A Case of You [Suncoast Society] (Siren Publishing Sensations ManLove) Read online

  With his gut suddenly tensing in a bad way, he answered the call. “Hey, what’s up?”

  “Do you have a minute to talk?”

  Well, hopefully it wasn’t something bad, like one of their parents dying. “I’m driving to work, so I guess. What’s going on?”

  It wasn’t like her to call him out of the blue. He’d stayed friends with her on Facebook because she’d liked the pictures he posted of him and his family—Brandon, Jeff, Emma, Grace, and Tracey—and never made rude comments.

  Unlike their oldest brother, Jake, who Stuart had blocked on there for leaving nasty comments.

  A couple of times a week, Eileen would send him short notes via Messenger through the site, enough to keep in touch but not exactly buddy-buddy.

  Then again, of his three siblings, he really hadn’t been truly close to any of them while growing up.

  Not when he’d had his secret to keep hidden.

  “My boyfriend proposed to me over the weekend.”

  “Oh.” Relief filled him. Nothing bad. “Congratulations.”

  “I’d like you to be there for the wedding, if you can make it.”

  He wasn’t sure how to respond. “I’m not sure Mom and Dad will want me there,” seemed the safest reply.

  “I already talked to them and told them I wanted you there. They said they’re fine with it.”

  “Really? Because last time I talked to Mom, she told me she loved me, but that I was going to burn in hell. And I’m not Jake’s favorite person, either. I don’t know if you saw the shit he posted on my pics before I blocked his ass. He was being a jerk.”

  “I…” She sighed. “I know. I’m sorry you couldn’t come out to me. You know I’m not like that.”

  True. But while his sister had never “talked the talk” of a homophobe, she sure hadn’t shut down that kind of talk amongst their family when it happened.

  Then again, she hadn’t known she had a gay little brother, either.

  “Then Jake called me after I told Mom on the phone about me, Brandon, and Jeff,” Stuart told her. “We…had words. And they weren’t pleasant words, either. The bottom line is, I’m happy, I’m living how I want to live, and Brandon and Jeff love me for who I am. Jake can go screw himself.”

  Another sigh from her. “I know. I’m sorry. I’m going to be telling him I’m inviting you, and that he can suck it up and behave himself, or he can stay the hell home. I’m tired of being bullied by him. I’m nearly thirty years old, for chrissake. I’m not a kid anymore. I don’t have to tolerate it or him and his shitty kids.”

  This was news. “He bullied you?”

  “All the time growing up. You don’t remember that?”

  “No.” Jake bullied him and their brother, Robert, but he honestly didn’t remember Jake bullying Eileen.

  “Yeah, he used to do things to me all the time. He’d dump my toys in the toilet, or rip pages out of my books, all sorts of stuff. If I told Mom and Dad about it, he’d deny it was him and try to say I did it to get him in trouble. Then he’d do worse stuff to me.”

  “Where the heck was I when that was happening?”

  “It stopped when he left home. Maybe you were just too young to realize it.”

  Then again, he’d spent his childhood terrorized by the guy, and Jake was eight years older than him. Jake had moved out after he’d graduated from high school, when Stuart was only ten. That, and maybe Stuart had been too deep in his own survival mode to pay attention to any abuse she suffered at his hands.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Nothing you could have done about it. Robert’s fine with you coming, too. If Jake wants to be Jake, he can stay home. I’d really like you there. And I’d like to meet your guys.”

  “That doesn’t change what Mom said to me on the phone.”

  “Yeah, well, they’re old and set in their ways. They do love you. She promised she would behave herself. Her and Dad both. I’m not excusing them, but they are our parents.”

  He thought about it. It wasn’t just their reaction to him coming out that bothered him.

  It was knowing he’d overheard his parents plenty of times talking about how they thought Stuart would never be able to support himself or make it on his own.

  Zero confidence in him as a person.

  And he wasn’t sure he could handle facing them right now.

  “I can’t give you an answer yet. I need to talk to Brandon and Jeff first.”

  “I mean it. You can bring them, too.”

