Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

MONTY

"Mm." Monty had his jaw clamped shut to muffle his moans, but apparently, Bronx wasn't having it. He gripped Monty by the chin and pressed with his thumb until Monty's lips parted.

"Good boy," Bronx murmured.

Monty's body flushed with heat, his cock throbbing—hard against his belly and untouched because Bronx was tormenting him by ignoring it. He'd touched every other part of him, had his body singing in ways he didn't know it could, but he'd been kept away from the edge of his orgasm for so long.

An eternity, it felt like.

He was going to die like this, and oddly, he was content with it.

"I want to hear you," Bronx told him, giving a lush roll of his hips. He was buried completely in Monty's ass, his thick cock filling him, stretching him. Every pass nudged his prostate, and when it didn't, Bronx's fingers pressed behind his balls to make sure he was tormented from the outside. "Come on, sparky. Give me your moans. "

Another roll of his hips, and Monty's head lolled back on Bronx's shoulder, a loud groan erupting from his chest. They were on the bed, Bronx sitting on his knees, Monty facing the headboard. One of his legs was propped up on the nightstand for purchase, the other spread wide and held in Bronx's left hand. His hips were strained with how far apart they were.

And there was no way to rub himself off on anything. He was trapped, at Bronx's mercy.

Exactly where he wanted to be.

"I want," he managed to get out as his vision started to go white.

"Tell me. Beg me," Bronx murmured.

"Please. I want you to fuck me harder. I want to feel it tomorrow. I want you to touch me."

Bronx chuckled in his ear and sped up his thrusts. "I'm pretty sure I am touching you, sweetheart. All over."

Monty let out a frustrated groan. "Not…not there, you're not."

"Where?"

Monty had never been big on dirty talk. With Bronx, he was getting better at begging and saying exactly what he wanted. Bronx wanted him to be explicit. Forward. He didn't want Monty to hold anything back. Bronx wanted to give him everything he asked for. He just had to find the words.

And it was silly to get flustered over such a small thing, considering what Bronx had done to him—where he'd had his hands. His lips. His tongue.

"My cock," he managed.

"Good, yes," Bronx said. He picked up speed so fast Monty was overwhelmed with the sound of Bronx's hips hitting his own and the feeling of being fucked hard. His hand drifted down Monty's chest after letting his legs fall to the bed, and Monty toppled forward onto his hands and knees.

Bronx held him with one arm wrapped around his chest and a hand around his cock. He stroked him in time with his thrusts, rabbit-fast and unrelenting. Monty lost his ability to see, to hear, to speak. He was a mess of sensation—pleasure like he'd never known.

Had he started coming? Would he ever stop?

The world went black, and his body went limp, the cataplexy taking over. He could hear Bronx grunt, and then he felt the warmth of his come filling his ass, and then Bronx's quiet curse when he realized that Monty had succumbed.

His thrusts slowed to nothing, and Bronx gently lowered Monty onto his side, curling around him. He brushed a soft touch down the length of his body, and Monty fought to stay present and not give in to the strange visions behind his closed lids.

It passed quicker than usual, and it wasn't long before he was blinking his eyes open. "Bronx."

A kiss dropped on his shoulder, then along the back of his neck. Monty felt a wave of relief with the realization that Bronx was never going to panic when it happened. He wasn't going to freak out and hit pause and treat Monty like he was a helpless child.

He would still want him. And they both needed each other in equal measure.

Monty managed to turn with floppy limbs, grimacing as Bronx slipped out of him. He could feel come leaking down the back of his balls. It was the first time they'd done this without protection, but it had been three weeks since they'd confessed feelings, and they'd gone to the clinic together to get tested.

Monty felt safe in a thousand ways with Bronx, and he never wanted that feeling to leave.

"With me?"

Monty hummed his answer and searched for a kiss. Bronx didn't make him wait this time. It was offered freely with pliant lips and a warm, wet tongue. "Thank you."

Bronx pulled back. "For the orgasm? You're very welcome. Mine was pretty damn good too."

Monty snorted and buried his face in Bronx's chest. "That's not what I meant. You're not afraid when my body…stops. You don't think I'm broken."

Urging Monty to look up with a soft touch, Bronx met his gaze firmly. "I don't think you're broken because you're not. Nothing can break you. I've seen how strong you are, sweetheart. I love how strong you are."

"And you love me," Monty pointed out.

