by Ann Grech
He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. “Nah, no point. It’s just hard, ya know? Our relationship is everything to us, so we’re good there, but I hate hiding. I wish we could be more, put it out there, but it’s just not possible.”
“He must be pretty special for you to protect him like this,” Reef added.
“Without a doubt.” Connor smiled sadly. He didn’t want to kill the mood. This was supposed to be a party, and instead, he was being a sad sack.
“Let him know you’ll be there when he is. It’s the only thing you can do if you aren’t prepared to walk away.”
“Yeah, I will. Thanks, guys.” He smiled at them, this time not having to force its genuineness. “If you’ll excuse me for a minute, I’m gonna help get the barbie started. I’m starvin’. I’ll be back in a bit.” He capped his empty bottle and tossed it in the makeshift recycling bin before heading inside.
His heart pounding, Connor closed the bathroom door behind him and splashed water on his face. Resting his hands on the sink, he looked at his reflection in the mirror. Messy curls, suntanned skin, a tattoo on his arm that curled up and over his bare shoulder, a short beard and dark eyes stared back at him. Get it together, mate. Seeing Ford and Reef together had made him yearn for a relationship like theirs with Katy and Levi. They were so open and loving, so uncaring of what the judgement of others held. And there was judgement. Jonathan and Elsie had stared at them, their disgust evident in their turned-up lips and exaggerated shudders when they hugged or kissed. Another reason to hate the stuck-up couple.
The door opening startled him until he saw Levi’s reflection in the mirror as he entered and closed the door without a word. Connor turned to face him, ready to explain. He was sure Levi would know. He always did.
Instead, he crowded Connor, pushing him back against the sink and stepping between his spread legs. “Please talk to me,” he whispered. “You’re miserable.”
“We can’t change it. I want what they have, but I’ll settle for it in private.” Levi sighed at Connor’s words and closed the distance between them, brushing their lips together.
“I dunno what else to do.” The sadness in Levi’s eyes tore at Connor’s heart. His man was hurting just as much as he was. No doubt Katy was going through the same thing too. He cupped Levi’s face, warm, smooth skin against his cool hands. They gravitated towards each other, their lips touching, gently at first. Need overcame him, and Connor deepened the kiss, thrusting his tongue into Levi’s open mouth. The taste of Levi’s drink—whiskey, dry, and lime—and that unique Levi flavour burst onto his tongue, making Connor moan. He wanted this man, yearned for him. Needed him closer. Moving his hands down his boyfriend’s firm body, Connor brushed his fingers over Levi’s nipples making the other man gasp.
“Damn, you’re sensitive there.” Connor smirked against the other man’s lips and laughed when Levi bit him. Slipping his fingers under the other man’s shirt, he hummed when the firm muscle quivered under his light touch. Warm, silky smooth skin met his fingertips and Connor was suddenly ravenous. He needed a taste of him. Needed everything. Grasping the bottom of his shirt, Connor ripped it off Levi, bringing them chest to chest.
He kissed him hard, their tongues tangling together as Levi yanked Connor’s boardies down as far as they would go before stepping back and falling to his knees. Levi licked his lips, and Connor nearly came on the spot. Damn. Levi nudged his legs closer together and slipped Connor’s shorts down to his ankles. He sucked in a breath when Levi’s warm palms skirted up his legs and around to his arse pulling him forward until he buried his face in the crease between Connor’s leg and his pubes. He ran his fingers through Levi’s hair, watching as the other man mouthed his abs. When Levi licked up his length, Connor let his head fall back and he moaned. He shuddered, his hips thrusting forward of their own volition when Levi closed his mouth around his shaft and sucked. Over and over again until Connor couldn’t stand it any longer. He was riding the edge, so damn close to coming. Tightening his fingers in Levi’s hair, Connor moaned incoherently trying to pull back. He didn’t want to come yet. He didn’t want it to end.
Then Levi’s mouth was on his, kissing him. Ravaging him. His hands on Connor’s back, he held him close. Con reached between them and grasped their shafts, fisting them together.
The door slammed open, and he froze. Levi did too. Oh fuck. He dared not open his eyes, but he didn’t need to. He knew that voice anywhere. “What the…?”