  “Well, I wasn’t going to come alone, if I can even come. Jeff probably won’t be able to come because of his health. That’ll be too hard on him. He can stay home with Emma.”

  “I…I watched the video you posted of her last swim meet. She seems like a neat kid.”

  More news to him. “You did?”

  “Yeah. You’re my brother. I love you. I’d like to know about your life and the people you love.”

  That was a true shocker.

  “When is your wedding? That’s another thing.”

  “I’ll send you an e-mail with all the details. It’s in four weeks.”

  “Four weeks?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Wow. That’s…fast.”

  “He proposed last week. We’ve been dating for over a year. He’s going to be shipping out two weeks after the wedding on deployment to Afghanistan. Army.”

  “Oh.” That put it into context. He hadn’t met this guy, even though now he did remember her talking about a guy she’d started dating not too long before he left Iowa.

  “Yeah. We want to do it before he leaves. That’s another reason I honestly don’t care what Jake says. The day is for me and John. I’ll be moving after the wedding, and won’t be living near Jake for him to give me a hard time about it.”

  “Well, I hope everything works out okay.”

  “Me, too. I really love him. If it’s any consolation, I’m sure Jake will be hating too much on John and his family to have time to give you a hassle.”

  “What? Why?”

  “John’s parents are from Mexico. He and his three sisters were born here, but his parents weren’t legal until about a year ago.”

  “Oh, boy.”

  “Yeah. He’s a great guy and I love him. His parents work ten times as hard as Jake ever has, and they’re fantastic people. They welcomed me into their family with open arms. One of his sisters earned a full academic scholarship to college and medical school and she’s a cardiologist. Another one is an engineer. The third is an Army officer. But I know once Jake meets them he’s going to be a total ass.”

  “How about solving the problem by not inviting him?”

  “Because stupid Mark told him. I actually wasn’t going to tell Jake about it.” Mark was their cousin, the one Stuart had rented a room from after graduating high school so he could move out of his parents’ house and have a modicum of privacy.

  “You can still uninvite Jake.”

  “Then he’ll go whining to Mom and Dad about it and creating even more drama, and I really want them there. I’ve already warned John’s family what a jerk Jake is. They’ve handled worse than him in their lives.”

  “This sounds like it’ll be…fun.”

  “That’s one word for it.”

  “How about telling Jake it’s a few hours later than it really is.”

  “I thought about that, too, but, again, stupid Mark is buddy-buddy with him.”

  “Yeah, there is that.”

  “John will have several of his Army buddies there. They’ll all be in uniform, too. Hopefully Jake won’t act like too much of an ass. He’s a bully, but he’s also a damn coward. He’ll be way outnumbered.”

  “How dressed up do I need to be for this?”

  “Oh, the guests can wear jeans, or a suit, if you want. Nothing fancy. We have to keep the cost down. We’re paying for it ourselves. I even found a gorgeous wedding dress at Goodwill for fifty bucks. It’s too big for me, but John’s mom can alter it so it fit
s me. Designer dress, too. Probably close to a thousand-dollar dress, brand new.”

  “Wow. That’s great.”

  “I know, right? So…please?”

  The bad feeling all tangled and knotted in his gut wasn’t getting any better. “I’ll try. E-mail me the info, please, as soon as you can. I’ll let you know once I have an answer.”

  “Thanks, Stu. I love you.”

  “I love you, too, Sis.” He ended the call.

  Great. His good mood had evaporated.

  He tossed his phone onto the passenger seat and continued his drive into work. He suspected Cedro, his boss, would give him the time off to go…except Stuart really didn’t want the hassle of dealing with Jake.

  Life with Brandon and Jeff had felt like living in a happy bubble after years of feeling he was under siege all the time. Jeff’s health issues aside, this was the happiest he’d ever felt in his adult life.

  Hell, it was the happiest he’d ever felt in his life, period. He had a family and large group of friends who loved and supported him. His coworkers and boss respected him. He never felt like he had to explain himself. He never felt like he was looked down upon.

  He felt appreciated.