Bronx laughed into the second kiss. "Yeah. I do. I love you so fucking much. I'm a little terrified of how happy I am."

"What's that phrase? The shoe dropping?"

"Yeah, I—" He stopped when something began to buzz against the nightstand. Bronx's phone. Monty felt a strange, uncomfortable sensation in his gut when Bronx leaned over him and grabbed it. "It's Lucas." He pushed the button to answer. "Hey, kiddo. I'm—oh. Wait…hold on, where are you?"

Silence. Monty couldn't hear anyone speaking on the other end, which meant Lucas must be keeping his voice down. That was unlike him. Monty was officially worried.

Bronx suddenly stiffened and let Monty go, sitting halfway up. "He's what? Did you call Uncle—okay. Okay. How about Adele? I'll be over there shortly. Don't try to force him out. He's not going to hurt you, bud. Okay? I promise. But if you feel unsafe, lock your bedroom door. Yep, I'm on my way right now. I—I don't know if that's a good—okay, okay. Yeah. I'm sure he will. Do you want to stay on the phone with me?"

Monty moved with Bronx, hurrying to sort their clothes because Bronx was in a clear and obvious panic. He shot Monty a terrified smile of gratitude as he took his jeans and began to wriggle them on.

"Let me put you on with Monty so I can drive, alright? Hold on a second." Bronx held the phone to his chest and looked over at Monty, who was halfway into his shirt. "My ex is at the house."

Monty's heart dropped to his feet. "With Lucas?"

"Lucas says he's drunk and fucking around in the kitchen. He said he's not leaving until I get there."

"Then you need to go," Monty said in a rush.

Bronx nodded. "Yeah. Lucas wants you to come. He wants us both. I promise, my ex isn't violent. He's just a fucking moron."

Monty was awash with conflicting emotions. He was afraid. He was afraid that a nonviolent man might go the other way if he saw his ex with the new boyfriend. He might snap if he knew Lucas was asking for him. But Monty would also rather die than let Lucas down.

"Give me the phone," he said. "See if you can find my other shoe."

Bronx shoved the phone to his ear. "I'm putting Monty on now, okay? I love you, Luke," he repeated. "It's going to be fine."

Monty had one shoe on as he took the phone. " Hey there."

Lucas let out a watery laugh. "So, this is me begging you not to leave my dad because Jules is a goddamn psychopath. Okay?"

Monty laughed as Bronx found his shoe, and he slipped it on. "I'm not going to leave your dad because some other man can't control himself." He followed a silent Bronx out the door and climbed into the car as quickly as he could force his limbs to move. It would be a miracle if he didn't collapse again, but he was going to hang on as long as he could for Lucas's sake. "Are you okay?"

Lucas laughed again, then sniffed loudly. "No." There were tears in his voice, and for the first time in his life, Monty wanted to punch a man he'd never met. "Why can't he just leave us alone?"

"Has he done this before?"

"I don't think so," Lucas confessed. "But he was really mean to my dad when he went to close on the house, and I think he's sent him a few nasty messages before Dad blocked him."

Monty glanced over at Bronx. He'd never mentioned anything, but then again, they hadn't been a couple back then. There had been rules to follow, and while they'd failed at that, they'd both been trying at the beginning.

Monty hated that he hadn't been there for Bronx at the start.

"Well, if I have anything to say about it, he's going to leave you both alone after tonight. I'm a lawyer."

Lucas sighed, and there was a soft thud, like he'd dropped his head against something hard. "Isn't that a conflict of interest?"

Monty grinned in spite of himself. "That's very good. You know your stuff."

"I read a lot online," Lucas said. "You know, being the loser nerdy kid with one real friend. I wanted to read up on what real lawyers were like. Not the TV bullshit."

"The TV bullshit is a lot of fun, but you're right, I couldn't represent either of you. But I have friends. Contacts. Discounts," Monty promised him. Bronx didn't live far, and he could already see the turn up ahead. "We're almost to you. Are you still okay?"

"I will be when you both get here." Lucas went quiet for a second. "I'm sorry I interrupted your night."

"Never be sorry," Monty said firmly. "Not ever. One of us will always come to you if you need us. I don't care if it's because you just want a hug or some asshole has broken into your house. It'll never be too much or too little."

"So, about that June wedding?—"

"I prefer October," Monty said very softly. He sneaked a look at Bronx again, who was pale and focused. "I think it fits us better."

