A Different Kind of Perfect (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Ceri Grenelle

  “You’re such a caveman.”

  “I can’t really complain about that at this moment.” He turned to Colton who was putting out the fire and arranging the food to be brought into the house. “I think I like marking what’s mine.”

  “Me Tarzan. You Jane,” she said in a slurred impression of the jungle man.

  “Get used to it, sweet cheeks,” Colton said with an armful of plates and leftovers. He kissed Alexis on the cheek and bit her ass as he passed earning another squeal. “I’ll put this stuff away and meet you two upstairs.”

  “Inviting yourself to stay for the night, are you?”

  “Do you want us to go?” Colton asked with a smile. Alexis wasn’t fooled, he saw the seed of doubt that clouded the man’s expression, not allowing him to give his complete self over to Alexis and Bleu. Not trusting this to be permanent, Alexis decided that he would hold off on the joking and flippant comments regarding the budding relationship. His pride wasn’t worth Colton’s pain and doubt.

  “No,” Alexis said, walking over and giving him a kiss, trying to tell him without words how much he needed and cared for him. “I don’t want either of you to leave. Come to bed when you’re done.”

  He turned so Bleu’s head was facing Colton. “Bleu, give Colton a kiss before we go upstairs.”

  “Mmm.” He heard the sounds of a short and tender kiss behind him.

  “Now who’s the caveman?” Colton asked, stroking Alexis on his ass, which still flew in the air with his pants drawn down. Colton noticed the sorry state of his wardrobe and helped him out of the jeans. “So you don’t trip on the stairs,” he said, a blush forming on his cheeks.

  “Thanks,” Alexis said and headed up the stairs to deposit Bleu on the bed and undress her. Once her pants and remaining shoe were off, he took a moment to admire the sexy woman that was settling herself into the bed. She had one knee bent, pointing toward the ceiling, and her arms crossed behind her head, a shit-eating grin on her face.

  “I knew that would be fun.” She smiled.

  “Oh did you?” He took his shirt off and crawled onto the bed, settling on top of her, letting her feel his cock as it regained its hardness. Her pussy was still slick and wet and the control it took to not sink into her hot core nearly rendered him speechless. Nearly.

  “Baby. I want to push my cock into you right now. But I think we should wait.”

  “For Colton?”

  “Yes, for Colton. But what I mean is I think we need to talk about this a bit. About what being in a ménage relationship really means.”

  She stroked his hair, his jaw. “You feel so good on top of me. I don’t want this to go away.”

  Alex knew she meant more than just the physical feeling. “Neither do I.” He kissed her.

  “Or I,” Colton said from the doorway. “Seeing you two together on that bed…I can’t tell you how fucking hot it makes me.” He crawled onto the bed alongside them, brushing his hands through Alex’s hair and rubbing his lips against Bleu’s temple. “Or how happy.”

  “I have spare toothbrushes in the bathroom. Let’s clean up and then talk for a bit.” They went about their business, brushing teeth, using the facilities, and getting into bed. Routines that felt like normal things to do when in a relationship. The men requested Bleu keep her top on for the night because they knew if she went completely naked, their sole focus would be her breasts and no talking would be done.

  “Alex, can you sleep in the middle for tonight?” Bleu asked when he gestured for her to hop into the middle of the bed. “I’m worried about having to get up to pee a hundred times in the middle of the night and disturbing you guys.” He quirked an eyebrow at her dubious reasoning but shrugged and took up the middle spot on his king-sized bed.

  They pushed the pillows up against the backboard so Alexis could lean against them. Bleu placed her head on his chest and he wrapped her in his left arm. He lifted his other arm and looked pointedly at Colton.

  Colton sighed with a sarcastic smirk. “If you insist.” He placed his head on Alexis’s chest and folded his hand into Bleu’s as Alex’s other arm came down around his shoulders. He couldn’t comprehend or wrap his head around how absolutely perfect and right this felt.

  “So who wants to start?” Bleu asked, nuzzling into Alex’s stomach. “What exactly are we discussing anyway? Alex, you smell good.”

