“Master!” Saul did not just ask him that.
Saul just shook his head and leaned back in his chair. “Too soon? Sorry.” His Master wasn’t sorry at all.
“Do you want to kiss Carter?” Was that even a thing?
Saul looked at him thoughtfully. “I don’t know. I would, I just haven’t thought about whether I want to. Maybe because we haven’t talked about how you’d feel about it.” Saul picked up a glass of water and took a sip. “I mean, how do you feel about that possibility? About me kissing one of them. Or… more?”
“I think that, if we explore that, we should be together. All of us. I want you with me.” And he wasn’t going to ask whether that was okay. It was what he needed.
“Sounds perfect to me. I’m glad I asked. You can let me know if you decide you’d like to. And then I’ll talk to Carter.”
But if it was all on him did that mean Saul had already decided? And if Saul and Carter decided, how would he know what Geoff really wanted? Yeah, he definitely had to call Geoff now.
“Okay. That’s… fair.” He would talk to Geoff, see what was what, and then talk to Saul. First, though, he needed to learn his new job, remember how to breathe.
“Hey. It doesn’t ever have to happen, okay? There’s no pressure here either way. You know what’s there now, we can just see how it plays out. It doesn’t change anything between you and me. You’re mine. You’re going to stay mine.” Their food arrived and Saul stopped talking. Once the server was gone, his Master smiled at him. “You want me to remind you of that tonight, boy?”
He grinned right back, his cheeks going hot. “Yes, Sir. Maybe I’ll show you my design for the addition to the bedroom…”
A fork came his way, a bite of lamb on the end. “I am so looking forward to that.”
He opened up, the offer of the bite intimate and dear. He hummed as he ate, his eyes rolling up.
Saul cut a bite and ate it, nodding approval. “Mmm. I love this place. Thank you for inviting me to lunch, it’s such a nice surprise. You’re good to me.”
“I love you.” And that was that, wasn’t it? He loved Saul.
Saul blushed a little, which wasn’t common for him and kind of a score when he made it happen. “Would you like to go camping again before the weather gets chilly?”
Even if he hated the idea, he’d go. Good thing he wanted to head into the mountains before it snowed. “I think that sounds like heaven. This coming Sunday?”
Saul nodded. “Sounds great. Should we go on our own or invite Carter and Geoff?”
“Oh God, can you imagine our Geoff? Camping?” His eyes went so wide they pulled at the corners.
“Oh.” Saul laughed. “Maybe not. So no, huh? Good. Just us then. You want to bring bikes? Or just your cuffs?” His Master was getting better with the straight face.
“Whatever turns you on, Master.” Seriously. Whatever gave them both what they needed.
“That’s a non-answer answer, boy.” Saul pushed more food on him, making him eat. “You’re going to need your strength tonight.”
He scooped up some hummus on a bit of pita, looking at Saul from under his lashes. “Yes, Sir. I do hope so.”
Epilogue
The last time Saul had been in Geoff’s tattoo studio with Troy, it hadn’t been his best moment, or theirs. He told himself there was no reason to let that stress him now, he was here helping prep his boy, Carter was having a quiet talk with his, and everything would be sane and supervised this time.
He wasn’t usually sensitive like this, but there was a weird energy in the air, something a little daring, something wild. He’d never felt anything like it.
He kissed Troy’s bare shoulder. “How do you feel, boy?”
“I’m so glad you’re here. It’s time to cover the scar.” Troy had come in, turned on music, and put a soft blanket on the massage table, before he’d stripped off his shirt. It was almost as if his boy had been here once or twice.
“I needed to be here. You and Geoff need us here, I think.”
The scar hadn’t ever bothered him as much as it had Troy. He wasn’t exactly sure why his boy was so put off by it. He knew that Troy didn’t like how the ink looked there now, but it could also be more than that. It might be that it was some kind of a reminder the boy didn’t want.
The session was going to be painful too, covering scars and old ink, and although he knew Troy knew that well, he found himself dreading as much as welcoming it. He wondered if his boy felt the same way.
He stayed close to Troy, close enough to feel the warmth between them, and nodded at Carter. “We’re ready.”
“We are too.” Carter’s eyes were lit up, warm, and Saul felt the excitement building between them.
Saul nodded to Carter, then hooked his fingers behind Troy’s head and took a kiss, surprising himself with how possessive he felt all of a sudden. Where the hell had that come from? His chest ached with it, and when he let Troy go, he pinned his boy with a look. “I love you.”
“I love you, Master. I love that you’re here.” Troy beamed at him.
“I’ll be watching.” He let go of Troy. “Okay, Geoff. He’s all yours. You ready?”
Geoff nodded, and Saul could see how much the boy—no, the Dom today—how much the Dom needed this just in the way he was standing. But he didn’t leave Carter’s side. “Yes.”
He took a breath and joined them, taking Geoff by the shoulders. “I trust you. I’m looking forward to this.” It was mostly true. He was sure it would be completely true once things got started. He didn’t really understand everything he was feeling right now.
“Thank you. He’s… my best friend, my best work.”
Saul knew it was time, because Geoff was totally focused on Troy, eyes dragging over his boy’s body like he owned it.
He stepped out of Geoff’s way, knowing it was okay, knowing that it would only be awkward this first time and probably not for long, but feeling like he was caught in a strange emotional tug of war anyway. He stepped in beside Carter but couldn’t look over, not yet. Instead, he crossed his arms over his chest like that might contain everything and watched as Geoff approached his boy.
“It’s weird huh?” Geoff asked Troy. “Just a little.”
“It’s just been a long time, but we know how this works.” Troy took Geoff’s hand, squeezed. “We’ve done this for so long together.”
“Do you think it’s weird?” Carter asked him softly.
“No. It’s right. You can see that, look at them. I’m just having a little trouble swallowing that.”
“If you want to, pull the plug at any time. You know that, right?” Carter focused on him.
“I don’t want to. This is something Troy needs that I can’t give him. It’s something he needs specifically from Geoff. I just feel like I’m on the edge of a cliff and I’m ready for them to get started. I know just how Geoff is feeling.”
He caught Carter’s eyes. “How are you feeling?”