  Other than the initial stumble of finding out he’d been catfished by someone when he first moved to Florida, he had literally no complaints about his life, except for the obvious, that he wished he could heal Jeff. Logically, he understood that was out of his control.

  Didn’t mean he was okay with it.

  Did he really want to go back to Iowa, even for a visit?

  On the other hand, he loved Eileen and if she wanted him there…

  Plus his parents weren’t getting any younger. Could he handle the guilt if he didn’t go and something happened and he never had a chance to tell them he loved them one more time?

  These were all things he knew he’d have to discuss with Brandon and Jeff, and then hand the final decision over to Brandon. He trusted him. Wouldn’t be collared to him as his slave and living with him if he didn’t trust him.

  Trust both of them.

  * * * *

  Emma and Grace were working on homework at the dining room table when Stuart returned home from work late that afternoon.

  Jeff lay asleep on the couch, the TV tuned to SpongeBob SquarePants.

  After saying a quiet hello to the girls so he didn’t wake Jeff, Stuart made his way to the master bedroom, where Brandon was talking on his cell phone.

  Brandon waved him in for a kiss, even as he kept talking on what was obviously a work call. Meanwhile, Stuart headed into the bathroom to grab his shower.

  Hopefully the doctor had some answers for them today about Jeff’s condition. He got it. Jeff felt bad that he couldn’t do more, like he wasn’t pulling his fair share around the house.

  Stuart and Brandon didn’t feel like that, though. Jeff’s health was beyond his control, and they preferred he take things easy and actually have some good days, versus doing what he thought he “should” be doing and half killing himself.

  Like he’d done on Monday.

  As Stuart stood under the hot water and let it sluice over him, he closed his eyes and thought about his conversation with his sister that morning.

  Eileen had sent him an e-mail with the details not long after their phone call. They were holding the ceremony and reception at a hotel the next town over from where his parents and Jake lived, which would be a blessing because maybe Jake wouldn’t come. Slated for the first weekend of December. He and Brandon could stay at the hotel and hopefully not have too much contact with the rest of his family.

  Or even stay at another nearby hotel and hopefully miss out on seeing anyone outside of the rehearsal dinner, wedding, and reception. That was his preferred option, if they could arrange it.

  He heard the bathroom door open and close, then Brandon’s head popped through the front of the shower curtain. “Want company?”

  “Always, Master. You never need to ask.”

  His head disappeared while he got undressed, then he stepped in with Stuart, pulling him into his arms. “Hey there, stranger.”

  Stuart smiled up at him. “Hey there, yourself, handsome.” He almost got swept away by the kiss Brandon laid on him, which was likely to lead to Stuart’s second shower sex episode of the day, until he thought about Jeff.

  He rested his palms against Brandon’s chest to stop him before Stuart totally lost his brains. “How did Jeff’s doctor appointment go?”

  “He ordered blood work, which we had done as soon as we left there. He basically chewed Jeff out for overdoing it, which we already suspected had triggered the worst of this flare. The weather change contributed, too, I’m sure. The doctor will review the results of the blood work and then call Jeff to let him know if we need to change his medicine or what.”

  “Does he have meds to make Jeff stop overdoing it?”

  “Yeah, it’s called threatening to put in another PICC line.”

  “Oooh. Yikes. Really?

  “Possibly. Although that’s not necessarily due to him overdoing it. If he’s having a relapse, he might need a new PICC line anyway. The doc wants to see his blood work first. It’s…” He sighed. “It’s looking more like Jeff’s got the chronic version of this, and he might not get ‘better.’ We need to help him come to grips with this.”

  Stuart rested his head against Brandon’s chest. “I wish we could fix this.”

  “Way ahead of you, buddy.” Brandon rubbed his chin against the top of Stuart’s head, something Stuart loved when he did it.

  “Speaking of fixing things, did Tracey’s car get fixed?”

  “It’ll be ready tomorrow. Her roommate was able to drive her home today, and they work close to the same hours tomorrow. Tracey’s going to ride in early with her. Mechanic’s going to have the part tomorrow. Some relay or something.”

  “That’s good.”

  “So what’s bothering you besides all of that? You looked like something was on your mind when you got home.”

