ROBBIE RIFLED THROUGH his overnight bag—which had since turned into a couple of overnights bag—and pulled out the little linen shorts and top he’d brought over with him to sit around in, just in case. They were cute and comfortable to sleep in, and when Priest and Julien emerged from the bathroom, they weren’t dressed in much more. Julien had on a comfy-looking pair of sweats that rode low on his hips, and Priest was back in those black lounge pants.

“It’s all yours, princesse,” Julien said, then walked by Robbie and kissed him on the cheek. “There’s a fresh towel on the sink, and let us know if you need anything else.”

Robbie gave them a shy little smile as Priest leaned down to pull the covers back. “I won’t be long,” he said, and hurried off into the bathroom.

In record time, Robbie had showered, brushed his teeth, and changed, and when he re-entered the bedroom, he found Priest sitting with his back against the headboard and his laptop open, and Julien on his side talking to him. They stopped when they heard him in the doorway, and when Priest looked up and his eyes latched on to Robbie, the obvious attraction there had Robbie’s breath catching in his throat.

Wow, he thought as he basked in the admiration he saw on Priest’s face. That stamp of approval from him made Robbie want to preen like a peacock, and where that once would’ve annoyed him, or freaked him out, it now made his heart thud uncontrollably.

Julien rolled to his back and looked up at him, and Robbie shifted his eyes to the sexy Frenchman, who then extended his arm across the top of the covers and crooked a finger. “Join us,” he said, his eyes roving over Robbie’s open pajama top and checkered shorts.

Robbie walked to the edge of the bed, but before he got beneath those covers and discovered whether Julien was as naked as he had been the last two times they’d all been in that bed together, he put a knee on the mattress and crawled on the top of it. He wanted to talk to these two. Wanted to finally ask them some of the questions he always got sidetracked from asking, and before he got in any deeper with them, he needed to have this conversation.

I just need to be brave enough to start it.

When Julien realized Robbie planned to stay above the covers, he moved to sit up beside Priest, and with the sheets now resting comfortably across their laps, Julien patted the space between them. Robbie moved into the middle of their outstretched legs and lay down on his stomach.

Priest’s lips twisted as he closed his laptop and put it aside, clearly sensing that Robbie wanted to talk. But Robbie found his determination and resolve to have this conversation start to leave him.

Shit, how do I even bring this up?

“I like these,” Julien said, and reached out to finger the collar of Robbie’s open shirt.

Robbie looked down at his bare chest and then back to Julien and winked. “Good. I brought it over to wear just for you.”

“Just for him, huh?” Priest said, and Robbie let his eyes travel up to Priest’s tight-lipped mouth. Something mischievous sparked to life inside of him.

“I brought the shorts to wear for you.”

Priest’s eyes drifted past Robbie’s shoulders to look at the shorts under discussion, and when he licked his lower lip, Robbie squirmed on the bed, his cock reacting to the lust darkening Priest’s eyes.

“They are very short shorts,” Priest said. “I like them. They show off your long legs.”

Julien shifted, and when Robbie looked over, he saw the covers now tented over Julien’s lap. It was obvious that Julien liked the short shorts too.

“You are quite irresistible,” Julien said, and trailed his fingers down Robbie’s cheek to under his chin. “But something’s on your mind.”

Robbie stared up into Julien’s mesmerizing eyes and nodded. Julien had this innate ability to be able to hone in on his emotions and draw them out of Robbie before he could even put them into words.

“Talk to us,” Julien said. “One thing that must be clear between us, if we’re going to do this—we have to trust one another to be honest with our emotions. We need you to feel as though you can come to us with anything, talk to us about any concerns you have, and vice versa.”

“Julien’s right,” Priest said, and clasped his hands on top of the covers. “A relationship like this is only going to work if there is total transparency. You need to feel you are able to ask either of us anything, and if you don’t feel that way, we need to work on that, and make it so you do.”

Robbie blinked a couple of times, their words sinking in, and then started to play with the covers. “Okay, then. Something has been on my mind, I guess.”

“Then let’s talk about it,” Priest said.

“So, umm…have you two…” Robbie paused and looked to Julien. Jesus, just ask them. “Have you done this a lot?”

* * *

“BE MORE SPECIFIC,” Priest said, and Robbie seemed to brace himself, his shoulders tensing slightly before he spoke.

“Do you bring a third to your marriage bed a lot?”

“Yes,” Priest said, and he made sure not to add anything else so there was no mistake. Robbie looked from him to Julien, and the room became so quiet that you could’ve heard a pin drop. Priest could see the wheels turning behind Robbie’s eyes.

“Doesn’t that… I mean, isn’t that complicated?”

“It never has been in the past,” Julien said, and reached out to place a hand over Robbie’s. “In the past, it was just physical.”

“And now?” Robbie asked.

“And now, it’s a little more complicated,” Julien said, and Robbie looked away. “We would like this to be much more than physical. We want a real connection, a relationship as deep as ours is. We have for some time now, but we’d never found someone we were both interested in in that way—until now.”

Robbie nervously licked his lips. “I guess I’m just trying to understand this all a bit better. It’s obvious you both love each other—why would you want to mess that up?”

“We don’t want to mess it up. We want to enhance it,” Priest said. “Julien and I love each other very much. But at the same time, we recognize there are certain things we can’t offer one another. Things that someone else could.”