  “Thank you, space cadet. Get your nose out of my stomach—Hey!” She nuzzled deeper and incited a ticklish feeling. “Not there! No, stop!” He was laughing and begging her to stop until Colton flicked her nose.

  “This is supposed to be a serious and life-altering discussion.” He leaned forward and bit her cheek.

  “Please,” she mumbled, rubbing her nose. “That’s not our style.”

  “True. But just for now.”

  “Fine.” She settled on Alexis’s chest once more. “So again, what are we discussing?”

  “I guess we’re discussing where we go from here?” Colton looked up at Alex. “I like you both. In truth it’s probably more than just like at this point.” He sat up and faced them, crossing his legs yoga style. “This isn’t something I enter into lightly. You both need to know that telling your families is going to be the hardest thing you do. Fuck, I still haven’t told my folks about myself.” He shook his head, looking away from them for a moment before turning back. “If we decide on an exclusive, committed relationship between the three of us, and really I think that’s all I could accept from you two at this point. I couldn’t handle it if I thought you were both being intimate with someone else. Male or female. But if we decide on commitment, there may be people in your lives that you care about that won’t approve.”

  “I don’t mean to be a Debbie Downer here, but I don’t have any family. They deserted me, on more than one occasion. I have friends but I don’t think any of them would disapprove, especially since I already lead a so-called ‘alternative lifestyle.’” She sat up and placed a hand on Colton’s knee. “I know you’re nervous about telling your folks but I really think you’re underestimating them. If you tell them about yourself and let them adjust and then tell them about us…”

  “We’re getting ahead of ourselves here,” Alex contributed. “I am nervous about this.” He looked to Colt and smiled. “Not about the butt sex, though that has me on a little bit of an edge.”

  Bleu snorted. “Ha. Butt sex.”

  “I’m nervous that we’re gonna get into this and start sleeping over each other’s places and what if one of us isn’t there? What happens then? Are we allowed to be with one another when a third of us isn’t present?”

  “Would you have a problem if Bleu and I fooled around while you weren’t present?”

  “I don’t think so. But it hasn’t happened yet so I can’t answer for sure.”

  “Total, brutal honesty,” Bleu said, nervously twisting the ends of her hair around her fingers. “We can’t keep any emotions, hang-ups, or issues we have with or for each other to ourselves. This won’t work otherwise.”

  “We have a lot of history even though we only met a few months ago,” Alex said, looking at Colt.

  “I told you, all that doesn’t bother me. It wasn’t either of your faults and I am so proud of what you both have done with your lives since then.” Colton cupped their cheeks, rubbing his thumbs over their lips. “It blows my mind that you’re both so talented.”

  Bleu took his palm and kissed it before twining her fingers with his. “OK, if we commit to a relationship, you need to show us what you do when you stay out all night long and looked like dried shit the next day.”

  “I can’t. Not yet. Please, I promise when I’m ready I’ll tell you, show you, rather.” Alex loved the little bulbs of red that lit up Colt’s face whenever his mysterious hobby-job-thing was mentioned.

  “Do your parents know what that is?” Alex asked.

  “Yeah, my family knows. It’s nothing scandalous, I promise.” Colton rested his hand on Alex’s knee, the comforting
gesture providing more than just warmth.

  “All right. But I should warn you. Patient, magnanimous Bleu only lasts for so long.”

  Colton grinned. “I consider myself warned.”

  “So what now? Alex?”

  “I don’t think my family will take issue with the bisexuality. I’m still coming to terms with that. I have a few cousins who are gay and nobody caused a problem. It’s the trouple thing—”

  “Seriously?” Bleu grumbled at the term.

  “—that could cause the problem. They may not be traditionalists but when they think of a relationship, they think one plus one. But that diner is my home as much as this house is and I want you two to be comfortable there. I don’t want to hide there.” He turned to Colt, knowing this was going to be an issue. “Colt, I get that you’re nervous about telling your folks and I’m OK with that. Let’s wait for a while, get used to us being an actual thing, and then we’ll come up with a way to tackle the thing with your family, OK?”

  He nodded. “Thanks for your understanding.” Colt rubbed his face, exhaustion seeping into his expression. “I feel like such a coward.”

