by Jayne Rylon
James grunted when Neil slapped his ass. “Hurry up, Joe. I need that too and I’m not real patient right now.”
Joe laughed as he slathered his cock then tossed the lube to Neil.
James kissed Devon’s neck and drew in a deep breath, loving the sweet musk of Kayla’s arousal. He pressed forward, his cock boring into his wife even as Neil quickly coated himself and touched his slick cock to James’s ass.
He was stuck, pinned in place by Devon and Neil, only able to give and take as they allowed. It was heaven. He didn’t have to think. Didn’t have to worry. Didn’t have to second guess, because this was his zone, where he was meant to be and where he would always belong.
It was only more evident when Mike fisted James’s hair and steered his mouth toward Mike’s cock. He opened his mouth, his neck straining so that he could swallow the foreman whole. Buried in Devon, James took all of Neil and Mike too. Meanwhile, Dave tunneled into Kayla as Devon licked his wife’s clit and Joe fit himself into Dave’s ass.
James swallowed around Mike, making the man groan. Kate whispered words of encouragement to him, telling him how this was only possible because of the crew he’d built and his leadership, which had encouraged each of them to embrace what they needed, even if it was unconventional. She ran her hands down his arms from behind, then up his abs and over his chest, pausing to thumb his tight nipples.
James tasted the first spurt of Mike’s precome as Neil began to ride, fucking James’s ass and causing him to pound into Devon equally as hard. His wife moaned, then arched into his hold as Kayla did the same to Dave. The big guy cursed when Joe’s hips began to slap against Dave’s ass, his lunges losing some of their control in favor of raw passion.
And that’s when James began to float.
In that state where none of them was bound by conscious thought and simply acted, where he wished they could exist forever, though it never lasted quite long enough to keep him from wanting to do it again and again.
Everyone surrounded him, Devon, and Kayla.
They ran their hands through the women’s hair, over their arms, the side of their breasts, the dip of her waists. Neil added his hand to James’s, raising her knee higher, spreading her even more for James’s penetration. He fused himself to her, every inch of his skin that touched her singing with the contact.
James clung to her, relying on Neil to drive him into her with the force of his plunges, which became faster and jerkier with time. Kayla howled against Devon’s pussy as Dave fucked her, burying fully between her legs as Joe bottomed out in his ass.
James closed his eyes and tried to hang on, but the need to fly and give them everything he had nearly overwhelmed his restraint. Passion whipped around him like wind in a hurricane. And soon he wasn’t the only one clinging to self-control by his fingernails.
“Fuck. Fuck!” Mike growled as James sucked harder, swirling his tongue around the head of their foreman’s cock.
“I am.” Joe groaned. “But not for long.”
“Is everyone ready?” Mike asked.
It wasn’t often they all came together, but this was one of those magical moments. James could feel it. Each of them had been afraid, in their own way, of this massive move and the change to their lives, which had been amazing before and would be even better now.
It was relief propelling them, and excitement. For the future. For what they were building together, even if it wasn’t in the same way as before.
“Going. Now,” Devon panted before she writhed in his arms. Her pussy smothered his cock even as he crashed into her, spilling deep within her as Neil did the same. He flooded James’s ass as he roared, his teeth sinking into James’s shoulder while he held James tight.
Then James was swallowing as fast as he could to keep up with the pumping of Mike’s cock in his throat. But even he couldn’t keep up and a few drops spilled from the corner of his mouth as he shuddered and drained himself into Devon.
Dave’s balls were drawn tight to his body and pulsing in front of James’s face as he unloaded into Kayla, and Joe was drawn by the clamp of Dave’s ass on his cock into a stellar orgasm of his own.
For a minute it was as if every molecule of oxygen was sucked from the room. They were still and quiet. And when they relaxed, moaning, groaning, and disentangling themselves, it wasn’t to go far.
The crew snuggled, a pile of tangled limbs and shared partners. James took a deep breath for the first time in what seemed like forever. Then another and another.
He helped Devon twist around so they were face to face then hugged her tight to him, while Neil did the same to him from behind. “It’s going to be okay, James. You’ll figure this out. And until then, we’ve got you.”
James ignored the stinging in his eyes and nodded sharply. Because he knew it was true and he’d never been so damn grateful for the crew as he was at that moment.
10
Usually after a session with the crew like the one they’d indulged in the night before, James would be floating around on a euphoric high that would last for days afterward. This time, not so much.
Neil cursed from the closet, making James grumble, “If you’d hang your clothes up when you took them out of the damn dryer you would know where they were when you needed to get dressed.”
“Sorry. Sorry.” Neil hopped on one foot as he dragged his jeans up his defined legs. “I’ll try to be more like you. You probably know where that fugly light-up sweater we made for the Christmas contest ten years ago is.”
“Second shelf, all the way to the back left.” Damn straight he did. He wasn’t a master organizer for nothing.
“I didn’t mean to wake you up.” Neil came closer, wincing. “You should sleep in. Catch up on your rest. No need to get up if you don’t have to be somewhere, even if I do miss my breakfast sandwich.”
Devon smacked Neil’s ass for James. But somehow even that didn’t make him smile.