Bronx glanced at him, eyes wide, and Monty motioned for him to look back at the road.

"I can get on board with that. I'm a fan of Halloween," Lucas said. His voice sounded a little stronger now. "Promise you won't hate us for this," he asked again.

"I promise," Monty said. He couldn't believe how scared Lucas was that Monty would leave them when the going got rough. He needed to fix that. To make him feel solid and safe. "I see your house now. Don't come out until one of us gets you, okay? Your dad is very, very angry."

"Very angry," Bronx said. "But I promise I won't do anything foolish."

Just as they were pulling into the driveway, another car rolled up behind them. Monty looked back and saw the blue SUV with the fire department logo on the side. There were lights on top of the truck, but they weren't on, and he was unsurprised to see Adele jumping out just as Bronx did.

"We have backup," Monty told Lucas. "Adele is here. I'm sure the cops have been informed. I'm sorry your father put you through this."

"He's not my father," Lucas spat. "He never was. I share a little bit of his DNA, but that means absolutely fucking nothing. Pardon my French."

Monty managed a laugh as he climbed out of the car. "Remind me to teach you all the curses I know in French so you can use them for real." Bronx looked back at him, and Adele seemed surprised to see him.

"We're going to come inside now. Wait for us," Monty said. "Do you want to talk to your dad again?"

"I'll wait. Just get him out of here. Please," Lucas begged.

"We will. Stay put." The line went dead, and Monty handed the phone back as Bronx tugged him close. "He's safe and waiting for one of us to get him."

Adele gave him a long up-and-down, then reached out and tugged him into a short, tight embrace. "I like you."

Monty breathed a sigh of relief. "What do we do?"

"Wait in the foyer," Bronx said. "Lucas said he's in the kitchen, and I can see the light on from the backyard, so I have a feeling he's drunk cooking. It was his thing whenever we got into a fight. I want to try to get him out of here peacefully."

Adele stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Say I'd like an ice water if you need us."

Bronx sighed and nodded, then opened his front door. The lock was busted, half hanging out of the door, and Monty could all but feel Bronx's rage radiating off him. They stepped in, and then Monty and Adele froze as Bronx made his way down the hall and into the kitchen.

"Babe! You're home. I was thinking about making omelets…" His voice sounded different than Monty expected it to. It was very soft.

"Where's Lucas?"

"Who?"

"Don't," Bronx snapped.

Jules let out a loud, performative sigh. "I don't know. He threw a tantrum and went up into his room like he always does. You have him hating me."

" You have him hating you. You checked out the second he was born."

"Well, I didn't want some fuckin' disabled kid. I mean, can you blame me?"

Monty went stiff all over and hadn't realized he'd taken a step away until Adele grabbed him and shook his head. Monty swallowed thickly and nodded.

"Yes, I can blame you. I can blame you for being a piece-of-shit father and a piece-of-shit husband. I should have left you years ago, but I was the moron who believed you could be better."

"Than what? Seriously, we could have sent that one back. Things would have gone back to normal. When he was in that fucking-ass boarding school, things could've gone back to normal, but you wouldn't let it!"

"You were already fucking half of your staff by then," Bronx spat.

"I was lonely."

"I don't care." Bronx let out a high, tight laugh. "I think that's the funniest part about this, Jules. I don't care. I stopped giving a shit about you the moment you gave up on my son. "

"Our son."

"Since fucking when? You only threatened custody to hurt me. You broke into my home—a crime, by the way?—"

"Your home." Jules sneered.

Bronx let out a heavy sigh. "How'd you even get this address anyway?"

There was a long pause, and then he said, "You can get any address if you pay enough. And I don't know why you care so much. It's not even your house."

Bronx laughed. "I know. It's my brother's, and I think he hates you more than I do. In fact, I know he does because I don't hate you."

Monty's heart did a weird flip.

"I knew you didn't. Baby, please?—"

"I don't feel anything about you," Bronx went on like Jules hadn't spoken. "I haven't for a long time. I didn't feel anything when I found your note. My heart hurt for Lucas because it was proof you really did do everything you could to let him down. But I don't think I've ever been in love with you. When we met, I was young, and I had no idea what I was doing. You showed me all the ways it was wrong to be with someone."

Jules laughed. "Like you're an expert on love? Please. I didn't love you either, Bronx. No one has, and you know it. Your brother tolerates you because he knows you need him. All of our friends chose me in the divorce because you're fucking boring and useless. Lucas only wanted to be with you because you let him do whatever he wants. No one cares about you. Now, tell me, how pathetic does that make you?"