  “Why?” Alex asked, reaching up to rub Colt’s shoulder, needing to ease some of that tension.

  “You’ve just admitted and accepted you are bisexual in one night. I, on the other hand, have known about my sexuality since my teens and have yet to come out to my family.”

  “It’s different and you know it is.”

  “How?”

  “I have seen the worst my family has to offer. And I have experience with how the family reacts to people who don’t exactly fit the mold. Your dad is a cop and that comes with certain stigmas.”

  “Your father is a good man, Colt,” Bleu repeated. “He won’t have an issue with your sexuality.”

  “He will have an issue with the three of us being together.” Colt huffed in disbelief at Bleu’s conviction on the matter.

  “And with the fact that it’s us you are making a three with,” Bleu reluctantly added. “I’m not exactly his favorite person in the world.”

  “Oh, fuck. I didn’t even think of that.” Alex sat up framed Colt’s face with his hands. “Colton—”

  “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” He pulled them both back down to the pillows. “Let’s just enjoy this.”

  Alex made to turn toward Bleu but she shook her head and motioned for him to face Colton. Colt raised his eyes in surprise but smiled and wrapped his arm around Alex as his head came down to rest on Colt’s shoulder. A small hand wrapped around his waist and linked with Colt’s free arm.

  “Big spoon, Smurfette?” Alex chuckled as he felt her burrow her head into his back.

  “I have too much hair. Whenever someone tries to get behind me they end up swallowing some hair and just being big pussies about it in the morning.” She kissed him on his arm affectionately. “Not that I’m calling you big strapping men pussies.”

  Alex and Colt grinned at each other. Colt leaned closer and kissed Alex sweetly, pulling away with heavy-lidded eyes. “You sure about this? We’re not going too fast for you? I don’t want you to wake up in the morning and regret anything we’ve done.”

  “Did you regret anything we’ve—”

  “No he didn’t and no I didn’t and no you won’t regret anything,” Bleu claimed as she propped herself over his arm so she could get a good look at both of the men. “Now go to sleep. You need your rest for all the amazing and acrobatic sex we’ll be having.”

  “Acrobatic?” they both asked, and she turned the light out chuckling at their response.

  Chapter 8

  Bleu knew she was never going to be able to get to sleep. The first time spending the night in someone else’s bed was always the worst for her. Bleu could stay up the entire night, getting two hours of sleep if she were lucky. It wasn’t just the unfamiliarity of the bed and the room and the nightly sounds that any particular space could make, but also the bodies sleeping and lightly snoring next to her. It was all so new…and terrifying.

  Bleu had never laid her emotions so bare as she had tonight with these two men. And in truth, tonight hadn’t really been about her that much. Tonight was about getting the men, particularly Alex, to accept each other. She was so relieved to hear Colton was bisexual, she worried they would have heard the tension as it creakily left her body. The hurdles they would have to jump together would be much easier since Colton had sexual experience with men. Everything had gone so much smoother than it could have. Alex could have denied any feelings he had for Colt and stormed out. Instead he eased into touching and kissing Colt with such grace. The lust and need she felt radiating off of the men had been so intense, it burned her up just by being in their presence.

  No matter how hard she tried to soothe her brain, her mind wouldn’t rest. It kept circling back to images of the two men kissing or holding one another. Then she would feel Alex adjust next to her in his sleep and she would remember how beautiful her orgasm had been and how right and perfect it all felt when they were together and in the moment. She looked over her shoulder at the digital clock and grimaced at the red 3:44 a.m. glaring back at her. She blew out a quiet breath, annoyed at her mind for not taking a rest and giving her peace. She turned back into Alex. His body was hard and smelled like sweat and barbeque.

  Come to think of it, she was pretty sweaty as well. She kept another sigh to herself, not wanting to blow on Alex’s skin and wake him. What did she expect? Three adult bodies, two being large and well-formed men, generated a lot of heat. This of course resulted in a sweaty and not-cute frizzy mass of blue curls. Not attractive. They should probably remember to turn the AC up before they went to bed next time, in whoever’s house they were in. Next time. Was she really lucky enough for there to be more than one of these blissful experiences?

