Secrets in Edgewood: The Complete Series

by Kate Hawthorne

  It was such a surreal thing, to be in this moment with his lover and his husband, who was soon to be his ex-husband. He worried about the logistics of divorcing, and if it even still mattered. It didn’t make as much sense to go through with it now, but Calvin wanted it, and the hopeful glint in Emory’s eyes was enough of a sign it was the right thing to do.

  “Is this a good idea?” Graham asked.

  Emory snaked a leg around Graham’s waist and licked the beads of water from his neck. “Who’s the boring one now?”

  “I’m not boring.”

  “He’s cautious,” Calvin corrected, sinking his teeth into the other side of Graham’s neck.

  “That’s fair.” Emory flattened his tongue and licked his way up to Graham’s ear, nipping at his earlobe. “Don’t you want to live with me?”

  Someone’s hand grazed over the wet hair on Graham’s stomach and fingered around the waistband of his trunks. He closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of two sets of lips on his skin and two sets of hands working their way into his pants.

  “You could have me whenever you wanted.”

  “I already can,” Graham countered with a small chuckle.

  A hand curled around his dick and squeezed.

  "I feel like you’re ganging up on me,” he rasped.

  The hand stroked him. When the fist reached the tip of his cock, he recognized the hand as Calvin’s, his fingers thicker than Emory’s as they constricted around him.

  “I don’t want to get cum in the hot tub.” He tried to still Calvin’s hand.

  “Then get out,” Emory shouldered him toward the edge of the tub. “Make me a happy man and say yes, then let me suck you off.”

  “Come on, G.” Calvin slid his hands up Graham’s thighs as he eased his way out of and onto the edge of the hot tub. Graham leaned back and rested his shoulders against the deck railing. Calvin’s fingers pulled Graham’s cock out of his trunks. He lowered his face to between Graham’s legs and kissed him there.

  “Greedy,” Emory mumbled, pushing Calvin to the side.

  Emory’s hot mouth wrapped around the base of Graham’s cock and slid to the top where Calvin was waiting. They kissed, their tongues dueling around the head of his swollen dick.

  Four hands were on him, rubbing his legs, his stomach, up to his chest, and he braced himself on the edge of the tub as Calvin and Emory worked their tongues in tandem to drive him mad. It was wet and loud and sloppy, and he came unexpectedly, the two men between his legs fighting to lap up the evidence of his release.

  “Alright,” he agreed, chilled and sweating at the same time. “I’ll move back.”

  Emory smiled and pulled himself out of the water, crushing his mouth against Graham’s. He could taste himself on Emory’s tongue, mixed with the faint sweetness of the bubbly champagne, and it was heaven. Graham reached for Calvin, who was already out of the water, his mouth poised to pick up where Emory had left off.

  Graham cupped the back of Calvin’s head and kissed him ardently until he was out of breath and flushed from exertion.

  “I love that,” Emory whispered, adjusting himself beneath the water. “I love the two of you together. Maybe sometime I can just watch.”

  “Would you like that?” Graham tilted his head.

  Calvin pulled them both back into the water and reached for the bottle of champagne.

  “I think so,” Emory confirmed, holding his glass out. Calvin filled his—the bubbles floating around the rim of the glass—then he filled Graham’s.

  “To the future, then.” Graham raised his glass. “And whatever it brings.”

  Twenty-Four

  Emory

  It was only Monday, but Emory’s memories of the cabin vacation were foggy at best. Everything was a blur of skin and touch and feel, and the memory was perfect—a blurry haze of love made whole.

  He’d called out of work again, choosing to take the day to go back to his father’s house and begin the arduous task of packing his belongings and shuttling them to Calvin’s. Emory had spent most of the day trying to decide if he even wanted to keep the job at Oglethorpe and Schulz in the first place. He was still resentful of his father for pushing it on him, and he didn’t want Calvin to get in trouble. It made sense for him to leave. Not like he needed the money or anything.

