Liability Read online

  Ever.

  But it wasn’t just with a woman, was it? It was more like a package deal. Kim and Cole, Cole and Kim. He wouldn’t get one without the other.

  Surprised him to realize he didn’t want to, either. It was perfect this way.

  Whether it was her going down on him while Cole fucked her, or the two of them fucking her together, or him fucking her while he watched her deep-throating Cole—or any other permutation in between—it was perfect.

  The night he’d put Cole on the bed and fucked him while Cole and Kim sixty-nined.

  And vice-versa, himself in the middle and the hoarse, throaty sound of Cole ordering her to suck every last drop out of Mason’s balls even as Cole exploded and filled Mason’s ass.

  God, had it only been two weeks since that night the world changed?

  It felt like the three of them had been together forever, a forever in the good way.

  The road stretched out ahead of him, and he looked forward to the journey.

  * * * *

  Kim lay facedown on the bed, arms clipped behind her at the leather wrist cuffs, ankles also cuffed and clipped as well as being bent back and clipped to her wrists.

  Firmly seated deep in her ass was the biggest butt plug Mason had worked into her to date.

  And in her pussy was the vibrating egg, which Cole was currently experimenting with the settings, not high enough to get her off, but changed often enough to make her moan around his cock, which was filling her mouth.

  In one hand he held the remote. The other he had tangled in her hair, using it to direct her motions, including working with her on deep-throating him and holding it longer each time.

  “Such a good girl,” he cooed, the giggle implied in his tone. It wasn’t the same as with Mason, but it was just as good in its own way. He was enjoying this, meaning she’d enjoy it as well, even if she wouldn’t drop into subspace the way she did when Mason had control of her.

  The TV was on but Cole apparently wasn’t paying attention to it. He lay propped up on pillows against the headboard, legs spread wide, knees bent, while she lay between them.

  They’d been doing this for at least an hour so far, and he hadn’t let her make him come, and he hadn’t let her come yet, either. Her jaw ached, and fortunately he’d put a towel under them to keep from making a huge wet spot on the bed with her drool, but she wouldn’t safeword for this.

  She was enjoying it too damned much.

  “Your Sir is going to be so proud of you when I tell him how long you did this,” Cole said, his grip shifting on her head a little. “Especially with that big butt plug in your ass. He showed me the next one he wants to train you to take. It’s almost as big as our cocks. He said he can’t wait until the day he gets you trained to the point where he can send you to work wearing it all day.”

  Another little ripple of pleasure streaked through her as she moaned. He’d changed the vibration setting again. Still not enough to make her come, just get her really, really close.

  “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

  She tried to mumble an assent around his cock and knew he’d understand her.

  He did, chuckling. “Sir’s going to get a good report from me if you keep this up, baby.”

  “Mmm…”

  * * * *

  Cole wished Mason was with them. That he could stare into the man’s hazel eyes, read the dark passion there as they controlled her body.

  The other night they’d tied her up, stuffed her ass with a butt plug and her pussy with the vibrating egg, and turned her around while they stretched out on either side of her in the bed, kissing each other as they made her take turns sucking their cocks. Between kissing each other, they took turns licking and sucking on her clit.

  The evil grin on Mason’s face when he’d come up for another kiss from Cole, his lips tasting like her juices, and him softly suggesting they get her a clit hood piercing to make things even more interesting for all three of them.

  The way his own cock had throbbed at that thought even though she hadn’t currently had her mouth around his shaft.

  The memory of coming home the other night to find Mason sitting on his couch, watching TV while Kim was on her knees, naked, hands bound behind her and Mason’s cock down her throat.

  Dropping everything in the chair to kneel behind her, shove his pants down, and slide his cock inside her wet pussy.

  Then his own moans as Mason had got up and changed positions, knelt behind him, donned a lubed condom and then slid his cock up Cole’s ass to fuck him…

  Cole’s eyes dropped closed as he thumbed the controller to high, deep-throated her, and came down her throat as her moans as she tumbled over the edge added to his pleasure. He let her writhe on the bed for a couple of minutes before taking mercy on her and shutting off the controller. He reached down, unclipped her wrists and ankles, and snuggled her against his side.

  “Love you, baby,” he whispered.

  “Love you, too,” she whispered back.

  * * * *

  Mason had never been to this restaurant before, but his mom had picked it. Part of a country club they were members of, it sat on the edge of a wetland and overlooked a beautiful lake that reflected the deep purples of the last vestiges of sunset.

  They were already there when Mason arrived, and had been seated a few minutes earlier. When the hostess led him back to the table, Mason was more than a little surprised to see a third person sitting with them, his back to Mason.

  As Mason walked up, he realized the guy wasn’t bad-looking. When his mom spotted him, she smiled and stood to give him a hug.

  “There you are. Sweetie, this is Carlos Santiago. He’s a friend of ours.”

  Carlos stood, just an inch or so taller than Mason, and extended his hand with a smile. “Nice to meet you, Mason. Your mom has told me a lot about you.”