Katy
Katy had just sat down with Ford and Reef when the words, “You cheating piece of shit,” rang out. She stiffened, her heart sinking. Like a house of cards, she could see everything toppling down around her, bursting the little bubble of blissful happiness she, Levi, and Con had been living in.
Her brother was angry, and that was never good. He reacted like a cut snake whenever someone ticked him off. And by the one-sided shouting coming from inside the house, Katy knew it had to be that he’d walked in on Levi and Con.
“What the?” Ford asked, confused.
Katy pressed the heel of her hand against her forehead. “It’s Jonathan. Sorry, guys, I need to get in there.”
“Yeah, sure,” Reef said, standing and taking Katy’s bottle of beer from her. She wiped her suddenly sweaty palms on her jean shorts and headed inside. But she wasn’t alone. Elsie was already rushing in there too, her long white linen vest and loose skirt billowing behind her. Emma too. Katy followed third, the sounds of the insults being hurled by Jonathan getting louder and louder, and not just because she was getting closer. He was ranting, giving a sermon that he didn’t really believe. Or maybe he did. He’d always been a judgemental prick, being homophobic wouldn’t be a stretch.
When she stepped around the corner, Katy skidded to a halt. In the bathroom stood Con and Levi, and just outside the door was Jonathan. Con was struggling to pull his still-wet boardies up but they were tangled, his shirt balled up next to the sink. Levi was fully dressed but flustered as hell. Trying to calm her brother, Levi placed a hand on Jonathan’s arm, but Jonathan jerked it away. “Get the fuck off me, you—” he shouted, stopping abruptly when Con sidestepped Levi, getting in Jonathan’s face.
“Watch it, mate,” he growled, standing over him with fists clenched. Audible gasps of shock sounded from the onlookers gathered around them. Time slowed, the rushing in her ears too loud to hear her sister-in-law’s shocked screech when she realized what was going on. And then it sped up again, the force of Elsie’s disgust hitting her like a slap to the face.
“Or you’ll do what, faggot? You make me sick.” Seeing he had a crowd gathered, Jonathan almost preened. It made her nauseous. “Kaitlin, do you know why you haven’t got a proposal yet? Why he’s been stringing you on for so many years? He’s cheating on you. With him.” Jonathan pointed to Con, looking at him like shit on the bottom of a shoe. “Another five minutes and one of them would have been bent over taking it up the arse.” The hatred in his tone, the accusation, had tears welling in her eyes. His words were like the stab of a knife, wounding her and drawing out the pain with each one, killing a piece of her one jab at a time. “See what you’ve done? You’ve broken her heart. You’re disgusting, both of you.”
Con staggered back like he’d been struck, Levi catching him in his arms. Her eyes connected with theirs and the heartbreak in each of their gazes eviscerated her. They didn’t deserve her brother’s wrath. She had to fix this. She had to make him stop. Katy wiped her tears and stepped forward, wanting to go to them. Only a few feet separated them, but it could have been the entire Pacific Ocean. Jonathan blocked her way, and cool bony fingers snaked around Katy’s bicep, pulling her back. She looked to the side and met Elsie’s haughty stare. That bitch always thought she was better than everyone and she was in her element now. Katy shook the other woman off, anger pulsing through her at their interference and judgement.
“Kaitlin—” Elsie started.
“Stop it. Both of you just stop.” Katy held her
hands up, her tone hard as she spoke. She was done with pussy-footing around. The cat was apparently out of the bag anyway, so she was dealing with this shit head on. How dare they judge her men? How dare they judge her?
“Kaitlin, you’re coming home with us. There’s no need for you to see them anymore. I can take care of getting you moved out, getting you your fair share of the house.”
Katy blinked, unbelieving of what she’d just heard. “What?” she spat back, her voice rising indignantly.
“Jonathan, why don’t you calm down,” Emma spoke from behind, always the peacekeeper. “You don’t know what’s going on here, and I think you need to leave judgement out of it. Let them explain.”
“Butt out, Emma. This is between us. Family. Not you.”
