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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

NICO

“That’s that.”

“Hmm,” Babbo murmured.

“What does that mean?”

“I think we need to seal the deal.”

My insides flipped-flopped in anticipation. I knew that smirk and tone. Without hesitation, I tossed my controller on the cushion and hurtled myself onto his lap. With my legs straddling him, Babbo was exactly where I wanted him. He tossed aside his own controller and put his hands on my hips. His fingers tightened on the hip bones that weren’t as prominent as I’d always dreamed.

I shoved the thought out of my head. Babbo hadn’t once done anything that made me think he didn’t want me or my body. My commitment issues were enough. I didn’t need to add body-shaming thoughts to my anxiety.

His mouth was so close and tempting. I sealed my lips to Babbo’s, and without any hesitation, Babbo slipped his tongue inside my mouth. He traced and mapped and sipped and tasted. Our moans filled the living room and my dick chubbed from being so close to this man that I probably loved if I were into that sort of thing.

Thank effing god Babbo had closed the drapes when we’d started playing video games. The shrouded windows gave the impression that we were alone in the world. Each swirl of his tongue tangled with mine set off an avalanche of fuzzy feelings that washed over me. After our—break? separation? personal freak out?—whatever it was, I needed him to fill me. I needed to remind myself that he was choosing me. And I had chosen him.

“Sweet Boy, I need to fuck you,” Babbo panted when we finally drew away. “It’s been too damn long.”

Rather than answer, I whipped my shirt over my head and scrambled off his lap to strip out of my pants. Babbo pulled his own T-shirt off and tossed it on the floor. To see him so eager—for me!—swelled my heart until I thought it might burst. This amazing, sexy, kind, understanding man wanted me. He compromised and met me where I was. I felt capable in all the ways, in and out of the bedroom, and it was due to him.

“Hey, earth to Nico. Earth to Nico.” Babbo grasped my waist and pulled me back onto his lap. Our dicks rubbed against each other while precum beaded at the slits. Babbo grasped both and slowly stroked up and down. I threw back my head and groaned deep in my chest.

“Babbo, I need you right now. Like right effing now.”

“Shh, baby, I’ll take care of you. I promise.”

His words felt deeper and more meaningful. I stilled as I let them sink into me. Babbo raised his hands and gently forced me to look directly into his eyes. “I will take care of you. I promise.” Inside of them shone something that felt like love, but I wasn’t ready to try to name it or label it. He pulled me down and dropped a feather-soft kiss on my mouth. “Let me take care of you. I’ll prove it.”

Words weren’t forming, so I nodded instead. Babbo’s hands found their way down to my hips across my rounded tummy to reach my nipples. They were already tight and aching. He played with the tight nubs until my cock slit went from beading to dripping. My hands mimicked his, and I used the edge of my nail to tease him. Babbo’s hand slid behind my head and pulled my mouth down to his chest. “Sweet Boy, suck me.”

I immediately latched onto his chest and drew one of his tight buds into my mouth. His sharp gasp made me smile, but I wasn’t deterred from my task. I latched onto him tightly and sucked while my tongue played along the edges. One of his hands tugged on my hair just to the edge of pain, though never crossing the line. His other hand managed to jack our cocks. It was unsteady and jerky, and my pride swelled, along with my dick, that I could make this man shaky.

Babbo used our leaking precum to lube one finger and then slipped around to tease my hole. He tapped against me in a teasing tempo that left me writhing and gasping against him. Once again, Babbo swiped a pass over our cockheads, mingled the sticky fluid, and returned to my hole. This time, he skipped the teasing and slipped a finger inside me.

He let me get accustomed to the intrusion before he made any movements. When I squirmed back against his hand, Babbo’s knowing laugh echoed around us.

“What’s the matter, sunshine? You need something?”

“Ahhh, I need you, Babbo. I need to feel you inside me. I want…I want…”

“Tell me,” Babbo ordered.

“I want you to claim me.”

I wasn’t entirely sure if the roar that rumbled through the room was me or him or the unexpected storm outside. Babbo’s plunging finger increased in speed and intensity. He mouthed along the column of my neck, leaving kisses and nips in his wake. I whined in protest when Babbo withdrew from me to lean over to fumble around in the side table drawer. His crow of delight when he found the lube had me shutting my mouth.

Lube equaled fucking me, and I was desperate for that.

“Hurry up, Babbo.”

“Sunshine, I don’t want to hurt you. You gotta be patient.”

“But I’m not patient.” I pouted. “Hurry up. Now.”

Babbo’s sharp smack on my ass left me panting in pain and want. “If you want me to fuck you, little boy, you’ll watch your mouth.”

I hadn’t realized it, but he’d managed to get lube on his fingers without me noticing and now thrust sharply inside me. My keening wail ricocheted around the room.

“Oh god, Babbo. I will. I will.”

Babbo moved and scissored his fingers in me until my cock dripped like a faucet onto his stomach. His harsh pants mixed with my desperate gasps, creating a cacophony of desire.

“Please fuck me. I need your cock. I need you to fill me. I need you to claim me.”

