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  “I know, right? You can’t say no to him.”

  “I don’t think I want to,” Iker said truthfully.

  “Me neither,” Ed said. “But we should talk about it to make sure everyone is on the same page.”

  “Give me twenty minutes,” Iker said.

  “Okay.”

  Iker kept his eyes on Ed as he walked away. It was a relief to know their connection wouldn’t splinter over last night’s diversion. As much as he liked Javi—and he honestly did—Ed had found a place in Iker’s heart that was hard to explain. The guy wasn’t hot in a conventional sense, but there was something about his demeanor that touched Iker. Ed made him feel cherished and important. He’d never dismissed Iker for being uneducated and, more importantly, respected him enough to seek his help in healing a man he’d unconsciously loved for years.

  On his way to Javi’s apartment, Iker’s curiosity was piqued. Did the guys plan on having another session of lovemaking so soon? The possibility loomed large and he could feel his body reacting. He wondered how they’d do it next time. Blowjobs were easy to coordinate, but penetration would be a different story. Did Ed even bottom? Iker had a hard time picturing it. Then again, had he ever imagined Ed would be willing to share a bed with two other guys? It was going to take him a while to come to terms with all of this, and it would be easier just to follow Javi’s lead. He seemed to know Ed better than he knew himself and would probably be the glue that kept this all together.

  Iker was so caught up in the idea of making this—whatever they chose to call it—an ongoing thing, he didn’t realize he’d reached Javi’s building. They buzzed him in, and the door to the apartment opened before the elevator came to a full stop. Ed greeted him in the hallway, holding him in a tight embrace and pressing their bodies together without reservations.

  “Wow, that’s some welcome,” Iker noted, thrilled by Ed’s enthusiasm.

  Ed huffed. “I didn’t want you to think last night was alcohol-induced. I’m quite capable of affection without stimulants.”

  Iker licked his way into Ed’s mouth and was immediately catapulted back to last night. Tasting Ed for the first time had been far more exciting than it ought to have been, but he’d been wrestling with the attraction ever since he met Ed on the beach over two weeks ago. Iker had never waited this long to be with a guy, and Ed’s surrender had been unexpected. Now Ed was kissing him with abandon, moaning into his mouth and grinding against him slowly.

  “¿Cariño?” Javi called from inside. “If you guys are thinking of fucking, you’d better get in here so I can watch.”

  They broke apart, unable to hold back their laughter. They walked into the apartment hand in hand, and Javi greeted Iker with a huge smile.

  “¿Que tal, hombre?”

  “Pues, super bien.”

  “No regrets?”

  “Are you kidding?”

  “Just checking,” Javi said. “I can’t have any more drama in my life. I’m too old and don’t need the stress.”

  “No drama,” Iker promised. “But we should talk, right?”

  “That’s why I asked you over.”

  “Why not tell me what you had in mind?” Iker asked.

  “It’s not my place to lay out the rules,” Javi said. “I’ve never been the kind of guy who stayed within the lines, but I know Ed isn’t as spontaneous, and he’s my priority. I like you a lot, Iker, but I love Ed.”

  “Fair enough,” Iker said. “I don’t want to come between you two either. If there’s ever a time when this gets uncomfortable, I need to know that you’ll come clean. Don’t let this go on past the point of no return. I don’t want to lose your friendship, and Ed is more important to me than you realize.”

  “Agreed,” Javi said. “Edu, do you have anything to add?”

  “Honestly, I’m a little stunned by this turn of events,” Ed mused. “A month ago I was lonely as hell, and now I feel like I’ve been given a second chance at life, at a smorgasbord no less. How did this happen?”

  “You always think too much,” Javi criticized. “The minute you stop asking questions and listen to your gut, good things happen.”

  Ed chuckled. “I hate to admit you’re right, but you might have a point.”

  “So,” Iker interjected. “How will this work?”

  “We’ll do our thing whenever we’re in the mood,” Javi said easily.

  “What about rules?” Iker asked doggedly.

  Javi rolled his eyes. “Hombre, what’s up with you and rules?”

  Iker shrugged. “I guess I need some boundaries.”