“Like me?”

“Exactly like you.”

Robbie’s eyes narrowed, and he grew more serious than Priest had ever seen him before. “And what exactly is that?”

“For me,” Julien said, “it’s your warmth, your smile, the happiness that radiates off you in waves. You’re so passionate about things whether you’re angry or excited, and that joy you have for life? It’s contagious. It’s special, princesse. You are special.” Julien gave Robbie a half-smile that made his dimple come out to play. “Priest knew it from the second he saw you.”

Priest reached out and touched a thumb to Robbie’s lower lip, tugging it free of his teeth until Robbie was staring right at him. “I’m a—what did you call me? A strange, strange man,” Priest said, with a slight arch to his eyebrow that made Robbie grin. “I’m also a very busy man. And it’s not something borne out of unhappiness within my relationship at home, but more the driving need I have to never stop.”

A frown pulled down Robbie’s brows. “What do you mean, never stop?”

“When you stop doing things, your mind wanders, you lose control of what you’re focused on, and you start to think about other things. And for me, that never ends well.”

“So, you keep busy so you won’t think about these other things?”

“Yes,” Priest said. “And I like control over my life, as much as possible. I had so little of it as a child, and now I find it helps me to stay focused. But that makes for a lonely home at times. I can become distant, shut down, intense…” He looked to Julien, who shook his head and reached for Priest’s hand.

“You’re always there, mon amour.”

Priest’s lips tilted, but they both knew he was right. While they both had ghosts that haunted them, his had left him feeling less of everything, whereas Julien’s had left him feeling more.

Robbie moved so he was on his knees between them. “Can I ask another question?”

“Always,” Priest said, and Julien nodded.

“If this isn’t just about sex, if this is about a—”

Robbie looked between them, and Priest finished, “A relationship.”

“Yes,” Robbie said, and began to twist his linen pajama top in his hands. “How do I know that I’m not going to get hurt? What if I fall in love with the both of you and you decide it was just sex?” Robbie shook his head. “I can’t just be some experiment. I won’t do that.”

“We would never do that to you,” Julien said.

“You say that,” Robbie said. “But how do I know that?”

“You don’t.” Priest’s words landed in the room like a bomb, but then he reached for Robbie’s hand and entwined their fingers, and Robbie took in a shuddery breath. Priest found that he was just as affected by the touch—it was simple, it was intimate, and it was so powerful that it caught him completely unawares.

He swallowed, and then looked to Julien, who was watching the two of them closely. “We have never done something like this before. We have never”—Priest paused, searching for the right words—“never invited anyone beyond our bed. But we are inviting you inside our lives, Robert. We aren’t the most traditional men, we are aware. But we want you to know us, we want you to understand us, and we want to know you. We know that’s going to take time, and we also know the risk on all sides. You might decide you don’t want to be with us.”

Robbie snorted. “Are you kidding?”

“No. I’m not,” Priest said. “Relationships are complex. Feelings follow no rules.”

“All we’re saying is, you can’t control your heart, princesse.” Julien took Robbie’s hand in his. “I learned that years ago. Do you really think Priest is an easy man to love?”

Robbie grinned but said nothing.

“Exactly,” Julien said. “Any relationship is risky.”

“But,” Priest said, and looked at Julien, “it’s a risk we want to take because we want you to be ours.”

Robbie blushed and scooted up the bed on his knees until he was closer to the two of them. “And you…you’d both be mine?”

Julien’s lips curved as he brought Robbie’s hand up to his lips and kissed the center of his palm. “Oui. We’d be yours.”

Robbie looked at Priest and pursed his lips. “And there’d be no one else. No other person brought in? Just us three.”

Priest smirked. “Do you really believe for a second we could handle anyone else when we’re busy handling you?”

“That’s not an answer…Joel,” Robbie said, and Priest tugged on his hand, bringing Robbie close enough that their mouths were only a breath away.

“If you are in our bed, there will be no need for anyone else. We already told you: we’ve been looking for you.”

Robbie’s breath was coming a little faster now as his eyes dropped to Priest’s mouth.

“Think about it,” Priest said. “See if it’s something you want to—”

“I want it,” Robbie said, and Priest kissed the corner of his mouth, making Robbie sigh. “Ahh… God. I do. But lemme just… I need to think a little more.”

“Okay. That’s all we ask,” Priest said, and then nipped at his chin. “Now go and get under the covers beside Julien before I forget you both need sleep tonight.”

Robbie went to move away, but stopped at the last second and placed a hand on Priest’s chest. He then leaned in and rubbed his smooth face up against the scruff covering Priest’s cheek and practically purred like a kitten. When he sat back, Robbie grinned and said, “Sorry. I’ve been dying to do that.”

Priest wanted to grab Robbie and toss him down on his back, but instead said, “You can do that anytime you like.”

Robbie’s eyes sparkled, and then he was moving over Julien’s lap and beside him. As Robbie got under the covers, Priest switched off the lamp, and as they pulled the duvet up and the three of them settled in, Robbie said, “Aww, man. Julien’s naked again. How am I supposed to sleep now?”

The sound of rumbling laughter filled the room, and considering the day the three of them had had, Priest thought it a testament to Robbie that they were all ending it on a bright note.