Underneath me, Babbo shifted so that he lay prone on the couch with his head resting on some throw pillows. A fine sheen of sweat glistened on his body beneath mine. The scent of sex was heavy in the air, and each passing second raised my desperation another notch.

Once he was situated, Babbo raised me over his cock, lined me up, and slowly guided himself inside. That wasn’t enough for me. I slammed myself down and the sudden stretch and fullness wrenched a scream from my throat. Tears gathered, then fell at the sudden, sharp pain of him impaling me. It was worth every shocking spasm. I fucking loved it.

“Goddammit, baby. You’re going to hurt yourself.”

“Worth it,” I panted through the pain.

The fullness threatened to split me in half, and all the oxygen left my lungs at the shock of it. Slowly, my body adjusted and the pain ebbed away with only pleasure left behind. My hole spasmed around his buried dick, but whatever pain was left over disappeared when I made my first tentative movements.

Babbo allowed me to situate myself before he took over. He squeezed my hips and thighs, whispering words of encouragement as he directed my movements. Each brush across my prostate led me closer to the precipice of release. We chased each other to the edge. The tension within us coiled, tighter and tighter, until there was nothing left to do but embrace the coming explosion.

When Babbo stroked my cock, I was certain I’d shatter into a million pieces. My ass was on fire, my skin was feverish, and my cock hurt in all the ways I loved. With one last pump, I spilled across his stomach. Rope after rope of white cum pumped out of me as I desperately tried to force my lungs to work.

My release triggered his and he flooded my channel with hot cum. My hole spasmed around him, and he surged into me with one final hard thrust. His guttural groans had me grinding against him as I tried to merge us into one entity. I forced myself to stay upright so that more of his cum would stay inside me. I wanted to be marked and claimed. That need made no sense, given my aversion to commitment, but I didn’t give one single damn.

I propped myself up on his heaving chest while we both gulped air into our lungs. “Do you think I’m pregnant?” Babbo’s strangled laugh made me smile. “I think I might be.”

“Uhh, I don’t know a lot about pregnancy, but I think there’s a little more to the process,” he rasped. “But if you’re not, I’m willing to keep trying.”

* * *

Rory

Are you still speaking to us?

Owen

Please tell us you’re speaking to us.

Jakob

Me three.

Anders

Just checking in with you. We’re just thinking of you.

Nico

Yes, I’m still speaking to everyone, and I’m good.

Jakob

Is this the part where I don’t ask you about what happened?

Rory

We kinda sorta 100% want to know.

Anders

Boys! We talked about this.

Rory

We talked about it, but we didn’t decide.

Anders

Yes, we did decide, and you three agreed you wouldn’t push.

Jakob

It’s a small nudge, and that makes it a smudge.

Rory

I feel like you probably know that’s not what the word means.

Jakob

Words can mean anything.

Owen

But can they though?

Anders

You three are driving me batty

Nico

You guys have to stop torturing Anders.

Anders

It’s four ’cause I’m looking at you too.

Nico

It’s too much to text.

Rory

I am available for after-work activities.

Anders

You got a job?

Rory

Oh god, no, it’s a figure of speech.

Anders

I wish my job was a figure of speech.

Jakob

Everything OK?

Anders

Yeah, I’m sorry I said anything. It’s fine.

Rory

Are you sure about that?

Anders

Yes, and we’re talking about Nico.

Nico

Ha, I kinda wish we weren’t.

Anders, let’s talk about you.

Anders

No thanks.

Nico

I tried. How about dinner the day after tomorrow and I’ll explain how it went.

Rory

You’re going to leave us on read like that.

Nico

I mean…you did set me up

Owen

Fair.

Jakob

You win that round, Batman.

Anders

You’re not wrong.

Rory

Grrrr, fine.

* * *

I was a few minutes early for my lunch date with the boys and Anders, but it gave me a chance to compose myself in the back of the restaurant. Rory had suggested we go to Stone and Vine because, according to him, “ All important conversations should happen there .” The rest of the group chat enthusiastically agreed, as did I, since it had been on my list to try for approximately forever.

It was as cute as they’d said it was, with its plants and hand-painted murals, done by Owen, on the walls. Through the back, I saw the beer garden space, but it was too wet and windy to sit out there today. The restaurant had been renovated before I started working for the firm, so I didn’t know the specifics, but Gabe’s reimagining of the space and Owen’s design talent was evident.

To the back of the restaurant were some high-backed booths that would allow us some privacy. I snagged the one with the most privacy and settled myself in to wait for the others.

“Oh, hey, fancy seeing you here,” said the waiter. He wasn’t overly tall, but he was broad, stout, and handsome. His face and voice were familiar, but I struggled to place him. He nailed me on it right away when I tried to hide my confusion.

“You have no idea who I am, do you?” He laughed.

I desperately searched my brain for some shred of recognition, but I was at a complete loss. With nothing left to lose except pride, I might as well tell the truth.

“I know I know you, but I don’t know from where.” The man smiled and put a set of silverware wrapped in a cloth napkin in front of me, along with a glass of water.

