Love Him Wild

by E M Lindsey

  Jonas sighed. “No. This isn’t a highly structured visit. My dad wants me to get to know the place, get to know the people, then come home.”

  “Find the best ways to fuck them over?”

  “Drain their resources,” Jonas said and passed a hand down his face. “I hate this.”

  Parker felt for him in ways he hadn’t expected, and he wanted to do something to make him feel better. “Do you have any allergies? Like in specific to animals?”

  Jonas frowned, but shook his head. “Uh. No.”

  “Not goats or horses? Things that live in a barn?”

  At that, Jonas laughed. “No, why? You want to go to a farm?”

  Pulling out his phone, Parker pulled up Spencer’s number and sent a hurried text. “I have an idea that might not suck.” He fired it off… and got an immediate response back letting him know that Collin was home and the barn was always open. “If you trust me,” he added when he looked up.

  Jonas’ face softened, and he took a step closer, then laid his hand on Parker’s arm. “I trust you.”

  The words meant more than they probably should, but Parker clutched them close to his chest and had a feeling his decision was already made.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Jonas wasn’t entirely sure what to make of Parker. He knew the text had been fishing for something, which was why he’d given Parker a specific location rather than telling him he was just out and about. He was in no way surprised when the blond man strolled through the café doors and joined him in line, but it was a surprise the way he got a little closer and stared a little longer.

  If this were any other man—if this were someone who was not so overtly and loudly in love with his husband, Jonas might have thought he was flirting. In fact, Parker probably was, but that seemed like his personality.

  What Jonas couldn’t figure out was what Parker really wanted with him. He didn’t think the man was looking to cheat on his husband, and neither of them seemed the sort of men who wanted to bring home a third for the night to fool around. He might have thought they were still sizing him up, and maybe Parker had been tasked to find out if Jonas was lying or not, but he didn’t get that impression either.

  Especially not now, sitting in Parker’s car heading out to the middle of nowhere in the direction of the big lake. He stole a couple glances at the man, his eyes lingering on Parker’s metal hand which gripped the wheel lazily. He hadn’t been lying when he said it was unfamiliar to him—he really hadn’t socialized much, so his interactions tended to be with the rich old white men his father kept in his employ.

  But the arm fit Parker. Hell, everything about him—from his job to his husband to his friends—it all fit. It left Jonas choking with envy and flattered that someone like Parker or Ronan would waste their time on him.

  “You’re still wearing it.”

  Jonas blinked. “Wearing it?”

  Parker reached over and traced a touch over the silver ring Jonas slipped on that morning. “Birdie’s ring.”

  Jonas flushed. “Oh.”

  And it hadn’t really been a conscious thing. He just liked it, and it felt kind of important that someone like Birdie—with his strong ties to Cherry Creek, with his roots planted here—had done something kind just for the sake of it. And Birdie had been a very attractive man, but it was hard to see people when they were all eclipsed by the beauty of Parker and Ronan.

  “I didn’t mean to make things awkward,” Parker told him after a beat. “I bet he’d be interested if you want to go on a date.”

  Jonas didn’t mean to let the laugh escape, but it did. “No, I…I mean, he’s cute. Really.”

  “He is,” Parker hedged.

  “He’s just not my type?” It came out more a question than anything, and he had to glance away because it wasn’t entirely true—only sort of.

  Jonas wouldn’t have turned a guy like Birdie down in the club, but he couldn’t risk having a fling in this town. And not only was Jonas not really interested in sacrificing what time he had with Parker and Ronan for a minute to flirt with the hot firefighter, but he was also the villain in this story. He was the man who was part of the big bad corporation swooping in to fuck up life as they all knew it.

  “I know I was being kind of an ass,” Parker said. “I don’t mean to get that way. Just…we saw you first.”

  God, how he wanted to read into that statement, but he didn’t dare. Instead, he smiled and turned slightly in his seat. “So, where are we going?”

