Room at the Edge (4 page)

“I can’t come,” Jay said through his teeth. “No matter what you do to me, Sir. Is that what you wanted to hear?”

“Not even close.” Liam attached the clamps to Jay’s nipples without pausing to relish Jay’s reaction, not giving Jay time to deal with the sharp, searing agony of the first clamp before adding to it with the second. It wasn’t a punishment but an additional spur. Though Jay wouldn’t have believed it, Liam wanted him to succeed, not fail. He never wanted them to fail. They tried so hard for him that if they did, he blamed himself.

Though this situation was a little unusual in that for Liam, Jay’s cock not becoming fully erect wasn’t the failure. That was just biology. What he wanted wasn’t for Jay to climax, but to break down and apologize, and so far Jay was winning that particular battle of wills.

Almost without him thinking about it, Liam’s hand had returned to Austin’s cock, fondling his tight balls and pinching the tender skin of his inner thighs. He could tell Austin was reaching a point where release was imminent. That meant either Jay had to come—and Liam very much doubted that would happen—or Austin needed to have his level of arousal abruptly dropped. Trouble was, Liam didn’t want to stop touching Austin. The young man was so beautifully responsive, so eager.

It wasn’t easy to tell Austin in a gentle voice, “Go and kneel by the armchair.” The look on Jay’s face as he realized he was responsible for Austin being denied would have broken Liam’s heart if he hadn’t learned to steel it during sessions.

Austin was breathing heavily, but he seemed deeply into the scene, waiting for whatever would happen next.

Liam stood and looked at Jay, who was stroking his cock in quick, frantic jerks. Jay was flushed, desperate, and Liam didn’t resist the impulse to reach out and touch his face. “Who do you belong to?” he asked, and Jay stopped moving and gazed up at him with reddened eyes.

“You,” Jay said, shaking. “I’m yours.” Fresh tears escaped along his cheeks. “I’m sorry, Sir.”

“There,” Liam said, sitting and pulling Jay half onto his lap. “Was that so hard? Austin, would you bring me that throw over there, please?”

Austin swiftly retrieved the soft, light throw and brought it to Liam, but hesitated to join their embrace until Liam tugged at him. Then he curled close to Liam’s side and reached down to smooth Jay’s hair back from his face. Jay was sobbing silently, clutching Liam with an intensity that was new and intriguing and, Liam had to admit if only to himself, immensely flattering.

“Sorry,” Jay gasped between sobs. “Spoiled it all. Sorry. So fucking sorry.”

It could have been directed at either or both of them, but Liam chose to answer it, ignoring Jay’s swearing for once. It wasn’t that he minded it at other times, but during a scene it felt disrespectful. “You’re forgiven, Jay. And don’t hate me, but I enjoyed some of what we just did, even if it wasn’t what I had planned.”

Jay lifted his head at that, his expression woebegone, his cheeks damp. “You enjoyed it?”

Liam couldn’t hold back his smile. Jay, and now Austin, looked so indignant at the idea.

“You were both suffering, and I was in charge; what’s not to like?” He shrugged. “Tonight you were annoying, yes, but I worked through that and salvaged something from the session. Maybe you won’t, but that’s not going to make me lose any sleep. You don’t deserve to.” He tapped Jay’s hip. “Let’s get those clamps off.”

Jay touched one of the clamps carefully and winced. “They hurt a lot,” he said. It wasn’t a complaint but an observation, and Liam filed it away, making a note not to ever use those clamps on Austin.

“They were supposed to,” Liam said, reaching for the one closest to him and knocking Jay’s hand out of the way when Jay began to take it off. Anything Liam put on a sub, he took off. It was one of his quirks.

Liam took stock of his subs after removing the clamps. Jay’s tears had quieted to the occasional sniff, and Austin had lost his anxious look—if not his erection. Really, setting aside the emotional aspect, this had been a relatively easy session from a physical point of view. He still felt exhausted instead of invigorated. Maybe a shower would help. And then, God help him, he was going to need to drag the cause for their behavior out of them. It went deeper than a few carelessly spoken words and a short-lived defiance, and Liam intended to get to the bottom of it.

He beckoned them to their feet and put his arms around them, drawing them close. “We’re good,” he told them. “We’re fine. Now get upstairs to my bathroom and start the shower.” He ran his hand down Austin’s back to pinch his arse. “And then you’ll get to come, finally. I’m very pleased with you.”

