by Lila Munro
Slumped over Blake’s shaking frame, Dante wished he could stay that way for a while, but knew he had to get his husband un-cuffed and see to his needs. As soon as he could take a deep breath, he pulled away, unhooked Blake’s ankles and helped him upright to lean on the bench.
"Okay?" he asked with a palm on Blake’s shoulder. Blake nodded. "Good. Let’s move to the couch."
With an arm around his waist, Dante led Blake to the sofa along one wall of the room, eased him to the cushions, and once sure he was going to be okay alone for a moment, retrieved a blanket from the closet and grabbed the bottle of water from the table. He sat next to Blake, wrapped him in the soft cotton throw, and pulled him into his frame and sank back, exhausted himself. Truth be told, Dante needed a bit of a recovery as well.
"Drink," he told Blake, holding the bottle to his lips.
Blake nodded and took a long swallow before sinking into Dante’s side and resting his head on his chest.
When Blake had come back enough to stand, Dante helped him to their bedroom and made sure his welts were well-coated with ointment and he was comfortably tucked in before returning to the play room to clean things up, only to find Julie had beaten him to the punch.
On her knees beside the horse, she was busy wiping up the remnants of Blake’s orgasm.
"Jules, what are you doing? You’re supposed to be soaking and reading." Dante kneeled beside her and squeezed her shoulders.
"He looks pretty out of it," she said, continuing to mop the floor with a wet cloth. "I thought you could use some help so you could get back to him sooner."
"And you know this how?"
"I was…" Julie’s hand stopped as soon as her words did.
"You were what?"
"Not where I was supposed to be, Sir. I was coming back from the kitchen. I wanted to double check the stove and I saw you moving him to bed." The admission came with a perfect blush rising up her throat. "I’m sorry. I just wanted to help."
"Okay."
It seemed like a simple enough thing. It wasn’t like Jules had never cleaned up after others before, to include Dante and Blake, at parties in an effort to be helpful when a sub needed attention. Dante got up and started wiping down the toys before putting them back in the cabinet.
"I can finish here, Sir" Julie said, getting up and moving to wipe the bench down with a fresh cloth. "It always scared me to be alone…right after."
"He’ll be okay," Dante assured her. "It’ll be quicker this way then we can both go to bed."
"I thought I might read a while longer." Her protest came with a quick aversion of her eyes to the side. "If that’s okay with you, Sir."
"No. You’re coming to bed with Blake and me and we’re all going to get a good night’s sleep."
"But, Sir. I..." Her spluttered answer was met with Dante wrapping his arms around her and pulling her tightly to his chest.
"It’s okay, love. There’s going to be absolutely nothing sexual about it. I need you there and you need to be there. And Blake’s good with it. No sex. Period. No worries." Dante kissed her crown and pulled back, reaching up and tilting her head to meet her eyes with his. "Tomorrow we’re going to have a long talk about how this is going to work. For now."
Chapter Eight
Just as she had the previous morning, Julie started wiggling her way from under Dante’s arm in the dusky hours before the sun found the horizon. Sandwiched between her body and Blake’s, he floated in that mystical place between sleep and wakefulness. While he cradled Julie in his arms, Blake cradled him from behind, a perfect mesh of arms and legs, heartbeats and shallow breath sounds. If it weren’t for the fact they were still suspended in the wake of tragedy, life would seem pretty near perfect.
Julie sucked in an almost indiscernible breath when Dante tightened his grip around her waist, stopping her from swinging the first foot over the side of the bed. With her secure for the moment, he drifted into the more asleep than awake plane and dozed until he felt her moving again.
"Lay still," he mumbled as Blake ran one leg between his, brushing his foot somewhere in the vicinity of Julie’s.
"I can’t," she whispered back. "I’m awake."
"Humor me. Lay still."
She let out a long, frustrated sigh and inched back into his frame a bit more before running her fingertips down the arm he held her with, a faint touch, a hypnotizing rhythm. Between Blake stroking his calf with his foot and her propagating an innocent melody along his bicep, Dante was slowly coming undone.
