Where There's a Will (23 page)

Carlos made an animalistic sound and Will was dimly aware of Carlos jerking against him as Troy slammed into him and stilled. Several minutes later, Troy mumbled something about missing his kneecaps and slid to the floor, pulling Will down and settling him on Troy’s lap.

Will looked up at Carlos and thought the man looked gorgeous, fucked out, his darker skin splattered with cum, a deeper flush still running up his torso to his neck, and those chocolate coloured nipples, hard and tight on his fuzzy chest.

“Looks good enough to eat,” Troy rasped, and Will nodded in agreement. Carlos huffed and walked around them to sit on the side of the tub. “I’m pretty sure I won’t be getting it up for a few hours at least.”

www.total-e-bound.com

WHERE THERE’S A WILL

Bailey Bradford

142

“You don’t have to for Troy to fuck you,” Will pointed out, because watching those two together seared his synapses. Carlos shot him a look and Will grinned in response. “Oh now, don’t look at me like all steely eyed! I didn’t ask to fuck you.” His heart did a funny little trip in his chest. He didn’t like topping, not that
anyone
would ever top Carlos. Fuck him, yeah, but topping, not so much.

“I’d let you,” Carlos said and Troy’s gasp wasn’t the only one in the bathroom. Will thought he just might pass out from the surge of terror and desire when it hit him. He gulped as Carlos winked at him, then twisted around to turn on the shower. Carlos stood and pulled the curtain shut before giving Will a lop-sided smile. “Dunno why what I said shocked you. I like being fucked just fine, and you have a nice sized dick. But,” Carlos turned and damned if Will didn’t think the man was deliberately pushing his ass out just a little. “You said you don’t like fucking a guy, so that’s okay, too, if you never want a piece.”

Which, of course, perversely, made Will want
a piece
very badly. “You jerk,” Will sniped, “you
know
all I’m gonna think about now is…is doing you!”

Carlos peered over his shoulder at Will and wiggled his butt. “I didn’t know, did I? You said it wasn’t your thing, and all I said was if you ever changed your mind, it’d be here waiting for ya.”

Will frowned and wondered if Carlos had only offered because he’d thought Will would say no, but when Carlos faced him and Will saw the erection Carlos was sporting, he knew Carlos meant it. And when Carlos knelt in front of him and kissed Will until he was light-headed, Will figured he was the luckiest man in the entire world.

“You just let me know,” Carlos whispered, then he stood up. “Right now, though, I gotta shower and get to the ranch. Tonight, if y’all want to meet up, there’s some things I need to tell you both. I figure, as deep as we’re getting, with us all loving each other, y’all ought to know why I hadn’t been with anyone in so long. I don’t think it’s gonna scare either of you off, but…”

Will’s curiosity was already running more rampant than his libido. That, and the way Carlos had just laid the whole love bit out there, so calmly. Troy shuddered behind Will, but Will was pretty sure it was a happy shudder.

“I was hoping we were all at the same place,” Troy said as he caressed Will’s stomach.

“I thought we were.”

www.total-e-bound.com

WHERE THERE’S A WILL

Bailey Bradford

143

“We are,” Will agreed since he was the only one who hadn’t said anything about being in love. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep last night without us discussing it but, wow, intense, you know? And I do love you both. I think we can make this work.”

Carlos nodded. “I do too, which is why I think y’all should know a big part of the reason why I am the way I am. So, if tonight’s not good, pick a night that is and let me know.

I gotta get moving.”

Will considered getting in with him but figured that wouldn’t help Carlos get to work on time. Troy poked Will in the ribs and Will glared at him. “Are you wanting me to pinch your balls?”

Troy’s eyes widened but he didn’t move away. “Not really,” he said as he poked Will again. Before Will could retaliate, Troy whooped and shot up, taking Will with him. Will was over Troy’s shoulder and getting slapped on the ass before he could even comprehend how it had happened.

Then he was tossed on the bed and Troy plopped down on top of him, knocking an

“Oomph” from Will even though Troy didn’t put all his weight on him. “So, you think it’s something bad?”

