Adventure Page 9

  "Oh, that is such a bunch of bullshit," I hissed, trying to keep my voice low so we wouldn't wake Enzo. "Did you miss me groveling for another chance after the first time I fucked up? The whole reason I panicked the way I did was because I thought I was going to lose you, Max. Not Enzo, you. Sure, I worried about him flipping out when he realized what we'd all done the night before, but I have a lifetime of working through issues with him. That tends to happen when you share a bedroom barely big enough for two twin beds and a shared dresser."

  I stepped closer, poking my finger into Max's chest. "You know damn well you're more than a beard so he and I can get together."

  "Actually, I don't," Max stated calmly. He curled his fingers around my wrist and slowly removed my hand from his chest. "Ever since the first night the three of us fooled around together, you and I have cooled off to the point we’re just regular buddies unless he’s there."

  “That’s because I was trying to give the two of you space.” I twisted my fingers through my hair, trying to figure out how we’d gone from fun and playful to this. “I worried he’d feel like the third wheel and wanted to give the two of you time to see if the same chemistry we share was there between you on your own.”

  “I suppose I can see that.” Max’s inability to make eye contact with me stung. “But that doesn’t change the fact you've run like a coward every damn time I tried suggesting we make things official. You spent months making it abundantly clear you were only looking for a good fuck, nothing more.”

  "And I'm not allowed to change my mind?"

  "Not without talking to me first! You don't get to change the rules without telling me then get upset when I didn't know what was going on inside your head. That's now how a healthy relationship works.” His anger and hurt echoed off the tiled walls in the bathroom. Both of us seemed to have given up on staying quiet.

  "And now you know why I don't usually do relationships, Max. I'm not good at talking about feelings and all that shit. I prefer to stick to what I know, and that's how to get a guy off. That's comfortable and safe for me." I slumped against the opposite wall of the bathroom. I desperately wanted to escape to the living room but didn't trust myself to stay in the apartment if I left the cramped confines of the bathroom.

  My body sagged as I wrapped my arms tightly across my chest, praying for relief from the ache behind my ribs. Once again, I'd managed to fuck everything up. For a moment, I was happy we were already in the bathroom because that'd make it easy to lurch for the toilet if the remains of whatever I'd drank last night threatened to haunt me. I swallowed hard, praying I wasn't about to embarrass myself by puking.

  "And maybe that's something I need to remember, too," Max admitted. His tone was no longer filled with bitterness. He closed the gap between us, holding me against his chest as he kissed the top of my head. "This is new territory for all of us, and we're all going to stumble sometimes. I'm sorry I discounted what you said."

  "And I'm sorry for assuming instead of talking to you," I replied, my words muffled against his shoulder. "Maybe Enzo and I are alike that way, we both do better when there's a natural progression rather than some sort of checklist."

  "That's fine, but it still helps when you let us know where your head is. Neither of us are mind readers." Max turned his head and laughed. "You may want to go get your coffee while the water heats back up."

  "Huh?" Oh hell. Consumed by my meltdown, I'd completely forgotten about the running shower. That explained the steam-filled air. "Or we could go back to bed. Maybe wake up Enzo?"

  "We're not waking him up so we can all fuck." My dick sprang to life at the stern tone in Max's voice. If I'd known it was this much of a turn-on for him to take control, I'd have handed over the reins long ago. "You throw on some shorts, and we'll make breakfast. If he's still not up, then we'll wake him."

  "You're no fun," I grumbled, shaking my bare ass as I sauntered out of the room. When I glanced over my shoulder, I caught Max licking his lips as he adjusted himself. Yeah, it seemed I wasn't the only one who needed to get laid.

  My steps faltered when I entered the bedroom and found Enzo glaring at me. Or at least I was pretty sure that's the look he was going for, but he was adorable with the pillow creases across his cheek and narrowed eyes. "Hey, you're up."

  "No thanks to you two." Enzo flipped back the sheet Max had covered him with when we got out of bed. "As much as I appreciate Max telling you to help him make me breakfast in bed, I'm going to take care of the cooking and the two of you are going to fuck and make up."

