“I think you’re right.”
“Did you? Did you feel that from her?”
Truth be told, he’d be happy never taking another Domme, never going back to the Bolt to do their gig public, just having what they had at home. When D played him, he got all he needed. When he or they took Molly, the same. What they had together, the three of them, was it for him and always had been. He couldn’t say he didn’t enjoy it when they let themselves get worked by a Domme so they could get off and Molly could watch and get off too. But he’d be good without it.
So in the beginning, he could take or leave Sixx.
But after their scene, when she’d looked right in his eyes, put her hand on his chest and he knew how deep her empathy ran to where he was at, having his boy like he craved having him, but for too short of a time, way too short, and having to give that up . . . for D.
Yeah.
She’d felt natural then. Not one of them, one of them, but an integral part of that scene that took some of the bitter out of the bittersweet.
Not much, but since the bitter stuck in his craw, even a little bit helped.
“I had to work my way up to it, baby, but she was solid and I can’t lie and say it didn’t mean a lot she got it,” he told her.
“Yeah. You being D’s Dom, her being a Domme, you’re like, mind melded or something.”
He chuckled.
“I think we should just feel our way, honey,” she said softly. “I think right now, if he’s opening up, he’d be easy to spook and that’d be bad.”
He didn’t want to give it to her, but he had to.
“Fucked him angry last night, Molly. He told it true, nearly fucked him through the wall, but I did it because I was pissed he pulled the bro after having drinks with those assholes he works with. Coming home, I went at him, let him have me, it was good, and then he goes bro. Pissed me off.”
“I see that,” she said gently.
“I took care of him but he saw through it and we fought.”
“Oh, baby,” she whispered. “Did you tell him why you were angry?”
He did not.
“Just told him I thought we’d disconnected and I was trying to reconnect.”
“Well, that’s one way to put it,” she muttered.
“I want all of him, Mol,” he told her.
“Of course you do,” she said in a soothing, musical coo. “I want you to have all of him too.”
“I’m not a patient man,” he reminded her.
“You’re the most patient man I’ve ever known.”
He blinked at the pool, his chin jerking in.
“Just stay patient, Mady,” she carried on. “A little while longer. We’ll get him there.”
And if we don’t?
The question lay unspoken between them as Maddox took another swig from his bottle and moved his eyes back to the door when he sensed movement.
In his cutoff sweats, Diesel was making his way to the fridge.
“He’s up,” he told their woman.
“Yeah, and Holly’s opening another bottle of wine. I’ll let you go. Tell D I said, ‘hey,’ and I should be home around two or three tomorrow. Mom’s leaving earlier because she’s got farther to drive so she’s not stopping around. I’ll text when I’m on my way.”
“’Kay, baby. Try to have fun, tell your family we said hello and see you tomorrow.”
“I will. You too. And love you.”
“You got that back,” he replied.
“’Bye, honey.”
“Later, Mol.”
He hung up and watched Diesel pop the cap on a beer.
He continued to watch as Diesel came to the door, through it and walked out, closing the door behind him as he lifted the bottle and took a pull.
He moved to the chair opposite Maddox and eased in.
Maddox felt one side of his lips snag up.
“You took that plug out, bro, you’re gettin’ more of your monster,” he warned.
Diesel adjusted his ass in the padded slider in a way that Maddox knew he still felt his man’s switch and his ass was definitely full.
“Not my first rodeo with you, Mad. Who were you talkin’ to?”
“Molly,” Maddox answered. “The dress worked. The seven thousand dollar cuts are not. And Holly’s opening up another bottle of wine.”
“Right,” Diesel mumbled before he took another swig.
“You good?”
D’s eyes came right to him.
“Claim staked, asshole. Midway through orgasm two, I forgot Tommy’s name.”
Maddox grinned at him.
D held his eyes and Maddox felt the grin freeze on his face.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Diesel said low.
He said that.
What he meant, or what Maddox hoped like fuck he meant, was, It’s only you. It’ll only ever be you. There’s no one else for me, never was even when I had other cock, and never will be.
“You complaining?” Mad asked.
“Nope,” Diesel said, and again lifted the bottle to his lips, his gaze sliding away.
Maddox took his own draw.
They fell silent.
Mad broke it.
“Molly’ll be home around two, maybe three.”
“Miss her,” D mumbled.
“Yeah,” Maddox agreed. Then he called, “D?”
Diesel’s gaze came back to him.
Fuck.
Should he say what he wanted to say?
Before he made the decision, his mouth started moving.
“Took a lot of ass, took a lot of cock, it’s still only you and it’ll only ever be you.”
D stared at him, face blank, eyes working.
“That’s it,” Maddox went on, feeling slightly sick. “All I’ll say.”
D continued to stare at him.
And then he looked away.
Maddox downed a big pull, suddenly wishing the beer was bourbon.
“Wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
At Diesel’s words, Maddox went still.
“But right here,” D finished, not looking at him.
Instead, he slouched down in his slider, put his feet up on Maddox’s ottoman, not touching, but after what he said, he didn’t have to.
Baby steps.
He’d pushed a little further.
And there they were.
Together.
“You hungry?” Maddox asked quietly.
“That a casserole Mol left for us in the fridge?” D asked back.
“Yup, bro, bake and good to go. Ready in thirty.”
Diesel looked again to Maddox. “Workout you put me through, I could eat three of those things.”
Seeing as Diesel didn’t do stove or wooden spoons, the only thing he could handle in the kitchen was the coffeepot, Maddox took the hint, lifted his feet off the ottoman and hefted himself out of the chair.
“Will you need another beer by the time I pre-heat the oven, slide that fucker in and come back out here?” Mad asked.
“Is my name Diesel Joshua Stapleton?”
“Unless you had it changed without fillin’ me in on that info.”
“Then yeah on the beer.”
Grinning again, Maddox headed to the French doors.
If he went in to do something and Molly was out there with him or them, he’d kiss her before he went.
A time that seemed ages ago, he would have done the same to D.
Now that option wasn’t open to him.
Stay patient. A little while longer.
He’d wait.
And while he did . . .