  It was something for them to discuss. In the future. As it was, Emory was moving in with Calvin, and Graham was set to follow at the end of the month when he could get out of the terms on the apartment he’d been renting since the split.

  A knock on the front door caused him to jump, and his phone vibrated in his pocket at the same time.

  Graham: Let me in.

  Emory scoffed at the double entendre and jogged downstairs, pulling open the front door to greet Graham, who was dressed for work.

  “What brings you this way?” Emory smiled and bounced on his toes, pressing a kiss against Graham’s lower lip.

  “Heading to work in a few. I just wanted to see how your packing was coming.”

  Graham followed him upstairs and Emory gestured grandly toward his bedroom—which was a disaster. It looked like a tornado had blown straight through his closet.

  “That good?” Graham laughed.

  Emory used his shoulder to shove in Graham’s arm.

  “I do have a lot of ties,” he mumbled.

  “Is there an easy way to transport them?” Graham narrowed his eyes at the piles and spirals of silk that covered the surface of Emory’s bed.

  “No. Just this.” Emory fell to his knees and lifted up the bed skirt. He reached in for the underbed Tupperware he’d always used for storage, and that he’d used to transport the ties to his father’s house.

  He flipped the lid open and crossed his legs, reaching up with his fingers extended. “Pass me one.”

  Graham came further into the room and plucked one of Emory’s ties off the bed and set it in his outstretched palm. Emory tucked it into the corner of the Tupperware and collected another tie from Graham. They continued in silence, stacking Emory’s ties until the bed was clear again.

  “I know you counted,” he grumbled, standing up and dusting off the backs of his legs.

  “Thirty-four,” Graham answered. “That’s so many.”

  “I like flair.”

  “I like you.”

  Emory blushed. “You more than like me.”

  “I do.” Graham stretched his hands toward Emory and looped them around his waist, pulling their bodies together.

  “A boy likes to hear these things sometimes, tiger,” Emory teased, even though he wasn’t really teasing.

  He’d noticed that Graham and Calvin sort of orbited each other without necessarily always existing in the moment with each other, and while he’d never doubted how much the two men loved each other, watching them was a clear indicator of how much work relationships were.

  Emory hadn’t wanted to do work.

  He hadn’t wanted a relationship.

  He wrapped his arms around Graham’s waist and rested his cheek against the bulge of Graham’s pectoral muscle. Closing his eyes, Emory listened to the steady pounding of his heart.

  He needed more to be happy than what Graham and Calvin had become content with. Emory wanted to know, and be told—frequently—that he was loved. He slid his hands lower and cupped Graham’s ass through the pressed material of his slacks.

  “I love you,” Graham whispered against the top of Emory’s head.

  He looked up. “I love you.”

  Graham smiled and lowered his face, dusting a soft kiss across Emory’s hungry lips. Emory mewled and pressed his body closer, using his grip on Graham’s ass for leverage. He opened his mouth to Graham and let himself be kissed until he felt Graham’s cock twitching against his stomach, then he pulled back.

  “You should get to work.”

  Graham groaned and adjusted himself. “You’re mean.”

  “I’m keeping things fresh,” he countered.

  “That’s…fair.
” Graham slid his hands around Emory’s neck and gave him a final kiss before stepping back. “Are you going to be at the house tonight?”

  “Waiting for you with your husband,” Emory promised.

  “Maybe we should rethink the three on three rule.” Graham took a step toward the stairs before turning and heading down. Emory lingered at the top.

  “Oh?”

  Graham licked his lips and braced himself on the front doorknob while he stared up at Emory. “It’s something to be discussed. Along with testing.”

  Emory raised an eyebrow. “I’m surprised you’ve waited so long to bring that one up.”

  “We should go.”

  “I already have.” Emory smirked.

  “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “You never asked.”

  “Tonight then,” Graham opened the door.

  “I’ll be sure to tell the boss about your plans.” Emory crossed his legs at the ankles and leaned against the top corner of the bannister.

