Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

S ilas put on a nice shirt and a nice pair of khakis, then headed for the living room to find Bran and Jamie.

“Hey, guys. Who wants to go to the steakhouse for supper?” He had a yen for delicious, decadent food. And for feeding it to his two favorite men.

Jamie tilted his head, expression a little ashamed. “Um… I’m okay.”

Frowning, Silas went and sat next to him. “What’s up, boy?”

“I haven’t been putting in many hours at the coffee shop… you know?”

“It’s my treat, of course. So if that’s your only worry…”

“Are you sure? I want to… I don’t want you to think I’m awful.”

“Nobody thinks you’re sponging off us, boy.” Bran came and sat on the other side of Jamie, put an arm around him. “We want to do things with you and to you.”

“I want you to be happy, you know? I want this so bad…”

“It’s yours. And we’re very happy.” Silas kissed his nose.

“You definitely make us happy.”

“Well, that’s good, right?” Jamie grinned at him.

“It’s awesome! Now come on, let’s go to dinner and feed each other decadent food. It’s going to be wonderful.”

“He’s right.” Bran kissed his neck. “Feeding each other is hot as hell.”

“Let me find a good shirt, I guess.”

“If you don’t have one that’s clean, you can wear one of mine,” Silas offered.

“I did laundry today, and I picked up the dry cleaning, like you asked.”

“You’re so good to your daddies, boy.” Bran gave him a soft kiss.

“I know you both are so busy…”

“Never too busy for our boy.” It was Bran who said the words, but Silas nodded his agreement vigorously.

“I know, but I don’t mind helping.” Jamie winked and headed upstairs, whistling. Someone was happier these days.

“He’s flourishing, isn’t he?” Silas asked, wanting his own observations confirmed.

Bran chuckled. “You know he is. You don’t need me to tell you.”

“I just want to be sure it isn’t just wishful thinking on my part.”

“No, your instincts are good, love. He needed us and the more he lets us in, the more into his own he becomes.”

“He’s still resisting the thought that he’s our boy, though…”

“He didn’t come to us with the knowledge that he was a boy. Give him time to get used to the idea. To realize that it doesn’t make him less of a man. You and I understand that we need each other and a boy of our own to be whole, that it doesn’t make us less our own person because of it.”

“You’re so smart.” Silas kissed Bran softly. “Now go put on something respectable so I can take the two of you out on the town.”

“Are we going to enjoy hunks of meat?”

Silas cackled. “Yes, we are indeed. Although we don’t necessarily have to go out to do that.” He waggled his eyebrows at his lover.

Bran snorted and gave him a quick kiss before heading upstairs.

He glanced outside, seeing a photographer taking a picture of their home. Weird.

Did someone want to buy the place? It wasn’t for sale. He and Bran had found their dream home, and it was perfect for three people.

He kept half an eye on the guy to make sure he moved on.

It took awhile, but the dude did leave about the time that his men headed down. He decided not to mention it—they were headed out to enjoy the evening together, and it was probably just some real estate agent scoping the place out.

He whistled. “Look at the two of you. I’m the luckiest man in the world.”

Jamie laughed and Bran bowed. They were both in slacks and button-down shirts, looking amazing.

“Seriously, you guys look good enough to eat. If I hadn’t made reservations, I’d totally be jumping all your bones.”

“If we weren’t going out, I could probably find a bone for you,” Bran noted.

“Goodness, you’re punny tonight.”

“Ha ha ha.” Bran winked over. “Are we walking? Driving?”

“Let’s walk. I was thinking it might be nice to have cocktails with dinner, and if we’re walking, we don’t need to worry about who’s drinking what.” He led his men out the front and locked up behind them. Then he held both arms out to them. The sidewalk was mostly wide enough for them to walk three across, if they didn’t mind being close. Which they didn’t.

As they headed down the street, that photographer popped out. “James Barnes! Jimmy, is that you!”

Jamie turned away from the photographer. “No. Go away.”

Suddenly the photographer outside the house made sense.

Silas moved his arm around Jamie’s shoulders, pulling him close while Bran put himself between Jamie and the photographer. They didn’t say anything, just protected their boy from the unwanted attention.

“I don’t want photos,” Jamie whispered.

“We figured,” murmured Bran.