  “Nice to meet you, too.” Hell, a couple of months ago it would have been damned nice to meet the guy. Black hair, large, brown eyes, swarthy complexion, and that barest trace of a Cuban Spanish accent that told Mason the guy was probably born in the States to parents who’d come to Miami from Cuba.

  Dressed nicely, too. To the nines. Mason had worn slacks and a button-up shirt to work today and that’s what he still wore, but he felt dowdy compared to this guy.

  Mason shook with his stepdad, Hank, before taking the chair across from his mom and to Carlos’ left side.

  And Mason knew exactly what his mom had planned from her pleased smile.

  Great.

  Mason couldn’t really explain to her that he was in a relationship right then. He still needed to have quite a few talks with Cole and Kim since their previous dynamic had slid off the road and into a beautifully smooth ditch before he could announce anything definite to his parents about his relationship status.

  Not that he usually made a big deal about that to begin with.

  He supposed his parents could have been real assholes when he came out, but they hadn’t. They’d used up their animosity toward each other to the point that they hadn’t had anything more negative than a shoulder-shrugging reaction to his news that he was gay.

  Which he wasn’t complaining about.

  But…

  As the conversation bounced around, his mom doing everything but trying to coerce the two of them into a wedding date, he felt worse and worse for Carlos. Sure, he would have gladly gone out with the man, maybe even gone to bed with him…before.

  Before Kim and Cole.

  Hell, even a few weeks ago.

  Before.

  Before being Kim’s Dominant had transformed into Cole becoming his boyfriend as a beautifully unexpected part of the deal.

  They sat there for a couple of hours before his mom claimed that it was late and they had to go, but welcomed the two men to remain and sit and…chat.

  Get to know each other.

  Once his parents left, Mason decided to get it over with as soon as possible. They paid their tab and headed out
to the screened deck overlooking the lake. As they leaned against the railing, Mason bit the bullet.

  “Listen, I need to be honest with you,” Mason said. “My mom doesn’t know this, but I’m sort of in a…complicated relationship.”

  The man’s rich chuckle rumbled deep within him. “I’m sure you are.” Carlos leaned back against the railing and crossed his arms over his chest. “Your mom doesn’t know this about me, obviously, but I’m definitely a pitcher and not a catcher.” He smiled. “And I think you’re playing by the same…rules that I do, no? Unless I’ve completely misread you. If so, my apologies.”

  Mason laughed and nodded. “You didn’t. I’m a Top. And it’s even more…complicated than that.”

  “Don’t feel bad. I didn’t want to hurt your mom’s feelings. She’s been after me for a while to come meet you, once you moved back to Florida. I thought it best to get it over with.” He shrugged. “I’ll admit that when I first saw you I was intrigued, but it didn’t take me long to realize that while we might become good friends, we probably wouldn’t be good in a relationship together.”

  “Too many Doms?”

  “Exactly.”

  “Thanks for understanding.”

  “Eh, it was worth a shot,” Carlos said. “He’s a very lucky man.”

  Mason snorted. “It’s waaay more complicated than that.” And they ended up moving to the bar on the far side of the deck, Carlos drinking a Coke while Mason ordered iced tea, and they continued talking.

  By the time Mason finished the story, Carlos looked impressed. “You’re right. That is complicated. But it sounds like it’s working for all three of you.”

  “Needless to say, we’re still figuring out whatever this is. I can’t exactly bring Cole—or Kim and Cole—over and introduce either of them as a significant other until I figure out exactly what this means long-term for all three of us. But it’s looking promising.”

  “It can mean whatever you want it to mean.” He smiled. “At least your parents probably won’t disown you like mine did.”

  “Ouch. Sorry.”

  “It’s all right. I’m still friends with my very first boyfriend. We hooked up when I was eighteen. His parents sort of adopted me. Mine finally started inviting me to family gatherings again, once they realized my brothers and sisters weren’t cutting me out of their lives. I don’t bring anyone with me, though, when my parents will be there, and they pretend that their eldest son isn’t ‘one of those queers.’” He used air quotes around the last part.

  Mason hadn’t planned on staying and talking as late as he did, but it felt good to have someone to talk to who understood. Well, sort of. Carlos wasn’t attracted to women at all, even as a Top. They exchanged phone numbers and FetLife names and parted company a little before midnight.

  As Mason drove west across the Alley, he realized his morning alarm was going to go off far too early the next morning for his liking.

  He also realized that he definitely needed to settle whatever this was between the three of them in his mind, define it, categorize it, label it.

  He didn’t want to end it. The exact opposite.

  He wanted to do whatever it took to keep it going.

  Preferably permanently.

  * * * *

  Mason hadn’t even had a chance to talk to Cole and Kim the next day beyond good-morning texts when his mom called him at work.

  “So? What’d you think of Carlos? You two seemed to hit it right off.”

  What had happened to her during the eight years he’d lived in Nebraska? His mom had never tried to fix him up before when he lived in Florida.

  “Um, he’s very nice. Seems like a nice guy.”

  “Nice?” His mom almost sounded hurt. “That’s all?”

  He’d laugh if he knew his mom wouldn’t take it the wrong way. He didn’t want to hurt her feelings. “You sort of blindsided me there, Mom. I wasn’t expecting someone else at dinner.”