Will snorted. “It’d hardly be anything good, right?” Seemed obvious to him. “But I don’t think he killed anyone or anything violent. More likely he made some shitty decisions, just like we all do, and he withdrew because—”

“Because he takes everything very deeply into himself,” Troy finished, surprising Will once again. Not that he didn’t think Troy was smart, he did, but he hadn’t expected the particular insight Troy had just expounded on. “He thinks he’s responsible for everyone he knows, or cares about, and nothing anyone can say will convince him any different. So something bad did happen.”

Payback.
“Must have happened to someone he cared about, or felt responsible for,” Will said, grinning at having interrupted Troy in return. “Or maybe he did something stupid, and hurt someone or someone got hurt because of him. It happens. What I do know is, he wouldn’t deliberately do something to harm anyone.”

Troy poked Will in the ribs. “He might, if they had it coming, but other than that, yeah, I agree.”

Will was done discussing things. “What’d I tell you about poking me in the ribs?”

www.total-e-bound.com

WHERE THERE’S A WILL

Bailey Bradford

144

Will was grinning from ear to ear when Troy saw him come out of the hallway leading from Xavier and Chase’s office, so he knew his lover had got a job.
What job did he get? Now
there’s a little mystery
. With the changes in store for The Xxchange, there could be any number of positions opening up. Will was just beaming, though, and Troy knew he wasn’t going to have to wait for long to find out.

Sure enough, Will practically skipped over to the bar. He levered himself up and over it, landing on his feet only inches away from where Troy stood. Troy arched a brow and finished adding the grenadine to the drink, then he leaned close, brushing against Will as he reached over the smaller man’s shoulder to set the drink down.

“Someone sure looks happy,” Troy said against Will’s ear, adding a good rub of his groin against Will as well.

Will groaned loudly, exaggeratingly, and he somehow managed to grope Troy’s balls for a heartbeat or two. “Don’t start something you can’t finish right now,” Will warned.

Troy stepped back and scowled at him. Of course he couldn’t finish it
right now,
but later… Even after Carlos told them whatever it was he felt like he had to, Troy was pretty damn sure there’d be sex. Lots of good, sweaty, brain-melting, ball-emptying sex.

“Hey!”

Troy jerked his head back when Will snapped his fingers in front of his face. “What?”

Will smirked, but the hunger in his expression countered his smug look. “You were thinking dirty thoughts, you bad boy!”

“Duh,” Troy muttered. “So tell me what happened? Obviously you got hired.”

“Of course,” Will said, sounding a lot more confident than he’d felt. Troy knew how nervous Will had been. Hell, he’d had to give the poor guy a pep talk and all the supportive stuff you did for someone you cared about, and he’d been damned glad to do it. Someone needed to help Will see how amazing he was. “And?”

www.total-e-bound.com

WHERE THERE’S A WILL

Bailey Bradford

145

“Aaaaand, I start Monday.” Will did a little shimmy-dance and held a hand up. Troy slapped his against it for a high five before Will continued. “I’ll be helping with the books, and designing a website. I’ll be the club’s jack of all trades or whatever! I’m so excited!”

“But no fucking around on the clock.”

Troy and Will both glared at Chase as he lifted the slab of counter to join them. Troy was fairly certain Chase was only teasing a little, like one percent.

Will got this sloe-eyed look and it shot right to Troy’s balls, making him ache with the need to feel Will’s tight little ass around his cock. Except Will was looking at Chase and talking. “Unless it’s in view of the cameras?”

Chase gave Will a steely glare. Normally it would have intimidated most people.

“Everywhere is in view of the cameras.”

Will nodded. “A good thing to know. So, when are you giving me a copy of our video?”

Troy waited for Chase’s denial but it didn’t come. Instead, the man’s cheeks turned bright red and he cleared his throat a couple of times before he spoke. “I told you we deleted—”

“Nothing’s ever really deleted from a hard drive unless the hard drive is demolished,”

Will cut in. “You know it, I know it, and all I want is a copy of the three of us going at it our first time. You know it’s still there.”

Chase sighed and flung his hands up in the air. “It probably is! But I haven’t looked, because holy shit, the first time we watched it, it like to killed me and Xavier!”

Troy laughed as Will nodded, looking thoughtful. “It was very intense. I can’t
imagine
getting to watch
the whole thing
, more than once, since you said ‘the first time’.”

