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  “I did.” Jesse shot a quick glance over at Cam. “But there’s less need for it these days.”

  Since Jesse hadn’t hooked up with Kyle at Under lately, that made sense.

  “Are you freaking out at all?” Cam asked. “At the way your life has changed since we’ve been together?”

  Jesse fell silent for a moment. “No.” His tone was thoughtful. “I’m not. For a long time, I was afraid anyone I tried to be with would try to change me into someone I didn’t recognize. You aren’t trying to change me, though. Sure, I’ve changed some of my behavior, but I’m still me. And pretty fucking happy.”

  * * * *

  A couple of hours later, Jesse cleared his throat, and the assembled crowd at Under fell silent. “I have a small announcement to make. Make sure you’re all sitting down.” He waited until everyone was. “Cam and I are moving in together.”

  Dead silence rang out for a moment followed by cheering. A babble of congratulations followed, punctuated by people clinking glasses. We’ll have to let Eric and Sara know, along with both sets of parents, Cam mused. He’d talk to Jesse about that.

  “Am I to assume you’re leaving Brooklyn then?” Carter toasted Cam with his drink.

  “You are correct,” Cam said. “I’m not going to try to drag Jesse out of Manhattan. He loves me, but there is a limit to what I’ll ask.”

  Carter nodded. “That’s why you two work.”

  “You know, Kyle, it looks like you and Malcolm are the only single guys now,” Riley observed. “There seems to be an epidemic of coupledom going around.”

  The crowd hooted with laughter.

  “No guys in uniform strike your fancy?” Carter asked.

  Kyle shrugged. “Saw one a couple of weeks ago. I went across the street to the burger joint for lunch, and a couple of firefighters came in to grab a takeout order. One was downright stunning, and we chatted for a bit before he had a call.”

  “Any sparks?” Will asked.

  Everyone groaned. “Punalty!” Carter called out. “You’re an author, Will. You should know better.”

  Kyle smiled. “Eh, not sure if there were any sparks or not. He could have just been a friendly guy.”

  “What’d he look like?”

  “You heard the man. Stunning!” Cam joked. “Isn’t that enough?”

  Kyle smirked at him. “Tall, like David. Brown skin, gorgeous blue eyes. Biceps the size of my head. Looked great in his turnout gear.” Kyle’s cheeks were a little pink.

  Carter snickered. “Such a uniform whore.”

  “Did you get his name and number?” Riley asked.

  “Name yes. It’s Luka. But not his number.”

  “Why the hell not?” Jesse asked.

  “I didn’t know if the interest was mutual. Even if it were, what if he’s not out to the firehouse? I’m not about to out a guy who could get killed if his coworkers decide they aren’t cool with it.”

  “Yeah, good point,” Riley said. “Still, you could have discreetly slipped him your number.”

  “It’s not like I’d planned on picking up a guy during lunch. I wasn’t prepared. I’m not saying I haven’t eaten at the place more often,” Kyle said with a small, wry grin. “On the off-chance of seeing him again.”

  “What about you, Malcolm?” Riley asked. “Anything new with you?”

  Malcolm shook his head. “Just work and family stuff.”

  Riley looked as though he wanted to say more, but Carter nudged Riley with his foot in what looked like a signal to back off.

  Malcolm was still an enigma to Cam. He came to Under regularly, and always seemed to enjoy himself, but rarely volunteered anything personal. Cam wondered if he should make an effort to get to know him better. He wasn’t sure how to go about that though.

  The conversation veered away from relationships and toward current events. When it shifted to politics, David stood. “Hold on. I’m going to need a drink before we get into this.”

  Laughing, the group split up to refresh their drinks, and Jesse pulled Kyle aside. “Hey, can I talk with you in the office for a minute?”

  “Sure.” Kyle looked puzzled but he followed Jesse. “What’s up?”

  “I just wanted to go over a few papers.”

  Cam took a seat on the couch and sipped a glass of the mint-ginger caipiroska Kyle mixed up by the pitcher, a tweak on the traditional vodka and lime drink. He watched Jesse and Kyle walk away, and his gaze lingered on both of their asses. Damn, that was a nice view. It made Cam’s mind wander to the time the three of them hooked up. He looked forward to doing it again.

