by Frey Ortega
“Look, it won’t happen again,” Ronan said, gritting his teeth. “The only reason it happened in the first place was because I was upset that Brian put his foot in his mouth and blurted out everything to Hayden, and I thought we were going to lose him.”
Hayden rolled his eyes. “And if he hadn’t blurted everything out to me, when would you have told me that this was going to happen? Because I had to hear it from your Elder today that I am pregnant.”
“Well, honestly, we would have asked his help, too,” Ronan said suddenly. “We honestly didn’t know. I honestly didn’t know. I…” Ronan shook his head. “I still can’t believe it. But I’ll be there for you, coinín, if you still want me there.”
Brian was still bobbing his lips open and closed before the man finally gathered his senses enough to clear his throat and finally speak. “Listen, I’m sorry we started to hit each other. We were looking for something to blame, and it was easy enough to blame each other for how you reacted.” Brian winced. Ronan looked at him. He could definitely see his mate starting to feel some of the pain now, because Ronan was feeling the ache in his side from where Brian had rammed into him like a rampaging bull. “But for what it’s worth, we only act this way because we love and care for you. We never wanted you to feel like we were keeping the information away from you.”
Hayden nodded slowly. He bit down on the inside of his cheek as he looked at the two of them. “Okay, but have you ever stopped to consider that maybe I wasn’t so much feeling betrayed as I was feeling overwhelmed and lost? I never thought something like this could happen to me. Heck, I never thought I’d find my mates in a vacation the Council provided, yet here we all are. And I needed time to process the fact that everything I’d just planned out for the next couple of years for myself would have to wait, because I’m going to be shoving more than one watermelon out of a very small place in my body. Did you ever stop to think about that?”
Hayden’s tone had gone from the usual playful to something that sounded—overwhelmed and terrified, and it made Ronan feel worse about how he was acting.
“It sounds like the two of you were thinking about where things were going wrong, when really you should have been thinking about what your mate is going to go through for all of you.” Elder Jennings shook his head. “It’s harder on your part because there are three of you now, and there’s going to be three of you forever. You need to decide if the both of you are going to consider Hayden your mate, and not just someone you stick your dicks into. Because while you were thinking about how you might have hurt him, he was thinking about how a natural part of your mating is going to affect the rest of his life.”
Hayden looked up at the Elder, who only nodded his head and gave the bunny a little pat on the back before stepping aside. Giving a soft harrumph, the Elder looked at Ronan and Brian, narrowing his eyes. It took a moment for the man to speak. “I’m getting the doctor.”
Ronan frowned. Hayden started to walk toward the two of them slowly and it was Ronan who wrapped his arms around Hayden first, wincing in pain as Hayden pressed against a bruise, but he soldiered through it.
Hayden was more than just something to put their dicks into, and Ronan knew it. He’d been so deathly afraid of losing the man—not because of all the sex they’d been having, but because he knew the man was a perfect piece in his heart. Brian occupied one half, and Hayden occupied the other.
But still, he realized that he was focusing too much on the why when he should have been focused on what he could be doing to make sure Hayden knew he was going to be there for him.
“I acted shortsightedly, and I’m sorry,” Ronan admitted. “The truth is, I think I can safely say the both of us are scared of losing you, and it affected our actions.”
“You’re both my mates. You’re stuck with me whether you want to be or not, but if you were looking for a reason to fight, maybe you should have been fighting about what the three of us are going to do now that we’re going to have children. And yes, I said children, not child. Because for your information, we’re going to have more than one, and I’m not going to go through that alone,” Hayden said, resolve clear as day in his voice. “But I’m also not going to stick with mates who are going to screw around on me and start looking to blame when things are tough. I need partners. I need my mates, and they’re supposed to be my equals and people I can count on considering I’m going to shove more than one watermelon out of my body!”