“Emma is my family,” Con said stubbornly, his arms crossed over his chest, looking deadly. Unsuccessfully trying to pull him back, Levi wrapped an arm around Con’s middle and used his bodyweight to shift him. Even outside of Jonathan’s personal space, Con was imposing. “Watch how you speak to her.”
Stepping closer to Con, Emma squeezed his forearm, smiling at him, before turning her attention back to Katy’s brother. “You’re right, Jonathan. This is something you should speak with these guys about, but first I think you need to leave. You can come back and talk once you’ve had a chance to calm down.”
“You think you can kick me out when my sister is here?” Jonathan’s eyes flashed angrily. He was like a raging bull, ready to charge. “I’m not leaving her so she can be taken advantage of.”
“My wife asked you to leave,” Nick snarled, suddenly standing beside Katy. “Now do it.”
“Nick, you have no idea what’s happening here.” Jonathan’s tone morphed instantly from angry and aggressive to placating, then again forceful when he continued. “I’m not in the wrong. I just walked in on those two”—he pointed with his thumb over his shoulder at Con and Levi—“half naked in the bathroom. They’re cheating on her. Together.” Jonathan paused his accusations and faced Con. “You’re a disgrace to this country. Terrorists shoulda killed you when they had the chance.”
Katy watched everything like it was in slow motion: Levi wheeling around, his hand curling into a fist, the other reaching for Jonathan’s shirt, murderous intent darkening his face, Con throwing himself at Levi, wrestling him back and away from her brother, Katy herself instinctively moving forward, the roar she let rip drowning out the animalistic growl coming from Levi. And suddenly she stopped moving, hauled back again by strong arms, pinning her against a thick body. Powerless, frustration welled in her as Con wrestled Levi back, pulling him away from the piece-of-shit-for-a-human former brother. Katy twisted, trying to break free, but the arms pinning her tightened, holding her fast. “No, Katy,” Ford whispered in her ear. “He’s not worth it. Trust me, he’s not.”
No one was holding Nick back. He’d pinned Jonathan to the wall with fists balled in his shirt. The always smiling, always laughing Nick was gone, and in his place a dominating and downright scary man stood. Her brother visibly withered when, in a deathly calm tone, Nick spoke. “You have no idea how fucking wrong you are, Jonathan. Get the fuck out before you say something else you’ll regret. You’re no longer welcome here.” Nick pulled him away from the wall then immediately slammed him back against it before letting Jonathan go. He didn’t move though, still towering over her much shorter brother. With barely a couple of inches between their chests, it was a picture of opposites—Nick’s long body hard from the workout regime Mike had him on and Jonathan standing half a head shorter, his middle rounder.
Elsie gasped in horror at Nick’s move, while Katy silently dared Jonathan to push his luck again. One more crack and she wasn’t sure Con would be able to hold Levi back. One more crack and he’d probably find himself on the receiving end of her fist too.
But Jonathan wasn’t entirely stupid. Unfortunately. Straightening his shirt and stepping out of Nick’s immediate reach he shook his head. “Come on Elsie, Kaitlin, we’re leaving.” Turning to Nick he added, “I don’t believe you’d side with them.”
Ford’s arms around her didn’t loosen, and Reef was shielding her with his body too, putting as much distance as possible between her and her sibling. For that, Katy was grateful. But it wasn’t necessary, she wasn’t leaving with him. “I’m not going anywhere, Jonathan. I’m staying here with my family. My guys.”
“You knew about this?” Elsie asked, shocked and completely appalled. When understanding dawned, she added incredulously, “You’re fucking both of them. You slut.”
Katy smiled. She couldn’t help it. She wanted to cackle insanely and sing “nah nah nah nah nah.” Dance a jig even. She might have been going slightly insane. Elsie huffed disbelievingly and turned on her heels, following Jonathan out the house. The front door slammed and Katy flinched, the sound ricocheting in the silence. The smile slipped off her face and her bravado from a moment earlier left her in a rush. Ford was no longer hugging her, but she didn’t want that anyway. She wanted her guys. Nick was between them, and he stopped her before she could rush into their arms. “Go upstairs into our bedroom if you want. You can talk up there and no one will interrupt you. Stay as long as you need.” He squeezed her arm and Emma smiled, nodding in encouragement as they followed the others out into the late afternoon sunshine, leaving her alone with Levi and Con.