They moved quicker, looking to put the man well behind them.

“I—I think that I need to go back to the apartment soon.”

Bran shook his head. “We can’t protect you there.”

“Bran’s right. And now that they’ve found you, they’ll follow you there. I think you’re safer staying with us.”

“But you’re not safer with me there.”

“We’re not going to throw you to the wolves, boy.” Bran’s words expressed his own feelings on the matter, so Silas just nodded his agreement.

They arrived at the restaurant, and Bran held the door open for him and Jamie and they slipped in.

They were not just letting Jamie go. He needed his daddies to care for him. Especially if the paparazzi were onto him now.

The hostess greeted them, and Silas gave her his best smile. “We have reservations for three, and I was hoping we could have a seat in the back.”

“Of course. Please come in. It’s a lovely night out there tonight.”

“It is indeed a lovely night.” He smiled at his companions. “Let’s enjoy it, eh?”

Jamie nodded, but their boy’s eyes were haunted.

It made him want to growl. Who did these people think they were, hounding a young man who clearly just wanted to be left alone? Jamie wasn’t making movies or tv shows anymore, wasn’t doing anything to put himself in the limelight.

They followed the hostess to their table—a nice booth in the back of the room, which would afford them plenty of privacy.

Once they sat, Bran turned to Jamie. “Talk to us, boy.”

He teared up. “I—I’m sorry. They just won’t leave me alone. I’ll move out tonight, find a hotel.”

“Absolutely not.” Bran was emphatic. Good. “This isn’t your fault.”

“We’ll call the police, ask them to drive by the place a few times. That might scare them off.” Silas pondered making obscene statues and leaving them in the front yard.

“I didn’t want to disturb your lives. Now that they know I’m here, they’ll never leave me alone.”

“You don’t think they’ll eventually get bored?” Silas asked. “You aren’t doing movies anymore…” He didn’t understand the obsession with stars to the point of not giving them any privacy.

“I’m not. I’m just a child star has-been, and I love it. I hated being on screen.”

“I think you should move in permanently,” Bran said. “The place where you live in the closet? They can’t keep you safe. We can. We have a security system; we can get a fence put around the place. We can protect you and as much of your privacy as possible.”

Silas just nodded. Bran was the organizer in the family. He would generate a list of everything they needed to do to keep their boy safe and make sure it all happened.

“I don’t want to disturb your life, guys. I like you.”

“We would rather be disturbed than be without you,” Silas told Jamie. “We more than like you.”

Bran took Jamie’s hand and held it tight. “We will keep you safe. We will take care of you. That’s what we’re here for.”

Jamie’s eyes filled with tears. “Let’s eat. Let’s enjoy tonight.”

Silas brushed the tears away. “Yes. Let’s enjoy our time together. Do you want to choose your own meal, or should I order our dinner tonight?”

“You know what I like, right?”

“I do. I also know what I’d like for you to try.” And he knew what Bran liked, so no problem there.

Grabbing the menu, he scanned it quickly. Choices made, he put the menu down and motioned for a waiter. One came right away.

“Good evening. Can I get your drink orders?”

“We’ll have waters all around and we’re also ready to order. We’ll start with the bread and caramelized butter, the scallops crudo, and the shrimp handrolls. Then we’ll have the lobster tail, the fillet mignon—cooked rare, and the sea bass with butter sauce. Thank you.”

“Oh, we are having a celebration!” Bran kissed Silas’s hand, lips soft on his knuckles. “What’s the occasion?”

“I’m happier than I’ve ever been with the two of you in my life.” He smiled at Bran, then at Jamie. “And I want to celebrate this moment, remember it. Not that I expect to not be happy after tonight, but I wanted to mark that the best days of my life have started.”

Jamie’s eyes filled with tears, and he sniffled hard.

“Those better be happy tears, boy.” This was a night for celebration, not worrying about people they had no control over.

“I just… you’re both perfect.”

Bran snorted. “We’re not perfect. No one is. Now, what we are, is perfect for you. Just as you’re perfect for us.”

Silas grinned as their waters were placed in front of them, along with a basket of warm buns and the caramelized butter.

“Let me serve you both.” Silas grabbed a bun and split it into two before lathering generous amounts of butter on them. Then he offered them over to Bran and Jamie.

