Any Way We Want

by Grey Cole

  Shea felt guilty for not setting the clock timer and the reminder on his phone. With anyone else he would have been embarrassed over his inability to stay focused on the task at hand, but Royce had never shamed him for getting lost in his head. Instead, Royce had simply deemed the timer ineffective, since Shea tended to wander from the kitchen while cooking. As a result, Royce had suggested Shea use his reminder feature as a back-up. But he didn’t. Not this time.

  When Royce finally had the doors opened and the scorched bits of bread moved outside, he turned to Shea, worry marring his features.

  “I’m fine. Just got distracted,” he muttered, tapping the side of his head.

  A smile curled Royce’s mouth upward. “So what is it you were pondering?”

  He could try to brush over his concerns for Royce’s benefit, but he knew the man would be like a rabid dog until he got to the bottom of things. So, Shea pretty much confessed all of it with little to no coercion.

  When he wrapped up his near breathless rambling, the kitchen had completely aired out and was almost smoke-free.

  “As unfortunate as it is, my powers only extend so far, so I can’t predict the future, or guarantee us a happy ending. But, my powers of observation and astute reasoning skills are still top-notch. Luna loves us, Shea. She’s happy with us. Your feelings for her, and your desire to be with her, are unparalleled in this world—with two notable exceptions. Luna and I—we love you. We adore you. We’re committed to you.”

  Shea released a shaky breath. “I know that. I do. I’m not usually insecure about our relationship, but sometimes I look at the outside world and know that what we have is unconventional, and I worry that Luna will realize how much easier her life would be—how much more open she could be—if she grabbed some of that for herself. Will there come a time when the hassle of being with us won’t be worth it? And if Luna leaves, what will happen with me and you? Having someone to play with us has always seemed to balance us out. But after Luna, a fun romp with a willing body seems meaningless. And I know I wouldn’t be able to open myself up with anyone else like I have Luna. So, would you and I implode as well? I can’t lose you too.”

  “Whoa,” Royce soothed. “You’ve jumped through a lot of hypothetical hoops here, baby. First of all, you and I are forever. We were fated to be with each other. Even if we hadn’t chosen this non-traditional path, we would have still chosen one another. We will always put each other before any other needs, and we will always find a way.

  “Now, Luna is not fickle. Her feelings for us are not fleeting. She believes in us enough to ignore others’ prejudices because she was raised with the belief that you alone are responsible for your own happiness, no matter what that may or may not look like to the rest of the world. She’s come full circle in accepting that. She knows she’s giving up some things to be with us, but she also knows what she’s gaining—two men who love her unconditionally, who would fight for her, who worship her, who would go to the ends of the earth for her. She knows all that. She revels in all that. She comes alive with it.”

  As always, Royce’s words make so much damn sense. Much more sense than what his neurotic meanderings had surmised. “She’s so sweet and empathetic that she wants what we have for everyone. I love how much she loves—how she wants everyone to be as happy as we are.”

  “Does that sound like someone who’s looking for the next best thing? Who would choose what she should want over what she does want?

  Shea shook his head. When Royce put it that way, it made absolute and perfect sense. He wrapped his arms around him again and rested his head on his shoulder. Looking at the mess in the kitchen had him twitching.

  “Let’s get this cleaned up and get dinner cooked for our girl. Okay?”

  “Yeah. Okay,” Shea agreed. He leaned back and fitted his hands around the other man’s jaw, staring into the blue depths that he always found so fascinating, before pressing his lips against those of his lover. Royce’s kiss passed his lips and spread through his body like a drug, instilling peace and confidence. Shea pulled back and allowed himself a genuine smile. “Did you finish her surprise?”

  “I did.” Royce’s features became more animated. “She’s gonna love it.” Nothing pleased them more than pleasing Luna. Funny thing was—she was so easy to please.