  At Cam’s request, he and Jesse had gone to a bathhouse a couple of weeks ago. Not the kind where they’d gotten massages and relaxed in the steam room, but the very gay and very sexual type. It had been an eye-opening experience for Cam and though he and Jesse hadn’t played with anyone else, they’d both enjoyed it immensely. They liked watching other men having sex. And they’d loved other men watching Jesse fuck Cam. They’d made plans to explore that again in the future.

  When they’d first discussed their partnership, they’d put casual hookups on hold until they were sure it was solid. Neither of them had been with anyone else—together or apart—since. Cam thought it was about time they did.

  Who better to do it with than Kyle?

  Cam set his drink on the table at his elbow, excused himself and followed Jesse to the office. He knocked on the door, then poked his head in. “Mind if I interrupt for a sec?”

  Kyle eyeballed him from where he leaned against the desk. Jesse was seated on the couch. “You’re not interrupting, babe. Jesse used work as a tactic to get me alone and interrogate me about the firefighter and why I didn’t bring him up before.”

  Cam chuckled. “And why didn’t you?”

  “Because all of you are a bunch of busybodies. Besides, nothing happened. I will probably never see him again.” Kyle rolled his eyes. “Anyway, what’s up?”

  “Well,” Cam smirked at him. “I have a proposition to run by you both.”

  Jesse raised an eyebrow. “I do like being propositioned.”

  “You’ll like this, then. If you don’t have plans tonight, Kyle, what do you think about coming home with Jesse and me?”

  A flicker of surprise crossed Kyle’s face. “I assume you aren’t talking about gaming.”

  “You are correct. I was thinking threesome.”

  Jesse looked surprised. “Really?”

  “Yeah.” Cam sat beside Jesse and laid a hand on his thigh. “The idea popped into my head, and I figured I’d come in and throw out the suggestion.”

  “Want me to give you guys a few minutes to discuss?” Kyle asked.

  “That’s not a bad idea,” Jesse said. “Thanks, darlin’.”

  “Sure.” Kyle made a beeline for the door, but before he stepped through it, he turned back. “For the record, if you’re both in, I am, too.” He winked and closed the door behind him.

  Cam turned to face Jesse.

  “You sure you’re ready for this?” Jesse’s expression was very intent. “We had a great time at the bathhouse, but it could be different with Kyle. Especially after what happened last time.”

  “I’m sure.” Cam brought a hand up and stroked his cheek. His stubble rasped against Cam’s fingers. “I feel secure about where we are now.”

  “Okay.” Jesse grasped Cam’s hand. “I don’t want to rush anything, that’s all.”

  “Neither do I.”

  “You’re not just trying to prove a point, are you?”

  “Maybe a little. I appreciate how you’ve pushed yourself out of your comfort zone in the past few months. Letting me into your life, meeting my family, talking about moving in together…” Cam shrugged. “It’s not all one-sided. You know I’m okay with you being with someone else. We both want an open partnership, and who better to start with than Kyle? Besides, I couldn’t keep my eyes off his ass when he walked away. Trust me, I want this.” He took Jesse’s hand and pressed it
to the fly of his pants where his cock was already half-hard at the thought of going to bed with Jesse and Kyle again.

  Jesse leaned in and kissed him hard. “God, I love you, Cameron.”

  “I love you, too, Jesse.” Cam leaned his forehead against Jesse’s. “And while I didn’t plan for tonight, I have been thinking about this in general. Imagining the three of us in bed again.”

  “Yeah?” Was it his imagination or did Jesse sound breathless? Good.

  “Yep. I’m picturing Kyle fucking me while you suck me.”

  Jesse let out a small groan. “Fuck. I’m convinced.”

  “Should I ask Kyle to come back in?”

  “Yes.” But Jesse didn’t let go. Instead, he looked Cam straight in the eye. “But if you need more time, we pause it, okay? No hard feelings. We can talk and work it out.”

