Better Together: Boys of Talbert Hall #3

by Ward, Quinn

  Good. It wasn’t enough to give me hope the three of us would ride off into the sunset together, but it proved the attraction I felt was mutual.

  Now it was my turn to shift uncomfortably on the couch. “If he’d let me, I would have already had him,” I admitted. “How could anyone not want him? But I don't think Zach has the slightest idea what he does to either one of us. He tries hiding how he feels but he does a shit job of it. Every night, I can practically feel him watching my every move. A few times, I've considered following him out to the parking lot and shoving him to the ground, demanding that he suck me off before he heads out for his deliveries.”

  “There's no way he’d do that,” Daniel protested.

  “Are you sure about that?” I challenged. “Because that boy is consumed with need. Hell, if I had to make a wager, I'd be willing to bet the reason he went out tonight was to try to forget about you.”

  “And you?” Daniel added tentatively.

  I shrugged. “Maybe. But I don't know if he's ready to admit his attraction to me. It’s there but, like I said, he’s hiding, even from himself.”

  “How can you be so certain?”

  “That's easy,” I scoffed. “I make a habit of watching people. Waiting to see how they react.”

  “And he reacts to you?”

  I placed my hand on Daniel's thigh again, resting mere inches from his aching erection. “Baby, you have no clue. When he thinks no one's paying attention, he's like an open book. That's how I know he'd have no problem with the two of us taking him in hand.”

  “What if it all goes wrong?”

  “You let me worry about that.” I leaned over Daniel's body, placing my hand at the back of the couch on his other side. “I promise, if he's upset, which I don't think he will be, I'll take full blame. I'll tell him I was the one interested in him and that I roped you into it.”

  “When?” With that one-word question, I knew Daniel was hooked. He might not yet believe that I knew what I was talking about, but he was too curious to let this go.

  “Tomorrow night,” I told him. I needed to think fast. Talking about this hadn’t been the plan until after the first couple of drinks when his guard dropped. But now, he was counting on me to be the leader of whatever we got up to. Just the way I wanted it. “Chase and Jayden are going to The Lodge with Matt and Brandon. We'll have the place to ourselves.”

  “That soon?” He swallowed hard. When he tried to look away from me, I captured his chin between my thumb and index finger. His lips parted on a sigh.

  Fuck. I could not drag him to my room for a preview of what was to come.

  “You really think I'm going to give you enough time to develop cold feet?” I scoffed. “If you don't want to do this, tell me now. I'll back off.”

  “I do,” Daniel admitted. “But I'm still scared.”

  I slid my hand along Daniel's jaw, smiling when he leaned into the touch. “It takes a brave boy to admit when he's afraid,” I praised him.

  Daniel's body stiffened and I worried I may have gone too far. “Boy? Last I checked, I'm older than you.”

  “True enough but, admit it, you’re dying to see what happens when you surrender to me.”

  “Yes.” The word came out as little more than a breathy whisper. I knew in that moment Daniel would be mine. Now, we just had to convince Zach that he belonged between us.

  I slipped my hand around to the back of Daniel neck, massaging his tense muscles. I stared down into his uncertain eyes. My heart beat uncontrollably fast, and my breaths came in shallow pants. I hated myself for putting this off until tomorrow, but the first time I got a taste of Daniel, it would be with Zach helping me drive him wild.

  I couldn't explain why, only that I was sure this was the way things were meant to be between the three of us. Daniel sat upright, sliding his hands around my back and pulling me down on top of him. His fingers tangled in my hair as he captured my mouth in an abusing kiss. His tongue forced its way into my mouth, not waiting for permission. For tonight, I’d let him get away with that. Tomorrow, we’d discuss the rules.

  Once both of us were left breathless and wanting more, I broke the kiss and pulled away from him. “Not tonight, sweetheart. It's not because I don't want you, but because when the three of us get together, I want everyone on equal footing.”

  “Does that mean you've already kissed Zach?” I didn't miss the hint of jealousy in his tone. I chuckled as I combed my fingers through his hair. “Not that it matters if you did. It's not like I have any claim to either of you, but I want to know.”

