Page 6 of Their Little Helper (The Lactin Brotherhood #22)

SANTOS

Overwhelmed but consenting was how I thought Harley was feeling, but I wasn’t sure how to make sure of that without coming across as an obsessive worrier.

Fuck it all.

“Do you think we need to come up with a color for our boy that reflects feeling overwhelmed?” My question got a thinking hum from Dally but a blush from Harley so I knew I was right on the money.

He couldn’t quite get words out but he pointed to the green line on Dally’s shirt.

“Possibly.” Dally gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “He responded well to your recap and is still hard, though, so overwhelmed doesn’t seem to have negative connotations at this point.”

That was good to know.

“What’s the best way to ask if texting would be an easier form of communication for him?” Yes, I was making Harley squirm but that just made Dally wiggle and that seemed to make Harley squirm again…so they were fun to watch.

Harley gave me a little glare that said he was wondering what the fuck I was doing, which I loved because it showed he wasn’t too lost. But Dally’s ass was back to doing amazing things to Harley’s dick as he pretended to be thoughtful, so it was definitely hard for him to concentrate.

Dally tapped his chin as he gave what might’ve been a thoughtful professor expression. “I think that’s going to be a lot easier for him, yes. But what do you think about setting up a group text message to start as well as the private ones we’ll all end up having?”

As Harley nodded, Dally decided to drive us crazy again. “Do you think we need rules like no sexting in the group chat or will we be flexible about that?”

Harley was back to being an adorable pink color, but he didn’t give much of a hint about what he wanted as his gaze darted back and forth between us.

So I shrugged and answered without fucking with either of them. “I’m flexible, but my first instinct is to say we keep that one free of sexual shenanigans besides flirting. We don’t want to lose actual plans because you got creative about how you were going to use him.”

I could see that being a distinct possibility, but as Dally sighed in defeat, Harley cocked his head like he hadn’t thought of that being a problem.

“And it might be hard to figure out which one of you I was sexting.” Frowning, Dally nodded. “Yes, sexting in private texts and generic teasing and flirting in the group.”

He was going to sext with me ?

There was no way to ask that where I didn’t come out sounding like a confused teenager, so I pushed that thought to the back of my head. “That sounds fine, but we’re all going to remember that safewords work in a digital environment as well.”

When we both looked at Harley, he sighed and touched green. He was actually frustrated with us enough that he found his words again. “I’m overwhelmed, yes, but not too much.”

Taking a deep breath, he seemed to be doing his best to sound relaxed and confident. “I just haven’t dated like this.”

Something in his careful tone said he hadn’t done a lot…but it wasn’t the time to corner him on that yet. “I haven’t either.”

There wasn’t anything weak about admitting I’d never had to deal with someone like Dally before, and I couldn’t help glaring at him. “But I’m finding it interesting so far.”

Dally shrugged and flashed us a grin. “I like keeping an open mind, but I’ve never dated this combination before.”

He made it sound like we were some kind of dice roll he hadn’t run into before.

Even Harley smiled at the way he phrased it, but I wanted to make sure our boy was feeling okay.

“There’s nothing wrong with asking questions.

There’s nothing wrong with admitting we haven’t done something before.

There’s nothing wrong with asking for what we need. ”

Harley nodded, letting out a slow breath he seemed to think was subtle, but Dally curled into his chest and aimed his nonsense at me. “What do you need right now?”

More patience.

I needed an answer that wouldn’t offend anyone, though, so I thought about it. “Privacy. More physical contact. To get to know both of you a bit better.”

It wasn’t an exhaustive list but it was honest and they were my top issues at the moment. But I wasn’t the only one who might have needs. “What do you need, Dally?”

It was a dangerous question but it had to be asked since I’d started it.

“Oh.” His thoughtful expression was back but he actually seemed to be thinking because he started absentmindedly petting Harley’s chest. “Would an orgasm be out of the question? It probably is considering we haven’t had an official first date yet, but I just want to rub myself all over our boy as you do something wicked to me. ”

Harley was the color of a tomato, but his shy smile and slightly awed expression said he didn’t mind his Daddy’s honesty.