  Parker didn’t seem bothered by the change in conversation. “It’s a surprise, but it’s not far. When we’re done, we can go check out the lake since you said you wanted to get another look at it. One of the other rangers came up to take over for Ronan today, so he can give us access to the ATV if you want to go for a drive.” Parker smiled at him softly, a wholly different man sometimes, in those expressions that lacked his sharp edges. He drummed his fingers on the wheel, then grabbed the turn signal and flicked it on before taking a dirt road.

  The destination became clear after a few hundred feet when a huge patch of land came into view, a house in the center. There was a barn beyond that and a massive field fenced in.

  “The guys moved here a few years ago with some goats and a truckload of cats,” Parker explained. “They mostly kept to themselves, but Spencer wanted to set up his cat shelter so Fitz offered the firehouse parking lot to set up a little adoption event.”

  “Fitz is…” Jonas asked, struggling to remember.

  “Our best friend. He’s the Fire Chief now. We kind of skipped his booth last night, which he was pretty pissed about.”

  Jonas chuckled. “Ah. Well, maybe next week?”

  “He’s definitely not going to wait that long,” Parker answered with a grin. He rolled to a stop near the fence instead of the house, and he put the car in park but didn’t turn the engine off. “Fitz became friends with them first. They were a little reclusive, because they weren’t sure how people were going to react to three men being together.”

  “Together, like…”

  “Polyamory,” Parker said with a wave of his hand. “I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but we try not to judge here.”

  Jonas’ cheeks flushed hot, and he glanced away. “Trust me, I’m not judging. I can’t even get one person to love me, you know?” His laugh was full of self-deprecation, and he hated being that guy who practically begged for pity, but it wasn’t a lie. He felt pathetic. “Having two people do it? It seems too good to be true.”

  Parker was soft when Jonas chanced a look up. “They’re good guys. I mean, Max is kind of a prickly asshole, but he spends most of his day at the garage banging on cars. Collin’s usually here with the goats, and Spencer has a little cat café in the city, so if you ever feel like extra shit, you can go in and let kittens climb on you for a while.”

  Jonas grinned. “That sounds nice.”

  “It is.” Parker shoved the door open, then came around just as Jonas stepped out. They were only a few feet from the car when they heard a shout, and Jonas turned his head to see a tall man wearing a tight t-shirt and jeans ambling toward them from the back of the house.

  “Oy! Spencer said you were bringing a friend.”

  Jonas was startled by the posh English accent coming from such a large, burly man. He was attractive, a bit like a lumberjack with his broad shoulders and grey-flecked beard. But his eyes were soft, and his grin was friendly as he yanked Parker into a hug.

  “This is Jonas,” Parker said after breaking away from the other man. “His dad bought the land by the lake.”

  Collin’s eyes went a little dark, but he was more scrutinizing than accusing. “Is that right?”

  “He’s trying to figure out a way to turn the property into something that’ll benefit the town,” Parker said before Jonas could open his mouth.

  He took half a step back, startled at how firmly Parker spoke for him, how adamant he seemed, to keep Collin from judging him. “Um. Well. I don�
��t have a lot of sway, but I’m trying.”

  Collin nodded, then extended a hand, and Jonas took it. His palm was rough and calloused, but his grip was strong and friendly, and he didn’t yank his hand back right away. “If you need any ideas, I’m sure Spence has some.”

  “That would be great,” Jonas told him.

  He was profoundly aware of Parker watching him, so he said nothing until the other man cleared his throat. “We’re here for the babies.”

  “Which sort?” Collin asked. “Actually, it doesn’t matter. They’re all in the barn.”

  Jonas didn’t know exactly what he was in for until Collin pushed the barn door open, and he was bombarded by three baby goats. The kids bounded around his feet like excited puppies, and he couldn’t stop the soft noise that escaped him as he dropped to his knees and let them nuzzle into his hands. “Oh my god, are goats always like this?”

  Collin laughed and rolled his eyes. “No. I think they think they’re part cat. The new litter’s over there in the pen. They’re walking now, and most of them have their eyes opened, but they’ll get trampled if we let them out.”

  Parker dropped to a knee beside Jonas and let one of the goats nibble on his mechanical fingers. “Good idea?”