Chase looked like he was about ready to scream, and his voice was a bit louder than usual when he said, “Fine! Come back to the office and see if you can pull it up, but I tried to purge it out of respect for y’all’s privacy and all.”

Troy wished he could hear the rest of that conversation but Will would fill him and Carlos in later. The remainder of his shift sped by in some ways, since Will hung around and kept him entertained, but Troy knew they were both concerned about Carlos.

Not about what he was going to tell them. Troy couldn’t imagine a mistake in the past that he or Will wouldn’t forgive Carlos for. If it was even their place to do so. Troy figured more than likely it was Carlos needing to forgive himself, if he hadn’t already. It could be he just wanted them to know everything he could possibly share with them.

www.total-e-bound.com

WHERE THERE’S A WILL

Bailey Bradford

146

By the time he and Will got back to his place—and Troy was going to convince Will to live with him, because the hotel was a dump, and somehow he’d get Carlos living with them, too, unless the drive to the ranch was too hard on him, in which case, well, they’d figure something out. Troy wanted them all to be together as much as possible.

Troy shook his head, he’d totally gone off on a mental rant. He opened the door and waited for Will to go inside, then they both stopped when they heard Carlos’ truck pull into the driveway.

“Thank God,” Will grumbled, “the suspense has been killing me.”

“Me too,” Troy agreed, eagerly soaking up the sight of Carlos walking across the yard.

All long legs and lean muscle, he made Troy ache to be fucked again. He was pretty sure Carlos had wiped out any and every trace of fear and bad memories he associated with bottoming.

Will, as was his way, squealed and launched himself at Carlos before the cowboy could get to the doorway. Carlos grunted but caught Will, and Troy felt all warm and fuzzy inside at the delighted grin Carlos shot him over Will’s shoulder.

“Long day?” Troy asked, tipping his head towards the house.

“Yeah,” was all Carlos said. He walked inside with Will still holding on. Carlos stopped and pressed Will against Troy, then kissed Troy soundly before doing the same to Will. He slapped Will’s ass hard then rubbed the spot he’d spanked. “Let’s get this over with. I know you two are curious, and it ain’t like I murdered anyone. Just did stupid shit years ago, and I figure you should know, I ain’t perfect, either. I fuck up like everyone else.”

“Well shit,” Will sighed, “that means I have to destroy the altar I was building you.” He winked and Carlos chuckled before ruffling Will’s hair.

“Come on, let’s sit, or come into the kitchen, I’ll fix us something to drink.” Troy hooked an arm in each of his men’s.

“Is this like a family talk thing, except,
ew
,” Will gagged and shuddered. “You know what I mean. We didn’t have family meetings, my dad just ruled everyone and didn’t care who he screwed up as long as he got his way.”

“Yup, families can sure mess us up,” Carlos conceded. “Mine was a good family, just me and my folks. They passed away over twenty years ago in a wreck.” Carlos filled the glasses and handed them out. “I was devastated. Didn’t care whether I lived or died, really.

www.total-e-bound.com

WHERE THERE’S A WILL

Bailey Bradford

147

Did a bunch of stupid shit, drugs and unprotected sex. I’m damn lucky to be here and I know it.”

Troy stopped bringing the glass to his lips, something Carlos had said a while back niggling at him. “Is that why you went without for so long? Did you realise the risks you were taking?”

Carlos snorted and took a long drink, draining half the glass before setting it down.

“No, not from fucking around, anyways, and I wasn’t always unsafe, just a few times, I reckon, but all it takes is once.” He shook his head and got a far-away look in his eyes.

“No, what kicked me in the balls was coming to in an acquaintance’s place—his dungeon or playroom, to be exact—and finding him beating the shit out of a sub. A bound sub, but not gagged. The screams…”

Carlos broke off and swiped at his forehead as he looked down. “I was never into the whole whips and chains scene, just wasn’t ever what did it for me, but both the abusive Dom and the sub were. It was obvious what was going on wasn’t consensual, even if it had started out that way. And I knew Lil, the victim, had had sex with him and even talked about a possible relationship, but he wanted more than I was comfortable with doing pain-wise. Still, I felt responsible. I’d gotten so fucked up and someone I cared about was paying for it. All I could do was try to get the sick fuck to stop beating the poor man.”