He knew he looked at little smug, he couldn’t help it. “Geoff’s feeling better? I’d love to see.”
“I’ll have him show off. Let me help in the kitchen, yeah?” Carter’s question was indicative of respect, and he appreciated it.
“Be my guest, if he lets you.” He let Carter pass by and followed along with the pie. “Smells good in here, boy.”
“Thank you, Master. Carter. How’s it going?”
“I’m well, thank you. Smells like fajitas. Put me to work so you and Geoff can visit. He’s missed you.”
Troy glanced at Saul, and he nodded. “Are you sure?”
Carter rolled his eyes and then winked. “Totally. Go.”
Geoff took Troy’s arm and they left the kitchen, Geoff’s voice trailing off as they headed for the living room. “Come on, honey. We need to catch up. Where’s your mat? That’ll be easier than a chair, don’t you think? God it’s so pretty. It glows against your skin.”
He chuckled and set the pie down on the counter. “It’s like a play date.” He started to show Carter around the kitchen but realized quickly that Carter was already quite at home.
“They are close as brothers, those two. I’m grateful that they have each other.” Carter’s words were questioning what he thought, it was obvious.
He knew Carter was getting at something specific, though he couldn’t pin it down. He leaned against the counter and nodded. “You’re both Troy’s family. Geoff and I had a good talk a couple of weeks ago. I know how much he cares.”
“Excellent. We’d like to be part of your family too.”
Saul could see who’d taught Troy to cook, how he’d learned the efficient motions, the speed.
“I don’t know what I would have done without you guys these last few weeks. I’m a little overwhelmed honestly. I’ve just never… and I felt completely at home last night. I just have to get used to it. I haven’t had anything like this before.”
Jesus, he was babbling.
“I owe you. I was out of line the morning Troy called in. I disparaged you and him, and I have to be honest, I had to think about why.”
Whoa. Okay this was serious shit Carter was talking about. He reached out impulsively and gripped Carter’s shoulder. “Hey. The doc said it was going to happen. If not that day than another one. It was just a matter of time, he said.” Was he supposed to ask why? Was Carter thinking out loud?
“I know, but I would owe you an apology regardless. We were used to being Troy’s whole world, I was having a shitty week, and everything came to a head. I vote we don’t do that again, yeah?”
“Yeah. We better drink to that. Beer?” He went to the fridge, pulled out a couple, and handed one to Carter. “To family.”
“To family.” Carter grinned at him, eyes twinkling. “So, dinner or admiring our work first?”
Okay. Cool. He handled that like an adult, and Carter looked relieved. All better. Go him.
“Well, that depends. Is Geoff itching to show off? I would love to see your work, man. And you could let me know what you think of Troy’s.” It wasn’t a pissing contest at all. He thought maybe he could learn something.
“Are you kidding? My boy loves to be watched. He’s an exhibitionist and a half.”
“All right, set dinner on simmer and we’ll let the boys show off.” He’d never done this either. He’d never had a friend that was a Dom. Acquaintances, people he knew through the subs he’d worked with, but not friends that really got him. Carter got him. Maybe even in a way Troy couldn’t quite.
“Sounds good.” Carter set everything up to stay warm, and they headed to the front room. Troy sat cross-legged on his mat, Geoff curled on the couch, and they were chatting.
“Did we come back too soon?” He went to Troy, reaching out and running fingers through red curls. The collar—his collar—was right there, resting on his boy’s throat.
“No, Sir. We were just talking. Sharing war stories, so to speak.” Troy sparkled—simply fucking sparkled.
He wanted to tell Troy that using his name was okay, that they were just being themselves tonight and having dinner with friends, except just as that was about to come out of his mouth, it hit him.
They were just being themselves.
This was who they were, all the time. Troy was just as likely to call him ‘Saul’ in the next breath as his boy was to say ‘Sir’.
Huh.
And he apparently could use both ‘Troy’ and ‘his boy’ in the same thought without issue too.
This was the twenty-four-seven lifestyle that other people talked about. Or their version, anyway. He wasn’t thinking about Troy as a sub who also happened to be a lover. Or friends with bennies. Troy was all of it, everything, there was no way to separate one from the other anymore.
Man, now he totally understood how difficult it had to have been for both Carter and Geoff to let Troy move on. How hard it might still be. It wasn’t the same relationship, but Troy had become part of their twenty-four-seven. Same friendship, entirely different dynamic.
“Were you talking about your stripes? Did you get a good look, Geoff?” He wasn’t going to pretend he wasn’t proud, he thought he’d done well. He thought Troy looked amazing.
“They’re stunning. Somehow, they work with the ink, and I’ve never—never—seen him glow like this. And the collar…” Geoff beamed at him. “You’re amazing.”
“I told you.” Troy waggled his eyebrows. “He’s got it down right.”
Okay, that time he did blush. A little. He tipped Troy’s face up and kissed his boy to cover it. “Thank you, boy. It seems to be enough for us, at least.” When he glanced up again, Geoff and Carter were holding hands. “You have something to show off, don’t you, Geoff?”
“Master?”
“Go on, boy. Show them.”
Geoff stood and stripped off his shirt, showing a black and white back piece with five dark red stripes, the cane work accentuating his tattoo.
Saul straightened up slowly, drawn to the art of it at first and the cane work second. “Oh, wow.” He stepped closer, wanting to examine the welts from the cane, which were already healing. They must have worked late last night. That would make sense, poor Geoff had been a bit of wreck.
“Carter, this is gorgeous.” He admired the evenness of the stripes, the uniformity of length and color. He liked the cane but hadn’t ever used one on a sub’s back. He’d done some decent work on Deitz’s ass a couple of times, but nothing as skilled as this.
“Thank you. I want to work with the art, always, and he needed something to remember for a few days.”
“Geoff, you’re beautiful. Thank you for sharing that with us.” He looked at Carter. “I hear you. I think maybe there’s a deeper conversation there we should all have after dinner. I hope no one minds if Troy leaves his shirt off at the table, I can’t ask him to cover up just yet, the stripes are too fresh.”
“Of course. No one minds seeing Troy’s ink. Boy, you can leave yours off as well.”
“Yes, Master.”
He gave Carter a nod. “Will you show me your technique some time? I’ve only ever tried the cane on large muscle groups because across the back has a risky feel to me. At least at my skill level.”