Page 36 of Piece Us Together
His almost-smile falls, as does his eyebrow. He drops his gaze too. “I’m sorry.”
I sigh, feeling bad now that he’s all defeated. I move his arm out of the way and climb into his lap. He makes a happy little humming sound as I start running fingers through his hair, his arm coming back around, this time to hold me close.
“Eat,” I say, this time much more gently. I wait until his right hand darts out for the fork before ripping the metaphorical Band-Aid off. “What’s been going on these past few days?”
His shoulders tense. “I’ve been busy.”
“Bullshit. Try again.”
“I—” He stops himself from trying to lie again, sighing instead. I watch him stab a piece of omelet. Bring it to his mouth. Stab another. Bring that one too. On the third stab, he mumbles, “He wants me. Hunter. He told me, before we came out of the room, before breakfast, he told me…he wants me too.”
Oh.
Oh wow.
“As his sub?” I ask, unable to help the sheer disbelief in my voice. “I didn’t think you—”
“No, not as his sub. Just as…me, I guess.” He shifts so he can look at me better, the fork placed on the plate. I keep an eye on it. He’s going to have to eat after this conversation is over, but I’ll allow the pause for now. His blue eyes are swimming with too many emotions.The stubborn man has been bottling all of them up these past three days, hasn’t he?Maybe Hunter doesn’t want Maison as his sub, but I bet Maison could really use a dom. I suppose a bossy, worried boyfriend will have to be the next best thing. “He said we’d have to figure out what that even means, how I’d fit.”
“You fit with us already, though. You were there the whole time. He even gave you some instructions.”
He shakes his head with a soft, humorless laugh. “He wants to be able to touch me. He wants the three of us to be fully…together, I guess.”
Oh.
Oh, double wow.
“Like a throuple?”
“No,” he says a little too quickly. Then, with his shoulders slumping and his eyes falling to my lap, “Maybe? Fuck—I don’t know. I assume he just means when we’re all fucking? I mean, we don’t even really know the guy. He didn’t mean it romantically. He couldn’t have.”
I think I should be upset right now. Or at least a little jealous about the disappointment I’m fairly certain I can hear in his voice. Instead, I’m intrigued. I’m getting what I need from Hunter. I never even thought to consider the possibility of Maison getting something from him too.How perfect would that be?“What if hedidmean it like that?”
Maison frowns up at me. “We’retogether. You and me.”
“I know. I was just wondering if you’d ever consider it.” When his frown only deepens, I laugh. It’s an easy laugh. Not fake. I enjoyed my time with Hunter as my dom, and I’m thrilled we’ve figured out this new system to give me everything I need, but it’s not like I’ve been sitting around fantasizing about the three of us falling in love or anything like that. My only disappointment would be that Maison is missing out, but I won’t force Maison into something he doesn’t want. “I was curious, that’s all. I haven’t been considering it, if that makes you feel better. Honestly, with the amount of death glares you were giving the guy, it didn’t cross my mind that the two of you would ever really want to be together like that.”
“I mean, he’s hot, but yeah—I don’t think we will be.”
“Then why the weirdness?”
“Not…weirdness.”
“Mais.”
He sighs.
“It just fucked with my head, I think. The possibility. I mean, why, you know? Why would I want that? You’re there because you need to submit and Hunter is there because he needs to dominate and I’m there because I love you and want to be with you during this, but me and him?” He shakes his head, not meeting my eyes. “That’s not—there’s no need for that.”
Need and want are two very different things. I’ve learned that recently. I thought maybe he had too.
“I think if you want to participate more, you should be able to. I don’t think you have to need something to enjoy it, you know?”
“You’re with him because you need it.” He looks at me then, brow furrowed. He looks unsure now. “We don’t just go fucking around with random guys who are hot. That’s—it’s cheating. Or it’s an open relationship, which I’m not—I can’t do that. I don’twantto do that. Do I want sex with hot guys? Sure. Whatever. Who doesn’t, other than people on the rainbow spectrum who don’t dig guys or sex? But I love you. I’m not going to go fuck around just because it’ll feel good, you know?”
I do know. I also think it’s different, though. Something about Hunter is different.
I don’t think it’d be a good idea to say that. Not when he’s so wound up about this. It’s not like it matters anyway. How things are right now is perfect. I have the best of both worlds, having my cake and eating the hell out of it too. If he’s happy with that, there’s no reason to rock the boat.