Praise made Austin’s face light up with pleasure. He gave Liam a grateful smile. “Thank you, Sir.”

“May I blow him, then you, Sir? Please?” Jay begged, clearly keen to express his contrition.

“You certainly owe him one,” Liam said drily. Deciding to give Austin a treat, he added, “I’ll leave the details up to you, Austin. Any way you like, as long as we don’t drown in there.”

Chapter Three

“Oh my God.” Austin gasped as he watched Jay’s head bob below him. Jay was on his knees in the shower sucking Austin’s dick, and Liam was standing behind Austin, one arm wrapped around his waist, lips pressed to the back of his neck. Jay’s mouth was so fucking perfect, hot and slick, and when Liam suddenly bit down on Austin’s shoulder, it was all he needed to come.

He loved having Liam’s support, knowing that Liam would help hold him up as waves of pleasure twisted through him, leaving him shaking and gasping. The only thing missing in that moment was that he wished he was in a position to kiss Liam, to feed his gratitude into Liam’s mouth.

Jay finished swallowing and let Austin’s cock slip from between his lips. “Love you,” he murmured, and Austin smiled down at him and whispered it back.

“Revoltingly romantic, the both of you,” Liam said, and despite the words his tone was approving. Praise was good. Austin liked getting things right. “Now let’s get you to bed before you fall asleep here in the shower.”

The first thing Austin had done when they’d gotten under the water was suggest, since Liam had given him permission to make the decisions—on one level, at least—that Jay blow Liam first. Jay had been more than happy to go along with the idea, of course, and Austin had kissed all the parts of Liam he could reach while Jay had sucked him off. The shower had been renovated a couple of months ago, and they were still getting used to how amazing it was—plenty of room for three and with multiple showerheads so all of them could get wet at the same time.

Liam turned off the water and handed each of them a towel. “No slacking drying yourselves off,” he ordered. “Especially you, Jay. Long hair is no excuse.” He hated damp pillows. Jay had once been made to sleep on the floor when he’d jumped into Liam’s bed, his hair soaked, his skin glistening with moisture.

Austin had spent a restless night, aware even as he slept curled up close to Liam that something was wrong, but Jay, beyond a few grumbles that he was stiff the next morning, hadn’t seemed too bothered by the punishment. He’d gone to his knees when Liam woke up, head bowed, and submitted with uncharacteristic meekness to a brisk spanking from a hairbrush. After he’d turned Jay’s ass pink, Liam had tossed the brush to Austin, snapping out an order to get the tangles out of Jay’s hair before he returned from his shower.

Austin had taken his time, still sleepy, careful not to yank at the snarls, and hadn’t finished in time, earning himself a spanking that had woken him up and left him tingling all over.

He’d found himself wishing every day could start like that.

Liam toweled off quickly, every movement efficient, then stood watching them with a critical eye. Jay was lost in thought, drying himself with a lack of self-consciousness, as if he were alone in the room, scooping up his balls to rub the towel underneath them. Thin streams of water from his hair were running down his spine, following every curve. Austin wanted to follow the path they were taking with his tongue and finish with a bite to Jay’s ass, just to make Jay snicker.

He sneaked a glance at Liam. God. Tall, muscular, powerful… Liam was forty now, but he watched what he ate and he worked out rigorously. It showed.

 “I have to,”
Liam had told Austin once, flexing his arm and grinning.
“Two of you to paddle? That’s a workout in itself.”

“If your shoulders ache after a session, I can massage them,”
Austin had offered.
“I do it a lot for Jay. His muscles get really tense when he’s been working on a diorama for too long.”

Liam had thanked him but never taken him up on the offer, much to Austin’s regret. He’d hoped that now they were spending more time with Liam, they’d get to do more with him, but outside the sessions and a few standing rules, Liam didn’t seem inclined to exercise his authority. If he wanted a drink, he got it himself; if he needed a shirt ironed, his dry cleaner took care of it. Austin didn’t want to be in a collar 24-7, but a weekend of being Liam’s slave around the house, waiting on him, focused totally on pleasing him, would’ve been so fucking hot.

What he wanted from Liam was mostly in his head. Unlike Jay, who seemed to want more and more intense physical stuff as the months went on, Austin cared more about submitting. He loved to let himself slip into the space where he didn’t have to think, could just do what Liam told him to and be grateful for every order.