That was when they snapped. Fuck doing this peacefully.

Adele moved before Monty could. He was in the kitchen with Monty at his heels, and Monty made no move to stop him because he was done listening to that bullshit.

"I think it's time for you to leave."

Jules looked nothing like Monty expected. He was thin, tall, with hollow cheeks and sunken eyes. His hair was styled, but it looked like it hadn't been washed in weeks. He was in designer clothes, but they were unkempt, and they reeked of booze.

"Who the fuck is this, now?"

Adele glanced at Monty, then at Bronx, who looked a little shocked. "I'm his best friend. I'm also the fire chief, so I'd be very careful what you say next. Oh, and this is his boyfriend," Adele said, stepping to the side.

Monty squared his shoulders. "The one adopting Lucas after Bronx and I get married."

Jules's eyes darted between Bronx and Monty, and then he burst into laughter. "How much did you pay them for this? This is fucking elaborate, babe. I didn't know you had it in you."

Before Bronx could answer, there were more footsteps in the hallway. Dallas and Kylen burst into the kitchen, Dallas looking like he was ready to do a murder. A violent, bloody one.

"You have some nerve," Dallas spat. He walked over and stood in front of Bronx. "You broke my fucking door."

Jules looked a little scared now. "What's going on? Why are all these people here?"

"Because I called almost everyone who cares about my dad," came a voice from the kitchen doorway. Everyone turned at once to see Lucas standing there with his phone in one hand, the other on the wall to keep himself oriented. "All the people who love Dad and want to see you fucking buried. "

"Lukie—"

"Don't," Lucas said in a low, dangerous voice, "ever call me that. I mean ever. Dad?"

"Here," Bronx said. He held his hand out and touched Lucas's outstretched fingers, drawing him close. Lucas wrapped around him and held tight.

"Frey said Rex is sick and he couldn't make it. I couldn't get a hold of Lane," Lucas said very softly. "Frey was really sorry, but he knows Adele and Dallas are here."

Bronx held him tighter. "It's fine. This is enough." He kissed Lucas's temple, then looked over at Jules. "I'd call a cab if I were you."

"My car's on the lawn," Jules said in a much smaller voice now.

Dallas smirked. "I know. I'm having it towed."

"And I will make sure you're put away for a DUI if you so much as look at your car keys," Adele said with a smirk. "Now, you're trespassing, so I'd show yourself out and save what little pride you have left."

"Babe," Jules started to whine.

Monty moved closer to Bronx, who quickly pulled him in, sandwiching Lucas between them. Lucas put his free arm around Monty and squeezed so tight he almost lost the air in his lungs.

"I told you to stay in your room," Monty whispered.

Lucas shook his head. "I wasn't going to let him keep saying that shit about my dad."

Bronx ruffled his son's hair before turning his attention back to Jules. "You came here to make a point, and you failed. Suck it up and get out. It's over, Jules. You wanted out, you got out. You wanted to give your kid back, fine. He's not yours anymore. You fought that battle and won. There's nothing left for you here. "

Jules seemed to realize he was outnumbered, and his face paled. He swayed a little, but he didn't fall over. Instead, he stumbled past them all, knocking Dallas in the shoulder, though the man didn't move an inch, and soon enough, the busted door was slamming shut.

There was a beat of silence, and then Dallas clapped his hands, making everyone jump. "Sorry," he said quickly. He pushed his glasses up his nose, then brushed past Adele and took Lucas into his arms. "Hey, kiddo. I'm sorry I didn't answer before."

"It's okay. You got here in time," Lucas murmured against his uncle's chest. "Thank you."

Dallas closed his eyes and squeezed before letting him go. He turned to Monty and gave him a pointed stare. "Obviously, we need to talk."

Monty flushed. "We were going to tell you this weekend."

"How long?" Dallas demanded.

At that, Kylen scoffed. "Babe. Since we left them at dinner. Jesus, how did you not notice?"

Dallas's ears flushed, and he looked at Bronx, who nodded. "Oh great, fine. That's just fine. Everyone knew but me?"

Adele grimaced. "I'm afraid so, bud."

"Fuck me, then," Dallas said. "I'm not bringing shit to the barbeque. You all owe me."