  Jonas let out a soft breath as the brownish goat headbutt him in the thigh. “Great idea.” He shuffled down to sit, and let out a small, startled noise when Parker joined him, pressing their thighs together. “Do you come down here a lot?”

  Parker’s grin was soft, and maybe a little sad. “I work a lot. My LPN only works part time so I don’t get a lot of days off.”

  “I know what that feels like,” Jonas admitted as one of the kids made itself comfortable on his lap. He dragged fingers over its coat, feeling the rough hair beneath his hand. “Then again, I don’t have a husband to miss so…”

  “It’s still hard. I remember what it was like before Ronan and I got together,” Parker told him.

  “I can’t imagine you two actually being apart.”

  Parker laughed, but there was pain in his eyes that was impossible to ignore. “Well, we were, for more years than I like to think about. There was an accident—a fire, when we were fourteen. Ronan and Fitz were doing a weekend camping trip up here by the lake.” Parker shifted and glanced over at Collin, who was on the other side of the room, tending to the kittens behind the fence. From his tone of voice, Jonas could tell this was an old story, but one he didn’t tell often. “Ronan and I were—I mean, not dating, we were kids. But we used to sneak around and make out and try to get bold enough to touch each other’s dicks.”

  Jonas couldn’t help a small laugh. “Sounds cute.”

  “It was awkward,” Parker said, but he smiled back. “We were so bad at it, but…that night he told Fitz he was meeting a girl by the lake.” Parker’s eyes closed, and his head bowed, his hand still petting the goat which had settled at his feet. “I didn’t give a shit about anything except having a few hours with him. We smelled smoke—like, weird smoke. Acrid. Not like the campfire, but I tried to convince him to stay.” He stopped when his voice caught in his throat.

  “Parker…”

  Parker shook his head and swallowed thickly. “Sorry, I never talk about this.” He took a slow breath before he went on. “Ronan eventually ran back up to camp and found Fitz’s sleeping bag on fire. He was inside the tent, and no one could get the damn zipper open. Ronan eventually got the tent cut open and dragged him out, but…”

  Unable to stop himself, Jonas reached out and laid his hand on Parker’s arm. It was his prosthetic, but he squeezed it anyway, and Parker stared down at their joined bodies before he shifted his arm and opened his palm. The hand was warmer and softer than he expected it to be, and the fingers closed over his own.

  “He was burned really badly, and he was in a coma for a while. He was in the hospital forever,” Parker said with a rough laugh. “We both blamed ourselves, but Ronan wouldn’t talk to me about it. He wouldn’t talk to me at all. He saw Fitz a couple of times, then just… cut us off. He spent most of high school acting like we didn’t exist.”

  Jonas wasn’t sure what to say, because frankly, it was impossible to imagine Ronan not looking at Parker like he hung the moon. “When did you two…?”

  “I was in the last leg of my residency. I was in Denver, but I had gotten a job in Connecticut. He showed up one night and told me he’d made amends with Fitz.”

  “That’s good,” Jonas said.

  Parker’s mechanical fingers tightened on his a fraction. In a way, they seemed dangerous—unpredictable because Jonas didn’t understand them. But the pressure of them also made him feel safe and wanted, though that terrified him in a whole new way, because Parker was married, and in love with his husband. “He thought I just…let it go. That I didn’t feel guilty for our part in Fitz’s injury. I love him more than I have ever loved anyone or anything, but we don’t always communicate well.”

  Jonas laughed and tugged on him a little. “Especially at fourteen.”

  Parker’s grin was softer, lighter, and he shrugged. “Even now, but yeah. He just didn’t understand how I could look Fitz in the eye, and I didn’t understand how he couldn’t want to be an even better friend to make up for the way we had left him there.”

  “And Fitz?”

  “Fitz is himself. He never blamed Ronan or me. I mean, he was kind of pissed when he found out how long the two of us had been sneaking around, but mostly because he’s a spoiled asshole who has to be included in things.”

