13 Wren Wanted to Go Home to His Men

Wren’s legs bounced as he checked the time for the thirtieth time in probably as many minutes. The department was quiet. They’d called him in for a second shift on his first night off when he’d wanted to stay in bed with his men. He smiled to himself at the thought. His men. Linus had been a little worse for wear. Linus had overdone it, so Hunter ordered Linus to stay in bed.

When he’d left, Hunter was taking Linus dinner in bed. He’d kissed Hunter and promised to be home soon. It had been days since he’d even gone to his apartment. He and Linus were about the same size so he’d just raided the man’s dresser for sweats and t-shirts. Dropped off and picked his uniforms up from the dry cleaner.

He shifted in the chair, his ass a bit sore. Years passed since he’d bottomed for anyone, but the minute he’d felt Linus’ fingers in his crease, he’d wanted it. It felt natural. The three of them together just felt right. He loved being in Linus’ house—loved the routine they’d fell into. He knew they were going to have to go back to their own places soon, so, he was going to enjoy it while he could.

The darkest part of their time together was Thorpe and his bullshit. Little showed up right as he was leaving the house to drop off a wire and the bugs for the station. He’d planted them while everyone was out for dinner. It wasn’t like he cared about the men he worked with, a few of them were okay, and he tolerated them.

If the Intel Linus shared was true then Thorpe needed to be taken down. It wasn’t like he hadn’t become suspicious over the time he’d worked for the Powers Sheriff Department. Things never quite added up. Conversations that would end when he walked into a room or went to the locker room to grab his bag at the end of his shift. Six months after he’d started, he’d made an anonymous report about Deputies who spent money a little too freely. He was comfortable, paid his bills with some left over, but this definitely wasn’t a line of work someone went into for the money.

A door opening drew his attention, and he glanced over his shoulder to find one of the older deputies entering. Cabot was a first-class bastard. The man didn’t attempt to censor his off-color jokes—the first to use excessive force.

“Still here,” Cabot asked. “Shouldn’t you be with your…” Cabot snarled.

He knew it was no secret that he was dating Hunter or the fact he’d been staying out at Linus’ place. He didn’t care what they thought. What he did outside of work was no one’s business but his. Who he decided to date or have in his bed didn’t matter.

“Waiting for my replacement.”

“Well, I’m here.”

“Then I’ll be headed home.”

“Heard you were staying out at the Trenton place.”

“So?”

“You should watch the people you associate with, especially ones like Trenton. Man ain’t right and I ain’t just talking about who he fucks.”

“Who he decides to date isn’t anyone’s business but his.”

“Whatever.”

Wren rolled his eyes as he gathered up his things. He didn’t put his backpack in the locker room like normal but kept it at his desk. He stood and slung it over his shoulder.

He made his way toward the door and swore the man said Fag as he passed, but he kept his mouth closed even though he clenched his teeth. He pushed open the door and stepped outside.

It wasn’t the first time someone had said it and probably wouldn’t be the last. He really needed to find a new job, yet finding a new job meant leaving Hunter and Linus. That wasn’t something he was ready to do, if ever.

What happened earlier that afternoon wasn’t something he’d planned. He’d been willing to wait until they’d discussed their relationship. Expectations. Would it always be the three of them or separate? IT was out of his scope of experience. All his past relationships were one-on-one, casual or committed. Two partners never crossed his mind.

He walked down the sidewalk to his Jeep.

“Wren,” a husky, feminine voice called out.

Lily made her way down the sidewalk. Her long, flowing skirt gave her the appearance of floating.

“Lily, what are you doing out and about this late?”

“I’m a grown ass woman, I come and go as I please.”

“Never said you didn’t.”

“Damon is doing a lecture at some college on the west coast this week. We’ve spent almost every day together for thirty-five years. The house is all weird without him.”

“I can see that. Did you want a ride home?”

“That would be great. How’s Linus?”

“Didn’t you talk to him earlier?”

“Yes, but he lies.”

He chuckled as he opened the passenger door for her. He helped her into the seat and then jogged around to the driver’s side. He tossed his bag in the back and jumped up into the seat.

“You know damn well Linus doesn’t lie.”

“It’s by omission which is the same fucking thing.”

“By the way, he’s fine. Hunter and him were getting ready to have dinner when I left earlier.”

“I normally don’t give a fuck about someone’s comfort, but you’re new, so I’m going to be delicate about asking, are you fucking my son?”

If that’s what she considered delicate, he was going to hate to know what she considered, well, not delicate. He pulled out of the spot and turned to head toward Lily’s house.

“Lily, I don’t think that’s appropriate—”

“Fuck appropriate. My kids tell me everything, even Linus. I fostered a strong sense of openness in our family, and you should get used to it now. I only ask for the fact that Damon and I tried the whole ménage thing for several years. Neither of us is particularly jealous. I can’t say the same for Linus. My son is more…traditional.”

“I really don’t want to know this.”

There were some things you didn’t need to know about one of your boyfriend’s mothers, and her sexual history was one of them.

“Do you like my son?”

He quickly glanced at her then back to the road. “Yes, I like him very much.”

“Good. Linus needs someone to like him, maybe love him one day. He was the normal one in our little family unit. Yes, he’s not one for monogamy, but he’s also not—”

“Are you saying he’s a—”

“No, not a cheater. Having one partner seems unnatural. I think having multiple partners is right for him. You and Hunter seem perfect for Linus. Can I be serious with you for a minute?”

That question made him nervous, but he answered yes anyway.

“I don’t think Linus has a death wish as everyone accuses, but he has nobody just his to make him cautious when he goes on operations. You and Hunter will give him something to stay alive for, thank you for that. During our conversations, I can already tell the difference, he seemed happier over the last few weeks.”

“You don’t have to thank me for that, Lily. I’ve learned a lot about Linus since he got hurt. He’s intelligent, sweet with Hunter, I even like his complete honesty. I enjoy the fact that he doesn’t argue.”

“Usually arguments are a reason for makeup sex.”

“Yes, but I’ve fought with almost all of the men I’ve dated, granted not many but most of our fights were over lies or half-truths. I don’t have to deal with that with Linus.”

“No, you don’t. Are the three of you coming to dinner Sunday?”

“I think Linus mentioned that I’d meet everyone at dinner.”

“We get together every Sunday.”

“Then I guess I’ll see you then,” he said, he pulled up to the curb in front of Lily’s house.

Wind chimes filled the night. He swore he could smell incense on the breeze. The house was quirky and stood out, but he sensed it was a happy home. Just then both their phones started beeping. He checked the message from Linus and without another word they took off toward Linus’ house.

Thorpe had fucked up, he’d threatened the wrong man—Elijah.