  “Like what?” Javi asked, sounding thoroughly exasperated.

  “Can Ed and I have sex when you’re not around? How about you and me? Do we see each other if he’s out of town? I’m assuming Ed’s going to have to go back to Chicago at some point. What then? Do we stay together or break up? Will you be back, Ed?”

  “Jesus Christ!” Ed exclaimed. “I thought I was a planner, but you’re four steps ahead of me.”

  “I’ve never been in this kind of relationship,” Iker explained. “I’m not sure it’ll work without strict guidelines.”

  “It’ll avoid arguments,” Ed acknowledged. “That’s for sure.”

  “Joder,” Javi bemoaned. “Now I’m stuck with two anal-retentive overthinkers.”

  Ed snorted. “It’ll make up for your loosey-goosey lack of foresight.”

  “Hey!” Javi scolded. “If it weren’t for me and my spirit of adventure, you two would be back in your rooms jacking off in the dark.”

  Iker bobbed his head. “You’re right.”

  “And so are you,” Ed said, turning to Iker. “Let’s at least set one rule, and we can work out the rest as problems arise.”

  “Which one?” Javi asked.

  “Can we fuck in pairs or do we always have to be a threesome?” Ed asked bluntly.

  “Fuck whomever, whenever,” Javi said. “But when you’re in town, I want you in my bed at night.”

  “What if I want him overnight?” Iker asked.

  “You’re welcome to spend it here with us.”

  Iker paused. “Am I just an afterthought?”

  “No,” Ed said immediately. “You’re a key player in this crazy, mixed-up relationship. I don’t want you to ever think that you’re expendable.”

  “But you love him,” Iker said.

  “And I’m already halfway in love with you,” Ed admitted. “It’s possible to care for more than one person at a time.”

  “Is it?” Iker asked, looking from Ed to Javi. For whatever reason, he kept looking to Ed for reassurance, but he also wanted Javi’s blessing. None of this would work without it.

  “Yes,” Ed said, reaching out for Iker’s hand. They meshed fingers and joined Javi on the sofa. “You mean a lot to me.”

  Iker turned to Javi. “Are you sure about this?”

  Javi nodded. “Sí, hombre. Now, shut up and kiss me.”

  Iker moved slowly, like he was underwater. This would be the first time he and Javi exchanged kisses. Last night Javi had blown him expertly, but they hadn’t locked lips. If this felt wrong, he’d have to back out of the arrangement and disappoint everyone.

  He slanted his mouth over Javi’s and crushed it in a bruising kiss. Somewhere in Iker’s brain, he’d decided to reserve his tenderness for Ed, who was inexperienced and deserved to be treated with kid gloves. Javi’s reputation as a good lover wasn’t a myth. The guy actually knew what the hell he was doing, and his answer to Iker’s more aggressive touch was primal. He devoured him in a wildly possessive kiss that made Iker’s toes curl and his cock surge. If there was any doubt in his mind that he was attracted to Javi, it was obliterated by this savage claiming.

  Iker stood and picked up Javi effortlessly, carrying him into the bedroom. The surfer clearly had fucking on his mind, and Iker had no desire to disappoint him. He gave Ed a sidelong glance to see if he was okay and was appeased when he saw Ed’s dove-gray eyes turn to molten steel. Good. He
could watch and learn.

  Iker dumped Javi on the bed unceremoniously. They removed their clothes, and when both men were naked and blatantly ready to proceed, Iker asked, “Top or bottom?”

  “I switch but I want you on top today.”

  “Where’s your stuff?”

  Ed handed Iker the lube and condoms wordlessly. Afterward he sat on one end of the bed, a spectator for now.

  After suiting up and smearing himself with lube, Iker knelt over Javi’s prone body. “How do you want this?”

  “Turn me over,” Javi ordered.

  Iker flipped him and watched as Javi got to his knees, spread his legs, and lifted his ass. Resting his head on folded arms, he waited, surprising Iker with his open vulnerability.

  Lust was clouding Iker’s vision, and he didn’t take the time to dwell on the silvery scars that crisscrossed Javi’s thighs and lower back, macabre souvenirs from his struggle with the great white. There would be time enough to kiss each of the jagged lines and listen to the hair-raising story. Iker zeroed in on the sock-covered stump, however, and hoped the new prosthesis would give Javi back his freedom. The guy had to be suffering each time he had to structure his movements around his impediment.

