by Nora Phoenix
Grayson didn’t say anything as he followed Lars into his bedroom, where the alpha found a spot against the wall and folded his arms, his eyes solidly trained on Lars. It had sounded a whole lot easier in theory to strip and shower in front of Grayson than it turned out to be in reality. Was this what Grayson had meant, that Lars was out of his league?
His hands were clammy, and his stomach rolled uncomfortably. It was the same feeling he’d had when he’d played in the club, this mix of embarrassment and nerves over what would happen. The difference was that in the club, he’d at least have an idea of what was coming, considering he and the Doms had agreed to a scene beforehand each time. With Grayson, he was flying blind, as the alpha was so hard to read, and Lars had no idea what the man wanted from him.
He slowly took off his socks. He’d left his boots by the back door, not wanting to track any mud into the house. His shirt was next, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he removed the clammy fabric from his skin. God, he really did stink, the odor of his sweat swirling around him.
He hesitated, then stripped out of his shorts, which left him with only a pair of equally clammy boxer briefs. As confused as he felt inside, his cock was adamant that it liked Grayson’s inquisitive look, as it was peeping out from under his waistband. There was no other choice but to strip out of those as well and allow Grayson to see him naked. And hard. Again.
The man had fucked him already, so why the hell did he experience this weird sense of embarrassment now that the alpha watched him take his clothes off? It didn’t make any sense.
He stole a glance at Grayson as he made his way into the bathroom, but as was often the case, the alpha’s expression was unreadable. The man’s dick was still hard, Lars noted when he dropped his gaze a little lower.
“You have a problem with me watching you?” Grayson asked unexpectedly.
Lars debated lying, then thought better of it. He remembered what Grayson had said about getting a lot of leeway but not for lies.
“It’s unnerving,” he admitted. He turned on the shower, testing with his hands to see if the water was the right temperature yet, then stepped under the water. “I don’t understand what you want from me,” he finally added with his back turned toward Grayson.
He held back a soft squeal as Grayson’s right arm looped around his neck while his left found a possessive spot on Lars’s stomach. He’d never heard the man get undressed, but the hard cock poking in his back proved the alpha was naked as the day he was born.
A shuddering breath found its way into his lungs, even as his body froze for a second or two at the unexpected touch. What was Grayson doing? Was he going to fuck him? The idea made his stomach do a little dance, even as nerves tingled down his spine.
He had a choice, he reminded himself. Red was all he had to say to make it stop.
“Green,” he whispered as much to himself as to Grayson.
“Good boy.” Grayson’s voice reached deep inside him with that affirmation that filled Lars in a way he’d never experienced before. “Turn around.”
He obeyed, curious what Grayson had in mind. When the alpha reached for the bottle of shampoo, Lars frowned. What was he doing? Seconds later, Grayson washed his hair, his strong fingers gently massaging Lars’s scalp. He let out a little moan of pleasure at the touch.
“Close your eyes,” Grayson told him. “We don’t want to get soap in your eyes.”
Lars was confused as hell, but he still obeyed the gentle order, if only for practical reasons. Grayson took his time washing his hair, and Lars kept his eyes closed the entire time. He was strangely disappointed when the hands disappeared from his head, then all but jumped when they returned to his body, lathering him with shower gel.
Grayson had taken a washcloth and now meticulously washed every inch of Lars’s body from his neck all the way down to his toes. With his eyes closed, Lars was focused entirely on Grayson’s touch, which was strong even through the washcloth.
“Tilt your head back,” Grayson said, and Lars obeyed without hesitation. He loved that the showers he’d been in so far in the ranch all had detachable showerheads instead of a fixed one on the wall. Grayson now used it to rinse out Lars’s hair and then to wash all the soap off his body.
His touch was gentle but self-assured, even as he lifted Lars’s cock and balls to rinse underneath and behind. Without thinking, Lars placed both his hands on Grayson’s shoulders to steady himself, and he waited until Grayson was done rinsing him off.
It was a strange experience to be taken care of like this. Lars couldn’t remember the last time anyone had done that for him. His mother maybe, back when he was still little, but she’d died when he was fifteen, and she’d been sick for years before. And she’d never been the warm and fuzzy type, even before.
And yes, on the occasional opportunity he and Sven had showered together before they moved to the ranch, they had fooled around in the shower, but even Sven had never washed him like this. Somehow, it felt more intimate than fucking, though how that was possible, Lars had no idea.
How could this simple act be arousing and yet bring tears to his eyes? The tender care Grayson was showing him made him want to curl up against him, seek shelter with him.
When he opened his eyes, he found Grayson looking at him with a tenderness he hadn’t expected. Much to his surprise, Grayson turned off the shower.
“You don’t want me to…” Lars said, gesturing at Grayson’s body. He wasn’t sure himself if he meant cleaning or serving him, but maybe Grayson would understand anyway.
“No,” Grayson said kindly as he grabbed a big, white fluffy towel. Instead of draping it around his own body, he wrapped it around Lars and dried him off. When Lars tried to take over, Grayson gently slapped his hands away. “Hands off. I wasn’t done yet.”
