Unexpected Liaisons [Spirit of Sage 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour ManLove)

by Jools Louise

  “I don’t think you’re quite ready for that, yet,” Murphy interjected, looking sad. “You’re only just coming to terms with what happened underground… I would strongly recommend you don’t push yourselves into this too soon.”

  “If we don’t face our fears, they’ll just get worse, though, won’t they?” Ernest asked, almost bitterly. “Ethan’s the same. He can’t go downstairs at all, because he has flashbacks. I’m tired of being afraid of the dark,” he said, glaring over at Murphy fiercely.

  “If you push too hard, too soon, you could do irreparable damage,” Murphy replied quietly, looking sympathetic. Then he grinned over at Mick, who smiled back wickedly. “Unless you go with Mick’s solution, that is,” he continued, laughing when Jamie giggled delightedly.

  “It worked for me,” Jamie said, smiling over at Ernest. “The big guy just refused to let me be afraid anymore.” He frowned suddenly. “I’m not sure quite what he intends for my dad, though… If he thinks he’s going to help anyone else the same way, he’ll be sleeping on the couch for a month.” The sally generated a lot of laughter and teasing, since Mick’s solution to Jamie’s fear of being underground involved fucking his husband on every horizontal surface in their large basement. Apparently, now Jamie practically begged to go down there with Mick, every chance he got.

  Ernest was smiling, but his eyes were sad. He didn’t respond to the teasing and ducked his head back against Zane’s warm chest. Jamie got to his feet and came over, holding out his arms to hug the little shifter. Ernest accepted the offer of comfort, but his lower lip trembled.

  “It took me months to get over what happened to me. Years, really,” Jamie said softly. “Murphy’s right. You should face your fears only when it feels right, not because you think you have to do it all at once. It was nearly three years before our restaurant was finished, before I could even think about confronting the past.” He kissed Ernest’s cheek gently and then eased away. “You lost far more than I did, sweetie. Your family wouldn’t want you to be hurt again, would they? They didn’t sacrifice themselves for you to rush things. Heal first, enjoy being with your men, then think about facing your demons.” Jamie stared into Ernest’s eyes grimly. “Don’t worry, those demons will still be there, waiting for you. Just make sure you’re strong enough to deal with them—on your terms.”

  Ernest nodded, slow tears trickling down his face. “I feel like I failed them,” he said. “I was the youngest, so they all protected me. I kept wishing for ages that I’d died with them.” He looked up at his mates and then wiped his eyes. “I’m glad I didn’t give up. My brothers wanted me to survive for a reason.”

  “There’s another option,” Zane said, kissing Ernest’s tears away and hugging him close, nuzzling into his soft hair lovingly. “There’s a house that recently went up for sale just outside town, near to where Cody is living, isn’t there?” He looked over to where Cody sat with Douglas, Ethan, and the wolverines, feeding s’mores into the waning fire.

  Cody nodded. “Yes, it was owned by some people who died in the explosions. They were elderly and had no relatives who wanted to move here, so it’s on the market right now for a song.”

  “What are you thinking?” Cooper asked Zane, stroking his lover’s long hair.

  “I’m trying to think of alternatives for everyone. The house I’ve seen is quite big, with several bedrooms. It has a large backyard, with room to build a whole new oasis, and maybe we could open up the place above the workshop into a kind of rooftop bar or something. Maybe Chester would like to run it, or someone else who fancies a place in town. Then we’d have room to expand our family, Chester and his friends could still live with us, and the workshop stays where it is, in town, where it’s handy. Maybe we could have a gift shop or something to sell Luther’s carvings. Tourists love those sorts of things.” By the time Zane finished speaking, everyone around the fire was staring at him in awe. He shrugged, smiling at Aaron, who grinned back.

  “My friend, your brain works in mysterious ways,” Aaron said teasingly.

  “It sure does,” Cooper retorted, hugging Zane and then turning his head into a scorching kiss. “You didn’t just think about this tonight, did you?”