  “Would you be jealous if I said I had?” I hadn’t. Everything I told Daniel about Zach being skittish was the absolute truth. And from what I could tell, Daniel was the one he would eventually break for.

  To his credit, Daniel didn’t rush to answer. He scrubbed his chin and pinched his lower lip while he considered how it would make him feel. Finally, he shook his head. “I'd only be jealous because I wasn't there to see it.”

  I bent down and kissed him again, this time as a reward. I pulled away when his mouth opened. If I didn't retreat to my room soon, I’d break every promise I made tonight.

  “Thank you for being honest with me,” I praised him. I stood, holding Daniel's hands in mine as I backed away, pulling him off the couch. I needed to put some distance between us, but I wasn't ready just yet. I shoved my hands into the back pockets of his jeans, tugging him closer to me. I squeezed his ass cheeks when he ground his erection against mine. Tomorrow.

  Before Daniel could protest, I released him and gave him a nudge toward his room. I doubted he wanted to lounge where others might walk in, given his current state. I had no idea how I was supposed to last the night without one or both of them in my arms.

  I paused, curling my fingers around the edge of my doorframe.

  “Hey Daniel,” I called out, waiting for him to look at me. I dragged my gaze slowly over his body, stopping at that enticing bulge. “If you’re serious about wanting to do this, leave that alone tonight.”

  Daniel’s eyes widened comically. “There’s no way I’ll be able to sleep.”

  “I doubt you’ll get much rest as it is,” I teased. “You’re going to be up half the night wondering what I have in store for tomorrow. But you’re not going to touch yourself, are you?”

  He sucked his lower lip between his teeth and shook his head. Tonight would be the last time he’d get away with not using his words.

  “Good. Sweet dreams.”

  6

  Daniel

  Instead of waking up to the sound of my alarm blaring, it was the throbbing pain between my legs that disrupted my sleep. I reached down to do something about the pressure, but my hand stilled less than an inch away from my cock.

  Colin told me not to touch yourself.

  Why in the hell was I even entertaining the idea of obeying him? That wasn't something I had ever considered in the past. Don't get me wrong, I had nothing but respect for the guys in the suite who were in power exchange relationships. I knew damn well it took a strong man in a healthy relationship to hand over that level of control, but it wasn't something I ever thought I would be interested in for myself.

  I wasn't a fan of being told what to do. I wasn't as bad as Zach, but then I didn't think anyone pushed back against authority as hard as he did. Still, it was disconcerting that I couldn't do something as simple as rub one out in the morning just because someone I barely knew told me not to.

  I kicked off the covers, determined to assert my independence. Colin wasn’t here. He didn’t have to know how the ideas he’d put into my head last night haunted my dreams. I’d gotten damn good at staying quiet when I jerked off so Zach wouldn’t get grossed out by being in the same room as a dude getting off. And furthermore, I hadn’t consented to a fucking thing with Colin. He had zero fucking right to tell me what to do.

  So why did my stomach flip when I shoved a hand past the waistband of my boxers to cup my balls?

  Because I wante
d this. Now that he’d opened my eyes to what things could be like between us, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. And worse, I wanted Zach to be on board with it, too. It would be easier for everyone if Zach and I were simply obeying Colin. After last night, I had no doubt he was strong enough to stop us from overthinking every touch.

  I closed my eyes and thought about what it would be like if I did give in. It wasn't like Colin expected me to kneel before him or let him bind and gag me while he used me until I was a writhing mess. So far, he hadn’t given any indication that he wanted anything more than for me to wait until tonight to come. If I did this, it only had to be for today.

  And it wouldn’t even be all day. I needed to get my ass in gear soon, so I wasn’t late. I just needed a few more minutes to figure out how to keep my balls from turning a deep shade of blue.