  I pressed my lips together and sucked in a deep breath, suddenly as uncomfortable with the idea of being alone with Max as I'd been desperate before. Knowing Enzo was awake, it felt wrong to kick him out of the bed to fuck while he cooked for us.

  Enzo stepped up behind me, morning wood pressing into the crease of my ass. My head lolled back, resting on his shoulder as he kissed my neck. I tensed briefly, realizing this was the first time he'd touched me this way when Max wasn't guiding us, but soon relaxed, reaching back to cup Enzo's ass, holding him in place.

  "Don't think about me right now," Enzo whispered before nipping my earlobe. His direction would be impossible to follow if he kept that up. "The two of you need this time together. You can't let what you had before me fall apart now that I'm here. It's okay, Tony."

  “It’s my fault.” It soured my stomach to admit I was to blame for the distance between Max and me. “I just wanted you to see how amazing he is without our complications getting in the way.”

  “Your heart was in the right place,” he reassured me. “But now it’s time you show him how much you want to be with him.”

  I gasped when Enzo's hand closed around my dick, stroking me, dragging his thumb over the head. My heart raced as I pushed back, wanting to feel him nestled between my cheeks. Wondering what he'd do if I begged him to fuck me right now. A sliver of shame crept into the back of my mind, but I shoved it away, reveling in the here and now.

  "I want this for the two of you," he continued. His fingertips ghosted through the trimmed thatch of hair at the base of my cock, sending a shiver through my body. "We'll have our first time as the three of us soon enough, but this morning, I want the two of you to reconnect. It won't damage what we all share, it'll make us stronger."

  "How do you figure?" I asked, my words strained as I tried to keep from spilling all over his fist.

  "We're not a single triad, there are four relationships here," he explained. I thought I was following his logic, but it was getting harder by the second, much like my dick. "If any of the couples aren't stable, everything will fall apart. You need to make things better with him."

  "And leave you out of it?" I asked, still uneasy with his suggestion.

  "For now." He kissed the hollow behind my ear before releasing my erection. With more force than I was used to from my usually timid brother, he spun me around so we were facing each other. Mirror images of two men who shouldn't be falling in love the way I was certain I was falling for him. "I love you, Tony. In wonderful, terrifying, amazing ways. I know you're eager to get to what you see as the good stuff, but first, you need to make sure your side of this triangle is secure. Then, we'll all be able to move forward together."

  "Fuck, I hate how much you get me," I admitted, sliding my hand around the back of his neck. I stared into his eyes, searching for any lingering hesitation, remembering Max's warning from earlier. Every barrier Enzo and I broke down between us drew us that much closer to the point of no return. Losing Enzo if I fucked up with him would kill me. He wasn't only a third of my heart, he was also the other half of me. I paused before giving into my need to taste him, deciding as scared as I was to lose him, I was even more afraid of not sharing this love with him.

  Enzo's lips parted with a gasp as I sucked his bottom lip between my teeth. I slid a hand over his ass, pressing our cocks together as my tongue explored his mouth. His fingers clawed their way down my back, almost painfully, before he raised one ha
nd to yank my hair.

  "We will revisit this," Enzo informed me, pressing a hand to my chest, forcing space between us. "As soon as the two of you fuck it out."

  "Promise?" I licked my lips, still tasting him there.

  "Max has to work later, so I suggest you get to it so you can find out," Enzo quipped as he rummaged through my dresser for a pair of lounge pants that did little to hide the evidence of his lingering arousal.

  As Enzo slinked out of the room, more graceful than I could ever hope to be, I flopped back on the bed, tossing an arm over my eyes. I listened to the muffled voices from the kitchen, Enzo’s far more soothing with Max than he’d been with me, but I supposed that was only fair. Max wasn’t the one making a mess of this relationship every time he turned around. No, that honor fell solely at my feet. My gut churned as I questioned whether it was even possible to right things with Max after I’d practically ignored him for so long.

  “I heard Enzo laid down the law in here.” I startled at the feel of Max’s warm hand against my chest. “Am I the only one who thinks it’s hot when he asserts himself?”

