Jamie, page 3
His last roomie just sent a thumbs-up.
“Everything okay?” Bran asked.
“Yes. My roommates.” He rolled his eyes.
“How many do you have?”
“Seven.”
“There are eight of you living in one place?” Bran looked honestly shocked.
“There are twelve of us living in the house, but only four have kitchen privileges, so we don’t count them.” It wasn’t as wild as it sounded. It was cheap, fun, and safe.
“You don’t count the people who have kitchen privileges?” Bran chuckled, the sound dry. “Why do I suddenly feel old?”
Silas reached across James to stroke Bran’s belly. “You’re not old, love. You’re just right.”
“I’m just starting my next career, and this is the way to go. Cheap and safe.”
“Absolutely. It just seems like a lot of people in one place to me and Bran, that’s all. Also, I have a bunch of new questions, but maybe we should save them for home, hmm? We’ll light a fire and settle in front of it with some popcorn and hot chocolates.”
“Oh, that sounds great…” He was in.
“Fantastic.” Bran stood and held a hand out to him, helping him up. Silas scooted along after, and they headed out and down to the right.
“It’s about a fifteen-minute walk from here. Sound good?” Silas asked.
“Sounds great. What do you two do for a living?” It was obvious what he did.
“I own a gallery and Silas is an artist.” Bran looked over at Silas like he’d hung the moon.
“It was how we met, actually.”
“I still tease him sometimes that that’s why he’s still with me.”
Silas snorted. “And when he does, I tell him to look in the mirror and that’s why I’m still with him.”
“You two are adorable! I love that!” He was jealous, sure, but more crazy pleased.
Silas and Bran both stopped and looked at each other for a long moment. Then they laughed.
“We’ve never been called adorable before,” Silas told him.
“Well, I think it’s true. It’s obvious you two love each other.” He thought it was so sweet.
“We do.” Silas linked arms with him as they walked along. “I love every inch of his growly ass.”
“And I put up with every inch of his,” Bran said.
He made a decision there and then not to get in between these two. No way.
“All we need is our boy,” Silas noted.
“That would be perfect,” Bran added.
He didn’t know what to say, exactly. “Are there a lot of them? Like looking?”
“A lot of boys looking? No. There are a lot out there needing, though. We’ve nurtured several and seen them on to healthy, happy forever relationships.” Bran gave him a wry smile. “We’ve never found our one, though.”
“It was good, though, loving on them. They needed us and we needed them. We need to do our thing. It’s important.”
He nodded like he understood. He didn’t, but it didn’t really matter. They seemed like interesting men, and he was intrigued.
Silas and Bran turned the corner, bringing him with them. When they stopped, it was in front of a restored house with an elaborate garden out front. Even in the dark, he could make out numerous flowers and bushes, and even some rocks and statues.
“Welcome to our home.” They spoke together, voices warm.
“It’s lovely.” Natural and green and lush.
“Thank you.” Bran unlocked the door, and they went in, Silas still arm in arm with him. They walked through a hall with a bench on one side, and he was led to a huge living room with a fireplace. Silas led him to the couch that faced the fireplace while Bran went and lit a fire. It must have been already built up because it caught flame immediately.
“Wow. This is stunning.” He remembered living like this, at least vaguely.
“Thank you. It hasn’t been cheap, but we wanted a place that was a sanctuary for us, you know?” Silas sat close. The couch was incredibly comfortable, and he and Silas were almost snuggling, the cushions tilting them together.
Bran turned and smiled at them. “Hot chocolates? To go with the fire and learning about each other.”
“I… I would love that, thank you.” These men were so kind.
“You need help?” Silas asked.
“Nah, I got this. You stay and entertain our guest.”
“Should I break out my top hat and dance shoes?”
Bran snorted. “Only if you want him to run screaming from the house.”
Silas laughed and threw a fluffy pillow, which Bran caught neatly and tossed back at the couch before leaving the room and heading for the kitchen James could see on the other side of a huge island.
