Love & Stitches at The Asylum: Part Sixty-Nine
You didn't think the Core forgot Wren's party, did you?
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Slipping away from one’s own sub should not be this difficult.
Barely breathing, Jared timed his few respirations to Wren’s as he eased out from under the bedcovers at half-past four in the morning. He’d become accustomed to programming his body to wake up at a predetermined time in the military and had never lost the knack. After nudging Jamie to wake him, he put a finger to his lips and left. A quick glance at his phone in the darkened loft living room showed it to be precisely two minutes past that time, which had been taken up with the slow crawl from the bed and creeping around the squeaky floorboards that Curtis had kept squeaky for them to help catch sneaky subs.
L.D. prowled the area near his food dish in the kitchen, perking up to wind around his legs with affectionate mewls that almost convinced Jared he wouldn’t be in for a world of hurt were he to pick the creature up for a snuggle.
“It’s not breakfast time.” He whispered the news to the cat, who really didn’t give a shit what time it was and showed his displeasure by walking over Jared’s bare foot with his claws out. “You little—” Hopping around on one foot, he held the other, tempted to kick the cat. “You’re lucky I love Noah and Jamie, or you’d be Cruella Deville’s next victim.”
Unperturbed, L.D. licked his paw and cleaned his ears, sitting in the middle of the kitchen counter he’d jumped up on.
He perked up. “Mrow?”
“Bite me.” Jared snapped. Then thought better of it. “Or not. If you want to live.”
L.D., staring past him, tried again. “Mrow?”
Jared turned in time to see Noah sneaking up on him despite the floorboards. “Aha! That cat is good for something.”
“He’s a little traitor.” Noah waved his finger at L.D., giving him a fond look. “How am I supposed to practice scaring people if you let them know I’m there? Your invitation is hereby revoked.”
Breathing a quiet laugh, Jared brushed his fingers through Noah’s wild curls and tugged lightly to claim a kiss. “Good morning. Let’s get coffee downstairs lest we wake up our sleeping beauties.”
Nodding, Noah flicked his tongue over Jared’s bottom lip before moving back and languidly stretching his arms behind him. Already wearing jeans, but nothing else, he padded over to the front door, grabbing a pair of his well-worn sneakers and tugging them over his bare feet. “I think it’ll be the quietest morning we’ve had in a while.” His lips twisted into a wry grin. “Let’s hope I don’t regret saying that.”
Toeing into a pair of his most scuffed brown loafers, Jared shook his head. “You won’t. Vani is on patrol with a few of her men outside The Asylum. She’s as interested in seeing Wren have some fun as we are.”
In the stairwell, after closing the door quietly behind him, Noah joined him on the steps. “That’s very good to know. I love doing something special for him, but I can’t say it didn’t occur to me that there could be some risks. Thank you for making sure those were eliminated.”
They didn’t have a great track record for birthday parties at The Asylum. Or, at least, not for their boys. Jamie’s had been fun, until...it hadn’t. There was no way in hell Jared was going to sit by and chance another such disaster. Not that he would admit that to Noah, but it was likely the thought hadn’t been far from his mind, either.
Glancing behind him as he descended the stairs, Jared acknowledged Noah’s thanks with a nod. “Of course, love. This will be a good day. How could it not be with all of Pike’s planning, along with Jacks, Curtis, you and me? Everyone?” His lips slanted when he thought of his conversation last night with Jamie. “And I bought us some extra time should Wren wake up early and wonder where we’ve gone off to.”
“See, this is how I know you’re the one with the brains in this relationship.” Noah trotted down the steps, spirits clearly light and showing the kind of energy that made it hard to believe he’d only just gotten out of bed. Unlike some, it didn’t take very long for him to be wide awake and ready for pretty much anything. Thankfully, today, it would be something enjoyable for all. “Curtis had fun making that ‘little’ tower down by the pool, so Danny could take part, but be well away from anything scary. We need to keep coming up with random projects like that. It keeps Curtis out of trouble.”
“Curtis? Trouble? I have no idea what you mean.” Jared played dumb, tone dry, then grinned. “He seems happier lately. It’s nice to see. For all of us.” He pushed open the bar door, stepping into the darkened space as the lights flickered on automatically—a new contraption of Curtis’ that probably somehow Rhodey and his men knew how to get around. “And you two seem to be in the best space you’ve been in, perhaps ever.”
Noah inclined his head, moving around the bar to set up the coffee machine. “We are. And it feels…really good. I missed being able to relax with him and just have fun. I think that’s improved my relationship with Lawson as well—aside from our trip together. I wasn’t sure until Lawson was okay with me winning Matt. Obviously, I intended on being very careful with him, but Lawson trusting me that much? It’s a huge change.”