“As long as everyone realizes I don’t do casual sex, I’m not opposed to making sure you both get to come.” I wasn’t sure how it would come together, but neither of them were giving off don’t touch me vibes. “But we’ve established possession and the intent to date, so we’re not casual.”

Why people wanted to sleep with strangers was beyond me.

Dally blinked. “Really?”

Before I could figure out a good response to that, or even what he was asking, he poked Harley’s chest. “Your Papa is more flexible than I thought. What do you need, baby?”

I was wondering what he’d be able to articulate, but his Daddy and I were both patient as our boy mulled it over…and worked on his ability to respond with words.

Just pointing to green wasn’t going to work unless we reworded the sentence.

“I…I don’t want to go too far until we’ve gotten to know each other better.” Harley’s voice was more confident than I expected, but I wasn’t sure how much was real and how much was bravado. “But…but I’d like to make sure we’re…we’re all good together?”

Blinking a few times, he seemed to realize what he said shortly after the words came out. “Is that rude? Am I not supposed to worry about that? What if…what if I don’t stay big? It’s…it’s been a long week…a long month really. I’m sorry. I just don’t know what’s going to happen.”

And that was making his brain fill in the possible blanks at a frantic pace.

Luckily, his Daddy was there with a kiss and a cuddle. “Hey, baby. It’s okay.”

Hugging Harley tight, Dally snuggled against him and wiggled. “I need hugs.”

Hmm, Harley didn’t always know where to put his hands…okay…how much experience did he have?

“I like hugs too, Daddy.” His quiet, almost whisper, made me think being little was easier than being big when his stress hit a tipping point. “I don’t know what to do.”

“That’s why you have two Doms who love making decisions.” Dally’s logic was fascinating. “If you knew what to do all the time we’d drive you insane. One of us needs to be laidback and it looks like you’re it, so thank you for that.”

He had a point…not that I was going to admit that.

“I…” Harley let out a long breath as he hugged his Daddy, big arms wrapping the crazy man tight. “A lot of the time dates ask me to make decisions…like, all of them.”

Oh.

No.

Dally shook his head. “No, baby. We’ll ask you to pick between choices or where your limits are, but if you don’t know, we’ll make the decision.

Your Papa seems like the type to really enjoy taking control.

I think we’re going to have to be careful we don’t let him make too many decisions or he’ll want to pick out everyone’s underwear when we get dressed in the morning. ”

As Harley snickered, I shrugged and kept a straight face. “It would take one quick text in the morning to ask. I don’t think that’s too controlling. It’s just controlling enough.”

Dally giggled, getting another happy sound from Harley. “See? I told you.”

Huffing, I played along. “Never mind tiny little things like that. You’ve already made a lot of decisions and explained what you wanted.

You had an opinion about our date tomorrow, so you let us know how that looked.

You’ve been very clear about where you’re at in terms of color.

You’ve even let us know when you were confused and needed help. You’ve done amazing.”

“You really have, and that is the level of decision-making we need, nothing more than that unless you want to.” Dally gave our boy another cheek kiss.

“You made sure we knew you wanted to date both of us and we know you’re a sub and you’re a little.

We’re not assuming you’re a Dom or a control freak just because you’re big and sexy. ”

Harley’s blush was adorable, but I was glad when his stress started coming down and the little side retreated slightly. “I don’t want to offend anyone and…and I just don’t know what to say.”

Since the not offending anyone part seemed like one of his biggest worries, I addressed that first. “Did it offend you when I said I wasn’t into casual sex?”

Harley shook his head without hesitating. “No, Papa.”

“I’m glad, but I want you to remember that. It won’t offend me if you give me your limits. I want to know those. I need to know those.” They weren’t a bad thing but people had clearly told him otherwise.

“And how far you want to go with kissing or touching or watching something are all important limits.” Dally ran his hand up Harley’s chest, gently caressing over his nipples. “We like knowing where the lines are so we can color within them.”