"I’m not going to apologize for that," he murmured across the shell of her ear as his cock swelled and pressed into the small of her back, warm flesh melding into more warm flesh. "The no sex rule stands as is, but I’m not sorry and I’m not going to feel guilty anymore. I love you and I want you. I should probably feel bad, but I can’t."
Julie tensed beneath him and it sent a twinge of remorse zipping up his spine. How the hell was a man supposed to react to waking up to the loving touches of his husband and the woman he wanted for a wife regardless of her recent widowed status?
"Don’t worry, Jules. Until you trust me and can tell me you love me under no uncertain terms, I can figure out a way to control myself. Now please, go back to sleep."
Dante didn’t have to see the scowl on her face to feel it in her posture. One side of his lip quirked up as he ran his hand around her middle and traced slow circles then moved to her back and continued the motion. Then something he’d never understood or been able to do with Blake began to occur. Tension started literally melting off her from just a simple touch. In fact, he could almost feel Julie deflate under his hand and Dante marveled at this new discovery. With that knowledge tucked away for further exploration, he drifted back off, content to stay right where he was until he was forced to get up for practical purposes.
The next time he opened one eye and glanced at the clock, he realized practical purposes were coming to fruition. It was after eight and while his palm still rested on Julie’s soft belly, his back had grown cold from Blake’s absence. Squinting and blinking a couple of times, he listened and heard movement in the kitchen. It was just like Blake to be in a nurturing mood after a night like they’d enjoyed. It was his modus operandi. While the man had been oblivious to the world when Dante and Julie had climbed in bed beside him sometime after midnight, it never failed to amaze Dante how quickly he could recover. If his nose was telling the truth, there would be a breakfast fit for royalty spread all over the kitchen island. Blake was one to talk about Julie’s cooking habits when he could be just as extreme in his preparations, albeit for different reasons.
Not wanting to disturb the peaceful woman in his arms, Dante contemplated how best to extricate his body from hers without waking her. It seemed to him this might have been the most she’d slept at any one given time in several weeks and he didn’t want to rob her of the precious rest he knew she needed so badly.
He took a deep breath and started to unwind their limbs one and a time until all that was left to do was inch away, but just as he started to lift his arm and pull completely away, Julie inched back and reclaimed him, never opening an eye or indicating she was awake in any sense of the word. Well, hell. Breakfast would have to wait. If feeling anchored would keep her from waking, Dante would have to oblige her.
In all his life, Dante had never truly felt torn before. In fact, the concept never even occurred to him as he’d always been perfectly content with Blake and the way things were. Even when he knew for years he desired Julie, this ripped apart in the middle feeling wasn’t present. He supposed it was because during that time, she belonged to another and there was no room for his jealousy or longing to interfere. Now she was here and quite frankly Dante found himself wondering how to juggle it all. On the one hand he missed his routine with Blake. Blake always had breakfast ready and waiting the morning after. Dante would get up and shower and meet him in the kitchen. They’d hold each other, kissing and murmuring affections until…Well, if he were being
honest with himself, he couldn’t remember a time they’d actually eaten much of the sausage and eggs, toast and grits, fresh fruit and cheeses. Normally they ended up back in bed, a trail of crumbs following them. And while he longed for that scenario to play out now, he also wanted to stay curled up with the warm, pliant, very female body that was now almost subconsciously worming itself further into his frame, legs entwining with his, perfectly rounded ass pressing into his groin, seeking a place to nestle. He wanted it more than anything.
Christ. Was this a lesson in watch what you wish for? Because for all these years, Dante had wanted nothing more than to complete his world with a female and preferably the one now tangling his emotions into a tight ball. Yet now that she was here, confusion didn’t begin to describe what was going on inside his heart and head.