  “Our family is growing,” Zane said breathlessly, looking dazed once Cooper released his lips. “I was considering something like this for a while, before you came back, before I met Ernest.” Zane looked serious. “Ernest’s right. Those children deserve to have a loving home, in a family unit…however that family is made up. After what our own government condoned, I don’t think they’ll have too much to say about the appropriate way to bring up children. This is a place where we’re all working together to build a community.”

  Cooper rested his forehead against Zane’s for a moment and then kissed him again. “Baby, I like the idea, as long as you’re happy with it. I’d love a large family…and it looks like I’m getting one!” He laughed.

  * * * *

  Two days later, the discussion about adoptions took a new turn. Chester proposed that they transform the house that was up for sale into a group home. The idea was that the children who had been born into a lab experiment had the chance to acclimate to the world. They would live close to town so they could learn about the outside world. Chester and Elijah, once they had discussed matters, had decided that they’d like to see about getting licensing and qualifications in order to be considered for the venture.

  “Elijah and I want to move in together,” Chester admitted as he, Elijah, and the rest of Zane’s household sat together that night. “You could still adopt and stay here… I don’t want you to give up the oasis. It’s too valuable. Me and Elijah, and Simeon and Curt will move into the house, and then we’re not cramping your style.” He waggled his eyebrows at his brother.

  Cooper looked between Chester and Elijah, and he could see the love they had for each other—it shone brighter than the sun. Beaming from both of them, whenever they shared a glance. He smiled, glad that his little brother had found love, but sad that they might not be living as a family. He’d missed Chester so much.

  “It’ll take a while to get any kind of paperwork ready,” Zane advised, sitting on the couch sideways, his feet on Cooper’s lap and Ernest and Luther snuggled in on either side. “If that’s what you really want to do, we’ll do the planning first, find out what’s needed.”

  “You should head to the ranch, get to know some of the kids,” Luther suggested. “Cassidy will be a big help.”

  “We already did that,” Elijah admitted, his big body sprawled in a relaxed posture on a big armchair, Chester cuddling against him. “Cassidy was actually the one who suggested it. She said she’d help, and I got the impression that she and Jane wanted to come live there as well, so there would be women to help as well.” He grinned suddenly, and then laughed outright. “I don’t think she considers males particularly capable when it comes to taking care of children.”

  “Did you and Cassidy ever…?” Ernest began delicately, looking at Elijah.

  “Hell no!” Elijah yelped, looking shocked. “Cassidy was a full-blooded feline, so no, I didn’t do anything with her.” Elijah looked a subtle shade of green at the thought. “Besides,” he continued, his grin back in place, “that little female would’ve ripped my balls off for sure if I’d gone anywhere near her… She’s fierce as fuck.” He gave a mock shudder, which had everyone laughing.

  “Why don’t we take a look at the house tomorrow?” Cooper told his brother, noting the relief on Chester’s face. “We can ask Murphy to take a look, too, tell us what we need as far as licensing and stuff. He’s had more than enough experience with adoption processes recently.”

  Murphy had taken it upon himself to act as an unofficial mediator for people looking to adopt the children from the ranch. As a qualified psychotherapist, he vetted potential parents, and with Jace’s help to find out whether the adults were shifter or human, they had a fairly good system in place. On three occasions, the process had proven invaluab
le, since some parents had ulterior motives…thinking adoption meant free money. With the shifter kids, money was not on offer. The prospective adoptees had to prove they actually wanted to be parents because they cared about the kids, not to line their pockets. With new laws in place, shifters had the right to not be exploited ever again.

  Chester nodded, smiling. “I’d like that, bro.”

  “You’re not cramping my style,” Cooper said seriously. “Don’t feel like you have to move out, because you don’t. We’ve all discussed this,” he continued, gesturing to his mates, “and we’re happy for you to stay for as long as you want…all of you.”

  Chester ducked his head, looking ashamed. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded,” he replied. “It sounds like I’m being an ungrateful brat.”

  “It sounds like you want to help those little ones, the way you should have been helped,” Zane said gently. “There’s no shame to that. You’ve just found the love of your life, and you realize there’s a need to help out in the best possible way. Nobody thinks you’re ungrateful at all. Maybe you and Elijah want some time to yourselves for now, so you can both heal together.”