  Jonas laughed and removed his hand so he could shift the goat off his lap when it became restless. He watched as it bound away with its siblings. “I can’t wait to meet him.”

  “You’ll like him—and his boyfriend. Antoine’s a good guy.” Parker pushed himself to his feet, then offered his hand out for Jonas to pull himself up. “Thank you for coming out here today.”

  Jonas nodded, but when Parker started toward Collin, he caught him by the sleeve and tugged. “Why did you tell me all that? I can tell that’s not something you like to share.”

  “It isn’t,” Parker admitted. For a moment, he looked torn. He dragged a hand through his hair, then shrugged and let out a sigh. “I trust you. Ronan said to follow my gut, and my gut led me here. With you. And I think he was right.”

  He walked off, and Jonas—for that moment—was too afraid to follow.

  Keeping away from Parker and Ronan for the next few days was the only way Jonas managed not to say or do something stupid. It meant neglecting everything he’d come to Cherry Creek to accomplish, but he had time. His main goal was to convince his father that building condos by the lake was a bad investment. It left only commercial, which presented its own problems because the rent would be astronomical, and anyone his father brought in put the rest of the town at risk for going under. Corporate shops would have financial backing that the shops in town didn’t, and Jonas had been around long enough to see how that story ended.

  Frankly, he couldn’t see any decent outcome to this purchase. What he wanted to do was convince his father to sell the damn land to anyone else, but he’d want to turn a profit. A big one. Jonas knew the Motels had money, maybe even enough to make this deal without hurting them financially, but he wasn’t sure he could live with himself knowing Brad and his brothers had done nothing but line his father’s pockets and pay for his brothers’ ridiculous lifestyles.

  Jonas took his stress out on a drive that afternoon around the city, following side streets and empty roads, mapping out every corner of the town. He made his way down the hill to Colorado Springs and then back up again and felt Cherry Creek welcome him like a breath of fresh air.

  The thought of leaving gutted him, and he’d only been there a few days.

  He could feel Parker’s hand in his, the echo of it pressed against his skin, but only if he let himself think about it. It was dangerous because there was something there, a spark between them, an unfair temptation into something wild and unbidden that did
not belong to him. He’d felt it in Ronan’s gaze at the Market just as strongly, and it threatened to eclipse all of his senses.

  When he got back to the hotel room and laid on the bed, he flung an arm over his eyes to block out the afternoon sun, and the other drifted toward the button on his trousers. It was a mistake, doing this, allowing himself the fantasy. All he had to do was close his eyes, and Parker’s face was there. And then Ronan’s, with the quiet rumble of his voice, and the gentle way he handled Jonas’ quaking fears.

  Jonas’ fingers fumbled a bit as he reached under the waistband of his boxers and took his dick in hand. It was painfully hard already, leaking at the tip. Just like the time before, he could too easily picture Ronan behind him, Parker in front, pressing their bodies into his. Ronan’s dick was probably big and hot. He’d hold Jonas with powerful hands while Parker used his limber, flexible body to twist around him and suck his dick and press fingers into his ass.

  “Fuck,” he gasped. His hand flew over his cock, drawing him closer and closer to the edge as that first fantasy roared to life again behind his closed eyes.

  “Jonas,” Ronan would rumble against his ear, and maybe he’d kiss him there. Maybe he’d take Jonas’ earlobe between his teeth and tug.

  “Shit, shit.” He was too fucking close.

  Guilt hit him as he pictured Ronan sliding into him, and he careened over the edge, curling upward as he spilled along his chest. That was so wrong, so unfair of him to continue imagining what it would be like to have those two men. But it felt impossible not to after his afternoon with Parker and the way he’d touched him like Jonas meant something, but there was no way he had.

  Parker was a flirt, and Ronan stared with endless depth into his eyes, but he knew it couldn’t be more than pity. They felt sorry for the man he was, for the man he’d let himself become, trapped under his father’s weak thumb. His eyes went hot, and he turned, hiding his face in the pillows as a few tears escaped. He was more powerfully and painfully lonely than he’d ever been in his life.