Wishing he could go back to sleep and not think so hard on his current dilemma, Dante lay there restless and almost itchy with need and frustration until practical purposes reared its ugly head and demanded attention immediately. Nature wouldn't wait for Julie to rouse from whatever space she floated in. Before he could worm away from her totally, Blake came whisper soft into the room. He tilted his head and gave Dante a questioning look then smiled, obviously satisfied that Julie was resting. It was also obvious he sensed Dante’s problem. He held up a hand then touched his forefinger to his lips indicating Dante should remain still. After retrieving a pair of lounge pants and donning them, Blake slid in beside Julie and gently pulled her into his arms, relieving Dante of his post. Once Dante was sure she hadn’t been bothered, he slid out from beneath the comforter and walked away, glancing back to see Blake stroking her hair and looking down on her with the most innocent look of love in his eyes Dante had ever witnessed.
Blake might not hold any physical attraction to his best friend, but he certainly wasn’t lacking in affection for her.
A few minutes later, Dante returned from the bathroom showered, shaved and ready to face the day to find his two mates in what appeared to be a deep conversation. Sadly, a twinge of being the odd man out swept over him and he wondered if this would be how Blake felt once things advanced between him and Julie. Or would they somehow seamlessly forge a way to live in harmony?
Dante stopped walking when he discovered neither Blake nor Julie had detected his presence and listened to their hushed murmurings.
"They’re on a fog delay this morning. Don’t worry, they won’t be late…"
He knew Blake was talking about why he hadn't left to get the boys off to school yet.
"Feeling better, pumpkin?" Propped up on one elbow, Blake brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes.
"Some. I really needed him to be firm with me. More than I knew, I guess," Julie answered. "It was nice to feel safe and like it was okay to not think for a while."
"He has it in him, you know. To give you what you need. He just doesn’t know it yet. Try to be patient with him? With me?"
As she settled her head in the crook of Blake’s arm, she nodded and sighed. "It’s hard."
"I know, sweet girl, I know. You had security for so long and it’s hard to let that go and embrace something else, but if he’s trying you can, too. Right? He loves you so much. You really have no idea."
"I know. And I’m afraid I’ll never be able to love him that much back."
"Love comes in a lot of forms, Jules. There’s the hit you like a brick kind, the takes a while to grow kind, and the comfortable, warm blanket kind. He might not have hit you like a brick, but I’d venture to say he'll grow on you. And isn’t the thought of the warm blanket for the rest of your life nice? I like to think we’ve got some combination of all that. When I first saw him, I knew I’d never love anyone else that way. Then he started to grow on me and now we’re like an old pair of shoes to each other. Broken in and worn, but still so needed."
Why hadn’t Blake ever told him those things? Dante believed Blake hated him until he finally decided giving in would be better than being stalked. Then they fell in love. He never knew it was a love at first sight for Blake.
"I’ve never seen anyone wearing three shoes," she said, clearly disgruntled by Blake’s assessment.
"Just because you’ve never seen it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Have you ever seen the wind?"
"No."
"But you know it’s there. Right?" Blake touched his forehead to hers so tenderly Dante swore his heart cracked a bit. "It stirs the leaves and touches your soul when it washes over you. We know this thing between us is there because it stirs us, pumpkin. All of us. Even if a third of us can’t accept it yet. It touches my soul and I think it’s damn near annihilated Dante’s."
Dante stood completely still for a few seconds digesting what Blake had said. When had he become so…emotional? Hell, he’d always been emotional. The shortcoming wasn’t Blake’s. It was his. Becoming as clear as crystal, Dante now understood why Blake had never shared some of these things with him. He was unreceptive to them. His detached way of being his Master prevented Blake from being able to open up to him and be this person he saw before him now, catering to a damaged woman’s bruised heart. Would it really be so difficult to give in to his feelings? To be more tender where it was due?
Dear God. He needed some help. He no more knew how to be that type of Dom than he knew how to build a space ship.
Trying to act like he’d just walked in, Dante made a beeline for the closet. "Something smelled good earlier. Is our girl as hungry as I am?" he asked, thumbing through the hangars, finally settling on a pair of washed out jeans. Today would be an off day for him as soon as he called in and asked his aide to do the minimum and send the afternoon class home. He intended to relax and hopefully assist Julie in doing so as well. "Maybe we can go out for dinner tonight? Pick up the boys and make a family night of it? Any takers?"