  Shea moved to stand beside the marble countertop, his fingers grazing the cool surface and then mindlessly tapping out a nervous rhythm. Royce’s hand came to rest over Shea’s before he curled his fingers around it and lifted it to place a kiss in the center of his palm.

  Shea exhaled shakily. “I know I’m doing better, but don’t you ever get tired of my neurotic bullshit? Talking me down has to be exhausting.”

  Royce grinned that crooked grin of his—the one that was mischievous and playful and exposed one dimple—and intertwined their hands. “If anyone other than me knew you the way I do and could reach you like I can, I would hunt him down and strangle him with my bare hands. Then I would revive him and do it all over again.” This time Royce’s lips landed on the back of his hand. “Does that answer your question?”

  ***

  “She’s here,” Royce chimed from the office. Shea’d heard the garage door, but Royce liked to make sure that they all acknowledged his efforts in security and technology. Therefore, he liked to alert them of the things he saw and heard on his monitors. He and Luna played along.

  “She’s early,” Shea complained, as he worked to finish up the salad. He had made Luna’s favorite dish—Shepherd’s Pie. Shea’s favorite as a child, he made the dish at least once a month. It reminded him of his mother. Shea had always sworn the woman could make cow dung edible, but this was the dish that she and Shea had so much fun making together. She was an incredible woman. Although they hadn’t had a lot of money, or free time, she’d found little ways to make each of her six children feel special. When Shepherd’s Pie was on the menu, she’d usher Shea into the kitchen like a guest-starring chef and focus all of her attention solely on him. Of course, she did the same for all of her children when their favorites were up. When she’d been on her deathbed, she’d made them promise to come together and share their recipes with one another. He let the sweet memory wash over him as he remembered her sprinkling flour on the counter before she would blow a puff of it his way. Shea would scrunch up his nose and act offended. He could practically hear himself giggling over her playful winking and the shushing sounds she’d made as she snuck extra cream or butter into her dishes. Mamaí always called him her gentle soul.

  “It smells divine in here,” Luna cooed as she crossed the room toward him. Shea looked over his shoulder at his own divine creature. Even though Royce had deemed her their goddess, she had always reminded him of a sprite—lithe, gentle, and other-worldly. She had changed into her black robe that hung in the mudroom. The silk clung to her curves, while the sheer, flowing sleeves floated around her slender wrists. Shea looked down to see her toned thighs peeking out under the hem. Her dainty, bare feet made a soft padding sound as she gracefully crossed the floor.

  Luna’s hands linked across his chest as she curled her body around his. Shea leaned down and pressed a soft kiss on the top of her head. Ducking her head under his raised arm, Luna let out a small shriek. “You made Mamaí’s pie. For me?”

  “Happy anniversary,” Shea beamed.

  “Oh, my favorite,” she gushed. “Thank you, Shea.” Retracting her head, she placed a series of light kisses along his spine before moving to stand beside him. “Happy anniversary, my love,” she breathed against his cheek as she stood on her tiptoes. “I have news for you two as well.” Luna’s smile became brilliant.

  “I think I already know,” he teased.

  “Oh, you may think you know—” she arched her brow playfully “—but you have no idea. I’m not going to tell you until after dinner either.” Royce entered the room then, making himself the target of her taunting. Shea went back to chopping, even though he couldn’t put his entire focus on it. �
�You like to tease?” She wagged her finger at him. “We’ll see who the real master is here.”

  “Oh, someone closed a huge deal today,” Royce guessed. “And she’s feeling pretty smug, huh?”

  “Hi, Royce,” she smiled sweetly before hugging him tightly. She leaned back in his arms and grinned up at him.

  “Bet I could get it out of you,” he challenged.

  Luna lost all pretense of trying to gain the upper-hand. “Of course you could, you sexy beast. But, you won’t ruin my fun, will you?”

  “Of course not, love,” Royce whispered. He placed a light kiss on her lips and a resounding slap on her ass. Luna yelped in surprise, causing Royce to laugh loudly. He moved his hands down her ass and inched her robe up, her tight, bare cheeks contrasted enticingly with the dark silk.