“For the record, I do actually have something to do.” James cursed. “I told Jordan I’d install those security cameras on our sites, starting with Devon’s. The equipment has probably been sitting on the porch longer than is wise. Hopefully, it didn’t get stolen. That would be an awesome way to prove I’m not worthless.”
“Hey.” Neil shot him a concerned glance. “Stop talking about yourself like that or I’m going to get irritable too.”
“We probably don’t even need—”
“You’re getting them so don’t waste your breath.” James sliced his hands through the air.
“Fine, but don’t worry. I heard Joe take the puppy out at the ass crack of dawn and then some thuds so I’m sure he brought the gear in for you already.”
“And now Joe’s covering for me too? Great.”
“Uh oh. This is a serious case of the grumpies.” Devon paused and sat on the edge of the bed. When she reached for James’s hand, he levered himself up, brushing her fingers away. He had to take a shower, get dressed, and go to work making his lovers safer.
“No, it’s not. I’m annoyed with myself. I need to get my shit together. I’m the only one who can fix whatever the hell is wrong with me. Except I fucking can’t seem to pull my head out of my ass.” James threw up his hands, wishing he could figure out how to untangle the knot of worry and grief and indecision that had been choking him from the inside out for weeks. Now he wasn’t even pulling his weight around the house. His husband was going to go to work hungry and James was going to be the one late to a job site.
Okay, so it was more likely that Neil would swing by the drive thru and chow down on a couple of those greasy hash brown patties he loved, but that didn’t make James feel less guilty.
“I see.” Devon didn’t curse him out for being an asshole or flinch at his dramatic gesture, but he could tell by the way her face turned stony that he’d hurt her feelings.
“Shit. I’m sorry.” He reached for her. Neil came near too. He plopped onto the bed and huddled up with them both. Before James could beg forgiveness f
or his foul mood, his phone started buzzing on the nightstand.
When he saw Tom lighting up the screen, he grabbed it. Why would the patriarch of the Hot Rods and Hot Rides gangs call him this early?
After exchanging a worried glance with Devon and Neil, James answered on speakerphone, “Hey, Tom. What’s up?”
“You apparently.” Tom snorted at his dad joke. “I hope I didn’t wake you, but I need a favor and I think you’re the right man for the job.”
“Morning, Tom,” Neil said so the guy—Eli’s father and Joe’s uncle—would know he was talking to an audience. “Apparently everyone in Middletown has a use for my man today.”
Devon smiled at James. “He is pretty handy.”
James couldn’t help but smirk back, his ire dissipating a bit. These two and the rest of the crew sure were good for a man’s ego. Before Tom could read too much into their comments, James asked, “What can I do for you?”
“Feel free to say no. But…you know the shelter my first wife founded in town for at-risk youth?” Tom didn’t talk about the place very much, but James knew it was incredibly important to him even though it was laced with bittersweet memories.
“The one where you found those ragamuffin Hot Rods and brought them home from?” James teased. “Yeah, of course. What about it?”
“Well, it seems they’re shorthanded. They need a shop teacher to work with a special student. I told our director, Ms. Rodriguez, that I might know someone qualified to fill in for a bit. Would you mind going down there and lending a hand this afternoon?”
James clenched his eyes shut so he didn’t have to witness the genuine curiosity in Neil and Devon’s gazes. His heart started beating faster and his palms got sweaty in a flash. The youth shelter? That could be an incredibly worthwhile place to invest his time. Working with kids would definitely be more inspirational than the other options he’d come up with so far. Something like enthusiasm rose in him until his better sense squashed it. “Uh, I don’t know, Tom. I’m not sure I’m exactly a good role model for an impressionable young person.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Neil reared up, making James’s eyes fly open.
Devon was staring at him with her head tipped as if he was stupid. “Of course you are, James.”
“You’re perfect for this. Trust me.” Tom didn’t stop there. “Uh, the kid is gay and has been teased a bunch. To the point that our director is concerned he might turn to self-harm. He could learn a lot from you about how to appreciate himself even when others might not.”
Tom’s well-thought-out logic made James wonder exactly how long he’d been cooking up this so-called last minute request.
Neil clenched James’s hand. “You should do it. You’re strong. You dealt with plenty of bullies when you were his age and unlike most other guys in your class. I bet there’s lots of kids out there, not only the one Tom is reaching out about, who could really benefit from hearing that message from you.”
“Especially if you can encourage them and promise them there’s someone or someones waiting to love them as much as we love you so they hang on long enough to find them.” Devon nodded.
James reminded himself that although he didn’t know what his future held, he never once doubted this part of his life. He was so damn fortunate. They were right—it would be selfish of him to keep that information to himself. Wrong not to give back.
Besides, what the hell else was he going to do after finishing the surveillance install except lie on the couch and doom scroll on his phone all day? Maybe peek in at the nosy neighbor group and gossip about the police scanner some more? Not likely.
“You said you wanted to do something meaningful. What could matter more than this?” Devon rubbed his arm. “I don’t know where I’d be if I didn’t have you. Go, James. Make a difference in this kid’s world and his future-Devon or future-Neil will have you to thank, even if they never know it.”