  That in itself was another issue to think about. Colton said he wanted permanent exclusivity. She couldn’t deny that the sound of a long-term relationship with them was thrilling, but their talk had brought to light the many logistical issues with moving into one place when there were two involved, let alone three. Could three people have a joint bank account? Whose house would they pick or would they get a new one to start afresh in? Would the men want her to have children with them? How would they decide who gets to father the child? Would they take turns? If it were obvious who fathered the child, would one be territorial over the kid while the other not want him at all?

  So many things could go wrong. How could this work? What the hell had she been thinking?

  And the worst part? Once Colton came out to his folks and then introduced her and Alex as the other parts of his new life, his father would certainly make Colton choose between her and the family. She knew that Colt’s father was no bigot. He didn’t have anything against people with alternative lifestyles. She thought that he could even eventually accept a triad relationship, no matter how unconventional it was.

  Just not one with her in it. Officer Evans disliked Bleu for reasons that could not be explained. That he would not explain. Could Bleu let herself come between Colton and his father? The guy was his son’s hero. Hell, he was her hero. No. It wasn’t fair to him. If he came out to his father with just Alex as a lover it would be rocky, but it would work and they would eventually be accepted. She didn’t fit into this equation, no matter how much she hoped to. She sucked in a quick breath as the conclusion she had just drawn whipped around her head a little longer. Only moments ago she was set on working on a triad with these two men, she had been joyful at the prospect.

  Tears pressing at the back of her eyes, she felt her skin coat in a sheen of sweat that had nothing to do with body temperature. Her heart was slowly and methodically breaking and she swore she could hear the crack. God, it hurt.

  She quietly pulled herself away from Alex and slipped out of bed. The clock now read 4:25 a.m. By the time she gathered her things and dressed, it was 4:27 a.m.

  Bleu tread lightly down the steps, shoes in hand
, and crept toward Alex’s kitchen. She spotted a pad and pen and wrote a quick note that even she knew was complete bullshit. She crumpled it up and stuck it in her pocket. The next one she wrote was slightly more sincere, her words giving the impression she had planned to leave them on their own from the beginning, allowing them to use her as the bridge to start their relationship. The hard thing about this excuse was if they accepted it and proceeded with just the two of them, they would expect her to hang out with them. She couldn’t do that. Just the thought of seeing them together and happy with her sitting on the other side of the booth…the third. The fruit fly, a term she’d always hated as it marked the woman as a pest and the man with yet another stereotype. It made her sick. Acid pooled in the back of her throat. She clutched the counter top until her knuckles turned white.

  She’d given up heroine. She’d detoxed. If Bleu could find the strength to beat her drug addictions, she could give up loving the two most perfect men in the world.

  By the time she taped the note to the front door, locked the house up, started the car, and drove away, the clock on her dash read 4:44 a.m. She was no stranger to having her life turn on a dime in a matter of minutes.

  Chapter 9

  There are some mornings that are just too perfect for words, when all the little things add up to create the most perfect wakening from a deep, restful sleep and back into the real world. Such mornings can only come from pure contentedness. That’s what Colton’s mom always said when he would wake up cranky for no reason. It didn’t matter if the pillow was cool under your face, or whether or not there was that perfect amount of morning white noise. Your morning would be perfect if you were happy, deep down in your soul.

  At that moment, on that beautifully peaceful and careless morning, Colton knew perfection. Perfection was a hard and muscled body curled up next to him. It was dark, curly, silky hair tickling his chin and the weight of a friend-turned-lover’s head on your shoulder. Everything was absolutely perfect…well, almost perfect. There was a half of his perfection that he couldn’t see. Colton raised his head to see what he knew was going to be a scorching hot vision of Bleu curled up against their dark lover. His heart stuttered for half a second seeing an empty space on the other side of Alex. He looked to the bathroom, which was wide open and clearly empty. Scanning the room he quickly realized that none of Bleu’s belongings were tossed about as they had been the previous night. Now, his heart was pumping in a wild panic.