This had been something Jared had missed. Watching the three men work with each other, building their community and crafting a home had been one of his chief delights back in the day. Even when it had seemed like he was on the outside of their tight group, he’d been in the wings, watching Noah. Hoping. Waiting. The pangs of longing he’d experienced had been tempered with pride for who Noah had become and all he’d proven himself capable of. Now, the circle was—if not complete—coming around in the fullest, most joyful way imaginable.
“I’m so proud of you, sometimes I could burst.” Jared reached a hand across the bar, palm up.
Leaving the coffee to brew, the aroma already indicating it would be on the stronger side, Noah stepped up to the bar and clasped Jared’s hand. “I like hearing that, my love. I like knowing I can do more than be a burden on my family. On you.” He looked over the bar, taking in the space. “I’m looking forward to seeing this place all done up. Decorating just for the members is fun, but this is even more special.”
Jared ran his thumb over Noah’s knuckles, enjoying the warmth and sturdiness of his hands. “You have never, not for a single moment in all the time I’ve known you, been a burden.” Gaze locked with Noah’s he leaned closer. “I have always and will always see exactly how much love you have in that huge heart of yours, and I fully intend to make certain you and I enjoy every moment of today—and all the rest of our days—in this place. Rhodey and I used to lie in our bunks and I would talk him to sleep with descriptions of all the places I imagined living—painting a picture of safety and beauty for us both.” A soft smile curved his lips. “I have a pretty good fantasy life, and had an even better one back then, but I never in a million years could’ve imagined a place as wonderful as this. Our home. With you and the men who share it with us.”
“Hell, I dreamed up the place, but I couldn’t even come close to what actually materialized. Curtis and Lawson adding to it, you, then everyone else? It’s grown in all the best ways. And I’m looking forward to how it will continue to.” Noah squeezed his hand, then went back to the coffee machine, never patient enough to wait for the pot to fill before he began pouring as much as he could into mugs to start serving. He let out a soft laugh. “Would you like some, too, uncle, or are you starting off the day with your breakfast beer?”
Jared glanced in the direction of the gym, not immediately seeing his oldest and closest friend. His onetime lover, and the man he once thought he’d be with forever. In a sense, he supposed he was, only not in the way he’d once imagined. “Hello, husky.”
“G’mornin’.” Rhodey stepped out of the shadows he always managed to enfold himself in when silently standing watch, though he must have come in if recently Noah was just noticing him there now. He came over to the bar, pulling out the stool next to Jared. “I’ll have some coffee, nephew. I do drink the stuff, but only when I’ve actually just woken up. Usually, by the time the rest of you lot get down here, it’s really my lunch beer, but that doesn’t get the same reaction.”
The supplies they needed for the bar had been laid out in boxes on the tables, and Jared stood, needing to get to work if only to have something to do with all of the excitement bubbling inside him. He’d never planned something quite like this—had wanted to, but one thing or another had always seemed to interrupt.
Lifting some containers of faux cobwebs, and a package of felt spiders that had tiny motors to make them climb all over the metal powder that coated the webs, he chuckled at the memory of a birthday party Rhodey had once thrown him. “We have the champagne but not the chips and steak.”
Rhodey took both mugs of coffee Noah served and brought them over, handing Jared one, a smile tugging at his lips. “We’ll need to do that again sometime, for old time’s sake. Without the bank robbery attempt. Or…you know.” He took a sip of coffee and cleared his throat. “I can get Keiran to throw on an extra steak or two if you want. You’ll need your energy for all that you’ve got planned today.”
“That would be delightful.” Sipping Noah’s paint thinner, Jared licked his teeth after. “Both the birthday celebration picnic and the steak from your boy.” He motioned with his mug toward the cobwebs. “I could use Avery’s climbing skills to get these placed all around The Asylum. Here, the gym, the dance club. The maze. With the spiders.”
A rustling in the rafters preceded Avery’s swinging upside down by his legs so he hung like a bat over Rhodey’s head. “Heyo. Do the spiders glow?”
“You’ll have to wait and see.” Rhodey reached up and caught Avery around the waist, flipping him to his feet. “Go let Keiran know to put on some extra steak. And about a dozen eggs. You’re having some, too, my little snake. You burn off calories like your veins are full of gasoline. I’m going to have to get you drinking Dallas’ protein shakes if this keeps up.”
“I have a hot Dom who revs my engine hard.” Leaning into Rhodey, Avery put his arms around his waist to peer up at him.
Watching the sub, Jared found himself recalling not only the way Rhodey’s scent clung to his clothes but also how the steady, strong rhythm of his heart had created a haven on nights when their foster parents had forgotten to pay the heating bill. On the heels of that thought, other memories surfaced, ones not quite so ancient, and he rolled his shoulders to shrug them off.
He never went there. Not if he could help it.