  “Agreed. I don’t want to rush it either, Jesse. I want to be sure we’re both getting everything we want out of this.”

  Jesse’s kiss was answer enough.

  “So, what do you say?” Cam asked Kyle when they were all in the room together again. “Want to help us celebrate our plans to move in together?”

  Kyle laughed. “That would be a difficult invitation to turn down.”

  “If you need extra incentive,” Jesse said, “Cam put forth the idea of you fucking him while I suck his cock.”

  “That is quite an incentive,” Kyle leered. “But you don’t have to convince me. Since both of you are sure you’re good with this—”

  “We are,” Cam said. He squeezed Jesse’s hand.

  “Then so am I.”

  * * * *

  Later that night, after Kyle kissed them both goodbye and let himself out of their loft, Cam turned on his side and looked over at Jesse. Cam was spent and so sated his bones seemed liquefied.

  Cam smiled at him. “Did you ever think you’d be in this position?”

  Jesse stretched and let out a contented-sounding noise. “Moving in with a man who is very enthusiastic about exploring new things in the bedroom and fucking other guys? No, I can’t say I did. I assumed they were mutually exclusive, pun not intended, and I’ve never been happier to be proven wrong.”

  “Who’d have thought we could make something like this work?”

  “You, Cam.” Jesse’s voice sounded a little thick. “You showed me this was an option.”

  Cam pressed his lips to Jesse’s. “You know, when I started falling for you, I thought for sure you’d break my heart,” he said after he’d drawn back.

  “Nah,” Jesse said. “I love you too much for that. And when I put my mind to something, I almost always succeed.”

  Jesse made his declaration with the kind of certainty only a man like him could have. But Cam knew he meant it. Jesse’s single-minded determination got him what he wanted in life, but the touch of humility was new. He’d made up his mind about wanting a life with Cam, and Cam knew he’d do whatever it took to make it happen.

  Cam’s upbringing was worlds apart from Jesse’s, but he was every bit as determined to make their life together work. Maybe they didn’t have the kind of partnership many people were looking for. But it worked for them. Nothing else mattered.

  Want to see more from these authors? Here’s a taster for you to enjoy!

  Calm

  K. Evan Coles and Brigham Vaughn

  Excerpt

  Riley Porter-Wright whistled as he let himself into his West Village apartment on a warm Thursday night in April. He’d left work with a spring in his step. He had a date with Will Martin—his boyfriend—that night, and a three-day weekend ahead of him.

  As senior vice president and head of the e-pub division of his family’s publishing house, Riley had been delighted to share the year’s first quarter data for his division at the board meeting that afternoon. The numbers had been high enough to impress even Jonathon Porter-Wright, the CEO of the company and Riley’s father. He was a demanding man under the best of circumstances and the flicker of pleased surprise that had crossed his face during Riley’s presentation had been gratifying.

  Although completely estranged from his parents since his coming out and divorce the previous fall, Riley still had to deal with his father at work. He was no longer concerned with living up to his father’s expectations, but Riley felt perversely pleased that the better he performed, the more of an ass his father appeared to be. There was a certain measure of satisfaction in proving to his father that being an openly bisexual man hadn’t done a thing to affect his career. If anything, finally feeling content with his life had improved Riley’s performance.

  He’d left the office immediately after the board meeting and hurried home. He hastily dressed in a tux, then checked his watch to be sure he wasn’t late as he dashed out of the door. Why the Metropolitan opera held premieres on a weeknight, he didn’t know, but thankfully, Will didn’t have any classes to teach at NYU that evening.

  Riley texted Will on the way to his building. He came out to meet Riley after the town car pulled up. The driver held the door while Will slid inside and gave Riley a brief, warm kiss. “Hey, good to see you.”

  “You, too.” They’d both been busy in the past few weeks and hadn’t been able to spend much time together. Riley smiled at him, struck again by Will’s high cheekbones and classic good looks. Riley hadn’t seen him in a tuxedo before, but he wore it well. “How was your day?”

  “Mmm, faculty meeting this afternoon and most of my students seem to have spring fever, so I’m glad it’s over,” Will replied with an easy grin, his blue eyes brightening. “Getting better now, though. Yours?”

