Room at the Edge (23 page)

They sank onto the couch on either side of him, pressed close as if for warmth or comfort.

“It’s an art, not a science,” Laura said, and Liam nodded and slid his hand into Jay’s hair, his grip tight as he dragged Jay’s head into his lap. Jay made the smallest of sounds, a gasp, a whimper, and Liam felt his submission in that moment. It wouldn’t last for long, maybe, and it wasn’t as reliable a surrender as Chris’s, not yet, but it was a start.

Beside him, Austin sat, waiting patiently, needing encouragement as much as Jay needed a firm hand, offering Liam everything he had and hoping Liam would want more.

Liam kissed his cheek, a cool, brief kiss, feeling something inside him click into place. With them here beside him, his doubts fled, his control absolute. They gave him that certainty just by being themselves, and he loved them for it.

At a flick of his fingers, Austin slid to the floor, going to his knees, his sigh of pleasure audible only to Liam. He knelt as Liam had taught him to, mirroring Chris’s position, his wrists crossed at the small of his back.

There was a moment of silence as Liam glanced at them, knowing Laura’s gaze was on them too. Then she asked casually, “So how do you celebrate Christmas, Liam? Any exotic British traditions you can’t do without?”

“It’s barely December,” Liam told her. “I’m not even thinking about it yet, though I know I’ll be spending some time with my children.” He wanted to see them, but leaving Austin and Jay would be a wrench, and he’d do his best to let them see that. “I can’t think of much we do that you don’t do here. We eat too much, drink too much, spend too much. It’s depressing in a way.”

“Mm.” Laura seemed to accept his statement without agreeing with it; it was clever, and Liam gave her points for tact.

“And what about you?”

“Oh, Chris and I will have a quiet morning at home, then visit his family in the afternoon. We won’t see my family until next week—my sister is coming with her two kids. They love Chris. Well, everyone loves Chris.” She touched the back of Chris’s neck again, another light caress, and he exuded pleasure without moving.

Neither of them spoke to Austin or Jay directly. Liam’s intention had been for them to ask questions if they had any, to seek clarity, but now that Laura was here in the room with them, it seemed unnecessary. It was Liam who had needed the reassurance that all of this was possible. Now he had it. It wasn’t up to Austin and Jay to make him feel better or to sort out how to work through the challenges of their relationship.

“It’s been great,” Laura said, finishing her wine and holding the glass in front of Chris to indicate that he should take it. “Thanks for having us over.” She stood, and Liam rose with her as Chris left the room, presumably to deliver her wineglass to the kitchen.

All three of them followed Laura and Chris to the front door, where they bundled themselves into their winter coats and shook hands all around.

“I’ll be in touch,” Laura said and briefly clasped Liam’s hand in both of hers as Chris held the door for her. Then they went off into the night.

“Brr,” Austin said, locking the door and wrapping his arms around himself. “I guess it’s really winter now.”

“So it would seem.” Liam tugged Austin to him and kissed his temple, then patted Jay’s arse lightly. “All right, you two. Let’s get the downstairs neatened up before bed, or you’ll both be doing nothing but cleaning all day tomorrow. And when you’ve finished that…”

“You have plans for us?” Jay asked.

“You know I do. So hurry.”

* * * *

Liam shifted slightly on the couch, pleasantly tired from a day spent doing very little. When Austin had returned from his mother’s, Liam cooked them brunch, and then they’d done their own things in the afternoon, Jay disappearing to work on a diorama, Austin tackling a stack of ironing as if it were a treat. Liam, nudged into awareness of the upcoming holiday, had done some online shopping for gifts, finding it as exhausting as pushing his way through crowded malls.

When the movie had started, they’d all been close, touching, but as it went on both Jay and Austin had edged ever closer until Jay was nearly in his lap and Austin was using his shoulder as a pillow. Not that he was complaining—he loved that they felt so comfortable with him, and he suspected this was what they all needed more than anything else.

Now Austin’s hand, which had been resting near Liam’s knee, was stroking idly along his thigh instead.

Wondering if he should comment or respond in some way, he settled for staying still, tacitly encouraging the caress, aware of a gentle swell of arousal coupled with amused curiosity. Austin’s attention seemed to be on the screen, but Liam really doubted Austin was following the convoluted plot.