I wasn’t jealous.

No.

I was however wondering how quickly we could get a larger couch to cuddle in.

“When it comes to limits…you can color outside the lines on paper.” Our cute overthinker might start worrying about that if we weren’t careful, but my clarification got a smile from him. “We can have fun with you no matter what limits you set.”

Harley wasn’t the type to set ridiculous ones that changed every five minutes just to see if he was important enough for us to keep jumping around.

“I…I’ve never had to figure out my limits.” Harley’s gaze bounced back and forth between us, but he wasn’t looking as tense as he had been before. “I want to figure them out and I’ve always wanted a Daddy…and a Papa…but I…being nervous makes me little.”

Which had probably confused some of his dates.

Dally shrugged. “Then we’ll play innocent games if you’re little and naughty games if you’re big. Having two partners means I can drag your Papa for a quickie in the bathroom if you’re little and taking a nap.”

His logic had me rolling my eyes. “The bathroom? Really?”

Dally shrugged. “My apartment is tiny.”

Harley giggled. “Mine too but you can use my kitchen. The table is sturdy. I can sit on it and not break it.”

Then the damned thing had to be nearly indestructible.

“That’s good to know.” Dally’s smile said he thought the information was invaluable. “Good boy for sharing that. Practical knowledge is very helpful.”

Blushing again, our boy smiled. “You’re welcome.”

Since it looked like we’d be hanging out at my place more than theirs, I shifted plans around in my head. “We’ll figure out good options no matter where we’re at, but for the time being, would you both like to come back to my place?”

When I had both their attention and Harley turned his wide eyes to me, I nodded toward the front of the building. “I live down the street. I will respect limits and we will not go as far as Dally clearly would like, but we can cuddle and get your Daddy the attention and orgasm he seems to need.”

He was vibrating with desire, so it felt more like need than want.

Dally sighed, slouching against Harley like he’d fainted. “That would be lovely…incredible.”

I hoped he was done when he took another breath, but he just needed more air to sigh again. “Wonderful…delightful.”

Harley giggled. “I don’t think I have to make sure you need privacy for that part.”

No.

Dally cocked his head, all drama ceasing. “You’re my boy. I can take privacy if you want me to but I don’t need it.”

He’d never need it.

I had a feeling we’d have to teach him about privacy at some point and Harley’s confused smile said he was thinking something along those lines too. He was too polite to say anything, though. “You are going to need some firm boundaries when it comes to privacy.”

Dally frowned as he sat up. “I don’t understand why people keep saying that.”

I bet he didn’t.

Harley opened and closed his mouth a few times, but we were patient. “I think I might need to figure out privacy limits too. I…I’m an only child and never lived with anyone else.”

Oh.

Looking a bit like Harley had just announced he was an alien, Dally frowned and couldn’t seem to process the information. “There’s just one of you? One? And you’ve always lived alone?”

I wasn’t sure I could chime in, but I raised my hand. “Me too. The closest thing I’ve had to living with someone was half a semester in college where I had a roommate.”

That hadn’t lasted long because they hadn’t understood boundaries and limits either.

“I…” Dumbfounded, Dally kept looking back and forth between us. “That’s so weird.”

We were not the weird ones.

Harley smiled instead of pointing that out, though. “I bet you have good stories about your family, don’t you, Daddy?”

He was learning fast about how to distract his Daddy.

I approved…but I wasn’t going to let him do it to me.

“I have lots of stories. Bathroom stories and getting lost stories and frog stories and getting lost with the frog stories.” Dally seemed to be serious about that list which just made Harley’s smile widen. “Oh, and then there are cake stories and getting lost because of the cake stories.”

Had he been the one getting lost?

Had he said how many kids were in his family?

Had he said anything about his family?

Had he said anything about his life that wasn’t strange and vague?

“And then I’ve got getting forcefully lost stories.” Dally gave Harley a quick cheek kiss. “But don’t worry. They only did that a few times and I got returned fast.”

For fuck’s sake.