  “Great, actually, and I’m looking forward to tonight.”

  They kept the discussion light while the car crossed Manhattan, but Riley’s anxiety rose as they neared the Kennedy Center. He straightened his bow tie for the umpteenth time. Will set a hand on his thigh, the touch warm and heavy.

  “Are you sure you want to do this tonight?” Will asked softly. “You seem jittery.”

  “Of course.” Riley gave Will a reassuring smile. “I’ll admit I’m…anxious about how it will go, but I refuse to let anyone keep me from living my life. I love opera and I want to share that with you.”

  That night was the gala premier of Giulio Cesare and Riley had spent the better part of a week debating if he should invite Will to be his date. Riley had done little socializing with anyone from his past since his abrupt coming-out the previous November and subsequent divorce from his now ex-wife Alex. The possibility of seeing his parents was nerve-racking. Even worse was the thought of seeing his former best friend, Carter, and Carter’s wife, Kate. Carter had been shocked by Riley’s coming out and Riley’s confession that he loved Carter had driven a wedge between them. Riley hadn’t had any contact with Kate and, other than a brief and awkward run-in during the holidays at Serendipity when Carter had been out with the kids, Riley hadn’t seen Carter, either.

  Will knew enough about his past that he wouldn’t be caught off-guard if an awkward situation arose, but that didn’t make it any easier. The thought of Will and Carter in the same room caused his anxiety to rise.

  In the three months Riley and Will had been seeing each other, Will had more than lived up to Riley’s first impression of him. Not only gorgeous, he was thoughtful and well-read. Patient, too, while Riley shook off the hang-ups from his past and struggled to figure out the new path he was on. In fact, he’d been more than patient.

  Although they’d been intimate in every other way, Riley hadn’t reached a point where he was ready to let Will penetrate him or vice versa. Will assured Riley he shouldn’t feel rushed and reminded him some men never wanted anal sex, but, still, it bothered Riley. They’d decided not to see other people, but sometimes Riley held Will at arm’s length when he should have been pulling him closer. Taking him to the opera tonight was one way to include Will in another part of his life. He genuinely cared for Will and thought maybe, in time, he could fall for him.

  Riley could hard
ly say he was over Carter, but thoughts of Carter had grown less and less frequent. As time passed, the acute pain of losing him had faded to a dull ache. Time certainly did heal wounds, but, unfortunately, it did nothing to lessen the feeling that something important was missing from his life.

  “I’m glad you invited me,” Will said, bringing him back to the moment.

  Riley smiled warmly at him. “I’m glad you were willing to come. I don’t think my ex-wife will be there—she really only bothered with the events here to network—but I can’t promise anything. Let’s just hope we can make it through the night without any drama.”

  “If there is, we’ll either ignore it or cut out early.” Will shrugged and slid his hand a little higher. He leaned in to whisper in Riley’s ear. “No matter what happens, the night can end in my bed with your dick in my mouth and you coming so hard you see stars.”

  “Promises, promises,” Riley teased, his voice more breathless than he intended. He closed his eyes for a brief moment as Will feathered kisses against his jaw, then glanced at the driver in front of him. He was grateful for the man’s discretion and that he hadn’t once glanced at them in the rearview mirror. Although finally at ease with showing affection with Will in public, Riley didn’t want to make the driver uncomfortable.

  Will pulled back when the car slowed to a stop and Riley looked up in surprise, realizing they were already in front of the Lincoln Center. He stepped onto the sidewalk and waited for Will to follow, nodding at a few people mingling outside the entrance whom he recognized. He couldn’t resist a peek at the fountain, half-expecting to see Carter standing beside it. But the familiar silhouette was nowhere in sight, so he turned back to Will.

  “Still nervous?” Will asked quietly as they walked through the lobby, with its endless red-carpeted floors and the mid-century Sputnik-style chandeliers that had been a gift from the Austrian government.

  “A little,” Riley replied. “Mostly trying not to think too much about your comment in the car. I’m afraid these pants don’t hide much.” He grinned wryly wry and Will laughed.