Brian moved in close, drawing his arms around Hayden and Ronan, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. “I’m sorry I didn’t handle the situation as well as I could have. You’re more than we ever deserve, coinín, and I’m sorry we’re such damned fools.”
“You’re damned right you both are,” Hayden said, right back to cussing. Ronan chuckled as he finally felt Hayden’s arms wrap around the two of them. “The two of you need to patch things up and stop bickering over petty things. I’m not blaming either of you. I’m thinking about how this is going to work and what we’re going to do.”
Ronan looked about, seeing that there were still people watching the three of them. He gave his bunny a lopsided grin. “Well, do you think we could do it in our room, maybe? I don’t think the courtyard needs to hear about our plans.”
“Smartest thing I’ve heard you both say all afternoon,” Hayden admitted, striding off. Ronan grinned.
Ronan looked at Brian, and Brian peered back at his longtime mate. With a sigh, but a look shared between the two that was both apologetic while also speaking volumes about their forgiveness and love for each other, the two Minotaurs wrapped their arms around each other’s shoulders and half-limped, half-skipped up the steps of stairs towards their rooms.
It seemed that the truth now was that despite Ronan and Brian being both the large, burly protectors of their rabbit, it was Hayden who held the reins in the relationship.
And Ronan actually didn’t mind submitting to the man, too.
* * * *
With a click of the door and as the two Minotaurs finally plopped to a seat, Hayden immediately grabbed a chair, dragged it across the floor, and sat right in front of the two.
The rabbit shifter merely adjusted his glasses and peered at the two Minotaurs.
An awkward silence remained. Ronan squirmed underneath their lover’s intent gaze, but he said absolutely nothing, not until Hayden said something first.
“For some reason, I didn’t like hearing that the two of you were fighting in the courtyard,” Hayden said. “The truth was, at first, I was just so shocked about finding out I could give birth. But I wasn’t going to leave both of you. That’s silly, and it would hurt all three of us.” Hayden pouted. “I can’t believe you would even think…”
“We didn’t know,” Ronan said abruptly. “We were just so focused on our panic that you needed some air to breathe that… we thought you meant you needed to leave us.” He didn’t even realize the moment he started talking for him and Brian rather than just himself.
Brian nodded. Ronan turned to the man beside him, and slowly he placed his head on Brian’s shoulder, wrapping his arms around the man. Funny how easily his heart was tamed. He really didn’t want to hurt or beat up his lover, it was just that he was trying to let his anger loose—and it was easier to pick someone to blame. “We were honestly just scared.”
Hayden sighed.
“I get it. I’m scared, too, but I would never leave you both. You’re my mates, no matter how silly you both are acting.” The rabbit shifter admitted. “You should be more scared of this, you know. Did you think your job was over as soon as you got me pregnant?” Hayden rolled his eyes. “God, that sounds so weird to say as a man.”
Ronan turned his head down, biting his lower lip. He gently grasped Hayden’s hand. “I’m sorry that I was caught up in the moment. On my end, I promise I’ll try not to let my temper get in the way of things again.” He gritted his teeth and shook his head. “I should have known to trust that you weren’t going to leave us,
Hayden. That is perhaps the worst thing that we did today.”
“Yes, that’s true,” Brian admitted. “We should have trusted that you were going to come back instead of trying to pin blame on each other. Although I also have to apologize for how poorly all of it came out. We should have told you in a better way. And definitely not right after just having sex—”
Hayden shook his head. “That doesn’t matter now. What’s important is that you’re going to be there with me. Like I said, I’m not doing this alone.”
“And you don’t have to!” Brian said quickly, looking at Ronan. “We might not be the smartest people in the world, but I can vouch for us and say that we’re definitely not disloyal.”
Ronan nodded. “And no matter what, coinín, we will be there for you. We’ll answer all your questions.”
Hayden blinked. “So you actually know more about this stuff?”