Jay sighed and nestled closer, his leg sliding between Liam’s thighs, his hand coming to rest on Liam’s chest, the tip of his middle finger against Liam’s nipple. With the smallest of movements, that finger drew circles, pressing against the soft, raised flesh until it hardened.

The lights were off, the curtains drawn, the room lit only by the flickering images on the screen. Liam waited for their next move, no longer the slightest bit interested in the movie. His arms were around them, and he couldn’t change that without signaling that he was aware of their stealthy seduction. He didn’t want to do that, even though it left him unable to return their caresses. Let the game continue awhile longer. It was pleasant to be here with them in the near darkness, the two of them showing him wordlessly that they wanted him.

Austin’s hand slid higher, the side of his little finger brushing Liam’s rapidly forming erection. Through the loose trousers he was wearing, it was a touch that should have barely registered, but in his current state of anticipation it sent a thrill of desire through him, a groan rising that he stifled.

He wasn’t going to make this easy for them and spoil their fun. His two beautiful, loving boys, so patient, so eager to be perfect for him without realizing that in his eyes they already were. Their rebellions and their occasional failures didn’t bother him. He wanted subs, not robots, a challenge, not a walkover. And he was honest enough to admit that for every mistake they made, he made two. He was learning along with them, and they all stumbled at times as they outpaced themselves.

Jay lifted his face and kissed the side of Liam’s jaw, which ought to be smooth enough at least, given that he’d shaved only a few hours ago.

Oh, hello
. Now Austin’s fingertips were moving gently over Liam’s erection, and Jay’s lips had found his earlobe. Any chance Liam had of pretending he didn’t realize this was happening disappeared, and he turned his head to kiss Jay, who made a grateful sound and pressed against him even more eagerly.

“You smell so good,” Austin murmured, slowly unbuttoning Liam’s shirt and slipping his hand inside. Austin’s fingers were cool, his palm warmer.

“I thought,” Liam said, “we were watching a movie.”

“We are,” Jay said. “Don’t tell me you never made out at the movies when you were a teenager.”

“None of us are teenagers now,” Liam pointed out, but his ability to have a real conversation fled when Jay settled a hand over his cock, thumb tracing the head through his clothes.

“That just means we can do more than make out,” Austin said with a wicked gleam in his eyes. “Adult things.”

“You mean…naughty things?” Jay asked with an attempt at shocked horror that was woefully unconvincing, accompanied as it was by the lowering of the zipper on Liam’s trousers.

“Oh yeah,” Austin said and pushed Liam’s shirt open, baring his chest. “We can be really naughty all we like.”

“Don’t naughty boys get spanked?” Jay wondered, catching his lower lip between his teeth and looking adorably worried.

Liam couldn’t hold back a grin. “If you two have finished reenacting the start of a porn movie…”

“The ones we watch generally don’t have this much plot,” Jay said, slipping his hand into Liam’s trousers and making the discovery that Liam had gone commando. “Huh. We dress like this when we didn’t do laundry.” He tugged gently at the hair around Liam’s cock, teasing him. “It’d be fun to watch one together sometime. Or one of yours, if you have any?”

“Maybe,” Liam said, refusing to commit himself. He had a small collection of porn movies, though he hadn’t watched them in a while. They’d provided a glimpse into a world he’d turned his back on in an attempt to save his marriage and, as such, had been a source of frustration more than anything else.

And most of the movies featured female subs, which ruled out the possibility of watching them with Austin and Jay. There had been one with a male sub, though, a prisoner attempting to avoid punishment by offering himself to a guard—and discovering he’d made the wrong choice. They’d played roughly—Jay would have loved it—but there had been a visible connection between the two actors that had saved the short movie from being run-of-the-mill. Liam had watched that one more than once, drawn to it, though he’d steadfastly refused to think about why it’d appealed.

He knew now.

“By now we’d all be naked,” Austin said.

“Hmm,” Liam said. “And Jay was saying derogatory things about porn why?”

Austin chuckled and leaned down to where Jay’s hand was still only teasingly close to Liam’s cock, breathing warm air over Liam’s skin. “There are good things about porn.” He licked Liam’s shaft so quickly and lightly that it was over before Liam could enjoy it. “We could show you.”

“I’m sure you could.” Liam’s voice was a bit shaky.

“We could do whatever you wanted us to,” Jay agreed, kissing him again. “You could tell us what you want.”

“One instruction,” Liam said. “Have fun.”

“Anything off-limits?”