  “Mmm …” Luna purred as Royce rubbed the quickly pinking flesh.

  Royce patted her lovingly before turning her toward Shea. Shea chuckled at the dazed look that now dominated Luna’s face. Full lips were parted slightly. Eyes—wide and round. Her chest rose and fell quickly. Shea groaned. “Go help Shea finish dinner,” he said. “There’s one more thing I want to do, and I don’t want you snooping and ruining the surprise.”

  Luna sidled next to him, rested her head on his shoulder, before picking absently at the lettuce on the counter, and sighed, “I am so spoiled.”

  ***

  “I had lunch with your father today,” Luna said as she cut her into her chocolate cake drizzled with raspberry sauce.

  Royce finished his sip of port before he spoke. “And don’t I know it,” he mused, shaking his head. “The Old Man called me just after and told me that his plan of seduction was working out quite nicely since you didn't even refuse his advances this time.”

  Luna laughed lightly and picked up a raspberry before placing it close to her lips. “Oh, I turned him down all right. He just won't hear it.”

  “Pervert,” Royce uttered.

  Luna giggled again, sipping her own port. “Just proves you two have more in common than you think,” she quipped with a wink.

  “Can you really blame him, Royce, falling for our girl?” Shea queried with a knowing smile. It was a running joke in their house. Everyone wanted Luna. Even Royce’s father, who swore it was love at first sight and that we couldn’t possibly hold him responsible. They all knew his feelings were more admiration and respect, but they let Roy have his fun.

  “No, I certainly can’t,” Royce agreed with a grin.

  Shea picked that moment to retrieve one of Luna’s presents from the bedroom. When he returned, Luna was sitting across Royce’s lap, whispering into his ear. Royce’s eyes were flared and wild looking. He let out a puff of air before finding Shea’s eyes. “We need to move this along,” he sputtered. Luna chortled at her ability to undo him.

  Shea dropped a kiss on her forehead before placing the oblong, elegantly wrapped gift in her lap. Luna retrieved her arm from around Royce’s shoulder and clapped her hands like a small child. She turned it over gingerly, admiring the lilac wrapping paper with the deep purple bow. Then, she flung it off in record time. The box top quickly found itself on the floor with the wrapping, and she gasped.

  “Oh …” she whispered. “Oh, it’s gorgeous.” She looked at the framed picture and took it all in. “You both look amazing. Do I really look this pretty?” she puzzled.

  “Prettier,” Royce observed.

  “Much,” Shea agreed.

  “Where can we put this? I want to see it all the time.” As it was an erotic image of the three of them, the fact that they were nude and locked in an embrace was still obvious, even with the artfully draped silk sheet. Luna lovingly ran her fingertips around the antique silver frame.

  “That’s the other part of your surprise,” Royce responded.

  Grinning, Shea slipped his hand from behind his back to reveal a blindfold.

  “Oh, I like where this is headed,” Luna exclaimed, earning twin snorts of amusement from the men.

  “I like the way your mind works, darling Luna,” Royce praised.

  “All in due time,” Shea chided. Sometimes, he felt like he had to work double-time to keep these two from falling into bed at any given moment. Of course, they would drag him along with them and that he couldn’t complain about.

  They made their way into Royce and Shea’s office. Luna had claimed a spot of her own by moving in a chaise lounge quite some time ago, and even though she joined them and read as they worked, she had never put her stamp on it. Over the past few weeks, the men had had to keep her at bay as they worked to rectify that.

  Royce and Shea stepped into the darkened room first, leading Luna behind them. Moonlight shone through the floor-length picture windows, but they wanted Luna to have the full effect, so they switched on the reading lamps around the nook. Royce nodded to him, so Shea informed her she could take off the blindfold.