Another sip of Noah’s strong coffee helping his brain jump to a different track, he met Rhodey’s eyes when Avery slipped off to the galley. “I’ll go upstairs to get him around noon, but we’ll need someone to keep watch until then to make certain he doesn’t come down.” He gestured toward the stairs with his mug. “I’ll go up, if need be.”
“I’ll get Danny to head over and help Jamie. Between the two of them, I’m sure they can keep him distracted. Or he’ll traumatize them both.” Rhodey plucked a mini coffin out of the box and shook it, then lifted his shoulders. “Either way, should work.”
“Careful, those—” Jared began, only to be cut off when a mini skeleton leaped out of the coffin with an ear-splitting yell. “Scream.”
Rhodey didn’t jump, or really react at all, aside from giving the thing a dirty look before tossing it in the box. He wiped his hands together and picked up his coffee. “At least it’s not penguins.”
“Ah, yes. The penguins.” He’d heard about almost nothing else, first from Wren, then from Jamie—who’d been pestering him and Noah to go see if they were still at Tracey’s.
The snow machines had taken on the mantle of distraction when they’d needed Wren to not look out the window over the past twenty-four hours, while Curtis finished up the maze, and the rest of the Core ferried the supplies around the club to the rooms they’d be installed in.
Glancing at Noah, behind the bar, Jared motioned to the man’s stool. “You might want to get in some time sitting down because there’s not going to be much the rest of the day and into the evening.”
“I’ll sit when I’m dead, don’t worry, my love.” Noah took another gulp of coffee, making a face and dumping in more sugar and cream. “I think we need a new coffee machine.” He glanced over as the front door opened, tensing for a split second, almost too brief to notice, before Connor stepped in. Relaxing, he reached over and held up a mug. “Coffee?”
Lawson, he would have warned, but Jared amused himself and his inner sadist by taking a sip from his own mug and making an appreciative sound that would’ve had Curtis passing him a low-five under the bar ledge.
Connor nodded, walking over to the bar as he shrugged off his jacket and set it over the back of one of the stools. “That would be great, thanks.” He cleared his throat, turning his attention to Jared as he pulled a small box out of the pocket of his jacket. “I was hoping to catch you before things get started, and while there’s no one bleeding.”
Glancing at the box, Jared arched one brow before he met Connor’s gaze. “I like you, Connor, but we hardly know each other, really.”
“Damn. I guess I’ll go with my second question then.” Connor thanked Noah as a mug was set in front of him, clearing his throat again before taking a big gulp. And shooting Noah a horrified look. “Jesus Christ, I guess that’s one fucking way to make sure Matt never quits. Next time, go with actual poison.”
Rhodey chuckled, polishing off the rest of his own coffee. “And this is why I let him live.”
Reaching for the sugar, Jared debated whether to put any in. He’d heard it could be good, but drinking something that tasted like caffeinated breakfast cereal had never appealed. He pushed the decanter away again, leaning back. “Who? Connor, or Noah?”
That got him a dry look from Rhodey. “You’re hilarious this morning. I haven’t wanted to kill my nephew in a very long time.”
Connor shook his head, using a few napkins to wipe off his tongue. “I’m feeling the love. Any chance to get something other than lighter fluid to drink? If not, I’ll have water.”
Immediately, there was a gagging sound from the partially open stairwell door, Pike’s voice echoing behind it. “You said there would be yummy stuff if I got out of bed. There’s only water. Probably gruel. I’ve been good. I can’t work under these conditions.”
Waiting for the ‘unicorn’ that never came, Jared found himself mouthing the word for the sub himself. “Come sit with me, little gremlin.” Leaning to one side, he called out to Pike. “Connor is about to either ask me for my hand in marriage, or if he can collar Jamie. I need a witness.”
“Jamie’s gonna wear two collars?” Pike tripped through the door, partially snagging his foot somehow in the side of it and almost smacking Seth in the face as he attempted to catch himself on the way down. “Oww. I gotta ask Curtis to fix that thing. It’s defective.”
Thankfully, Seth caught him by the arm just in time, his face going near-white before the color rushed back at the near fall. Lifting Pike into his arms, he kissed the side of his neck then blew a raspberry against it that made the boy giggle.
Lifting his head, he speared Jared with his gaze. “Stop trying to collect subs like Pokémon. He’s sitting with me. Go upstairs and get one of your own if you want someone to snuggle with.” He jutted his chin in Noah’s direction, winking. “Or him. He’d do, in a pinch.”
“Jared won’t try to collect me. We have an understanding.” Pike rested his head on Seth’s shoulder, sticking out his foot and wiggling his toes. “In other news, I think Quint was right about the shoes. I’ll have to give him a blowjob later to apologize.”