  “I’m off at eleven.” Graham opened the door.

  “I’ll try and stay up.”

  “You’ll be up.”

  Emory barked out a sharp laugh and rolled his eyes. “Go to work, tiger.”

  Graham smiled and let himself out.

  The door clicked closed behind him with a deafening echo that vibrated through the empty downstairs. Emory shivered. He was ready to be done with this house, and if it hadn’t been for Calvin and Graham, he would have been done with this town.

  He had no ties to Edgewood beyond a name that he’d never even asked for and frequently resented.

  But things were different now.

  Emory returned to his bedroom and snapped the lid on the tie Tupperware closed and turned to face his closet while he tried to decide what to pack first.

  “Honey, I’m home.”

  Emory shouldered Calvin’s front door open and kicked a large suitcase into the entryway. He’d used the spare key Calvin gave him, which was effectively now his key, to let himself in.

  “I didn’t expect you so soon.” Calvin appeared in the hallway, a towel wrapped around his waist and his hair wet and plastered to his forehead.

  “Did you leave work early or something?” Emory pulled the door closed behind him.

  “I did.” Calvin smiled. “I wanted to be here for you when you showed up.”

  “That is…” Emory couldn’t stop his lips from spreading up in the corners. “Surprisingly thoughtful of you.”

  “I’m trying,” Calvin told him, his voice sounded far more solemn than the statement required, but Emory felt the importance and the weight of the sentiment.

  “You’re doing great, boss.” Emory tipped his chin toward the bathroom. “Go get dressed, we’ll talk before I unpack.”

  “We need to talk?” Calvin turned on his heel and padded down the hallway to the bedroom. Emory followed, kicking off his sneakers and arranging them neatly in the closet beside Calvin’s work shoes.

  “Graham came by today while I was packing.”

  “Is everything okay?” Calvin looked worried. He opened a drawer and grabbed a pair of briefs, quickly dressing and using the towel to dry his hair.

  “Everything’s fine, boss.” Emory hopped onto the bed and counted the lines of Calvin’s abdominals. “We had a very brief chat about sexual health.”

  Calvin sputtered, pulling a shirt over his head. “And?”

  “I got the impression that you two have only been with you two, yes?”

  “And you.”

  Emory rolled his eyes.

  “Obviously. And, well,” he pulled out his phone and logged into the portal website of his doctor. “I have this.”

  He presented the screen to Calvin, who scrolled down. His nostrils flared and he passed the phone back to Emory.

  “I see.”

  “Does that interest you in any capacity?” Emory leaned back and tossed his phone onto the pillow.

  “You know it does,” Calvin rasped.

  “Then it’s a date. Tonight.”

  “Alright.” Calvin’s cock was thickening behind the thin cotton of his briefs. Emory’s eyes flirted down and a wet spot appeared in the dark fabric.

  “You should tell your husband,” Emory whispered conspiratorially.

  Calvin opened his mouth and snapped it closed before he replied. “We should go get your bags and get you unpacked.”

  “That’s another thing we’re going to talk about.” Emory stood up and adjusted himself while Calvin watched him.

  “What’s that?”

  Calvin pulled a pair of sleep pants out of the dresser and stepped into them before following Emory out of the bedroom.

  “A division of duties.”

  “A what?” Calvin grabbed one of his suitcases and hauled it back down the hallway.

  “Separate but equal?” Emory laughed. “Renegotiating the terms, boss. You know, so you could fuck me right now if you wanted to.”

  Calvin stumbled and righted himself quickly, wheeling Emory’s suitcase toward the closet.

  “Or so Graham could have fucked me earlier if he’d wanted to,” Emory continued, loving the way Calvin’s neck flushed. “I wonder what that would be like. He could fill me up and send me back to you.”

  “You’re killing me,” Calvin rasped.

  Emory smirked and walked back to the entry to get another suitcase. He passed Calvin in the hallway and dropped a hand, dragging it across the obvious erection that tented his lounge pants.

