe we just have to trust him.”
Bowen pulls back slightly, gazing at me with so much sadness in his eyes, it makes my chest hurt. “I can’t lose him. This. I won’t be okay.”
“I know.” I press a soft kiss to his lips. “We’ll bring it up when he’s awake. We have to. That’s what all your podcasts said, right? Communication is key. We’ll just confess that we read it and ask him what he’s planning.”
Bowen nods, but his eyes are glassy. “He wouldn’t just leave us, right?”
“I don’t think so.”
He exhales slowly, wrapping his arms around me and laying his head on my shoulder. I hold him as closely as I can, trying to reassure him even though my own insecurity is off the charts.
“Are you guys okay?”
We both turn to see Aldis standing in the hallway, naked with his rumpled hair. Bowen and I exchange looks as Bowen subtly nods.
“Aldis,” I begin. “We need to talk.”
Chapter Twenty
Aldis
I blink away my sleepy confusion, taking in their matching spooked expressions. Oh fuck, are they dumping me? My heart forces its way into my throat as I volley my eyes back and forth between the two of them.
A guilty expression comes over Thorne’s face as he holds up my laptop. “It was open, and I accidentally saw one of your emails.”
I frown. One of my emails? I mentally run through what he could have seen that would cause them to look so somber. I haven’t so much as thought about anyone else since Bowen caught my eye at the gym months ago, so I know it’s not any kind of inappropriate email. Besides, that’s my work computer, so all of those emails are from clients…
Oh.
“They’re offering you a lot of money,” Bowen says, confirming my suspicion of which email it was that Thorne accidentally saw.
“But you should also consider the fact that basically every animal in Australia wants to murder you,” Thorne points out. Bowen elbows him, but he doesn’t bother to look repentant.
I bite back a laugh, forcing myself to look like I’m considering their arguments.
“It sounds like they really want you. They’re offering all kinds of benefits, a stupid amount of vacation days, stock options…” Bowen rattles off. Clearly, he read the email a lot more carefully than I did. I skimmed it, but they could have offered me daily blowjobs and a million-dollar signing bonus, and I still wouldn’t have truly considered it.
“But the seasons are all backward. That would be really hard to get used to.”
“Hmm,” I stroke my chin and nod. “You’re both making some excellent points.” I come around the couch, vaguely aware of the fact that I’m bare-assed, my flaccid cock swinging between my thighs when I walk. “But there’s one thing I don’t think either of you has considered.” I take the laptop from him and set it down on the coffee table. “You’re both here, and I don’t give a fuck about the money.”
They both visibly relax, smiles spreading over their faces.
“Oh, thank fuck,” Thorne murmurs, launching himself at me. He nearly knocks me off balance, his large, sturdy body colliding with mine.
“Oomph.” I chuckle, wrapping my arms around him and steadying myself. Looking over his shoulder, I see Bowen with the same relief written all over his face, if not a little bit more cautious.
“Are you sure? Opportunities like this don’t come around every day. What if you turn it down and regret it eventually? What if you start to resent us for keeping you here?” He tugs his bottom lip between his teeth.
“Come here.” I wave him over to join our hug. We sandwich Thorne between us and I press a kiss to Bowen’s lips.
“Opportunities like this don’t come around every day, and I would kick myself a hell of a lot harder if I walked away from the chance to see what the three of us can build together than if I turn down some dime-a-dozen job.”
“Plus, I made some good points about the murder animals, right?” Thorne says, his voice muffled with his face pressed into the crook of my neck.
I chuckle and squeeze him tighter. “Sure. Although I’m hoping you’re not too afraid of all those freaky snakes and shit because I might have booked the three of us for a trip to Australia in a few months.”
He pulls his head back so I can see his face and grins. “Are we going to climb Mount Arapiles?”
“Hell yes, we are. The state park also has tons of easier hikes that are supposed to have incredible views, and there are some white-sand beaches not too far either.”
“Count me in,” Bowen agrees.
“Do you two have a job today?” I ask, finally releasing Hawthorne so the three of us can get some much-needed coffee from the kitchen.
“Nope,” Thorne answers. “And I’m strongly feeling a lazy day.”
“A lazy, no pants day,” I pitch. “We can lie in bed naked all day watching movies.”
“You are full of good ideas today,” Bowen says agreeably.
We all finish our coffee and then race back to the bedroom, the two of them stripping out of their underwear to climb back into bed with me, Hawthorne in the middle this time. I wouldn’t give this up for all the money in the world.
* * *
HAWTHORNE
“Mm, this is nice,” I murmur with a sleepy sort of relaxed feeling, sandwiched between my men on Bowen’s bed, our bed, some movie I haven’t really watched a second of playing in the background.
They’ve been talking about the movie and making plans for our trip to Australia, and I’ve simply been letting their deep, soothing voices become another part of the background noise, drifting between a half-asleep state and a peaceful, slightly horny fantasy that feels anything but urgent.
Bowen brushes a kiss to the top of my head, jostling me just slightly where I have my cheek resting against his bare shoulder. Aldis drags his fingers along my naked skin, goosebumps forming in his wake.
“You know what would be even nicer though?” The dirty fantasy I’ve been rolling around in my mind for half the morning surfaces again, making my cock stir and my skin start to warm under their innocent touches. Who am I kidding? I’ve been thinking about it on and off for at least a week now, working up the courage to ask for it.