  Luna was practically vibrating with excitement at this point, but she eased the blindfold off and opened her eyes slowly. A look of awe transformed her features as she ran her eyes over the corner reading nook they had installed for her. It was already filled with her mountains of books that had been hidden in various places for lack of storage. Now, they all sat proudly, awaiting her use.

  “This is incredible … and unbelievable,” she whispered. “I can’t believe you did this for me.” She glanced back and forth between them and tried to smile, but failed miserably as she was overwhelmed. Her eyes glistened like melted chocolate in the soft light that spilled around them. Reaching out, she ran her palm over the soft-as-sin fabric Royce had picked out. It was slate gray, huge enough for the three of them to lounge on, and covered in throw pillows in every imaginable shade of purple.

  Then, her eyes travelled upward to the shelves that were built in on each side and reached the ceiling. Her books had taken up substantial real estate, but there was still plenty of room for her to fill them with her new finds as well.

  “How about here for your picture?” Royce asked, finally breaking the silence. He moved over to one of the shelves that contained a Black Orchid picture easel and inserted the frame into it. He stepped back and draped one arm over Shea’s shoulder.

  “That’s perfect,” Luna drawled. “This is all so very perfect. Thank you, both. So very much.” Luna tucked herself between the two men, and they wrapped her in their arms.

  A dozen love poems later, Luna read from what she deemed the final one for the night. Just as she read Keats’ famous line, “And how they kist each other's tremulous eyes,” Royce’s phone went off again.

  “I need to answer that. Sounds like they’re not gonna stop until they get me,” he complained.

  “No problem,” Luna insisted. “Shea and I will just lie here and let Keats get us all worked up for you.”

  Royce shifted from his position, and since Shea was leaning against his side and Luna’s head was resting in his lap, they all had to move to allow him up.

  Luna resettled her head on Shea’s lap as Royce left the room, talking quietly.

  Luna snapped the book of love letters and poems closed before turning a thousand watt smile on him.

  “I wonder if that’s about the deal I closed today. I hope not. I wanted to be the one to tell him, but I’ve just been so swept away.”

  Shea brushed a lock of wayward hair from her cheek. “Either way, you know he’s going to be crazy-proud of you.”

  “I know. I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for me. I am truly blown away.” She glanced around at the sheer gauze that curtained the nook and at the warm, ivory tones in which the shelves had been painted. “This feels like a cocoon. I love it.” Her face turned to his. “I love you.”

  Shea leaned down and kissed her with abandon. “As long as you know what you mean to us—that we would do anything for you—then our goals have all been accomplished here tonight.”

  Those gorgeous eyes lit up again. “I do,” she promised.

  “I love yo
u, beautiful girl.”

  The door to the office reopened, and Royce strolled in. He moved to stand before them, adjusting his glasses as he took them in. He crossed his arms over his muscled chest. Shea had never seen him look so unsettled and, as Luna scooted up to sit beside him, Shea found himself wrapping his arms around her protectively.

  He was afraid to ask, but he couldn’t resist. “What’s wrong?”

  Royce exhaled quietly, considered them both, and proceeded to blast through their sheltered little cocoon. “Our anonymous article? Turned out to be not-so anonymous. By morning, the entire free world will know exactly who we are and how we live our lives.”

  ________________________

  Acknowledgements

  Since my newly adopted pen name is all about keeping my true identity on the down low, my private thanks to those who’ve helped me bring this story to life will have to suffice. You’ve all made me feel like a superhero. I love you all, and thank you for embracing my deviant side, no matter how shocked by it you may have been.

  To my readers, thank you for taking a chance on this story. My only hope is that it put a little extra spice in your life and made you grin that secret, all-knowing smile. Volume two is coming soon.

  About the Author

  Grey Cole always dreamt of a book that featured hot male-on-male action that grew to encompass one lucky woman. Okay … maybe Grey really dreamt of this scenario playing out in real life and then decided to purge all those dirty thoughts onto the page.