A Desconian Happily Ever After (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (16 page)

“What are you doing here?” he asked as she stepped into his arms and cuddled him tight.

Kallum laughed softly. “Somebody couldn’t wait long enough for you to get home to learn if you passed your exams.”

“Not even multiple orgasms would settle her down,” Drew said with a wink.

“So,” Ally said, grinning and rolling her eyes as she stepped away, “did you pass?”

David nodded, still absorbing the news himself. “I did. I start basic training in three days.”

“But you’ll be home each night,” she said, making the statement sound like a dire threat.

“Yes, Ally, I will be home each night—tired, sore, and in need of gentle loving.”

Kallum stepped forward, holding his hand out to offer his congratulations, but somehow it felt too impersonal. Right at that moment, David struggled to hide his feelings for the other men in Ally’s life. Kallum gave him a speculative look, glanced at Drew, and then stepped into David’s embrace the same way Ally had done only moments ago.

David held Kallum, his arms shaking from emotion as he made eye contact with Drew. The man smiled, apparently not the least bit upset that David held his husband close. Ally wore a smile that proclaimed her happy approval as well. Perhaps this was just typical, Desconian friendship. David had learned a lot in the past few months. He knew that casual touching and kissing was normal, but somehow this felt more personal.

It was very possible that he was also reading more into Kallum’s and Drew’s behavior than was actually there. It was quite likely they might never consider him anything more than a close friend.

“Come on,” Kallum said, stepping out of David’s embrace, “let’s go home and celebrate.”

David barely quelled the moan that thought provoked. He knew exactly what he wanted to do to celebrate.

* * * *

Ally watched David and Kallum interact and felt a small kernel of excitement lodge deep in her belly. She’d hoped that over time her men might develop a closer bond, but even she’d been skeptical that it would ever happen. David was so tightly controlled sometimes that she feared he might never adjust to Desconian life.

He’d made love to her infrequently over the past few months, preferring to hold her close rather than do anything sexual.

“Don’t read too much into it,” Drew said quietly, casually stopping Alex from climbing onto his shoulders. Her little tyke was absolutely fearless when it came to heights. It probably had something to do with him completely trusting the adults around him to keep him safe. It was such a relief to know her son would never experience the fear and uncertainty that had marred both hers and David’s childhoods.

“I worry for him,” she said, hoping that Drew would understand what was going through her mind.

“Kallum and I worry for him as well. He might never truly embrace our way of life, but at least he has you and Alex.”

“So do you and Kallum,” Ally said quickly, a sliver of panic slicing through her. “Even without the mubella claiming ceremony. You know I love you, don’t you?”

“Hey,” Drew said as he pulled Ally into his arms, “of course we know. Kallum and I love you. Nothing will change that.” He hugged her closer, Alex squirming in the middle. Her son of course saw it as a great opportunity to climb on her head, but fortunately Drew countered that move as well.

“Ready to go home?” Kallum asked as he came closer, David barely a step behind.

“Definitely,” Drew said with a warm smile for David. “We have some serious celebrating to do.”

* * * *

Despite the jovial atmosphere of dinner, David felt more alone than he could probably explain. All through the meal he’d tried to pinpoint exactly what he was feeling, what he wanted, or maybe needed, to feel happy.

The answer was distasteful.

He wanted more.

After years of living on a planet where many children and young adults literally had nothing, it felt so terribly selfish. He had a roof over his head, a woman who loved him, friends who cared, and had today taken a major step toward a promising career. He already had more than he deserved.

As the others finished eating, David got up from the table and headed into the kitchen. He didn’t have a clue how to cook, so when he’d moved in several months ago he’d insisted after each meal that he be responsible for cleaning up. Considering Alex’s extraordinary ability to somehow smear food into everything he could reach, and even some things he couldn’t, it wasn’t always a quick job.

“You okay?” Drew asked as he followed him into the room.

“Of course,” David said quickly, a little bit annoyed that he hadn’t been able to hide his disquiet from the man. Drew gave him a look that suggested he didn’t believe him, but nodded instead and turned to the thing Desconians called a dishwasher. Considering David’s infrequent meals on Earth—most served without plates—he’d never even considered that there might be a machine to clean them.

“It can’t have been easy,” Drew said casually.

“What can’t have been easy?” David asked, again feeling uneasy at the apparent exposure of his emotions.

“Getting the money together to pay for so many passages to Descon.”

David’s blood ran hot and cold as the implications of Drew’s observation sank in. Apparently the man had met enough of David’s passengers to do the math. The captain on the refugee ship had charged an outrageous amount of money to get people off the planet. David had spent his life savings getting Ally to Descon. By the time he’d found a not-so-honorable way to pay for his own ticket to a better life, he’d found someone who’d needed it more.

“It wasn’t easy,” David admitted warily, watching Drew’s face as the man watched his.

“Probably more money than a man could make honestly.”

“Probably.” David tightened his jaw, his gut aching as he waited for Drew’s judgment. It was clear that he’d already come to an accurate assessment of David’s guilt. A small, frightened part of him wanted to beg for understanding, an echo of a childhood marred with grief, but the hardened man, the one who’d done everything he could to get as many off the planet as possible, refused to allow such weakness.

“If you ever need to talk about it,” Drew said, leaning against the bench casually, “you know Kallum and I are willing to listen. It might help you work through a few things.”

“You’re not kicking me out?” he blurted anxiously, his emotional strength fleeing in the light of such a kind offer.

A sob escaped his control as Drew’s strong arms wrapped tightly around him. “No,” Drew said in a deep, soothing voice. “This is your home.”