  I gave my nuts a squeeze, hoping that would ease some pressure. It didn't do a damn thing. I needed to forget about the bossy little shit on the other side of the wall and rub one out. But I didn't want to risk him knowing what I had done and making me wait even longer. And wasn't that a steaming heap of shit? He wasn't my master. He sure as fuck wasn't my Daddy. And yet, I didn't want to disappoint him.

  I flopped onto my stomach, hoping the pressure would take care of my problem. That didn't help, either. Having my dick pinned between my body and the mattress tempted me to rut until I came in my pants. I rocked my hips back and forth, moaning at the blessed friction. I was so keyed up I wasn’t sure if it was pleasure or pain short-circuiting my brain, but I shivered as my sac drew tight to my body. It wouldn’t take more than a few—

  “Come on, it's one fucking day,” I scolded myself. “You seriously can't go a single day without rubbing one out?”

  “Would you shut the fuck up?” Zach's pillow thumped against the floor. “Some of us are trying to sleep here. And you're an idiot. If you need to get off, just rub one out. Pretend like I'm not even here.”

  Yeah. Fat chance. Now that he was waking up, there was no way I could ignore his presence. I clenched my eyes shut, staying as quiet as possible in hopes he’d think I was talking in my sleep. Sure enough, his breathing evened out, signaling that he had gone back to sleep, allowing me to slip out of my bed. As I gathered my shower kit, my phone ping vibrated across the top of my desk. Who in the hell was texting me at this hour?

  The sender’s number wasn't saved in my contacts, but that didn't mean there was any doubt in my mind who sent the message. Are you being a good boy?

  I bristled at the term that had become all too common in our suite last year. I was nobody's boy and Colin would do well to get that through his thick skull real fucking quick.

  I’m not looking for a Daddy, I responded. If that was what he was hoping for, it was better to let him down before anything happened. We didn't need any sort of drama this year.

  The three dots appeared at the bottom of the screen, indicating he was typing a message. They disappeared, but no message was sent. I held my breath as they started up again, then stopped. After the third time, I tossed my phone on the bed and stormed out of my bedroom.

  With any luck, I would make it to the bathroom without any interruptions. I wasn't exactly feeling sociable this morning. As I washed myself, I considered the risk of jerking off where no one could hear me. This was getting ridiculous. I didn't owe him anything. But dammit, I didn't want to upset Colin and miss out on what he had teased me with last night.

  I stilled when I heard the bathroom door open and quietly close. The sound of one of my roommates flipping open the lid of the toilet echoed too loudly through the room. I seriously needed to get my shit together. If I was this much of a nervous wreck all day, one of my buddies was going to call me out. If I was lucky, that’d mean cutting off a finger or two at the job site. Much worse, would be Chase figuring out I was popping boners over his little brother.

  “So, I know this is probably really weird…” I jumped at the sound of Colin’s voice on the other side of the shower curtain. Usually, it wasn’t a huge deal to leave the door unlocked in case someone needed to take a piss while one of us showered. Today, all I could think was that I was naked, horny, and I was only separated from the man I wanted to do something about that problem by two thin sheets of plastic.

  “Yeah, that’s one way to put it.” I tried to sound annoyed rather than needy. “If you don’t mind, I’m not really up for a conversation right now.”

  “I know that.” He let out a frustrated grunt. “I just wanted to apologize if I came on too strong. If you don’t want to hang out, I wouldn’t blame you. It wasn’t cool of me to wedge my way into whatever’s going on between you and Zach.”

  Shit. I’d been so wound up in my own insecurity, I hadn’t even considered he might have doubts this morning. Neither of us could claim last night happened because of alcohol, but it had definitely lowered our inhibitions. I had no clue what I was supposed to say to Colin now that he was so close to me. I couldn't even remember why I had been so riled up about his heavy handedness. I needed to say something, but this didn't feel like the time or the place. “Can you go start a pot of coffee? I’ll be out in a few minutes and we can talk.”

  “We really don’t need to make this a huge thing,” Colin argued. “I know I fucked up. Didn’t sleep for shit because of it, and then I picked up my phone to text you an apology this morning and dug that hole even deeper.”