  Chester shot him a startled glance, blinking rapidly.

  “Zane’s right,” Elijah said softly, nuzzling into Chester’s soft hair. “It’ll be fun getting the house ready, just us two…and leave the rabbits here.” He shot a teasing look at Simeon and Curt, who flipped him off at the dig.

  “You may be surprised to know that renovating old houses isn’t really our thing,” Curt said haughtily, a twinkle in his eyes. “So if it’s okay with your brother and his mates, Sim and I like it here. We’ll help out once you have that old mausoleum shipshape.”

  Chester rolled his eyes at his best friends. “You do want to help with the group home, don’t you?” he asked more seriously. “Elijah and I seem to have just roped you into the plans, without thinking that you may want to do something else.”

  Simeon shot him a chiding look. “Chez, you should know both of us well enough by now to know we don’t get ‘roped in’ to anything. We’d love to be involved in it. We’ve been looking at getting our GED. We’ve spent too long being nobodies, at the mercy of other people. We’d love to help give those children a loving home.”

  Chester smiled finally and looked up at Elijah. “We’re gonna be parents, and you haven’t even asked me to marry you yet,” he teased, earning him a hot kiss, and then he was hauled over Elijah’s shoulder and carted off to the room they shared together. Chester waved happily as they disappeared down the hall, with everyone sending teasing comments after them.

  Simeon and Curt, looking tired, both said good night, leaving Cooper, Zane, and their smaller mates cuddling on the sofa.

  “Hmmm, are you okay, Cooper?” Ernest murmured, kissing the tip of Cooper’s chin.

  Cooper stared at his lover, cupping Ernest’s taut butt in both hands and rocking him gently, grinding their cocks together. Ernest let out a cute little growl, straddling Cooper’s lap and undulating his hips more firmly, pressing soft kisses over Cooper’s face.

  “Did you visit the store?” Cooper asked, kneading Ernest’s firm cheeks insistently.

  Ernest let out a gasp, nodding helplessly. “Yes, the new adult goods store is open for business,” he replied, his cheeks flushing a delectable pink, his lips parting as his eyes darkened to amber.

  “Good,” Cooper said gruffly and made swift work of Ernest’s jeans. Cooper gave an approving sound as he found bare skin beneath the denim and the added bonus of a rubber handle protruding from Ernest’s pinkening cheeks. “What size did you get?” Cooper asked, gripping the handle and tugging on it, smiling into Ernest’s passion-filled gaze.

  “The largest I could find,” Ernest whimpered, lifting himself up on his knees and pushing his bottom outward, eyes closing in pleasure as Cooper began to play with the butt plug, fucking the small shifter playfully.

  “So fucking sexy,” Cooper whispered against Ernest’s warm mouth, sucking on his lover’s moist tongue. “You’re one of the bravest people I’ve ever met, do you know that, honey?” he said, reaching down to unzip himself from his pants. His thick dick sprang up, slapping against Ernest’s taut thigh and spraying small drops of precum over Ernest. “You’ve welcomed not one but two men into a relationship you had with Zane. I’m so fucking proud of you, do you know that?” Cooper gestured for Luther to move into position, seeing his lover’s avid green gaze on the in-and-out motion of the butt plug.

  Luther knelt behind Ernest, pushing him forward slightly. Ernest threw his head back, groaning when Luther clasped Ernest’s hips, arranging him over Cooper’s thick cock, and then helping him sink down, by increments, after the plug was removed and thrown aside. Luther whimpered as he watched, his own cock rigid and dripping. He glanced backward, seeing Zane’s hungry gaze watching all three of them, masturbating his naked dick.

  “We’re gonna double fuck this beautiful ass, baby,” Cooper growled, gasping aloud as Ernest bottomed out.

  “Ohhhh,” Ernest sighed, lying still when Luther began to insert his own cock into Ernest’s snug chute. It was a tight fit, with Cooper’s cock being so big, but Luther’s more slender manhood managed to slide in alongside the monster already there, the feeling so exquisite that they all groaned in unison.