  Calvin returned to the bedroom with Emory’s tie Tupperware in his hands. He dropped it on the bed and joined Calvin in front of the closet.

  “Where do those go?”

  “No idea.” Emory shrugged. “Can we eat first? Packing took it out of me and I need a break before I think about all of this.”

  Calvin slid an arm around Emory’s waist and pulled their bodies together.

  “What did you want to eat?”

  “Something light.”

  “Do you want to order in or go out?” Calvin stared at his clothes in the closet. He lifted his arm and shoved everything further to one side, making more room for Emory and Graham for whenever they got around to putting things away.

  “Let’s go out.” Emory rested his head on Calvin’s shoulder.

  “Like a date?”

  “A date,” he confirmed.

  “I know a good place.” Calvin pulled a black button up out of the closet.

  “What should I wear? Where are we going?”

  “We’re going to Puck’s, of course.” Calvin grinned and shoved his sleep pants to the floor.

  “You’re mean,” Emory laughed and grabbed his sneakers out of the closet.

  “It sounds like we have a big night ahead of us.” Calvin slipped into his shirt. “It’s only fair to remind Graham what is waiting for him at home.”

  “Most people just send pictures, you know.”

  “We can do that too.”

  “Man, boss. When you try to not be boring, you really go big, don’t you?” Emory laughed and finished lacing his shoes.

  Calvin pulled a pair of jeans out of one of his drawers and dressed, leaving the shirt untucked, even though his hands hovered around the material, obviously debating the casual nature of his state of dress.

  “I try,” he said quietly, an echo of his earlier assurance.

  “I know, boss.” Emory grabbed him for a quick kiss. “You’re doing good.”

  “Are you ready?”

  “I’m ready. Let’s go tease the tiger.”

  Twenty-Five

  Calvin

  “Mr. Silver,” the hostess at Puck’s greeted Calvin when he and Emory arrived. “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen you.”

  Calvin grimaced and forced a smile. He appreciated that Graham obviously hadn’t told anyone at work about their marital issues. Not that it was any of their concern, but Calvin had told Zach, and with as distraught as Graham had been…Calvin was surprised to fi
nd he’d held their separation close to the vest.

  “Work has been time consuming,” he answered her, which was also not a lie.

  “Table for…” she trailed off and dragged her eyes to Emory, “two?”

  “Two,” Emory confirmed. He stepped closer to Calvin, but didn’t go so far as to take his hand. Calvin was…relieved, but also disappointed. On the walk to their table, he struggled to reconcile his feelings. If the three of them were going to pursue this relationship together, the people at their work would surely find out they were involved with Emory. It couldn’t stay a secret.

  He’d given such little thought to Zach finding out about it, but that was back when it had been a chance at a fleeting hookup. With the way things were now…maybe it was time for Calvin to make that jump and actually quit. It was something to talk to Graham and Emory about, along with the renegotiation of their sexual engagements.

  “Here we are.” The hostess laid two menus down on the table and stepped back, making room for him and Emory to take their seats. “Did you want me to let Graham know you’re here?”

  “That’s fine.” Calvin fanned the napkin out across his lap. “We’ll let him know.”

  “Right. Someone will be by shortly to take your orders.”

  Emory watched the hostess retreat and turned his eyes to Calvin. “Do you get better service since you’re married to the manager?”

  “Sometimes, but honestly, it’s been a long time since I’ve been in here.” Calvin fiddled with the placement of his forks, then the gold vase that sat beside the salt and pepper shakers. Emory’s hand settled atop his.

  “How long?”

  Calvin bit the inside of his cheek and thought about the correct answer.

  “Wow,” Emory interrupted his thoughts. “That long?”

  “Things were…not good, Emory,” Calvin said by way of explanation.

  “But they’re better now.”

  “Right.”

  “Good.” Emory smiled, and a figure to Calvin’s left caught his attention.

  “Can I get you two drinks this evening?”