Still chuckling at the sub’s antics, Jared shifted his focus to Connor. He nodded toward the box. “Show it to me.” He flicked his gaze to Noah. “And you’re good with this, I presume?”
Noah nodded, sipping at his coffee like it was a strange challenge to finish it all. “He’s good for our boy and he approached this the right way. But I won’t make the decision for you. If you’re not comfortable with it, we can leave things as they are.”
Coming to Jared’s table, Connor placed the small box in front of him, his expression serious now. “I’m hoping you will be comfortable with it. I love Jamie and if it’s a ‘no’ then I’ll just spend more time here, working on changing your mind. I own my own business, I can make my own hours, and I spend a lot of time with him as it is. If what I do during that time has to be limited, so be it.” He held Jared’s gaze. “But you’re a reasonable man so I don’t think that’s necessary.”
To buy himself time to think things through, and to sort his own emotions, he opened the box to view the platinum moon tag with diamond stars around it. Fingering the tag, he harrumphed at the man’s attention to detail. Seeing the two together, he’d figured this would’ve happened a long time ago—he was surprised it hadn’t before Jamie had met Noah and come to The Asylum.
He lifted his gaze, surprised at the emotion tightening his chest. “Why now? Why not before? What changed?”
Connor’s lips twisted to one side. “I decided to join in the poker game. And I realized the idea of anyone else winning Jamie bothered me. So I spoke to Noah…and Blain. Accepted some things about myself. How I enjoy playing. And that I haven’t seen him as a kid, or a little brother, in a long time.”
Nodding slowly, Jared thought over what he’d seen Curtis go through with Reed—how he’d had to adjust his own thinking to notice the sub—and it made sense. “And do you think you can do your job objectively with him submitting to you? Not get distracted by his...” His lips twitched. “Wiles?”
“Yes.” Connor’s expression lightened with amusement. “He’s my little diva. When I’m guarding him in any other scenario than at the club or in private? Very little will change. I understand the lifestyle and how it impacts him. I know what he needs from me.”
“And what is that, exactly?” Curious, because it made sense that a man who’d seen Jamie grow up would know him well, when it had been difficult for him to rise to that challenge himself, Jared pretended to press.
Connor rested his forearms on the edge of the table. “He needs someone he can tell exactly what he wants, and a way to get it, that doesn’t feel like taking all the control. Someone who can see past that Hollywood smile when he pulls it on, who knows how to bring him back to himself. Both you and Noah struggle sometimes to see it until it’s too late. Everyone gets frustrated. I dealt with him, loved him, when he was a teen who had to wear that smile almost all the time. I love him as a man still learning he doesn’t have to. And I also happen to enjoy spoiling him rotten.” His lips curved slightly. “I’ll work with him to make sure he knows his other Doms have different needs and expectations.”
If everything the man had said hadn’t been absolutely one-hundred-percent accurate, Jared might have found himself bristling at the presumption. It was more than true that Connor knew Jamie better in some ways than he or Noah ever could. That didn’t mean they loved him any less. Only differently. In a way, it would be a huge relief to know that Jamie was getting his needs met, because the worry over him tripping Noah into a spiral of self-recrimination had been very real for some time.
“And you? What do you get?” He’d never seen the man play in the dungeon and had no idea whether he was hardcore—which Jared very much doubted—wanted a rope bunny, or something else. His lips curved. “Besides very well-trained head?”
Connor snorted, leaning back in his chair. “I’m a service Top. I enjoy fulfilling the needs of a sub. I find a lot of pleasure in whatever satisfies them. I didn’t think that would be something he’d be into, not with the intense Doms he ended up with, but we’re a good fit. In every way.”
Giving Noah one last appraising look, to see how he was taking all of this, Jared tried to determine what was best not only for Jamie, but for their family as a whole. It seemed that Noah and Connor had spoken about this a great deal, judging by the lack of surprise on his lover’s face.
“I agree that they’re a good fit.” Noah took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he came around the bar and leaned against the back of Lawson’s stool. “And I feel like this is what Jamie’s been missing.” His smile was a bit sheepish. “I asked Blain if I could become a service Top myself. His reaction was…interesting.”
Closing the lid on the box, Jared met Noah’s smile with a softer one of his own. “I imagine it was. And that you even asked is one of the reasons I love you.” He pushed the box with one finger toward Connor. “He stays with you two to three nights a week. We’ll work out the rest as we go.”
“I’d enjoy that very much. Thank you.” Connor plucked up the box and slid it into the pocket of his jeans. Then gave Jared a broad smile. “I’ll have Curtis come over and build some more closet space. Our boy is going to need it.”
Jared’s brows shot up. Just thinking of the closet Jamie had upstairs made his palms sweat. Wren had a hard enough time keeping up with the wardrobe responsibilities. Letting out a slow breath, he slowly shook his head. “Whatever you do, don’t bring him back every time in a condition that forces me to play the villain. Because I will.”