Lars had to say something to distract himself from the strange sensation in his stomach. “I’ve been taking showers on my own and toweling myself off since I was six years old.”
“Just because you’re capable of doing something yourself doesn’t mean you always should,” Grayson said, sounding cryptic as fuck.
A sensation close to panic filled Lars’s chest. “I don’t understand.”
Apparently satisfied Lars was sufficiently dried off, Grayson removed the towel and dried himself. “I know you don’t. Let’s get dressed, and then we’ll eat. After dinner, we’ll talk.”
14
Grayson knew Lars was confused as hell, and to be honest, that had been his intention. He had thought long and hard about how to approach this particular conversation with Lars, and he’d decided on showering together as a means of throwing Lars off his game. The beta was always so sure of himself, so cocky and bratty toward Grayson that he needed to be caught off guard. Plus, Grayson genuinely desired to take care of Lars, knowing that even though the beta didn’t realize it, he needed it.
They had shared dinner with all of them in the big kitchen, a wonderful, hearty meal cooked by Vieno and Sven. Grayson loved to see Sven get along so well with the other omega. They seemed to mesh well in terms of temperament and style, Sven happy to follow Vieno’s orders. The kid was a born submissive, stronger than Grayson had ever encountered before. It made the responsibility of being his alpha even bigger, as the boy would do anything he was asked without thinking of himself. It would be easy to violate his limits, as he was not the type to safe word.
After dinner, Grayson informed Lars and Sven he wanted to talk to them. Lars put up a bit of resistance, but he hadn’t dared to push it too far, probably because of Lidon’s presence. Grayson was happy to see the beta use his common sense in front of the pack alpha. It seemed he had learned from his previous experience.
Grayson brought them to his bedroom on purpose. They needed to be on his turf, not the other way around. He gestured for them to sit in the two reading chairs he had in his room, then lowered himself into his desk chair and turned toward them.
“I have a proposition to make, and all I ask from you
is that you listen to me without interrupting. You can ask any questions after I’m done, but I want you to hear the whole proposal first.”
He had debated about how to approach this, weighing the pros and cons of the various options he had. In the end, he had decided open communication was his best shot. The downside was that it would get Lars’s back up because he would have all the information he needed to protest. Had Grayson gone for a more gradual approach, he could’ve kept him in the dark a little longer and maybe avoid some of his resistance. Still, he had opted for full disclosure, not wanting either of the two boys to step into this with blinders on.
Sven nodded immediately, but as expected, Lars took a second or two before he, too, nodded his consent. Grayson took a deep breath. Here went nothing.
“I want the three of us to agree to a trial period of six months in which you will allow me to establish a Daddy-boy relationship with the two of you.”
He saw Lars take a breath as if to say something, so he raised his finger to remind him of his promise. The beta swallowed his words and allowed Grayson to continue.
“We will share a bedroom, obviously, but I’m looking for more than a sexual relationship. I want to take care of the two of you, make sure your every need is met. That can only happen if you give me full control of your lives in every aspect, including discipline, daily decisions, and all sexual acts. I understand this requires a lot of trust and that may be hard because we haven’t known each other long. All I can say is that I’ve asked Palani for permission, so the alpha and his beta are aware and will be keeping an eye on me to make sure I’m not overstepping my boundaries. I’ve also told Bray and Lucan, as I have no intention of sneaking around behind their backs. After six months, we can evaluate to see if each of us is getting from the relationship what we are hoping or expecting and we can decide whether or not we want to continue.”
Grayson was well aware his short proposal only covered the basics of what their relationship would entail, but he was counting on Lars to have a long list of questions that would go into the details.
“That’s the short and sweet of it, but I’m sure you guys will have a ton of questions, so ask away. I want us all to be crystal clear on the terms and conditions of this before we commit ourselves.”
Lars and Sven looked at each other, sharing a look that made Grayson feel like an outsider. Well, he was an outsider. They had such a long history together that it would take a while for him to achieve similar levels of intimacy and familiarity. If he would even get that far, considering the stormy look in Lars’s eyes.
Surprisingly, Sven was the first to speak up. “What do you mean by discipline?” he asked.
“As part of our relationship, I will be setting rules for both of you. They will not necessarily be the same rules, and I expect the two of you to follow these. If you break any of the rules or disobey me, there will be consequences. That’s what I mean by discipline: the discretion to dole out punishment as I see fit.”
“What kind of rules?” Sven wanted to know.
Grayson sent him an encouraging smile. “Oh, things like how to address me and others, the kind of language you can use, some rules about daily habits I’d like to see both of you build, and anything else I think would benefit either one or both of you. We’ll build it up gradually as not to overwhelm you with too much at once. The goal is not to set rules you can’t keep.”
Sven nodded, apparently more concerned about the rules than about the punishment. Something told Grayson that wasn’t the case for Lars, and he was right.
“What do you mean by punishment? Are you gonna s-spank me again?”
Grayson’s smile widened. “Already planning on breaking the rules, boy? Or would you like me to spank you again?”
He held his breath, hoping against his better judgment Lars would admit to his needs. But it was too much, too soon. He wouldn’t stop pushing the boy, but it was folly to expect him to surrender at this stage.