“Sugar, I’m sorry—” Levi started.
“Don’t,” she replied, resting her face on his chest and wrapping an arm around his waist. His furiously beating heart was a testament to the anger boiling inside him, the tenseness in his body not having dissipated. She laid a kiss on his chest, grateful that he hadn’t hurt himself knocking Jonathan’s block off. “Don’t ever apologize to me for loving each other. That arsehole…” Katy blew out a breath, trying to calm herself down. It was done now. She was done with him. No matter what he said or did, she no longer had a brother. There was no way she’d stand for him treating either—all—of them the way he had. “His opinion means nothing. I don’t give a fuck about what either of them said.” Katy reached up and cupped Con’s cheek. “They’re meaningless. But you? You’re everything to us.” She dropped her hand, wrapping both arms around their waists and stepped in close to them, tears welling in her eyes. The anger and frustration, the sorrow for the words spoken to Con were overwhelming. She wanted to protect them, to wrap them in her arms and hold on tight. She wanted nothing more than to make this right. Through a half sob, half laugh she added, “But seriously, lock the fucking door.” Connor huffed out a humourless laugh and held her tighter, Levi doing the same while she regathered herself. Their touch—as simple as stroking her hair and kissing her temple was—was comfort. It was home.
“I’m sorry. God, they were so mean,” she whispered, biting back a fresh wave of tears. They’d tried to hide it, tried to keep what they had between them and now it was out there in front of a whole party of people. “What the hell are we supposed to do now?”
“Now we go outside and fess up, I s’pose.” Levi shrugged, trying but failing to hide his nerves. “Maybe eat some cake?”
Katy tilted her face to look at him, and Levi captured her lips in the most innocent of kisses. Squeezing him tightly, she turned to Con, waiting for his opinion, “I’ll do whatever you want, Cupcake.”
She nodded, a smile stretching her lips. “I could do cake. And beer.”
“Cake and beer it is.” Taking their hands in hers, Katy led them through the house and out back.
Ford held out a beer, Reef handing them two more. Katy took one and smiled at him before turning her gaze to the rest of the group sitting down around the fire pit. “I guess we, um, have some explaining to do.”
“No. You don’t,” Nick replied, standing up and moving over to her. “You don’t need to justify yourselves to us. All you need to know is that we love you guys. You’re our family, and we’ll stand by you no matter what.” Hearing those heartfelt words filled her heart with happiness and
love—for Nick and Emma who were more family to her than Jonathan ever was, or would be. She hugged Nick hard. His acceptance of them, and the knowledge that at least one person in her family didn’t judge them, meant the world.
“We need a toast,” Cam called out. “To love and threesomes… And Nicky’s birthday. Happy birthday, mate.”
A chorus of, “Here, here,” and, “Cheers,” rang out around the crowd.
There was a bit of shuffling and a space large enough for them opened up. Con dropped her hand and stepped away. Confused, she turned to follow him, realizing what he was going for—his guitar. It was never far away from him.
Levi sat down and pulled her onto his lap while Con made himself comfortable next to them. Joining hands with Con, Katy smiled and snuggled into Levi’s broad chest. Warmth and love surrounded her, her heart full to overflowing. “How did I get so damn lucky?” she murmured. “I love you.”
Con pressed his lips against hers and Levi kissed her temple softly, his stubble brushing against her cheek, before he turned his face and pressed his mouth to Con’s. “And we love you.” Con smiled at her, the crooked grin lighting up his face, his eyes sparkling. It had the butterflies in Katy’s belly fluttering.
After settling back, sitting cross legged on the cushions surrounding the fire pit, Con repositioned his guitar on his lap and started strumming.
“Miley,” Lexi, Mike’s little girl squealed. She’d been quiet until then, resting her head on her father’s lap. She was adorable, long dark hair in pigtails swaying wildly as she snapped up. Lanky and in love with everything netball, Lexi could recite the stats of every player in her favourite teams. She was rarely out of her netball uniform too, the short yellow and green dress part of her daily wear.
“You know this one, hey?” Con grinned at her.