"I’d like to see the boys," Julie said so softly Dante barely heard her response. "Maybe…"
When she didn’t finish, Dante came out of the closet with his jeans hanging off his hips still unbuttoned. "Jules, what’s going on?"
"Nothing." Her smile was disingenuous and Dante knew within reason she was withholding something from him again. "I'm hungry. What did you cook, Blake?" She pushed up and started to get out of bed, seemingly having forgotten her nakedness, which Dante had insisted upon.
"Stop," Dante said, moving to the side of the bed, sitting and pinning her between him and Blake. "Didn’t I tell you no more not talking to me? What’s bothering you about the boys?"
"Aside from the fact I’ve completely disjointed their very existence by being here? They shouldn’t be living with Drake because of me. They have a home and we’ve tossed them out of it on their ears. I’m surprised they still love me." She drew up in a ball with her back against the headboard and rested her chin on her knees, shrinking.
"Love, the boys completely understand," Dante tried to assure her. "Actually, I think they might understand far more than we do at this point."
"I’m tired of being a sideshow," Julie grumbled. "I just want life to just be…regular again."
"Are you saying you want them to come home? You have to tell me what you want, Jules. I can’t read your mind."
"I don’t know what I want," she whined. "I feel like I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t." Tilting her head, she hid her face by placing her forehead on visibly shaking knees.
"Jules, look at me," Dante prompted, touching the thin, visible sliver of her cheek with the backs of his fingers. "Come on. Look at me, love."
Drawing a shaky breath, she looked up. Although the dark circles under her eyes had eased, she still looked utterly exhausted and her pupils swirled with uncertainty. They had so much work to do.
"Listen to me. This is going to take a lot on all our parts. True, the boys are our children, but they’re old enough to understand what’s going on. It’s not like they're being neglected or uncared for in any way. Drake has always taken care of them like they were his own." Dante scooted closer to her
and pulled her long hair over her shoulder before squeezing her arm. "We need this time to get used to each other before you try to get accustomed to basically being a pre-made mother. I don’t ever want you to feel guilty for coming first. You deserve that. Everyone deserves that sometimes and for several long months you sat the backseat to your husband’s illness. Not that he could help it, but that’s the reality of it. For these few days, your needs, wants, desires, and selfish demands are my and Blake’s bidding. Understand? Whatever it is, I’ll do my damnedest to make it happen."
Julie propped her elbows up on her knees and cradled her face in her palms, shaking her head, still looking wary of this arrangement.
"Do you really want the boys to come home or is this just about you feeling insecure?"
"Insecure," she whispered.
"Well, alright. That I can work with." Dante stood and finished buttoning up as he moved to the dresser to find a t-shirt. "I promised you we’d talk about how this thing will work for now. We'll start over breakfast. I’d like to have a few things resolved before we have dinner with the boys. While they do understand a lot of things, I don’t want them sensing we’re at odds. That would disjoint their world. They love you and if they think I’ve hurt you or made you mad, there’ll be hell to pay, probably in the form of a staged coup."
Dante pulled a tight fitting black shirt over his head and turned, running his fingers through his hair to find Blake and Julie staring at him. Taking control was the only way. Learning to temper that control with the emotional stuff was where his downfall would be if he didn’t figure out how.
"Blake, go finish or reheat or redo whatever you have to. Jules, go put on some clothes. You’re not sure enough yet to run around without them. I’ll be there in a few minutes. I need to make a phone call."
Blake stood and moved to the door, the look on his face telling Dante he was wondering what had overtaken his husband. He stopped and looked at him one last time before turning and moving down the hall, shaking his head. Julie sat a minute longer before moving off the bed and darting out of the room, clearly headed for her own, to find something to wear. It didn’t escape Dante’s notice that she didn’t bother trying to hide her nudity. Whether by defiance or acceptance he couldn’t be for certain, but he moved to the door and peeked around the frame to watch her pretty little ass bounce down the hall simply because he could and it pleased him. Someday he was going to very thoroughly enjoy spanking that ass.