Liam shook his head. “Not tonight.” He was barefoot, and the shirt and trousers he was wearing were half off him as it was. He took them off without moving from the couch, Austin and Jay shifting to give him space to work the shirt off and kick down his trousers. Naked, he glanced at them. “You want to play with me, boys? I’m right here.”

“Oh my God.” Jay’s throat-caught whimper was flattering as hell, Liam decided. “You are so fucking hot, Sir, and yeah, I know that sounds cheesy, but I mean it. I just want to…”

“What?” Liam asked, then shook his head. “No. Don’t tell me. Just do it. But get naked first. I want to see you.”

Jay slid off the couch and stripped, not making it a performance but still giving Liam plenty to look at as more skin was revealed. Bare, Jay was stunning, though he would’ve looked better with some marks on him. Jay’s arse should always have a few fresh stripes on it, a scatter of bruises in Liam’s opinion, one he knew Jay shared. It looked naked without them. He got to see that arse as Jay turned and bent to gather up the clothing scattered on the carpet, an unnecessary bit of tidying done solely to show himself off.

“He needs spanking, Sir,” Austin said, echoing Liam’s thoughts.

“So do you,” Liam said and hauled a surprised, wriggling Austin over his lap, dealing out a flurry of slaps under Jay’s amused gaze. Austin yelped, though the spanks weren’t at all hard, and pushed up his arse pleadingly when Liam stopped. “That’s enough for now. Why don’t you get undressed and let Jay show me what he wants to do?”

As soon as Austin moved to stand, Jay was half in Liam’s lap, mouth finding Liam’s cock like he was starved for it. It was as eager a blowjob as Liam could remember, and he found himself closing his eyes and holding on to Jay’s long hair more tightly than he needed to because of how fast and desperately he was turned on.

“Christ,” he muttered, forcing himself to loosen his grip. “Sorry, love.”

Jay said something unintelligible around Liam’s cock, and Austin explained, “He likes when you pull his hair…which you already know.” Austin flushed, and Liam shook his head, glad of the distraction from Jay’s hot, willing mouth.

“Don’t blush like that unless you’re doing it for a good reason. I needed the reminder. Thank you.”

Austin let the T-shirt he’d been wearing drop to the floor much more carelessly than he normally would have, leaving him naked and no less hard than Liam felt. He sank onto his knees in front of Liam and nudged his thighs apart. Jay made a choked sound of protest but moved to give Austin room. Austin leaned in and licked a slow line up the inside of Liam’s thigh.

“I want to do this,” Austin said, waiting until Liam met his gaze before licking a fingertip and brushing it to the sensitive skin below Liam’s balls. “With my tongue.”

Liam spread his legs wider still, hooking his foot over Jay’s shoulder to give Austin access, exposing himself blatantly without caring how he looked. They were his subs and whatever game they were playing, ultimately he was in charge, and they all knew it, all wanted it that way.

But beyond that, they were two men he loved, and he wasn’t going to hinder them in any way.

Jay turned and kissed Liam’s ankle, his hand warm against the arch of Liam’s foot. Shouldering Liam’s leg had forced him to straighten, and he gave Liam a reproachful look. “I can’t do much to you like this, Sir.”

“You can touch me. And you can watch Austin— Oh yes. There.” Austin’s tongue flickered against the skin his finger had left wet, and Liam gave an approving growl. He’d never done this to them, but every time they rimmed him, he wanted to try it, to conquer them with the soft, liquid lap of his tongue as surely as he did with a white-hot lick from a whip or the sizzle of a cane stroke.

Austin ran his tongue lower, the tip of it breaching Liam’s hole, sliding inside the barest amount, then swirling over the surface before darting forward again. Sweat broke out on Liam’s forehead, his chest constricting, the sensation disproportionately intense considering Austin was using nothing but his tongue to provide it.

Jay ran his hand along Liam’s inner thigh, as far as he could reach, scratching the sensitive skin lightly with his nails, drawing Liam’s attention back to him. “Sir…please?”

Without knowing what he was agreeing to, his cock stiff and hard, craving a touch, Liam nodded.

With a grateful sigh, Jay put his hand in the crook of Liam’s knee and pushed up and back so that Austin could reach even more of Liam’s arse and Jay could move closer to take Liam’s cock in his mouth again. He sucking at it voraciously, using his teeth, as if inviting Liam to take a handful of his hair again to control him, which Liam did.