“I think you’d probably enjoy that. And so would he.” Connor let out a soft laugh as he stood. “I’ll send him back happy. That much I can promise. I will encourage him to follow your rules when he’s with you, or around the club. I don’t want things more difficult for him. But I honestly don’t see it being an issue…after some adjustments.”
In some ways, it might’ve been more difficult if Connor lived at The Asylum. The styles of his and their Dominance were different enough that it would be easy for Jamie to force them into good cop/bad cop roles. “We’ll work it out.”
Leaning close to Seth, two of his Dom’s buttons already set on the table in front of them, Pike whispered in his usual way, loud enough to be uncomfortable that close to Seth’s ear. “Are all the tag negotiations this intense? Do the contracts come next? Can we have popcorn for breakfast because I’mma need some if the next level is a cage match or something. Jared will kick his ass, he's got stealth doctor moves. Not quite as good as yours, but pretty close.”
“They’re this intense when Jared’s busy trying to figure out what the hell Connor sees that he never did.” Seth had him pegged, and it rankled. But not as much after he took a sip of Noah’s coffee and ended up spitting it out across the bar.
Pike patted Seth’s chest, wiggling out of his lap. “I guess only subs got the memo from Matt. There’s only, like, two Doms who know how to make coffee right, and none of them are in this bar right now. I’m gonna go wake him up so Noah can stop torturing everyone.”
“There are some thoughts you can keep inside that head of yours, scamp.” Noah grumbled as he took his coffee back, giving Rhodey a dirty look when his uncle smirked at him. “I think all that vodka burned out your tastebuds.”
Not looking the least bit bothered by the assessment, Rhodey lifted his shoulders. “I can taste the things that matter. I’ve had worse and I was being nice. You made an attempt. Don’t do it again.”
Coming out of the galley with a tray that was almost as big as he was, Avery saw Pike and paused minutely before giving him a wide berth. Cheeks flushed, eyes a bit glassy, he had the telltale, puffy-lipped look of a sub who’d been thoroughly debauched as he set the tray full of steak and eggs down in front of Rhodey.
Clearly confused by the reaction, Pike shuffled his feet and tucked his hands into the pockets of his pajama pants, these ones with cartoon trains all over them, and jutted his chin toward the stairwell. “I’m gonna go get Matt. I’ll be careful on the stairs and not bug the Doms.”
“Alright, Pixie.” Seth patted Pike’s arm, his narrowed gaze on Avery, who’d begun unloading plates in front of Rhodey and Jared. “Hurry back. My lap will be cold.”
“Yes, sir.” Pike ducked into the stairwell, his padding up the stairs sounding like he tripped up half of them, but fortunately, no sounds of pain followed. Or thumps.
“If you have a problem with my sub, say so, Avery.” Seth settled back in his stool, arms crossed over his chest.
Lips parting, Avery jerked his head up, nearly dropping the bundle of silver he’d been about to place to Jared’s left. “Um, no, sir? I mean, I don’t.”
Rhodey cut into his steak, spearing a piece with his knife and holding it up, giving Seth a warning look. “If he had a problem with your sub, you’d know it, my man. The boy’s not missing body parts.” He turned his attention to Avery. “What was all that about?”
Licking his lip rings, Avery widened his stance and placed his hands behind his back. “He likes to snatch things off plates. I was trying to avoid getting you and Jared the wrong number of eggs. You said twelve. I know you meant twelve and not eleven or nine, sir.”
“Ah.” Rhodey chuckled, biting the piece of steak off his knife before reaching out to hook his arm around his boy’s waist and pull him onto his thigh. “True, but you ruined my opportunity to give him a nice whack so he didn’t try that again. No spoiling my fun, little snake. I need to keep all you subbies on your toes.”
Avery adjusted so he wasn’t in Rhodey’s way, leaning back against his chest. The dark of his hair nearly blended with Rhodey’s T, making it difficult to tell where the sub’s head ended and Rhodey’s chest began. If his skin weren’t so pale, he might’ve had a chance to disappear entirely.
“Connor, if you wish to keep Jamie and Wren amused this morning, you’re welcome to go up to the loft.” Checking in with Noah, Jared exchanged a glance with him to make sure he didn’t mind. “It might save Jamie from pretzels and Red Bull for breakfast.”
Noah frowned, holding up his hand when Connor started for the door. “Don’t give him the tag in front of Wren. I want either me or Jared to talk things over with him so he understands this won’t change anything between them. Or any of us.”
“Leastwise, not in a negative way.” Because change was inevitable whenever you added another human to a dynamic, Jared amended Noah’s statement as he reached over to squeeze his arm. “But, yes. That’s an important point.”