“Oh, yes,” Brian said. Ronan smirked. “Minotaurs are educated extensively about what to do for proper mate care. Elder Jennings made sure we wouldn’t be sitting ducks out there once we leave ‘a gift’ inside our mates,” Brian added.
“Is that what he called it? A gift?” Hayden grinned. “Sounds just like him. He’s nuttier than anyone I’ve ever met.”
“Oh, for sure. Elder Jennings likes to be fairly dramatic, but his heart is always in the right place, no matter what an oddball he might be,” Brian said. Ronan turned to Hayden.
“I’m actually happy that he was the one who found you.” Ronan said, smiling. “He has a tendency to help calm people down.”
Hayden contained a little snort. “Oh, I don’t think he had that effect on me, but I know exactly what will.”
Brian looked at Hayden with a confused expression. Ronan snickered. After a moment, Brian had that a-ha moment as he snapped his fingers with eyes widened, and a big grin was plastered on his face.
“Are you sure you want to do that? I mean, we haven’t exactly been the best today…” Brian said, grinning sheepishly.
Hayden cupped both of their faces, a knowing smile on his face.
“Oh, I know, my two stubborn bulls,” Hayden said just as he grinned. “Which is why I think tonight, you’re going to make sure you both please me and make sure you make up for the fact that we might be going sexless for a couple of months.”
Ronan smiled. There was actual tenderness in his expression that he didn’t know he could project. But now, gazing at Hayden and Brian, he never knew he could feel so complete.
Though he still felt bad about just having aimed a punch or two—or ten—at Brian just earlier, Ronan also knew that the two of them were finally complete.
Also, he could feel his arousal barely contained. Ronan looked at Hayden, who had that saucy look on his face, and then at Brian, who looked so innocent and expectant despite the fact that he was a seven-foot muscular goliath, and Ronan knew he was going to lose it. His erection was definitely going to be hard enough to ram through concrete, at this rate.
But just as he was about to lunge forward, there was a sudden knock on their door followed by a boisterous voice that came from their Elder.
“The healer’s here! Let’s get you boys fixed up!”
Hayden burst into a laugh and shook his head. Ronan scowled. Brian closed his eyes and tried to keep his disappointment to himself, but even Ronan could see it in the man.
“Ah, fine, let’s get you both patched up. I need you two performing at your best, after all,” Hayden said as he stood up and opened the door.
Ronan sighed. The physical might heal, but he still couldn’t help but think about the pain slowly ebbing away from his chest. Ronan and Brian were a hair’s breadth away from losing their mate forever.
But Ronan would have stopped at nothing to make sure Hayden was still theirs.
And the thought that they were just a mere fight away from losing the person they’d grown to love forever, perhaps, was the scariest thought of all.
Chapter Nine
As the healer finally departed and Elder Jennings gave Ronan and Brian one last talking to, Hayden disappeared into the bathroom with simply a wink and a beckoning gesture to his two lovers to get them to come over as soon as their Elder was done giving them a lecture they needed.
It was only a matter of time before they followed. Hayden figured that with the exciting day they had, all three of them needed a pick-me-up. Hayden cringed when he heard all of the sounds of cracking and cricking that came from his two lovers as the healer pushed their bodies back into proper alignment. They’d dislocated a bunch of places, but since their Minotaur bodies were already healing, he’d had to reset the bones into proper position for them to heal properly.
Then they’d been conked out for about an hour or so as their bodies continued to heal to normal. Elder Jennings had stayed put the entire time, keeping Hayden company as his mates rested, which led them now to this point, at eleven o’clock in the evening. Hayden was quickly removing his clothes and entering the shower he shared with his lovers, and Elder Jennings was giving the pair a stern sermon.
In fact, Hayden could even hear the man speaking through the bathroom door, sounding as boisterous and loud as he always did.
The stall was probably large enough to fit the three of them in it. Hell, it was probably large enough to house two or three more Minotaurs in the shower, but then it would be crowded. Hayden liked how spacious it was, especially considering the way the water fell onto his skin like droplets of rain.