He looked around the big room, finding it still cozy and filled with books and art and knickknacks. So pretty.
“You like it?” Silas asked. It looked like the answer was important to him, too.
“It’s beautiful. Honestly. It’s like… a fairy house, but in the best way.”
“Well, two fairies do live here after all.” Silas gave him a wink, eyes sparkling in the firelight.
“Oh, ho!” He cracked up, because he’d done that. His first big role had been a fairy in a mini-series, wings and all.
Silas laughed with him, the handsome face looking younger and even more handsome with the humor.
“What kind of movies do you like? What shows do you binge?” Silas asked.
“I love movies, all sorts. I especially like buddy movies, ensemble casts.”
“Oh, buddy movies are awesome, aren’t they? What about binging? Can you lose hours watching one episode after another?”
“I don’t have a television, but I watch on my phone a lot.”
“Well, now you have another reason to visit us.”
“I swear I’m not pitiful. I’m just living frugally so that I can start my writing career.”
“You’re a writer!” Silas waved a hand at Bran as he came in with a tray of mugs. “Bran. Jamie’s a writer!”
“No. No, I’m trying to become a writer.” He wasn’t a writer. Not yet.
Bran put the tray down on the side table and looked right at him. “Do you put words down, boy? Do you do the act of writing?”
“I—Yeah?” Whoa. That was… Wow, he’d never thought of it that way.
“There you go,” Silas told him, and Bran nodded.
“If you write, then you’re a writer. Simple as that. Now, what you are is working toward getting paid for your writing, eh?”
“Yes. Well, I’m working on finishing a book first.”
“You’re a writer,” Bran told him, sounding absolutely sure. Silas just grinned.
“Well… okay.” If that made them happy.
Bran patted his thigh. “Be proud of yourself, boy.”
“Oh, I’m not hard on myself, don’t worry.” He was fine.
“Well, have a hot chocolate,” Silas suggested, and Bran handed him one of the mugs, a dozen little marshmallows floating on the top.
“Oh, how fun! I haven’t had marshmallows in years.” He applauded.
“It’s the secret to hot chocolate,” Bran told him, sounding absolutely serious. “That and using a dash of vanilla in with it.”
“Bran makes the best hot chocolate. Even I like it,” Silas noted.
“Well, thank you. I feel spoiled rotten.”
Silas looked pleased at his words. “Then we’re doing something right.”
Bran settled next to him on the couch, putting him in the middle again. Between the two of them and the fire, it was warm, cozy, and the hot chocolate was the cherry on top.
He sipped the cocoa, relaxing, his body melting into the heat.
The guys seemed happy to just sit and drink their cocoa as well, an easy quiet falling over the room broken only by the sound of the fire crackling. It was weird because he’d only just met them, but the silence wasn’t awkward.
In fact, he barely noticed when someone rescued his cocoa mug as he dozed off.
CHAPTER THREE
Bran sipped at his hot chocolate, watching Silas watch Jamie doze. His partner in life was already in love with the boy. He could tell. He was trying not to jump in himself. He could feel the pull, the chemistry ready to light up between the three of them. It wouldn’t take much—just a spark.
Finding boys and taking them in, helping them, that’s what he and Silas did. The dream of course was to have a boy of their own one day, but he was more cynical than Silas. He knew damn well it might never happen, that they might be destined to be a stopping point, a place for boys to heal before moving on to their forever Daddy. And there was nothing wrong with that, it was a noble calling. And they did have each other, so it wasn’t as if they were alone.
Silas caught his eye, and he gave his lover a small smile. But they weren’t whole. The words in his head had Silas’s voice.
He finished his drink and set it down quietly. “We should lie him out and cover him up with a blanket, let him sleep.” It meant a lot, that Jamie felt safe enough to fall asleep between them. Deep inside, the boy knew he was safe here, with them.