Now he realized that Liam was getting impatient, tired of waiting, so he quickly scrubbed the towel across his hair one last time and then hung it up. Jay needed another minute, but Liam would understand since he was the one who’d insisted Jay do a good job wringing the water from his hair in the first place.

The bedroom was neat and clean. Austin definitely felt more comfortable in it than Jay did. Jay was prone to surrounding himself with clutter, usually books and craft supplies, and had commented to Austin that Liam’s house felt like a hotel, not a home. Austin didn’t agree. He loved spending the night in Liam’s peaceful house. That didn’t mean he didn’t love the apartment that was his and Jay’s alone, of course.

Sometimes, though, he wished things were different, and then immediately felt guilty about it. Liam cared about them, he knew that, but in the long run Austin couldn’t see how their arrangement would be permanent.

“Don’t get too comfortable,” Liam said as he pulled back the covers and gestured for them to get into bed. “I think we need to talk.”

Oh God. What did
that
mean? “Can I brush my teeth first?” Austin blurted out, wanting to forestall the inevitable, whatever it was.

Liam gave him an appraising look. “If you’re back here before Jay, yes.”

“Thank you, Sir.” They didn’t usually call Liam
Sir
once a scene had ended, but something told Austin that Liam was in a mood to be deferred to. Jay was hanging up his towel—something he rarely remembered to do at home—but Austin blocked Jay’s way when he walked toward the door.

“Don’t go in there until after me. I want to brush my teeth.”

Jay snorted. “You’re avoiding talking about stuff, not cavities.”

Austin shoved a toothpaste-laden brush into his mouth to give him an excuse to let that one go. He brushed for a good two minutes, until his jaw was aching, but when he took his time rinsing, Jay shrugged and headed for the door.

“Jay!”

“I’m already in trouble,” Jay said, “and I’m on Liam’s side in this. We need to talk.”

Left alone in the bathroom, the toothbrush still clenched in his hand, Austin contemplated crawling into a corner to hide. He didn’t
want
to talk. Talking would lead to arguing. It always did. God, even before they’d started the discussion, he’d been abandoned; where would he be after it?

Resentful and feeling picked on, he shoved his toothbrush back in its holder without rinsing off the trail of paste running down the handle, and turned.

Liam was in the doorway, wearing a pair of black boxer briefs that clung to his ass and upper thighs. He looked sexy as hell, but his arms were folded across his chest in a forbidding way, and his eyebrows were raised. That killed any buzz Austin might’ve felt.

Acutely aware that he was naked and covered in goose bumps, he took a hesitant step toward Liam. “I was just coming, Sir.”

“Not the impression I got.”

Liam’s tone was mild enough, but Austin still felt a quiver of apprehension. He didn’t want to be disciplined for his minor disobedience, not tonight. He usually loved it when Liam dealt out a few hard smacks to underline his displeasure over a small failure, something in him craving that reminder of what he was, but whether Liam spanked him in here, with Jay listening, or in the bedroom with Jay watching, with his mood this chaotic, it would be humiliating. That was Jay’s kink, not Austin’s.

He wanted to drop to his knees and beg, but how would that be any better than being spun around and bent over the sink, waiting to have Liam’s hand applied to his ass?

Liam walked over to him, two long strides all he needed to be close enough to touch. Austin panicked, his next breath choking him, his head filled with white noise, blocking out whatever Liam was saying. The room went dark, his skin prickling with heat. He was going to faint. He reached out blindly to steady himself, and Liam’s arm went around him, cradling him. Safely held, Austin let himself be lowered to the floor.

“Head between your knees,” Liam said, his calm voice cutting through the roar. “Breathe. That’s it. Don’t you dare faint on me, Austin. No, Jay, don’t come in. He’s fine, aren’t you, Austin?”

“I’m fine,” he repeated faintly because he was supposed to. He was good at doing as he was told. He
liked
not having to be the one who made the decisions and took control and held the family together. Shit, he was hyperventilating. If he’d known this was going to happen, he’d have taken some antianxiety pills or something.

If he’d known this was going to happen… But what was
it?
Was Liam breaking up with them?

That thought made his heart beat even faster. He had to focus on the knowledge that Jay was hovering on the other side of the doorway, worried not just about “the talk” but about him, if he was going to have any chance of getting himself under control.