“But what I’ve done…what I did to earn—”

Drew cut him off. “Isn’t important. We know who you are, David. You’re a man who sacrificed everything to save virtual strangers. That says far more about the type of man you are than anything else.” He ran a hand up and down David’s spine, the touch more comforting than David would ever have guessed. “It makes you a man I’m proud to know.” He was silent for a while, as if deciding just how much to say. “It makes you a man that Kallum and I love. Maybe one day you’ll learn to love us back.”

“Seriously?” David asked as shock spiked through him. He’d known his own feelings for Drew and Kallum had been growing, but he’d never even considered that they might be returned.

“Seriously,” Drew said with a soft laugh. “But there’s no hurry. Even if you never fully embrace our lifestyle, Kallum and I know you love Ally. That’s more than enough.”

“But I don’t.” Drew leaned back to see his face, and then arched an eyebrow as he waited for an explanation. David rushed to explain even as relief that he was being given the chance to clarify such a poorly worded admission spread through him. “I mean, I love Ally, and I adore Alex, but I feel the same things for you and for Kal. I want to know you both better, but well…I…”

He stumbled over the last few words, uncertain how to phrase what had been his biggest fear. In the face of Drew’s acceptance, his past suddenly didn’t seem as awful as it had before.

“But you were worried we’d learn some of the things you did back on Earth and judge you for them.”

David shrugged, embarrassed that his own fear could cause him to misjudge two amazing men.

“Marry us,” Kallum said from the doorway.

“What?” David asked in shock. “You heard all that?”

“Sorry, it wasn’t intentional,” Kallum said, stepping into the kitchen, Ally and Alex in tow. “But I’m glad you finally told someone what was bothering you.” He and Ally moved to form a four-way embrace, Alex squealing in delight as he wriggled into the middle of all of his parents. “Drew and I have been falling in love with you for months now. Marry us. Adopt Alex. Make our family official.”

“Say yes,” Ally urged a moment before leaning up to kiss David softly. “Say yes. I promise you will never regret it.”

“Yes,” David whispered as tears blurred his vision and three people he loved held him safe. The fifth and tiniest member of their newly formed family celebrated in his own way—by pulling David’s hair.

“I love you,” he said to them all, not even trying to untangle their son’s sticky fingers. “Thank you for loving me back.”

“Always,” Drew said with a smile.

David woke surrounded by warm bodies. He’d made love to Ally last night, but for the first time since he’d moved in, Kallum and Drew had stayed to watch, both smiling appreciatively as David finally ditched his own embarrassment about being naked in front of them.

It had made the sex with Ally somehow more exciting. Perhaps that had also been because he finally accepted that he deserved to be happy as much as anyone else.

“When did you get home?” he whispered when he noticed Kallum was lying awake beside him, Ally curled comfortably in his embrace.

“About an hour ago,” Kallum said, rolling slightly to press a kiss to David’s lips. “I’m sorry I interrupted our celebration.”

David smiled. “We have the rest of our lives to get to know each other.” He glanced over his shoulder as Drew’s hand caressed over his stomach. He twisted slightly to press a kiss to his lips as well. “Did the babies arrive safely?” he asked as he turned back to Kallum.

“They sure did,” Kallum said with a beautiful smile. “Everything went as well as could be hoped. A son for Jenelle, Tosh, Baylen, and Jax, and a daughter for Galeena, Tyler, and Alekai.” He laughed softly. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen the lab process a DNA paternity request quite so fast. It seems that nearly the entire planet wanted to know straightaway.”

“Is Galeena okay?” Ally asked softly. David hadn’t even realized she was awake.

“Galeena is perfectly fine. In fact, she’s already talking about the next time she gets pregnant.”

“Maybe she should change a few dirty diapers first,” Ally said with a soft laugh. “That sure made me glad Alex wasn’t twins.”

“I doubt she’ll need to. I’ve seen a lot of excited families in my time delivering babies, but tonight’s little arrivals practically have an entire army to love and protect them.”

David smiled as tears filmed his vision. Both he and Ally knew exactly what the alternative was. Children born and raised on Descon were far better off.

“So the ‘experiment’ was a success?” Drew asked, his hand still caressing possessively over David’s flat stomach.

“Absolutely,” Kallum said with no small measure of pride. What he and his friend Tosh had accomplished tonight was astounding. Media outlets had already proclaimed it the solution to Descon’s fertility problems. It had gone a long way to calming the panic that had reverberated through Desconian society when Earth had died.

Human women still weren’t entirely safe moving around Descon on their own, but David could see a time in the future when they would be. Of course, he, Kallum, and Drew had no intention of ever leaving Ally unprotected. She already knew the terror of being alone and vulnerable. They were determined that she would never know that fear again.

“So can we get back to celebrating David’s exam results now?” Ally asked with a wide grin.

“Absolutely,” Kallum said as he reached over to touch David’s face. “Congratulations on passing. Can you fuck me now?”

Drew laughed quietly as he switched on the light to softly illuminate the bed. “Perhaps David would prefer that you fucked Ally together first.”

“I like that idea,” Ally said as she crawled out of the covers and over the top of Kallum.

Drew pulled David tighter against him, his cock pressing into the naked crease of David’s ass. The sensation was thrilling, the tingling feeling covering every inch of his body. Carefully Drew shuffled them both backward so that they had a good view of Ally’s pussy as she took Kallum’s cock slowly into her body.

David had watched both men love Ally and each other before, but this was the first time he’d been close enough to see how Ally’s pussy gripped Kallum’s cock, the outer lips caressing him as he slowly thrust in and out.

“They’re beautiful together, aren’t they?” Drew asked as his hands roamed over David’s body, the touch firmer than Ally’s but no less amazing.

“They are,” David said, a little bit embarrassed by the huskiness of his voice.