on my phone.
It’s Rowan. They are a package deal, and in this, it means, it’s essentially from Knox, too.
Rowan: No reason to hide from us. We’ll never push you into something you don’t want or aren’t ready for. So, now with all of that out of the way, your presence is demanded tonight. We have to get our Christmas tree up for the party next week, and we’re stopping for a bite to eat. Be at our house in thirty minutes or we’re coming over and dragging you with us. And, baby, don’t make me put you over my shoulder. I may have to take you to our bedroom.
Holy shit. His demands seem to increase the heat in the house with my face reddening. My entire body zings with the same electrical current it always gives way to with the mere thoughts of Rowan and Knox.
My text alert goes off again, and I tilt the phone over to see if it’s Knox this time. It’s not him, but Rowan again and my heart speeds up, and I hope he has another command for me.
Rowan: Don’t leave me on read, our little toy maker. I’ll punish you, baby, and you can’t handle my consequences.
If I didn’t know him, I’d never guess he’s the dominant man, yet now with time spent with both, I see it and hell, do I love it.
Me: Hold your horses there! I guess I have no choice. Text me and I’ll meet you outside when you both are ready to go.
Immediately, my entire demeanor lightens with the dots underneath the most recent text.
Rowan: Thanks for responding, my little toy maker! See you soon.
The idea of spending a normal evening with both the men sends shivers down my spine along with many other tingles throughout my body.
Me: I’ll be waiting with bells on.
I stare at my phone, thinking he’ll reply, but when he doesn’t, I catch a reflection of myself in the turned off television, and I shudder at my appearance. I shoot off the couch, running up to my room because this won’t do to spend the night with the two men I adore. And then I wonder if I’ll ever really have the guts to spend the entire night with them. Maybe someday.
We’re sitting in a booth at what seems to be Knox’s favorite pizza joint. Ro has a small pout on his face.
“Alright, guys! I’ve gotta know, what is it you have against pizza, Ro? This is the second time you’ve suffered through this. What’s the story?”
He sneers at the pizza as the server sets it down.
“Yeah, pizza isn’t my favorite. But Knox doesn’t particularly like Chinese food. So, from day one, we’ve compromised. I suffer through a couple of pieces of pizza, and he will deal with Chicken Lo Mein.”
“Hmm, I don’t get it. Why don’t you just order something else? As far as Italian goes, there are other options.”
Knox grabs a piece of sausage and mushroom pizza, and pushes the pie over toward me while I sit across from both men. “For Ro, there’s not anything I wouldn’t do for him. I guess, me eating something I know he enjoys shows him I’d do anything for him. And honestly, I don’t hate it like I used to.”
“It may sound silly, but it’s just one of the many ways we show one another we love the other,” Rowan says as he takes a large bite of pizza.
“It doesn’t seem silly at all. It’s actually very sweet.” My eyes fall on Rowan as he consumes the piece in his hands. “And, Ro, if I were to guess, I’d say you sort of enjoy the food you were just currently pouting about.”
“I’ll never admit it,” he claims, finishing his first piece of pie and grabbing another, washing it down with a swig of beer.
“Yeah, man, your secret is safe with me.” We begin to laugh, and yet again, in their space, I feel at home.
I’m sitting in the formal living room of their Tudor home, admiring the completed tree with white lights adorning it.
“Every year, we switch the color of the lights, so this year, it’s Ro’s turn to have those boring clear lights on the tree. Tell me, Ave, what do you prefer, the festivity of all the pretty colors on the tree or boring clear white lights?”
He’s backing me into a corner, and it’s funny to see them like this.
“Actually, Knox, I like the cleanliness of the white lights. It’s pure elegance. But don’t