  “Well, I didn’t think you’d mind.”

  “I didn’t say I minded.” Bite the bullet, asshole. “It’s just I’m sort of already seeing someone. And it’s pretty serious.”

  “Oh.” A moment of quiet from Miami. “Why didn’t you tell me that? And why didn’t you bring him to dinner?”

  “Because schedules didn’t line up and we’re still kind of feeling our way around. But I’m serious about…them.” Which would be sooo much closer to the truth than she actually knew…

  “Now I just feel silly. Here I talked you up to Carlos.”

  “Mom, it’s okay. I told him. He understood. I think Carlos and I would be more just friends, anyway. He’s a nice guy. And I appreciate you going through the trouble to invite him.”

  That seemed to mollify her. “So when do we get to meet your guy?”

  He hoped she couldn’t hear his aggravated sigh on her end of the phone. “We’re not there yet, Mom.”

  “I just…you know. Since gay marriage is legal and all now. I mean, I don’t want to miss anything.”

  Maybe it was his exhaustion from not enough sleep, but he wasn’t sure what she meant. “Huh?”

  “Your father and I didn’t give you a very good family growing up. I don’t want to screw up anything else in your life.”

  Great. This wasn’t what he needed this morning. “Mom, I love you, you know that. You didn’t screw up anything. I’m not gay because you and Dad fought like crazy and got divorced any more than you’re straight because your parents were married for fifty years.”

  “But you said it’s serious?”

  Gawd, he’d almost prefer jousting in texts with Freddie to this. “We are serious, yes. But it has only been a few weeks and we’re exclusive and once the time is right I’ll introduce you. It’s complicated.”

  “Well, okay.”

  He wasn’t sure his mom was open-minded enough to accept him being in a poly relationship, but he wasn’t going to leave Kim behind and march Cole around and pretend Kim didn’t exist.

  Eventually, he’d figure it out, but that morning was not the time to do it. “Mom, I really have to go. I’ve got a lot of stuff I’m juggling this morning.”

  “Okay. But I want to meet your guy sooner rather than later.”

  Grrreeeaaat. “You will, but not in the next few weeks. I’ve got a downtime coming up that I have to prep for, and it’s taking every last ounce of extra attention and time that I’ve got.”

  “Well, let me know when, then.”

  “I will. Gotta go. Love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  He stared at his phone. How would his parents react to meeting Cole and Kim? If they were going to be part of his life, he wasn’t going to hide them like a dirty secret. He might have to figure out how to explain around the poly aspect sometimes, but he wouldn’t deny he loved both of them.

  Problem for another day.

  He focused on his work. When a text came through from Freddie, he spotted it only because he’d had his phone lying face-up on his desk.

  He ignored it and got back to work.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Mason stared at the status report on his computer screen for the better part of fifteen minutes before he realized he wasn’t even starting to comprehend any of the information there.

  His mind was on Cole.

  Just thinking about him made Mason hard.

  It was Tuesday, and despite having spent most of the weekend naked and fucking with Kim and Cole in Cole’s bed, or on Cole’s couch, or on other various, sturdy horizontal surfaces in Cole’s house, Mason was fucking horny.

  He and Cole had a date tonight.

  A solo date.

  Mason hadn’t felt this nervous since he was twenty-one and slept with his first guy after a couple of dates with him.

  He didn’t want to fuck this up. With Cole, or with Kim. He’d worried that Kim might be jealous and react badly to him wanting alone time with Cole, but she’d once again surprised him in a good way. She’d smiled at the news and joke
d that she’d enjoy a chance to curl up in bed and actually watch some of her shows that she’d only gotten to hear with her back to the screen and a cock down her throat.

  “You guys need some alone time together,” she’d said, steadily meeting his gaze with the expression he’d come to learn meant she was totally serious and telling the truth. “I get alone time with Cole all of the time. And I’m going to get alone time with you. I don’t need to be with one or both of you every second of the day.”

  She’d been fine with it, in other words.

  Unlike—

  Nope. He chopped that thought off at the ankles before thoughts of his pesky little ex could grab hold. In fact, Freddie had sent him several texts that Mason had ignored over the weekend, nothing on Monday, and then several again this morning.

  Mason didn’t respond to them.

  Tonight he wanted no expectations, nothing but honesty and whatever happened between him and Cole.

  When he arrived at Cole’s, even though he’d been there plenty of times before, it felt…different.

  Way different.

  Walking up to the front door, his stomach threatened to knot up in a bundle of nerves.

  What the hell’s wrong with me?

  He didn’t even have to ring the bell, because Cole opened the door before he was even halfway there, standing in the doorway and wearing a pair of jeans, shirtless and barefoot, waiting for him. His hair looked damp from the shower and all Mason wanted to do was—

  In three steps he was through the door and had shoved it closed behind him as Cole reached for him. He dropped his overnight bag and kicked it out of the way.

  Next thing Mason knew, the taller man had turned them around and pinned Mason against the foyer wall, kissing him.

  Fuck it.