There was a ripple of laughter in the room, though it was still tense. Bronx reached behind Lucas and found Monty's hand, squeezing it. "Someone needs to go make sure he's gone. Is his car really being towed?"

"I called the service as soon as I got ahold of Luke," Dallas said. "I also blocked him in on the lawn, so he can't get out. "

Bronx let out a short breath of air. "I don't think we should stay here tonight. Monty?—"

"Not even a question," Monty said. "You know I have plenty of room."

Adele hummed, looking over at Lucas. "You want to come stay with me and Gage, kiddo?"

Lucas hunched in closer to Monty. "I kind of want to stay with my dad. Is that okay? Do you mind if I come with?"

Monty wrapped his arm around him tightly. "Like I said, there will always be room for you. Always."

Monty still had all his floor nest supplies, so as Bronx gave Lucas a tour of the house—mostly how to find the bathroom on his own and where to get a glass for water, he set it up. There were still some tzatziki stains on one of the sheets, but everything was clean enough, and Bronx's eyes went wide when the pair of them stopped just inside the living room.

"What?" Lucas demanded. "It got weirdly quiet."

"I made a little floor nest for us," Monty said. "We don't have to use it, but I thought…well, if maybe you didn't want to be alone right now, we could camp out. I don't know that I'm going to get much sleep, and…I mean, I know it's a silly idea, but?—"

"Describe it," Lucas demanded.

Bronx did. "There's several blankets on the floor and a ton of pillows. It's up against the couch, so you can sit up if you want. It's in front of the TV, and we can put on a movie if you want some background noise. It's big enough for at least six people, so you can have your space. "

Lucas swallowed heavily, then nodded. "Is it obvious?"

"That you needed this?" Monty asked. He stood up and touched Lucas's hand, offering his arm to lead him over. "No. That's why I second-guessed myself. But I would have needed it. I do need it."

Lucas let out a trembling breath as his foot touched the edge of the blanket. He dropped down and felt around him before settling on the right side. He tucked a pillow close to him, then turned his face to his dad. "My blanket?"

"Let me grab it," Bronx said quietly. He turned and walked back to the car to get the supplies as Monty hovered awkwardly to the side.

"Will you sit with me?" Lucas asked.

Monty quickly dropped down, keeping space between them. "I'm sorry you went through that."

"Did you mean what you said?" Lucas asked. "The…adoption thing. I'll probably be eighteen by the time you and Dad figure out your whole future or whatever."

"I meant it," Monty said. "I want to get to know you better. I want you to feel comfortable with me, but I like you, Lucas. If I could have ever raised a son of my own, I would want him to be exactly like you."

"No eyes and everything?" Monty could tell Lucas was only half-teasing.

"I don't think that would matter to me. As long as my kid was happy. I didn't mean to overstep though. This is all very soon."

"Yeah, but Gage said something to me the other day. When you know, you know. It sounded like bullshit, but when I was in trouble and I wanted my dad, I wanted you too. I think that means something. I like having you around. Maybe I'm just a traumatized kid with abandonment issues though. "

Monty chuckled. "Yeah. Maybe. But that doesn't change the fact that I want you around. If your dad and I move forward, my home is your home, okay? And even if we have split places for a while, there's room for you here. I have a room for you. We can shop—you can decorate it. You can help me put bump dots all over the kitchen and organize it the way you know so you're never lost."

"Can you stop?" Lucas's voice was tight. "I mean, thank you. But I'm…that's…I need a minute."

Bronx came in right then with two big duffle bags and a blanket slung over his arm. He was holding a giant koala as well, and he laid that on top of Luca's chest before draping the blanket over him.

"They're both weighted," Bronx explained.

"I've slept with this since I was a baby," Lucas added. He snuggled in deep. "I think I'm probably going to stress sleep for a long time. I'm totally fine if you two want a bed though. I know how the floor is on old man back."

"You're pushing it," Bronx said, but he was grinning. He dropped down between Lucas and Monty and leaned over, kissing his son's temple. "I think I need to stay close right now. If you're not too old for cuddles with your dad."

Lucas hummed softly and rolled close to his dad. "I don't think I'm too old yet. Maybe in ten years. Check back then."

Bronx reached behind him and pulled Monty up against his back. Monty curled up tight and yanked the top blanket over them both. The night had been a lot—too much, if he was being honest. And it was so damn soon, but somehow, against all odds, this felt like family.

And that was something he would give life and limb to protect. No questions asked.