Washing his hair, he looked down at his belly and couldn’t help but feel the weight that was already inside his stomach. Hayden pressed a hand onto his stomach and closed his eyes.
He wasn’t even actually showing, let alone knowing anything other than what Devon had said about his situation, but already Hayden was feeling a lot more like a father. And though he was scared shitless, he also had a big smile on his face.
It was as though he was actually at peace despite the initial shock.
Hayden didn’t even realize when the doors to the bathroom opened as he gently rubbed soap over his stomach slowly. The only time he’d actually noticed something was when a pair of hands suddenly appeared and gently rubbed his stomach, just as a weight settled against his rear and close to his back. Another pair of hands slowly went up to his chest, the pads of those fingers gently rubbing against his nipples and causing them to harden, and Hayden’s breath to hitch.
The slow, sensual rub against his puckering buds were obviously from Brian. He’d always been the wilder one in bed, despite the caring and gentle giant vibe he had going on outside of the bedroom, while Ronan, wild and callous though as he was outside, was probably the more sentimental and passionate one of the two of them.
Oh, that felt good.
Hayden arched his back into their touch, feeling those warm fingers splay over his flesh and then press him back into tight, taut, muscled flesh.
“Did you miss us?” Brian said, almost purring as he did so. “You didn’t need to leave so soon.”
“Your elder was basically talking your ear off,” Hayden said softly as he gently undulated his body, pressing forward and sliding back slightly. “I didn’t want to intrude.”
“Well, the only thing on my mind earlier was getting him out of our room as soon as possible so I could show you how apologetic I was more properly,” Ronan admitted as his hands traveled down from his lover’s stomach to Hayden’s shaft, splaying his fingers over the taut flesh and grasping it firmly, while his other hand traveled down even lower to gently rub his sac. “Because I am.”
“I know,” Hayden said, shuddering. His eyes opened, turning to his lovers. The warm water was misting around them, giving their bodies a beautiful sheen that only made Hayden’s body twitch in appreciation.
Then again, the water also made the room feel a lot more like a sauna, which was probably affecting Hayden’s ability to see clearly a little bit, but he also knew that he didn’t really need an excuse to love on his men. They were his, a
nd as he looked at them, he could see their bodies reacting in such a visceral manner.
Ronan’s cock actually twitched, and there was a twinkle in Brian’s eye that made him look even more handsome than usual.
“If you both want to make it up to me…” Hayden looked at them, smiling. “Then I want you to do everything I say tonight.”
“Yes sir,” Brian replied happily, looking up into Hayden’s eyes. “I think I speak for both of us when I say we’re both sorry… and we want to make it up to you as much as we possibly can.”
Ronan nodded. Hayden grinned.
“Okay, then. Both of you kiss me, then. For all the time you’ve spent inside of my ass, I’ve never kissed you both at the same time,” Hayden said, reaching for some of the liquid soap that they had and slathering his palms with it, making up a nice lather before gently rubbing his hands on both Ronan and Brian’s chests.
“Your wish is my command,” Ronan said, giving a little nod of his head, as though bowing to an officer.
Brian immediately went down on his knees. The seven-foot goliath, even on his knees, seemed to just be close enough to Hayden’s height that he was well within kissing range. Ronan followed in much the same way, and it was clear from how their hands immediately traveled towards Hayden to bring him in close to them, all three of their turgid shafts pointing upward and pressed together, that they actually quite liked having Hayden hold the reins a little bit.
And Hayden actually quite liked it, too.
Brian was first to kiss Hayden full on the lips. The Minotaur’s tongue was large, and as it pressed into Hayden’s lips, the bunny shifter almost felt like he was being consumed by his lover. Slow, sinuous lapping filled the air, enunciated only by the low growl emitting from Brian’s throat as Hayden continued to gently rub his hands over their chests.