  Smearing a glob of lube around Javi’s tight furl, he slid a finger into the man and waited patiently for him to adjust. After a second, he added another finger, and then a third, stretching the tight ring that probably hadn’t seen much action lately. He didn’t think Ed and Javi had gone beyond blowjobs and grinding against each other. Then again, he could be wrong. Ed was surprising him at every turn.

  Bending over Javi’s back, Iker asked, “You good?”

  Javi gave an enthusiastic nod.

  Iker straightened up, positioned his cock, held on to Javi’s hips with both hands, and drove into the man with a forceful thrust.

  Javi grunted and then let out an unrestrained “fuuuuck.”

  Iker grinned with satisfaction and started pummeling Javi, driving him to the brink in no time. In between thrusts, he glanced at Ed. The guy had unzipped his pants and was stroking himself frantically. The sight of Ed getting off while he fucked Javi was a total mind-bender, and Iker picked up his pace, adjusted position slightly, and pegged Javi’s prostate. The sound of frantic breathing and skin on skin was loud in his ears, and when he turned to Ed and saw him coming in hot spurts all over his hand, Iker lost it and shouted his release just as Javi crested and came all over the sheets.

  He collapsed on Javi’s side, making sure he didn’t crush the guy. Naked and exposed, Javi seemed much more fragile—until he opened his mouth, and then the confident man returned to reassure Iker that all was right in the ex-surfer’s world.

  “Damn, that felt good,” Javi said.

  “Thanks,” Iker huffed, a little out of breath. “You were great.”

  Ed clambered over them and squeezed into the middle. He kissed Javi, then laid one on Iker before turning back to Javi.

  “You guys are so fucking hot together.”

  “I’m glad you enjoyed the show, cariño.”

  “It was beautiful,” Ed breathed. “Next time, I want in.”

  Iker snorted. “Give me an hour.”

  Chapter 18

  LIKE HORMONAL teenagers with a fresh box of condoms, no parents, and one willing body after another, they floated through the next forty-eight hours in an erotic haze. Ed couldn’t remember the last time he’d achieved so many orgasms in such a short amount of time. In between sessions they’d collapse on the sofa with bottles of water and whatever food they could find, while trying to come up with more creative ways to make all their pieces fit. By the end of the second day, they were so worn out they were glassy-eyed. Their last attempt had ended in an explosion of laughter when one of them—identity undisclosed—farted and ruined the moment.

  Aside from having the best sex they’d had in years, they were having fun, something they’d been missing in their lives for a long time. The hours they spent together had given them the opportunity to learn more about each other’s preferences in bed. Ed didn’t bottom, Javi loved to give head, and Iker was a fucking machine. He had the stamina of a robot but a heart that was pure gold. Iker’s gentle touch had put Ed at ease on more than one occasion.

  They realized this sexual marathon had to stop at some point if they wanted to function like normal human beings. Javi still had his job at the bar, and Iker would continue to lifeguard until something better came along. Although Ed was on vacation, he’d put himself in charge of Javi’s rehab and needed his strength and his wits to get his main man back on the road to good health.

  Javi’s appointment to try on his new prosthetic was just around the corner. If all went well, he might walk out of the place under his own power and the crutches could be laid to rest. Of course, that was easier said than done. Javi was an impatient man who’d never been sick a day in his life. Ed learned firsthand that he made a lousy patient. Javi’d had several temper tantrums when his body betrayed him. Relearning how to walk after being a regular jogger, proficient swimmer, and energetic dancer would be an uphill battle if he didn’t make the necessary adjustments to his attitude. Since he’d paid top dollar for his new foot, Javi would expect it to work perfectly the moment it was attached to his stump.

  Knowing that wasn’t always true, regardless of the good fit and state-of-the-art technology, Ed planned on accompanying Javi to the appointment. The ongoing care and mechanics of an artificial limb were as new to him as they were to Javi and Iker. His training in that department had been very basic and was decades old. Ed was determined to learn it all so that he could best serve Javi. There was no point in having the Lamborghini of feet if one didn’t know how to drive the damn thing.