  I shook my head. Now that both Max and Enzo had pointed out the ways I’d been negligent to the man I’d originally brought into this bed, I didn’t want to talk about my brother. Still, I was clueless as to how to start something with Max without him assuming it was only because Enzo had demanded it.

  “I’m sorry.” I rolled to my side and pulled the corner of the pillow over my face.

  The bed dipped beside me and I was enveloped in Max’s warmth. “I know you are, babe. But would it make you feel better to talk about it?”

  Hell no, I didn’t want to talk shit out. Of course, my stunted communication skills were what had gotten us into this mess in the first place.

  I grumbled when Max pulled the pillow away from my face. He slid a hand under my shoulders and pulled me so I lay on top of him. I wasn’t sure the two of us had ever cuddled this way before. Until Enzo, we’d done quite well fucking and running. I felt… amazing. I hummed softly as Max skimmed his fingers down my back.

  “I shouldn’t have made decisions that hurt all of us.” Damn him, lulling me into the peaceful state where everything I’d held back rushed out of my mouth, completely bypassing the flimsy filter between it and my brain. “I wanted the two of you to having something all your own. I knew you were attracted to him, but this can’t work if there are any doubts from anyone. That’s why I backed off. Pretty stupid now that I’m saying it out loud.”

  “I don’t think that at all.” Max pressed his lips to the top of my head. “I do think you could’ve gone about it a better way but we both know you well enough to know you’re the type of guy who can’t be bothered with things like considering the consequences.”

  “Yeah, and after how many times my impulsivity has gotten me into trouble, you’d think I’d learn my lesson.” My body sagged against Max’s. “I still worry that someday you’ll realize how much better Enzo is than me.”

  “That’ll never happen.” He said the words with so much certainty I could almost believe him. “What I have with Enzo isn’t better or worse than what we have, it’s just different. I don’t expect moments like this to ever be the norm for us because that’s not who we are.”

  “But you love cuddling.” He hadn’t needed to tell me how content he was curled up with someone on the couch or in bed. I might be dense, but even I couldn’t miss how he relaxed whenever he and Enzo snuggled up to watch TV. Personally, I couldn’t get my brain to slow down long enough to enjoy it. “You two fit.”

  My chest ached as I admitted one of my biggest fears. I swallowed hard, afraid that if I didn’t get ahold of my emotions, I’d wind up a sobbing mess and that was far from sexy.

  “So do we.” Max slid his hand lower, one finger dipping into the crease of my ass. “We wouldn’t have fooled around as long as we did if we weren’t compatible. I think I need both of you in my life for different reasons. He’s the guy I turn to when I want to feel cherished, but you’re the one who fucks me hard enough there’s no denying how you feel about me. Even when you couldn’t admit there was something more than just fucking here, I knew you were drawn to me, just as I was drawn to you. Do you get what I’m trying to say here?”

  I thought I did, but it was hard to think with Max’s growing erection pressing against mine. I rocked gently as I slid my hand around the back of Max’s neck. “Does that mean you forgive me for being an idiot?”

  “I do now that I know why you were pulling away from me. And I appreciate you giving Enzo and me time to get to know one another, just don’t do it again.” My ass clenched at the command in his voice, knowing exactly what was coming. We’d only played like this a few times, but Max had this inherent way of knowing when I needed him to center me.

  The first crack of his hand across my flesh stung. I bit my bottom lip to keep from crying out, not wanting to draw attention to what we were doing. Stupid, I know, but this was a desire I’d always kept from everyone but Max.

  His fingers pressed into where he’s just slapped me. I could feel his neatly groomed nails dug into my ass; there was no doubt he’d leave a bruise there, reminding me throughout the day that there were consequences to thinking I knew what was best for all of us.