  “So fucking sexy,” Zane said, coming to kneel behind Luther now. “Now, then honey, how about we go double, too?” Luther grunted, his face contorted with pleasure when Zane produced a slender dildo, sliding it into Luther at the same time as he sheathed his cock, stretching Luther double-wide.

  “How does he feel?” Cooper asked, eyes half-closed with pleasure. He made shallow, short thrusts of his hips once Ernest began to relax. The movement had Ernest whining and moving in counterthrusts, swiveling his hips and shunting back and forth. Luther cried out, gripping Ernest’s slender shoulders, and then moved in sync, finding his rhythm slowly.

  “Like heaven,” Zane replied finally, breathlessly, letting Luther fuck himself as he stroked his hands down his smaller lover’s smooth back, soothing him as the pace ramped up. Cooper began to fuck up into Ernest, who ground down and then pushed back against Luther. At the same time, Luther moved forward and back, the sounds of flesh slapping together blending with the low moans and sighs. “I love you,” Zane said to his lovers, closing his eyes as he allowed his release to flow through him and into Luther, knowing he was coming too soon, but unable to hold back. He’d been walking around semi hard all day.

  In quick succession, Luther came, then Ernest, and finally Cooper, who ended up biting into Ernest’s shoulder to muffle his cries of completion. Ernest’s fangs bit deep into Cooper, Luther’s into Ernest and Zane gave a strangled gasp as he emptied into Luther’s sweet ass, sinking his blunt teeth into Luther’s nape before collapsing against the three men beneath him.

  “That was hot. Can we do it again?” Luther said breathlessly, and then groaned as Zane disengaged and slapped his ass.

  “Give me a minute,” Cooper groaned, chuckling.

  “Hmmm, I wanna fuck Zane now,” Ernest said sleepily, smiling against Cooper’s sweaty chest.

  “Insatiable,” Luther said with a laughing groan, removing his limp dick from Ernest’s soaking chute.

  “Yep,” Ernest replied with a giggle. He turned his head to kiss Luther languidly, and then yelped when Cooper surged to his feet and began to run along the hallway to their large bedroom with Ernest clutched in his arms. He bypassed it, ran out of the last door at the end, where the oasis was, then on down the steps to the pool, and leapt in, splashing everywhere.

  Zane gathered their clothing, shaking his head, and then followed more slowly, smiling widely. It looked like they were all in for an energetic night. He could hear the whoops and giggling from downstairs and sauntered through the oasis, laughing at Luther, who had found his confidence in the water now and was in the pool, splashing his mates like crazy.

  Stripping completely, Zane padded down the st
eps, then leapt onto Cooper’s shoulders, and took the big man under with a rebel yell.

  Tonight was all about fun—they’d worry about everything else tomorrow.

  Epilogue

  Ernest cried silently, happy tears this time, thankful he was alive. He’d lost his family, but found a new one…and three men who gave him the world. The moon glinted down on his lovers, all curled up, naked, on a raised, cushion-filled platform behind the home he shared with them.

  They had exchanged rings today, in front of all their friends, in the gazebo that stood proudly in the center of town. The ceremony, in human or marital terms, wasn’t strictly legal. In shifter terms, which was all that mattered, it was binding in every way. Now they were one unit, a family, and they couldn’t be happier. They were so in love it was ridiculous.

  Ernest stared down at the simple gold band on his finger, clutching his fist around it as he brought his hand to his chest, resting it on the new tattoo he’d had done to memorialize the occasion of his bond with his three sexy studs.

  “Are you okay, Ernest?” Zane asked drowsily, sounding concerned.

  Ernest whimpered, then sniffed, and then smiled wide enough to split his face in two. He leapt at the pile of sex-scented bodies and squeezed into the middle, feeling arms surround him and warm kisses caress his skin.

  “I’m more than okay,” he said, kissing Zane hungrily as Zane maneuvered them both so that Zane’s fat dick could slide into place inside Ernest’s welcoming hole. “I wasn’t expecting to find one forever love after what happened…and now I have three. I’m so lucky.”

  Turning his head as Zane began to move with slow, steady thrusts, Ernest found Cooper’s mouth with his, and then Luther joined the party and turned it into a sloppy three-way that had them all humming.