  That night they had dinner out because they’d depleted their supplies and were starving. Food hadn’t been a top priority while they were boning six ways from Sunday, but it was time to refuel, and no one wanted to cook. They ended up at the Bodega Donostiarra, which was close to Javi’s apartment. They had a large assortment of food and a great wine list.

  Javi and Iker had steaks and Ed had a mixed seafood platter. They ate in companionable silence and took a circuitous way home after dinner. Avenida Zurriola, the main road parallel to the beach, was less crowded than it had been in days. Now that Semana Grande was over, they didn’t have to fight anyone for a piece of the sidewalk.

  “Have you noticed that new surf shop is going out of business?” Iker asked.

  “No, I’m not familiar with it,” Javi said.

  “That’s because you haven’t been out here in a while.”

  “The rent on this strip is probably outrageous,” Javi said. “And surfing around here is too seasonal to invest in a store.”

  “Yeah, but what if you could learn how to surf while you shopped?”

  “How do you figure?” Javi asked.

  “There’s this company in Australia that makes a pretty cool surf simulator. They use customized software that has the ability to simulate a gigantic thirty-foot tube wave. The buyer or wannabe surfer stands on a Wii Balance Board and strikes surfer poses. With cheesy surfing songs in the background, they can learn how to surf on dry land. It’s a total gimmick, but if you were around to give them pointers, it would be double the fun.”

  Javi stared at Iker. “Are you serious?”

  “Yeah. Why not parlay your experience into a business venture? Hell, I’ll throw in some of my own money if you think it’s a good idea. And we don’t have to rent here. We could find a cheaper location. Word of mouth will lead the surfing crowd to our doorstep.”

  “I have to work at the bar,” Javi said.

  “You’d have more fun doing this,” Iker argued.

  “Without a doubt, but I’m not sure it’s feasible.”

  “I think it’s worth exploring,” Ed interjected. “I can hire someone to do the research and work up a business proposal. Patxi can always find someone to bartend, but you need to know your stuff to run a successful s
urf shop.”

  “Maybe I can have my own line of surfing gear,” Javi said, running with the idea. “That would be cool.”

  “And if you’re around to personally sign boards and other paraphernalia, it would be a huge draw. You’re a legend, Javi.”

  Reality suddenly collided with fantasy and Javi snarled, “I was a legend. Besides, it’s still seasonal; San Sebastián is dead in the winter.”

  “Yeah, but there are parts of the world that are warm when we’re cold,” Iker reminded him. “If we have a website, we can sell our products anywhere.”

  “I suppose,” Javi said.

  “Think about it?” Iker asked.

  Javi nodded but didn’t comment further.

  They crossed the street and sat on the concrete barrier, silently watching the waves curl and break on the sand. The beach was deserted since it was past eleven in the evening and the wind was picking up. Javi shivered and Ed put his arm around his shoulders, drawing him close. He wasn’t sure if Javi was reliving the horror or just cold.

  “Are you okay?” Ed asked softly.

  Javi nodded.

  Iker reached for Javi’s hand and squeezed.

  Javi looked surprised by the gesture and rewarded Iker with a smile.

  “It’s nice out here at night,” Iker said in a low voice.

  “Yeah, it’s the best,” Javi reminisced. “When I was a kid, I’d sneak out at night and go swimming. It drove my father crazy, but it was one of my favorite things to do in the summer. Floating on my back and looking up at the stars. It was so peaceful. I felt truly one with the sea.”

  “We should do that again,” Iker said. “Instead of floating, we can take one of my boards so you don’t get tired. Go tandem.”

  “Hell no,” Javi said vehemently.

  “I’ll be with you,” Iker reassured him.

  “No,” Javi said firmly. “Absolutely not. Let’s go home.”

  Ed and Iker exchanged silent glances. As they made their way back to the apartment, Ed realized that getting Javi back into his wet suit might be a pipe dream. He was seriously traumatized, and no amount of trust or persuasion would make a difference if he didn’t believe himself capable of surviving out there.