  Stuart tipped his head back. “It’s spooky when you do that.”

  He smiled. “It’s a Dom thing. And a dad thing, but I’d prefer calling it a Dom thing with you, because otherwise, that’s borderline creepy. Do you want to tell me, or make me cane it out of you?”

  Stuart told Brandon about his phone call that morning from Eileen.

  Brandon didn’t respond at first. “I thought we established you wouldn’t go see them alone.”

  “I know, Master. I don’t want to go alone. If you can’t go with me, or if you say I can’t go, then that’s it. I won’t argue with you about it.”

  Brandon’s sigh sounded weary and heavy. “You want to go, don’t you?”

  “It’s…complicated. You and Jeff heard what Mom said when I came out to her. I’m not looking forward to a confrontation with them.”

  “I won’t let you go alone.”

  Stuart hadn’t seen his family since he’d left Iowa and moved to Florida early in the year, but Jeff and Brandon had literally sat next to him and held his hands as he’d made the call to his mom to tell her he was gay and living with two guys. He’d had it on speaker phone, so Brandon and Jeff had heard every word.

  “If you can’t go with me,” Stuart said, “then absolutely not, I won’t go. I don’t want to go alone. I know Jeff can’t go.”

  “No, Jeff will not go. I don’t want him traveling this time of year. It’ll likely be cold up there, and I don’t want him trying to defend you if your brother acts like a dickhead.”

  “I think I’d have to go after Jake if he tried it. Might even have to go after him if he goes after you.”

  “I can take care of myself, buddy.”

  Brandon’s left hand slid down Stuart’s ass to hold on, fingers digging in.

  Now he knew why Brandon wanted to climb into the shower with him.

  Not that he objected.

  Brandon’s other hand slid up, cupping the back of Stuart’s head and holding
him in place. He slanted his lips over Stuart’s for a long, crushing kiss, both of them softly moaning as their cocks hardened between them.

  Like this, Stuart knew the only place he wanted to be was right there, in his Master’s arms.

  And Jeff’s, too, of course.

  Brandon spun him around, facing the wall, a hand between his shoulder blades to bend him over. His hands skimmed down Stuart’s back, grabbing his hips to grind against his ass.

  Brandon leaned in, his lips near Stuart’s left ear. “Yeah, buddy.” His voice practically sounded like a growl. “You know what I want, don’t you?”

  Stuart wiggled his ass at Brandon. “Yes, Master.”

  “Such a good boy for me. I told Jeff earlier today I’d like a chance to nail you in here and he gave his blessings.” He lightly smacked Stuart’s ass, then reached for the small bottle of lube they kept in the shower just for these kinds of situations.

  Stuart arched his back, sticking his ass out for Brandon and spreading his legs wide for access.

  “That’s my good boy.”

  A soft moan rolled out of Stuart when Brandon’s fingers probed his ass, lubing him, getting him ready. The sweet pinching burn he knew would immediately turn to pleasure once Brandon really got started. Stuart’s cock throbbed, rigid and ready for whatever his Master wanted to do to him.

  He felt the thick knob at the end of Brandon’s cock press against his rim and didn’t bother waiting. Stuart rocked back, impaling himself and earning an appreciative grunt from Brandon.

  “Damn, boy,” Brandon whispered. “Somebody’s eager to get fucked.”

  “Yes, Master. Please?”

  Stuart had to brace his hands against the wall to keep from getting his head driven into it. Brandon grabbed his hips and started fucking him, hard and fast, deep, really plowing him the way he enjoyed.

  Feeling owned and well-fucked by his Master.

  Life had gotten in the way over the past couple of weeks, leaving the three of them with barely any energy to really roll around the way they liked to. And with Jeff in pain, Brandon and Stuart were always careful not to hurt him. Which sometimes meant evenings cuddling in bed instead of fucking each other’s brains out.

  Brandon’s balls slapped against Stuart’s ass at the bottom of every thrust, his fingers digging in harder as the man grew closer to release. Every long, deep stroke glided across his gland, pulling Stuart close to the edge but not getting him over.