Inclining his head, Connor gave them both a reassuring look. “I’ll speak to Jamie in private and let you approach this with your other sub however you feel is best. I care about Wren, but I don’t know him nearly as well as either of you do, so I won’t overstep. And I’ll keep them both occupied and away from all the prep.”
With how detailed the man was in his responses—how thorough—it was obvious he’d had military training. There was something in his demeanor that Jared couldn’t quite put his finger on. It wasn’t until he left that he turned to Noah, voice lowered to make the observation.
“Service Tops...” He hadn’t been close to any of them. “They feel like switches to me. Or is that just this one?”
Noah’s lips twitched as he shook his head. “I can see how you might get that impression, but try to give the man an order. He’ll do exactly what he planned to in the first place and make you feel like it was your idea. I don’t think it’s a BDSM thing. I think it’s Hollywood. He didn’t manage so well for so long without picking up a few tricks of the trade.” He rolled his shoulders before sitting back. “It would bother me if I didn’t see his priority is always what’s best for Jamie. I can respect that.”
Tucking into his own steak, Jared cut a piece and held his fork to Noah’s lips with a hooded look, remembering how he’d done the same on their picnics in Rhodey’s basement all those years ago. “We’re going to, all four of us, make Jamie very happy, and have some fun playing a few games along the way to keep things light, and everyone on their toes.”
Teeth snagging the meat, Noah tugged it off the fork. He chewed, his expression thoughtful. “More games, yes. But I don’t see Connor taking part in any more of them that involve swapping subs. It’s another thing we discussed. He’s not interested in having any other subs. If he was, I wouldn’t have agreed to any of this.” He wiped the edge of his lips with his thumb. “I know it’s double standards, but I don’t give a fuck.”
Mopping up some egg yolk with a corner of rye toast, Jared nodded. “Yes. The last thing our boy needs is that sort of heartbreak. But it’s interesting...” He popped the toast into his mouth, enjoying the spice of the rye and the contrasting buttery goodness of the egg as he chewed and swallowed. “I would’ve pegged him for monogamy when he fell for you. If not for Wren, I think he would’ve pushed for it.”
“If Connor had changed the way he saw Jamie before we’d met? It would’ve been a non-issue.” Noah gave him a slanted smile. “And if I’d’ve said yes to Lawson, things would be a lot different around here. I’d be a properly tame husband.”
“You’re not my husband.” Lawson’s confused, pre-coffee tone came as he moved past the stairwell door, shaking his head and frowning. “That was a terrible idea. I’d like to take back the request.” He walked past his stool. “Did I upset my actual husband? Why did Matt burn the coffee? I need to find him and apologize. Please excuse me.”
The front door opened, Matt coming in with a brown carry out bag in one hand and a stack of coffee trays in the other, somehow managing to balance eight cups of the steaming drinks without listing to the right.
“Sorry I’m late. I had to scrub some graffiti off the new sign. The gang tagged it again.” Blowing his bangs out of his face, he threw Lawson an apologetic smile, then frowned as he sniffed the air. “Did Reed make coffee?”
“No, I did. And I’m aware it’s terrible.” Noah crossed over to Lawson, gently redirecting him to his stool. “Matt isn’t upset with you. Sit down and have some of his magic brew. You don’t have to take back the request, you found the right men for you and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Going around the room, Matt placed the coffee cups at each Core member’s regular spots, even though most of them weren’t down yet, giving Lawson’s to him first with a kiss to his cheek. Then Noah, and did the same. Jared’s came without the kiss and with a wide berth.
“Oh, I see how it is.” Coming in from the stairwell, Curtis snickered. “Gotta give you a mind blowing night in the sack before you give up the sugar with your coffee.”
Rubbing his hand over his face, Lawson sighed. “I missed something. Please give me a moment, I’ll catch up. I woke up with the wrong people in my bed.”
“I don’t know, sir.” Reed came out of the stairwell behind Curtis, his eyes sparkling with laughter and he towed Pike along behind him, the smaller sub now wearing a pair of Reed’s unicorn slippers. “Having O’Rourkes piled up in bed with you is more fun than I woulda expected it to be once.”
Lingering by Noah, Matt whispered something in his ear that Jared couldn’t catch.
“Go ahead, I think Jamie’d like that very much.” Noah brushed his hand over Matt’s hair. “I do a decent job with hot chocolate after what you showed me, but he still likes the way you make it best. I’ll let you keep the title of supreme drinkmaster.”
Glowing at the praise, Matt smiled broadly. “Thank you, sir.” His step light, he snagged a couple of the cups and gave Lawson another kiss on his way past. “I’ll be right back for your second cup, sir. Good morning.”