  “Seriously, it’s not a huge deal,” I promised him. But something was going to be big if he didn’t give me some space, and we didn’t need to confuse shit further by me yanking him into the shower with me so one of us could drop to our knees and suck off the other. “Just make the damn coffee.”

  “Yeah. Cool. Whatever you say,” he stammered. My chest puffed up a bit with pride, knowing that I had flustered him. Good. He deserved to be the one caught off guard for a change.

  After I heard the bathroom door close behind him, I quickly finished scrubbing my body, paying extra attention to certain areas. I really did need to get dressed and out the door, so it made no sense that I was making sure I was squeaky clean. Even if our plans for tonight weren't completely derailed, I'd have to take another shower once I got back from the job site.

  Not only had Colin brewed a fresh pot of coffee by the time I joined him at the dining room table, he had also poured a mug for me and had it sitting on the counter.

  “I wasn't sure what you took in yours. Sorry.” If I wasn't mistaken, Colin blushed as he dipped his chin to look away from me.

  Seeing that settled something inside of me. It meant both of us were trying to figure out what the hell was going on. I poured in some of the flavored creamer everyone gave me shit about insisting we keep in the fridge and eased myself down on the couch. “I'm not upset about what happened last night. Yeah, it was unexpected but not unwelcome.”

  “But you and Zach,” he protested.

  “There is no me and Zach,” I argued. I lowered my voice, my gaze darting toward the bedroom door as if expecting the mere mention of his name to make him appear before us.

  “You want there to be though,” he observed, quirking an eyebrow as if daring me to dispute his observation. I didn't bother denying it. Everyone else knew I was the pathetic fool with a crush on my straight roommate. Colin might as well know the same.

  “It'll never happen,” I protested.

  “Have you even bothered telling him how you feel?”

  I shook my head and pursed my lips. My stomach flipped, churning the coffee and threatening to bring it back up.

  “What if both of you are too damn stubborn to admit how you feel about the other?” He sipped his coffee, giving me time to think about his question. “I’ve seen the way the two of you dance around one another. Everyone in this suite sees it but the two of you.”

  “I already told you, Zack's straight.”

  “And I told you, I think you're wrong,” he countered.

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “Because
I listen to what he means instead of the bullshit that comes out of his mouth.” I couldn't help but laugh. It sounded like he had spent enough time around Zach to realize he didn't mean half the shit he said. But I wasn't so sure Zach was lying about this. “Have you ever heard the quote he doth protest too much?”

  I nodded. Of course I'd heard the famous quote. Hadn't everybody?

  “I bet my first paycheck that's exactly what's going on with Zach. I don't know enough to know what's causing it, but with as quick as he is to insist he's all no-homo, I'm pretty sure there's some deep-seated internalized homophobia happening inside his thick noggin.”

  I flopped back on the couch, cradling my coffee cup behind between my hands.

  The memory of one particular night slammed into the front of my mind like a freight train. It was a particularly drunken adventure with a pretty brunette splayed out between Zach and me. At the time, I played off him running his hand up my thigh as him being too damn drunk to know which body parts belong to who. But now that I thought about it, he looked…almost hurt when I batted his hand away. As we walked out after orgasms all around, we both agreed to never speak of that night again. Now, I wasn't sure that would be possible.

  I tensed when Colin sat down next to me, resting his hand on my knee. “Where did you get lost at just then?”

  I shook my head. I wasn't ready to tell him. I couldn't admit that I had been such a fool.

  “I'm not going to pressure you, but I want you to think about it.” Of course he wouldn’t. I didn’t know if it was because he felt guilty about how he’d behaved last night or because he was just that decent of a guy. Either were plausible. And through all of this, he never mentioned anything about himself.

  I was intrigued by what he had to offer both of us, but I wasn’t about to use him. If we were even going to entertain the idea of the three of us together, we needed to be equal parts. If he thought he was going to be the rubber band that brought Zach and me together, it couldn’t work. Eventually, the pressure would cause him to snap and all of us would fall apart.