“God, that smells so good.” Jamie licked his lips as Bran took the bite, obviously waiting for him.

“Yeah. The caramelized butter is…” Well, he didn’t really know how to explain it. So he put his fingers to his lips and kissed them. “Chef’s kiss.”

“I think the word you were looking for was transformative. If you’ve never had it before, it’s eye-opening. I mean butter is good, but caramelized? And on fresh, warm rolls… you’ve never had anything like it.” Bran didn’t wait for Silas, just biting happily into his piece.

Silas grinned and quickly added butter to another half roll and took a bite so Jamie could experience it for the first time as clearly, he was waiting for both Bran and Silas to get their first bite before taking his.

They all ate, the three of them moaning in pleasure.

“Oh, it’s so good…” Jamie hummed deep in his chest.

Silas beamed. It really was, and he was pleased to be able to share it with Jamie for the first time. He wasn’t sure anything else would be new—Jamie had been the toast of the town at one point.

“Is anything else I ordered tonight new to you?”

“I’ve never had the scallops crudo. Besides that, you picked very well.” Jamie reached out under the table and squeezed his hand. He squeezed right back.

“The scallops crudo is sweet and sour, the scallops cut paper-thin. I think you’ll like it.” They would teach their boy to be hedonistic.

“Oh, yum. I’ll totally try it. You know me. I’m willing to experiment.”

“Oh yes, it’s one of your best qualities.”

Their waiter returned with the scallops and the shrimp handrolls, and they looked amazing.

“Let’s start with the scallops.” He wanted to see their boy’s face as he first tried it.

He picked up a slice with his fork and lifted it to Jamie’s lips. They opened, and he slipped the thin slice in, laying it on Jamie’s tongue.

“Oh…” Jamie tilted his head. “That’s lovely.”

“Right?” Silas fed a slice to Bran who hummed. Then he took one for himself before holding another slice out to Jamie.

“Just one more. You deserve more bites.”

“We’ll share it evenly.” He took another bite before giving one to each of his lovers. The flavor was delicate and powerful at the same time, the slice of scallop seeming to melt on his tongue. If the rest of the food was half this good, they were in for the most incredible meal.

“Wow. This is… wow.” Jamie grinned over. “I feel like you’ve created magic here. I forgot to worry.”

He beamed. That’s what he wanted to hear. “Well, you keep on forgetting and I will continue to feed you.”

“Jamie is right—you’re magical, lover.” Bran opened his mouth like the world’s biggest baby bird. Laughing, he fed Bran another slice. They only had a few left, but that made them even better somehow.

They shared sips of water and bites of food, and it was just lovely.

They were all feeling great and together in an intimate way when their mains were brought.

“I thought we could all feed each off whichever plate wound up in front of us.” He had the lobster and he tugged the big tail meat out of the shell so he wouldn’t have to wrestle with it once they started feeding each other. “Who wants to go first?”

“I-I will?” Oh, their brave boy. He carefully cut one slice of the sea bass and made sure to dip it in the sauce before offering it over.

Silas hummed happily and took the fork into his mouth. He made sure to hold Jamie’s gaze as he slowly pulled back, the fork leaving his mouth, the sea bass staying there. He chewed and swallowed before murmuring. “Delicious.”

Bran said, “my turn,” and looked at Jamie as he opened his mouth for his biteful.

“Your turn. I’m fair.” Jamie offered Bran a bite of his own.

“Oh, damn, that’s some good fish.” Bran licked his lips. “Take your own bite, boy. You need to have a taste. Then we’ll do a round of the steak.”

Silas grinned. He just loved this. It made his heart happy.

“I can do that.” Jamie ate his bite. “Oh, that’s nice.”

“Absolutely delicious,” Silas noted. “It’ll be interesting to see which plate we all love the best.”

“We don’t have to choose a favorite—we each get to eat all them.” Bran cut three pieces off the steak, then forked a piece and offered it to Jamie.

Silas settled in to watch—he did love the way Jamie enjoyed food. Their boy was sensual. A hedonist, given the chance, he’d bet. And he and Bran aimed to give him the chance.

“The steak smells delicious. Utterly delicious.” Jamie smiled at Bran, then at him. “I’m sorry about earlier. I hate when I’m caught off-guard.”