  “And don’t you ever assume you know what I need or want.” Crack! My entire body tensed, ready for the next blow. “No matter how many times I’ve tried telling myself I could walk away from you at any time, I’ve known that’s a lie for months now, Tony.” He massaged my ass and I bucked up into his touch every time his fingers neared the center. I wanted to feel him there. Desperately so because it was a rare treat when he turned the tables and fucked me. “With you, I don’t have to worry about sex being soft and tender, and that’s good because nothing gets me off like a fast, hard fuck. I love watching you come unglued, knowing you lose yourself because you’re that attracted to me.”

  “Can we…stop…talking?” I pleaded, shoving my hand between our bodies to encircled both of our cocks in my fist.

  Max groaned as I jerked us. It wasn’t the most comfortable sensation using nothing more than a bit of precum and our sweat to slick our skin but even that seemed perfect for us. Max apparently disagreed, pushing me off of him long enough that he could stretch over to the nightstand for actual lube.

  “Want you, Tony. As much as I want to feel your cock buried deep inside of me, I think you need it even more.”

  I flipped onto my stomach as he drizzled lube onto his fingers. Burying my face into the pillow, I lifted my ass in the air, spreading as far as I could in invitation.

  “Yeah, you need this, don’t you baby?” The sliver of my brain still capable of coherent thought wanted to cuss him out for being so sweet. Hadn’t he just been the one talking about how that wasn’t how it was between us? I tensed as I felt Max’s finger tapping against my entrance. “Today, you need me to fuck you and prove how much I need you. A punishing fuck that’ll leave you sore all day.”

  “Please, need…” I lost my thought as he pushed inside of me. His progress slowed as he gave my body time to get used to taking his finger. It’d been months since we’d done this, and I had to remind myself it was possible. All I had to do was sink into how good it’d feel once he got— “Yeah. Fuck. Right… oh god, Max!”

  I threw my head back as he started sliding his finger over my prostate. The fucker chuckled when I begged him for more. “You’ll get it when I think you’re ready. Remember Tony, this isn’t all about pleasure today.”

  “Fuck… forgot what an—”

  Max withdrew, fucking two fingers back into me. Hard. Relentless. Unwavering. “Think very carefully about what you say next,” he warned me. “We’ve played this game before, and you know I’ll win.”

  I debated goading him. The only thing stopping me was I had complete confidence the closet sadist would come out to play and keep me on edge as long as he possibly could. The last time we’d play this game, as he called i
t, I’d been convinced my nuts were going to explode by the time he let me come.

  “Fine. Just… Please Max…” He twisted his fingers, eliciting a low moan from me. When he pulled out agonizingly slowly, I forgot what I’d been begging him to do. My balls drew up tight and I wasn’t sure I could hold off any longer. “Gonna… Fuck, Max…”

  Without another word, Max reached around my body and squeezed the base of my dick. The reprieve was both a blessing and a curse. I needed to come, but I wanted to wait until he was inside of me to do it.

  “You promise you’ll let us in on your plans from now on?” Max sunk his teeth into the base of my neck, clamping down until I was a writhing, simpering mess, promising to do whatever he wanted if he just fucked me. He fucked me with his fingers, turning them every time they were buried in my body while me maintained his stranglehold on my cock. “No more thinking you know what’s best for everyone?”

  “Yes! Anything! Now will you fuck me?” I reached out blindly, smiling into the pillow when I curled my fingers around his rock-hard shaft. The tip was leaking a steady stream of precum and I jacked him, luring him to the point he was just as needy as I was. “You know you want to put me in my place. Come on, Max. Show me how wrong I was to pull away from you.”

  A chill rocketed through my body when Max pulled away from me. I shifted toward the center of the bed, seeking out his warmth.

  Max bent down, placing the tenderest of kisses to the shell of my ear. “Relax, I’m not going anywhere. Need to get suited up.”

  “Well hurry the hell up.” I rutted against the sheets. Slowly, nothing that’d make me come until he was with me.

  I turned my head when I heard the squelch of lube between Max’s fingers. As I watched him slick himself, I wished I’d asked him to let me suck him off first. As if he’d read my thoughts, Max swatted my hip as he positioned himself behind me. “Another time. Right now, we need to hurry before Enzo comes in to see if we’ve killed one another.”