“Good morning, my love.” Lawson looked Matt over, nodding as though to himself. “No, your hair isn’t blue. I must have been having a strange dream.”
Pike huffed as he climbed onto Seth’s lap. “The door wasn’t locked. I figured I’d just pop in and quietly wake up Matt. I didn’t mean to grope Reed so I can’t get in trouble. It’s bad enough it coulda been my cousin. I’m terrible at this whole waking people up thing. Never doing it again.”
Sliding Jared’s plate away from him, Seth placed it in front of Pike. “Since you’re not eating that...”
Too slow, Jared missed and stuck his knife in the bar instead of Bizzy’s hand.
At which point Curtis let out the most girl-like shriek Jared had ever heard come from a man who hadn’t just been kicked in the nuts.
“You need to get back to training, sir.” Keiran clucked his tongue as he came out of the galley, balancing another tray in one hand. He deftly retrieved Jared’s plate and replaced it with another. “Play nice, children.” He freed the knife from the bar and handed it to Jared. “And if you can’t, don’t miss. Are you enjoying your steak, sir?”
“Very much.” To prove his point, Jared cut off a bite and chewed the sweet piece of tender meat while Curtis fussed over the gouge in the bartop with his fingertips. “Noah has been as well.”
“Wood putty... I think I have some... Then sanding...” Curtis spoke to the bar top. “It’ll be okay, pretty baby. Daddy’s got you.”
Reed shook his head, pulling out a lollipop and slipping it between his lips. He slid up to Seth’s side, picking up a fruit tart and holding it to Pike’s mouth. “You can come wake me up anytime, Cookie Monster. I might need someone to cuddle with. My Dom’s in a relationship with the literal bar.”
“Only because his cruel fiancé won’t set a wedding date.” Scowling at the bartop, Curtis appeared to be seriously considering giving it mouth-to-mouth in an attempt to revive it.
“Alright. That’s my cue.” Standing, Jared grabbed a few of the boxes, stacking them up.
Inside one, several of the coffins fell open, emitting screams.
“Here, let me help you, sir.” Reed licked his fingers once Pike took the tart, rushing to grab one of the boxes. “I can get started in the dance club if you want? I remember how Pike drew out the setup.”
“Did the dry ice for the cannibal cauldron come in?” Nodding his thanks to Reed, Jared let his boy take the box, stepping around a table and heading toward the gym with him. “There were some problems with Jamie’s regular supplier last month.”
Reed pushed the door open with his hip, backing up to hold it open for Jared. “Quint put it in the clinic, out of reach of the smaller, oddly curious subs. Namely Pike, who wanted to lick it.”
“He’d better not, unless he wants me to lick him.” Lights in the gym flickered on as they moved past the motion sensor. “Not in a fun way.”
The ring had been set up with a gallows on top, a lifelike dummy dangling from it and swaying in the breeze from the ventilation system.
“Is there a not fun way?” Reed chuckled, his gaze going this way and that over the decorations. “This turned out pretty wicked. Wren’s gonna love it.”
Taking it all in, the hours and hours of planning that had been jammed into every spare moment over the past several weeks between all the little dramas—including Seth’s near exsanguination—Jared had to admit that it had, indeed, turned out ‘pretty wicked’ as Reed had said. Slanting his boy a smile, he continued to the dance club, hoping that the lights and nets for the mini escape rooms had been set up the way he’d specified, because climbing ladders hadn’t been his favorite thing in a very long time.
“I think he’ll appreciate the haunted jungle theme in here. It’s more original than a witches’ coven, but allows use of the cauldron.” Which they’d later use to bob for apples. Anyone who didn’t manage to get one would be tied up and eaten by zombies…somehow. The elaborate scenarios Pike had come up with didn’t all seem practical, but if even half played out, the day would be a success. “And as for not fun lickings, I am certain you would never be so naughty that you’d earn one from me. Would you, now?”
Reed shook his head, getting the dance club door for him and balancing his box a bit awkwardly. “No, sir. I wouldn’t have to, you know, if I wanted that or…whatever. Umm…” He nodded toward the lights. “Matt fixed them up because Curtis was busy with all the building stuff. And Lawson still won’t let me climb a ladder. He barely let Matt do it, but then Matt got growly and they compromised by Lawson just hovering to catch him. That was a whole experience. I’m really okay doing it if you need me to, though.”
Setting his own boxes down on the edge of the glossy white bar’s curved length, Jared motioned for Reed to do the same. Someone had arranged Avery’s silks so they trailed like vines with poisonous looking spiky red and black flowers growing up them at intervals around the room. He palmed the remote for the lights, bringing up the green colored ones that cast the place in a Frankensteinian glow of which Mary Shelley herself would’ve approved.