“No worries. We’re back on track now. And now that you know they’re out there, you won’t be caught off-guard again. We’ll put our heads together tomorrow and figure things out. Tonight, we play.”

“If you’re sure…” Jamie’s cheeks were pink, and it wasn’t from the wine.

“Oh, I’m sure, baby-boy.”

“We’re both sure. Now eat your piece of steak so I can have my bite.”

“I can do that.” Jamie opened his lips.

Bran placed the steak on Jamie’s tongue and then offered a slice to him. Silas chewed, the steak delicious, sharing it with Jamie and Bran even more so.

Once they’d all eaten their bite, he looked down at his lobster. “I guess it’s my turn.”

Jamie rolled his eyes, giggling a little bit, and god, that was adorable. “Yep. It’s only fair…”

“I think we’ve saved the best for last, but I probably shouldn’t judge until we’ve actually tasted it. It’s just… well—lobster!” He was partial to it. Especially if there was lots of garlic butter for it, and the plate was swimming in it.

He cut three medallions off the tail, and speared the first one, dragging it through the garlic butter before holding up to Jamie’s lips.

“It’s dripping!” Jamie caught the butter with his tongue before he bit down. “Yum. Sweet.”

“I like it dripping. I like the way the butter paints your lips.” Leaning in, he licked Jamie’s lower lip clean. “Mmm, garlic.”

“Silas! You can’t! You’ll make me… you know.”

He just sat back with a shit-eating grin, not in the least bit repentant. “We won’t be leaving for ages. I’m sure things will have calmed down by then.” Then he dragged the second medallion through the garlic butter and offered it to Bran.

Bran snapped it up, eager enough that it made him laugh out loud. “Hungry bird!”

Bran made peeping noises in response, sending him and Jamie into gales of laughter.

Damn, he was having the best night ever.

Even with the psycho paparazzi.

“He’s cute. I’ll give him that, for sure.”

Silas nearly choked on his tongue. He didn’t think anyone had ever called Bran cute. And especially not a boy. “I love it!”

Bran glowered a little, but Silas was laughing again, still having the best time.

He finally stopped and had his own medallion of the lobster. He closed his eyes and hummed, the sweet of the seafood mixed with the garlicky butter was utterly perfect.

“I think he likes it,” Jamie whispered.

And Bran answered, “I think you’re right.”

“I can hear you, you know. And I do. My dish is the best, but I’m still willing to share.” He did exactly that, cutting more of the lobster up and offering it over, dripping in lovely butter.

“I think the steak was sort of amazing,” Jamie admitted.

“The sea bass gets my vote.” Bran put a piece of steak on Jamie’s plate, before stealing a bite of the fish.

“This is turning into a free-for-all.” Silas didn’t mind—the objective here was to enjoy the food and each other, and they were doing just that. “We could play musical plates…”

“You two can have anything you want.” Jamie’s cheeks pinked, but he didn’t look away.

Bran purred. “Mmm. Thank you, boy.”

“Do you know what a safeword is?” Silas asked, deciding it was time to introduce their boy to the concept.

Jamie looked utterly confused. “No…”

“It’s a word you use if you ever want everything to stop. And then everything does and we talk about it.”

“Okay… Do we need that?”

Bran was the one to answer that question. “Whether we ever actually need it or not, it’s important to have. Especially when we get into kinky sex.”

Jamie glanced around, nervous. “Oh. Okay. What is it? Our word.”

“That’s your choice. Something easy to remember. Something you might not say in the heat of the moment as a part of that moment, if you know what I mean.”

“Can’t we all have the same one?”

He met Bran’s eyes, and his lover nodded. “Of course. But you have to pick it. It has to be your choice.”

“You… you don’t have one of your own?”

“We don’t.” Bran took Jamie’s hand. “Because we’re both Daddies, we haven’t needed one. But if we have our boy with us, then it becomes important. To maintain the balance of power.”

“I don’t want to talk about this in a restaurant. I’d like to talk about it at home. I mean, your house.”

“That’s cool. And you were right the first time. It’s your home, too.”

Silas nodded his agreement to Bran’s words.

“Okay. Can we please talk about this together in bed at home?”