Neil looped his arm around James’s shoulders. “You got this.”
“Listen to your wife and your husband. They’re smart,” Tom prodded. “And honestly, I’m not sure who else to ask. I’m in a bind. Please?”
That was a knee straight to the balls.
Tom didn’t ask for favors very often. Hell, James couldn’t remember the guy ever making a request despite being there to save their asses or kick them, whenever he was needed. “Yeah, okay. I’ll do it. I hope you all are right and I don’t make things harder for this kid somehow. Hanging out with me isn’t likely to be a point in his favor with the assholes picking on him.”
“He can handle himself, like you learned to do. He just needs someone to point him in the right direction.” Tom seemed awfully smug.
“I never was a Boy Scout. But you’re right, I made it through those hellish years and I can maybe teach this kid a few survival skills. Or at least how to measure twice and cut once. Equally valuable life lessons, I guess.”
Neil laughed and Devon kissed his cheek.
“I need to set up some cameras on the crew sites for Jordan first. Is that okay?”
“Oh, yeah!” Tom seemed really interested. “That’s a great idea, actually. I thought about mentioning it to him but I know he’s…busy…this week.”
“So I heard. That’s why I volunteered. I should be able to figure this out.” At least he hoped he wouldn’t have to bug the guy much. “What time do they need me there?”
“Around two. Will that work?”
James nabbed his planner off the side table, flipped it open and confirmed his yawning page of nothingness before penciling in both the security job and then the shelter appointment. Wow, two whole things in one day. That made him a little more eager to get rolling anyway. “It should. I can always finish the install job afterward.”
“Perfect. Let me know how it goes, kid.” Tom hung up and James sat, staring at the phone in his hand. Something about being called kid, as if Tom wouldn’t mind if James had been his own flesh and blood, did funny things to his insides.
Tom was a good man. The confidence he had in James might have had something to do with the warm fuzzies floating around in his guts too. His glower evaporated, replaced by a tentative smile.
If nothing else, James didn’t want to let down Tom, who was the closest thing he had to a true dad or Jordan, who was giving him the tools to look after the crew.
“Guess you better hit the shower and get dressed.” Neil kissed James, then gave him a tight hug.
Devon nodded and took her turn. “You’re going to do great today.”
James wasn’t as confident as either of his spouses, but he did trust them with everything he had, including his soul, so he opted to believe they were right.
11
James was whistling by the time he hauled the first batch of equipment from the hatch-back of his snazzy, good-as-new-again car and carried it to the clearing where Devon was overseeing the pouring of the spa foundation. He saluted her but didn’t interrupt, instead heading toward the temporary utility pole where their electricity was run for the site.
He sat cross-legged on the ground and sliced open the box with his pocket knife before removing a packet of instructions. Unlike Neil, who would have tossed them aside in favor of figuring it out himself, James thoroughly read every word before beginning.
The installation itself was going to be a piece of cake, but the networking aspect of it was new to him. Good thing he’d brought his laptop, and his planner—of course—in his backpack.
He unpacked the cameras, wires, transmitters, and mounting plates, inventorying all of the components before opening his travel tool-kit. Everything inside was laid out in orderly rows, precisely where he had put it.
It took less than thirty minutes before he’d knocked out the physical connections and had the system humming away and displaying an image of the entire site on his screen. At that point, he picked up his cell and dialed Jordan.
“How’s it going?” Jordan answered without bothering with hello.
>
“Good. Sorry to interrupt, I know you’re busy, but I’m ready to establish the network connections whenever you have a moment. Either now or I can come back whenever…”
“This is fine.” Jordan was terse but kind. James could work with that. He shut down his natural chatty tendencies and focused on just the facts. “I’m going to hand you off to Sola, who’s the head of our tech and comms team. When you’re finished with her, come back to me for a wrap up.”
“Will do.” James leaned in, Jordan’s focus rubbing off on him. He would have been lying if he said he didn’t feed off their sense of urgency. Plus, it fired him up that he was capable enough to handle the stuff on his end with minimal direction. It was like the feeling he got when he coordinated complicated processes, like insurance bullshit, for the crew and helped make their lives just a little easier.
“Hey, there.” A woman came on the line. She shared Jordan’s rapid, to-the-point style.
“Hi. I think I have the cameras all set up and broadcasting. What’s next?”
“First I’ll need you to look up the IP addresses for each device. Open the control panel, then click…”
James followed her step by step instructions, allowing her to drive his hands as they flew over the keyboard, entered commands, and clicked through menus he’d never seen before. In less than five minutes, they’d done it.
“Aha. I see you now.” She laughed when he blew her a kiss over the camera feed. “And more importantly, I see the entire construction site. Is that woman over there your wife?”
“Yup.” James puffed up with more pride than he’d felt at nailing the camera install.
“She’s cute. And badass. Look at her bossing around all those construction workers.”
“Yes, she is.” He nodded, beaming at Devon. “She’s a great foreman.”
“I’m sure she is. And now we’ll make sure there’s no funny business going on to derail her projects. You think you’ll remember how to link the system at the other sites?”