“Don’t worry about it. We met a while back at the club.” What had been a smile turned into a chuckle and then a belly laugh when horror overtook my face when it dawned on me where I knew him from.

“Oh my god! You’re the guy from the restroom.”

“One and the same.” No one was in the restaurant yet because we were too early for the lunch rush, so he sat across from me at the table. “Did you ever get your Daddy?”

“What makes you think he’s my Daddy?”

“I may spend a shit-ton of time at the gym, but I’m not dumb. I know a lovesick boy when I see one.”

“Are you a Daddy?”

“Nah, even though everyone assumes I am.”

“Why do you think that is?” I asked with a cocked head.

His friendly smile revealed dimples. I can see why I was interested in the club, but there wasn’t an ounce of attraction now. I could still appreciate the merchandise.

“Pretty sure it’s the gym-bro vibes.” He shrugged, then glanced over his shoulder at the sudden burst of chatter from the front of the restaurant. The boys and Anders were headed straight for us. He rapped his knuckles on the table twice, then stood and nodded toward the horde barreling forward. “Looks like your friends are here. I’ll be back with some more silverware and the menus.”

“Dang, he’s fine,” Jakob said when he arrived at the table. He looked over his shoulder and the guy winked at him. Jakob wiggled his fingers in response.

“Aren’t you a happily married man?” Rory asked.

“Yeah, but I’m not a dead, happily married man,” he clapped back. The conversation devolved into a discussion about who had the hottest crush. I declined to name my own because admitting it was Babbo would sound lame, but I let them go on because I wasn’t ready to discuss the real reason we were all here.

Our waiter, whose name I learned was Casey, had already brought out the drinks and food orders before I worked up the courage to mention our abbreviated playdate. The guys started giving each other looks with a few pointed ones at Anders. Poor guy. He always got roped into the shit jobs. This time, I was grateful for it.

“Can we talk about what happened?” Anders asked.

“Like the fact that you all put me in a vulnerable place and then sprung Levi on me?”

“Uh, yeah, that’s what we should talk about,” Rory agreed with a guilty look at Jakob and Owen.

Owen glanced around and added, “We thought it would be good for you two to be around each other and…stuff.”

“I didn’t tell you anything was wrong, so how’d you know?” I asked. I kept my voice mild, but the more I thought about it, the pissier I got.

“Well, funny story, Gabe mentioned you looked rough,” Rory answered before glancing at Jakob and Owen. They jostled each other with their elbows and the occasional hand wave to get the other to talk. Anders rolled his eyes at their antics.

“And we knew you liked Levi because of the cuddle party, so yeah. You. Him. Perfect, right?” Owen offered. I knew he was hedging with the way he looked at the boys with wide eyes and nods of encouragement.

“Anders, what was your part in this?”

“I didn’t know until Owen went out to ask Levi to park around the corner and Rory told me.”

“We never tell Anders in advance,” Jakob interjected.

“Why?”

“Because he always tells our Daddies on us.” Rory snorted.

“Good, because you all need to stay out of other people’s business. You didn’t know what the issue was. You didn’t ask what the issue was. You didn’t even know if there was an issue. And by you, I mean everyone except Anders.”

The three of them looked chagrined at my outburst, and I only felt a smidge…a nano slice…bad about it. I was salty, but it had come from a good place, and the end worked out for me.

“No more setups.” They all nodded. “No more interference.” Another round of nods. “And thank you for being my friend.” That elicited a collective aww .

“Okay, we promise all of that, but you gotta tell us if you and Levi are together now.”

“Yes.” I sighed. “For now.”

“For now?” clarified Jakob. The concern in his voice was evident.

“For now,” I responded firmly. “ And it’s precisely what I want. For now.”

“Nico, I’m your friend, but I’m Levi’s too. Does he want this so…open-ended?” Owen asked. His concern was fair. They’d been friends since they were kids back in Yakima, and he had every right to be protective of him.

“What’s great about Levi is he can meet people where they are, and for me, that’s the best I can do. He understands where I’m coming from.”

“I don’t want him to be hurt,” Owen added.

“Me either. But I can tell you that for right now, I’m all in, and so is he, which is why…” I fished my phone out of my pocket and looked at the time. “Oh, he’s here. We’re going to take an art class with Nonna, my grandma.”

Right on cue, Babbo strolled into the back of the restaurant with his easy, confident swagger that I adored and, well, loved. Now that he was officially free of his law firm, he was already happier and more relaxed.

“Gentlemen, this looks like a table of shenanigans,” Babbo said with a smile. When he got right next to me, he dropped a quick kiss on my upturned mouth. The boys and Anders swooned. “But I’m stealing this one. I’ve already handled the bill and added desserts. Make sure you get them so they don’t go to waste.” After a chorus of “Thank you,” Babbo added, “And you should definitely, positively, absolutely not share them with anyone at home. They are all yours.”

With Babbo’s help, I climbed out of the booth. He kept my hand in his, and maybe it wasn’t intentional, but it felt like a show of solidarity to the world and our spectators that we didn’t require a production with hearts and flowers. We could handle our business the way we wanted during the current installment.