“I don’t need a spanking,” Lars sputtered. “And how can I plan on breaking the rules if I don’t know what the rules are going to be?”
Grayson made sure his smile stayed friendly and showed nothing of the tinge of disappointment he felt anyway at Lars’s reaction. “I promise you we’ll go over the rules and make sure they’re unambiguous. But is that your biggest concern, the discipline part?”
Lars shook his head. “No. My biggest concern is that I don’t understand what’s in it for you. You say you want to make sure our needs are met, but what about you? What do we have to do for you in return?”
This was the part where it got tricky. Grayson had no trouble understanding how this would be beneficial to both of them, but he was dealing with two boys who had never been in a relationship like that and who had not come to terms with their own needs. How could he explain their desire to serve him without sounding like a self-centered asshole?
“That’s a good question. It’s also one that is not so easy to answer, considering how green both of you are at a relationship like this.”
“Try us,” Lars snapped. “Were not stupid.”
Grayson bit back the flash of temper inside him, his alpha unhappy at the disrespect Lars was showing him. It wouldn’t do him much good now. He had to wait until the two of them committed to this trial period.
“Sven, would you mind grabbing me a glass of cold water from the kitchen?” he asked.
Sven’s eyes lit up, as they usually did when he could make himself useful. “Sure, alpha,” he said, immediately getting up and hurrying out of the room.
“You could’ve just asked him to leave the room if you want to talk to me alone,” Lars said with irritation.
“Not everything is about you,” Grayson said, making sure to keep his voice level. He kept silent until Sven returned, noticing that Lars’s emotions ran from frustration to confusion. He clearly had no idea what Grayson was doing.
“Thank you, pup,” Grayson told Sven when he handed him the water. He drank the whole glass in a few big gulps, sighing with contentment at the refreshing effect. Sven beamed at him, his pleasure from serving his alpha clear as day on his face.
“Watch Sven,” Grayson told Lars quietly. “Now tell me he doesn’t derive joy from serving and pleasing me.”
He saw realization hit, first with Lars and then with Sven.
“You’re saying that pleasing you is one of our needs,” Sven said, proving again he was a lot smarter than people might give him credit for.
“Yes,” Grayson said, immensely satisfied Sven had said our and not my. He had included Lars in his response, and Grayson couldn’t wait to see how the beta would react to that statement.
Lars opened his mouth, then closed it again, confusion painting his face. Sven looked at his lover with an apologetic look, apparently now realizing he had included Lars in his wording.
“Do you remember during your heat, when I told you to suck Lars off? How did that make you feel?” Grayson asked Sven.
The boy answered with a delightful blush staining his cheeks. “I loved it. But I loved pretty much everything you did during my heat, so I’m not sure that’s a reasonable indication of my reaction when I’m not in heat.”
Grayson had to admire and respect Sven’s levelheadedness in this all. “Fair enough,” he said. “That’s why it’s a trial so that we can experiment from both sides what works for us. Also, you have the option of using a safe word at any time you want to stop or if you need a break. I’ll always respect that, even though I might ask questions later to understand what made you reach your limits. You’ll never be forced to do anything you don’t want to do, including anything sexual. That’s not how a relationship like this works. It’s entirely based on trust and mutual affection, on the desire of the Daddy to take care of his boy or boys, in this case, and the need from the boys to please their Daddy.”
He kept his eyes on Lars as he spoke, well aware of the battle inside the beta. He hoped Lars would set aside his resistance for once and
admit to his needs, no matter how hard it was for him.
“What…what if I don’t have that strong need to please someone?” Lars asked, and Grayson sensed the world of fear behind that simple question.
For Sven, it was so much easier, not hindered by a natural resistance to submission. The boy was a born submissive with an innate desire to please. With Lars, submission had to be earned. Grayson didn’t doubt the boy was a sub and that he yearned to submit, that he needed it. But with him, one had to earn his surrender. He wouldn’t submit without a fight.
“Then we’ll figure out what makes you tick. My goal is to take care of you, make sure your needs are met. Whatever they are.”
Lars’s heart was racing, and so was his mind, frantically processing everything Grayson was saying. At first, he’d been elated that the man wanted a Daddy relationship with him, with them. It was what he wanted, after all, hard as it still was for him to admit. He still felt like a depraved fuck for wanting it, but he couldn’t deny the truth anymore.
But then he’d started thinking, and it sounded too good to be true, especially the part where Grayson kept stressing it was about meeting their needs. Lars didn’t see how that was possible, how it could be about them. Nothing had ever been about them. Or about him, more specifically.
He himself had always put Sven first, and he’d never regretted it. He wasn’t sure if it was because Sven was younger or because he was an omega, but Lars had always felt a protective instinct toward him, even when they were much younger. That hadn’t changed when their relationship had grown into something more, something much deeper. And it wouldn’t change now that they were considering bringing in a third.
But what if Grayson was experiencing that same protectiveness toward Sven and he was only including Lars because he felt like he had to? After all, they were kind of a two-for-the-price-of-one deal. What if it was Sven he really wanted and not Lars? It wasn’t like he’d given the alpha much reason to like him. But he couldn’t outright ask him, now could he?