“Yes. That’s the perfect place for this discussion,” Bran noted.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make the meal awkward.” He felt sheepish now, for having brought it up at all. Jamie was right; it wasn’t the right place.

“No. No, I just want… I want to be able to just focus. I don’t want to think about anything else.”

“You’re absolutely right.” He squeezed Jamie’s hand. “You want to feed me another bite of fish?”

“I would love to.” Jamie carefully carved out a nice, healthy bite.

He leaned in and took the bite, slowly chewing it, letting himself sink back into the sharing of food. “It’s almost as good as the lobster.”

“It’s all amazing. I’ve never had a better meal, I don’t think.”

He nodded. “Yes. I agree.”

“It’s the company,” Bran told them.

“The company is very… excellent.” Jamie grinned at him.

“We certainly all are. Now, I want another piece of that steak, lover.” It was his turn to open his mouth like a baby bird, asking to be fed.

Jamie chuckled and fed him, eyes dancing.

“Not that I’m complaining, because the sea bass is delicious, but I did ask for steak. Are you hoarding it, Bran?”

Snorting, Bran cut a generous piece of the steak and offered it over. It made a lovely chaser to the fish.

“Thank you, both.”

Jamie glanced over to Bran, offering a smile. “Me too? Please?”

“Always, boy.” Bran smiled back and cut another piece to feed Jamie. They were so pretty together, it made his heart full.

“I—thank you.” Jamie fluttered a little bit, and he hummed deep in his chest. So so very pretty.

“You’re welcome, boy.” That tone in Bran’s voice made him shiver with delight.

“You guys are so… You make me dizzy, you know?”

“That’s not a bad thing,” Bran pointed out.

“No, it’s not bad at all.” His own voice was thick with need. This was the best dinner ever.

“No. Not at all.” Jamie licked his lips, staring at Silas’s mouth.

Silas stared right back. Then he blindly picked up a piece of lobster from his plate and put it in his mouth, the butter dripping on his lips. He licked it off slowly.

“You are being bad…” Jamie whispered.

“No, he’s being very very good,” Bran murmured.

Silas grinned at both of them. “I’m very good at being bad.”

“You are. I… me too. Very good.”

Silas chuckled, pleased at making Jamie tongue-tied. He liked that he affected Jamie so much.

Jamie ducked his head and blushed dark, but there was a smile there, wasn’t there?

He looked over at Bran and they shared a smile of their own.

It took them a while to finish their plates, feeding each other and admiring and making a sensual feast of it.

“I think we should have dessert,” Bran suggested when they finally cleared their plates.

Jamie’s eyes lit up, but he didn’t say a word.

“What would you like?” Silas asked him. “Because that’s what I want, too.”

“Me? I—I don’t know what there is.”

“But you have something in mind,” Bran noted. “Tell us and we’ll make it happen.”

Silas chuckled at Bran’s confidence. But if they didn’t have it here, they could make it at home. Probably not tonight, but soon.

“Is there something chocolate? Chocolate is so sexy.”

“Mmm, it is indeed. At least when you and Bran eat it.” It wasn’t his favorite, but he didn’t dislike it, and if it made his lover’s happy, then he was on board. Silas raised his hand to get their waiter’s attention. “Dessert menu, please.”

“Of course.”

The man was back in a moment with three, one for each of them.

“So they have several chocolate options. Which one appeals the most?” Bran asked.

“Mousse! I love chocolate mousse!” Jamie bounced for him.

“Here we are.” Bran pointed to the menu. “Triple Chocolate Mousse cake. It has a layer of dark, milk, and white chocolate mousse.”

“Oh, that sounds wonderfully decadent.” Silas rubbed his hands together.

“Uh-huh. Can we please have that?”

“Oh, what a good, polite boy, to ask,” Bran murmured.

Silas grinned and called the waiter over, asking for three teas and a piece of the triple chocolate mousse cake.

“Are we good with all sharing?” He knew he was pretty full, but he couldn’t resist the chance of feeding Jamie the chocolate dessert.

“I think so, yes. It’s been an amazing meal.” Jamie beamed at him. “I’ve never had better, and I’ve had some great food.”

“It’s the company,” Bran said again.

Silas laughed, but he totally agreed.

“No, it is. No one wants me to be someone I’m not here.”