“No...” Smiling at the effect, Jared tipped his head back, noting that the cobwebs he’d requested had been stretched at intervals along the less decorated spaces, and the mechanical spiders scuttled among them busily. “This will do just fine, my boy.” Cupping Reed’s cheeks with his palms he leaned in to claim a kiss, secretly enjoying the sweet candy taste of his tongue before he drew back. “Let’s get these skeleton coffin boobytraps set up where people won’t see them before they kick them over. Only you and I will have the boneyard map.” Digging in his pocket, he came up with a silk pouch. “Place one of these in each of six random coffins. Don’t tell anyone which ones they’re in. Anyone who finds one will get a special prize.”
Holding one up, Reed let out a low whistle. “These are pretty. I’m feeling like a slacker. All I got Wren was a Care Bear that’s designed to look like a half decayed zombie. I mean, it’s pretty cool, but y’all have expensive tastes and…yeah. Completely out of my league.”
“He will love your gift, and these are party favors.” Not that it made them any less expensive, but he’d wanted to do something that would remind Wren of Jamie’s eyes, and this was a little gesture that hadn’t cost him anything since he’d already had the stones. “Wren’s birthday present is from Sin and me.”
That had Reed’s eyes widening slightly. “Really? Okay, this I gotta see. I get to see, right? I’m his co-sub, it’s one of the perks. What’s it going to be? Sin does really awesome work.”
“Absolutely, love.” From the breast pocket of his shirt, Jared drew out a folded square of thick paper, handing it to Reed. “See for yourself.”
Unfolding the paper, Reed turned to hold it out under the better lighting. A soft smile curved his lips. “This is gorgeous. I can’t wait…” His brow furrowed. “Will Sin be back soon enough to do it? If not…I mean, Tay could. He helped Jamie with the soundtrack. He wasn’t planning on coming, but I bet we would talk him into it for a piece like this.”
The giant raven would cover Wren’s back, its wings outspread. The word ‘RAVEN’ in gothic lettering spiked downward from each letter that would be inked into Wren’s shoulders. It was a piece that would take more than one session. Running his fingertip along the cruel curves of each letter, Jared imagined Wren’s skin beneath, reveling in the knowledge that he could give his boy the decoration the beautiful canvas of his body deserved.
“You may, for part.” He slid his gaze sideways to Reed, who watched him. “But for some of it...I’ll want privacy. You’ll understand why when I get Curtis and Lawson to allow me to put some more pretty designs on you.”
Reed nodded, letting out a happy sigh. “I’d love that, sir. And I can’t wait to see what you come up with for me. You’ve got an eye for beautiful things…which sounds cheesy, but I mean it. I think it’s a big part of why you and Noah just…click.”
He’d never thought of it, really, assuming that he and Noah ‘clicked’, as Reed had put it, because of a love for reading and games of logic. There was a tiny bit of Stockholm Syndrome left over from their time together during his training, but the distance from the events had lessened that—along with Jared’s care not to insert himself over much once Noah had seemed to need to break free and stretch himself on his own.
Making a noncommittal sound of thanks, Jared folded the paper away. “I think most everything is set. Quint is going to place the dry ice, and Tay is welcome to come if you’d like to invite him. That’s a very good idea, my boy.” The only thing that remained, he realized, was for him to get his own red-lined Dracula cape and to round everyone up. “Have fun, and let me know if you get tired.”
“I will, sir, but I think I’ll be fine.” Reed began taking out all the coffins, testing each one and snickering to himself and he laid them on a nearby table, preparing to place them around the room. He held the emeralds carefully in the palm of his hand, looking at them a few times like he thought they might disappear. “Quint said he was going to make sure there were medical supplies available in each section. I think he went down to see Danny and have him come up with absolutely anything that could go wrong. And took notes.”
Putting his second plan for the day in motion, Jared looked around carefully to make certain no one was listening other than Reed. He brought the sub close by both arms and pretended to kiss his ear, whispering instead. “Can you keep a secret and help me with something different?”
“Yeah, I can do that, sir.” Reed seemed to be hardly breathing, like one wrong move might change Jared’s mind about including him. “I hope you know you can trust me with anything.”
He did know that, in fact, but this was something highly sensitive that could go either very right or very wrong. Lips pressed right up against the shell of Reed’s ear, he growled the next part.
“Good boy. I’m going to need you close, to help me coral Quint and Seth in the maze’s ‘Dead End’.” Easing back a bit, he let Reed see the heat in his gaze. “It’s high time I reminded them both who their C.O. really is.”
****
Check back next weekend for Part 70!
So much goodness here 😍 Jared saying yes to Connor❤️🔥 It’s time for Wrens partaaayyy, Jared bout to lay the hammer down with Quint and Seth 😳 and Curtis 😂 I’m still giggling over the whole scene about the knife in the bar.
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