Silas nodded. “He’s so tired. You can tell in his eyes.”
“I saw. He feels safe with us.”
“Yeah. So he knows just like we do—he can feel it.”
“Don’t push him, love. We need to woo him.” That’s what you did with a special boy.
“I know. I know. I just feel so drawn to him.” Silas’s dark eyes caught the firelight, sparkling.
“I know. He’s special.” He’d give Silas that. “Which is why we need to go slow, be careful. We have to build trust.” Bran didn’t think this boy trusted much in life, and certainly not people.
They covered him up and headed into the dining area to chat. Silas cuddled into his side, fingers hot against his back.
He hummed, enjoying every touch, the closeness. He kissed the top of Silas’s head. “So why this one, love?”
“Stop that. I know you feel it. That spark. The connection.”
“I don’t believe in love at first sight.”
“No, but how about potential at first sight?”
“What?”
“You heard me. And I know you feel it.”
Bran shrugged one shoulder, but he kept it easy for his lover. “He’s a sweetheart, but he’s hiding something.”
“They’re all hiding something, love. They’re scared and alone and they need a Daddy. Jamie needs both his daddies.”
Bran’s body tightened, and he licked his lips.
“Mmm. Yes, my love. Exactly.”
Bran stole a kiss, because he was hungry, happy to lap at Silas, taste him. Silas opened up to him, tongue sliding against his own.
They couldn’t get busy, but he was unable to resist his Silas. Not even in the least.
“We going to make out like teenagers?” Silas asked against his lips.
“We are. We’ll stay in the kitchen, so we don’t worry him.”
“You think making out will worry him?”
Bran chuckled softly. “I simply don’t want him to be uncomfortable, love.”
“Then we’ll just share a few more kisses and leave it at that, hmm?” Silas followed his words up with another kiss.
“Maybe more than a few.” Like he could stop at a few when it came to his Silas.
“Yeah? You still want me like that?” Silas was cute when he was flirting.
“I always want you. Eternally.” He took another kiss.
Silas slid a hand along his cheek, one finger running across his lips. “You make my heart beat so fast, Bran.”
“I love you too, babe.” He couldn’t stop his smile.
“Mmm, the man of my heart in my arms and the boy of our dreams sleeping in the other room. Doesn’t get much better than this.”
His Silas was a true romantic, all the way, and he adored him.
“Hey, google, play my romance mix.” Slow music started, and Silas wrapped his arms around Bran’s shoulders and they started to move together.
“Oh…” He hummed as they rocked, temple to temple.
“Mmm.” Silas kissed him softly, stroking his neck.
That made his toes curl, and he couldn’t have stopped his moan for love or money. Silas swallowed the sound and kissed him again. It wasn’t hard and needy, but it was deep, slow, and full of promise.
He loved that kiss, and he found himself responding eagerly.
Silas opened up for him, inviting him into the hot mouth.
He slipped a hand between them, cupping the sweet prick. Silas moaned for him, pushing into his touch.
Oh, how had he thought for a second that he could resist that?
“Love this song,” Silas murmured, eyes shining up at him, telling him it wasn’t the song Silas loved.
“Uh-huh. Dancing with you is heaven.” Always had been. Always.
“Yes.” Laying his head on Bran’s shoulder, Silas sighed, the sound happy, satisfied. He hummed, dancing them in lazy circles, the feel of the house warm and happy.
“Do you remember the first time we did this?” Silas asked.
“How can I possibly forget? You captured my soul.”
“My handsome poet. You capture my soul daily.”
Bran chuckled, tempted to take another kiss, long and slow.
Silas must have read his mind because his lover raised his head, begging that kiss he so wanted to give.
“Mmm… my sweet love.” He hummed against Silas’s lips, the sound buzzing between them.
Silas licked at his lips, like he was an ice cream cone.
He was curious to see Silas kissing their boy, to have the lean body over his knee, to watch him grow and thrive.
“You’re thinking about him,” Silas noted between licks.