“That’s right. We want you just the way you are. You’re exactly who you should be.”

He looked at Bran, and they said it together, “Ours.”

“If you’re sure…” Sweet baby.

“We’re sure.” They managed to say that together too, and he grinned over at Bran.

He rubbed one foot along Bran’s calf, and the other along Jamie’s, letting his lovers know he was right there with them.

“I can’t believe you two want me. Not when you have each other.”

He reached for Bran’s hand and squeezed it. “I always said that Bran was my other half, but really, it’s my other third. We’re perfect for each other, but there’s still someone missing without our boy. Without you.”

“I guess that’s amazing. It feels pretty amazing.” Jamie lifted his wineglass. “To us?”

Bran and he lifted their drinks as well. “To us all.” They clinked their wineglasses together, looking into each other’s eyes.

They drank, and the dessert came, and he was glad they’d decided to share. The slab of cake was huge and came with whipped cream and edible glitter.

“Oh, my god!” Silas burst out laughing. “This is perfect for the three of us.”

“It’s amazing.” Jamie laughed. “It’s like a chocolate mousse disco ball!”

“Yes!” Silas grabbed his phone and took a picture. Then he made “lean together motions” and when they did, he took another picture with the two of them and the disco ball cake.

Jamie scooped up a fingerful of cream and sucked his finger clean, teasing them both.

They groaned together and Silas found himself swallowing. He wanted to lick the taste of that cream right from Jamie’s mouth, but they were in a fancy restaurant—one he wanted to come back to at that. He knew the anticipation would make everything sweeter when they got home, but damn…

He curled his toes, and he licked his lips as he watched. “Do it again?”

Jamie grinned and very slowly dragged his finger through some of the glitter-bombed icing, then gradually lifted it to his lips and licked the tip. Then the side, drawing the whole thing out.

He and Bran were hooked, eyes glued to that finger, that mouth, that tongue. Jamie was going to give him a damned heart attack.

“Our boy’s being naughty,” Bran croaked.

“Uh-huh.” And he was so here for it. Damn.

Jamie finally pulled his finger into his mouth, fellating it thoroughly.

He had to clear his throat—twice—before he could say anything. “We’re going to have to sit here for a while.” Because he was now sporting a major hard-on.

“I’m going to have to put him over my knee for teasing,” Bran dared.

“Mmm… spanking.” He looked at Jamie, wanting to see how their boy reacted to the suggestion.

Jamie stared at Bran, eyes wide as saucers.

“Imagine it,” Silas said, leaning in and murmuring so they couldn’t be overheard. “You, naked. Bran, naked. Lying over his legs, cock caught between them so it rubs with every movement you make. His hand coming down on your ass, making it burn, your skin on fire and so very alive.”

“Shh! You should… eat cake.” Jamie looked utterly shocked.

“So feed me.” He held Jamie’s gaze and opened his mouth, letting his lower jaw drop as suggestively as possible.

Bran chuckled, the sound throaty, hot, his lover turned on. “We can table the spanking discussion ’til we get home, too.”

“Uh-huh. All discussions at home.” Jamie fed him a huge bite of cake.

Despite the size of it, it seemed to melt in his mouth, the layers of mousse incredibly light, the whole thing deliciously sweet. “Oh, that’s nice.”

“My turn.” Bran also opened his mouth, looking hopefully at Jamie.

Jamie fed Bran as well, the soft moan making his eyes cross.

He reached for one of the spoons and got some cake onto it, offering it over to Jamie. Although if their boy wanted to eat his share entirely with his fingers, he was so down for that.

“Thank you.” Jamie opened up like a dream.

He slipped the mouthful into Jamie’s mouth. He loved the glimpse of tongue he got. He wanted that tongue on his body later tonight.

Jamie’s eyes crossed, and he moaned. Silas’s own moan echoed it, and he wondered how private the bathrooms were here…

“We can take it to go…” Jamie whispered.

“Oh, Bran. Our boy is a genius.”

“I’ll pay and get a box. You call for a car.” Bran winked at him. “We can share it, naked.”

Silas raised an eyebrow. “The car?”

Bran snorted. “You know I meant the cake.”

Chuckling, he grabbed his phone and opened the Uber app.

No reason to walk home with hard-ons.

That would take forever .