“Shh…” So what if he was?
Silas’s smile was a little smug. If by a little, one meant hugely so.
“Be nice. He is so pretty…”
“I know, right? And he needs us so badly—I could feel it pouring off him. He’s trying so hard, but he needs Daddies. Us.”
“Mmhmm…” Tell me more, babe.
“He needs someone to nurture his writing, and make sure he focuses on it but doesn’t get lost in it. He needs someone to keep him focused, period. You were right, he could have really hurt you or himself with that coffee because he was distracted. If he isn’t worried about where his next meal is coming from that will help him.”
“You don’t want just to help him.” He knew better.
“No, I don’t. And neither do you. This one is ours, lover. Jamie is our forever boy. We aren’t going to care for him, help him, and then pass him on to his new Daddy. This one is ours. You have to feel it too. Right here.” Silas pressed a hand against his gut, then moved it to his heart. “And here.”
“I’ll see. I want to protect you. You know that.” He needed to, if he was honest. He needed to keep his Silas safe.
“You think I’m jumping into shallow waters headfirst.”
“I think it’s my job to protect you from harm.”
Silas put a hand behind his neck again, tugging him down. Their lips met, the kiss sweet and hot. “Don’t close yourself off to him, lover. He needs the both of us.”
“I trust you.” And he wanted this to work, but how could it? This little love was so stressed.
“And I trust you, lover. With all of us.”
They rubbed their noses together, humming softly. He loved that.
“We just need to convince him he needs to be here with us instead of in a house with so many other people.”
“Okay, how?” He trusted Silas with this.
“That’s the sixty-four million dollar question, now isn’t it?”
Bran chuckled softly. “I guess we’ll have to figure it out together…”
“We work better that way anyway, don’t we?” Silas nibbled his chin. “We need to show him we’ll be there, thick or thin. If that means asking him to dinner or to an evening with us over and over again, then that’s what it means. Or if we have to go have coffee everyday, then we go have coffee every day. We’ll figure it out.”
“Such a hardship. Coffee every day.” His Silas was addicted and drank more than enough for the both of them. He was far happier with hot chocolates or teas.
“I know, right? Although I might have to add some crunches or something to my daily routine if I indulge in fancy coffees every day.” Silas rubbed his own belly, looking down at it mournfully.
His Silas loved the fancy coffees—caramel macchiatos and s’mores lattes and the like. The sweeter the better.
“I’ll keep you busy. Maybe you could just have a skinny latte.”
Silas made a face. “Skinny lattes? I’d rather just have water than that.” Then he glanced up at Bran with a decidedly come-hither look. “On the other hand, that thing you said about keeping me busy? That has potential.” Silas batted his lashes outrageously.
“It does. We could do naked yoga…”
“Mmm.” Silas rubbed against him. “We could even invite Jamie to do naked yoga with us.”
“I wonder if he does yoga. Meditation. Deep breathing…”
“If he doesn’t, he can learn. You’re a great teacher.” Silas ran his fingers through Bran’s hair and rubbed against him some more. “You’ve taught me to be very bendy. Very.”
“You are pretty damn bendy, love. Absolutely.”
“Mmm. You wanna make sure our sleeping beauty is still sleeping and then go upstairs so I can demonstrate?”
“Do you want me to carry him up to the guest room?”
“Oh, love, you have the best ideas. Not to mention, that way, I get to follow you up the stairs and watch your ass.”
“Okay, if he panics, make sure to catch us.” He headed into the living room to see if he could pick Jamie up.
Silas trailed him, soft chuckles coming from him.
Jamie was still asleep, so pretty, his lashes leaving bruises beneath his eyes.
He picked Jamie up, so careful, and the boy never blinked, didn’t even stir the entire way up the stairs.
“You see?” Silas whispered, hand warm on his back. “He already trusts us.”
“Mmhmm. Turn down the bed, lover? He’ll be safe here.”
