Page 50 of Complete Me

I shake my head and lean out of the bed to plug in the power cord, then plug my phone in to charge. “Thank you. That was incredibly thoughtful.”

Xander crawls into bed and plugs in his phone as well, then holds out his arms for Bjorn. With a grin, he crawls up the bed and kisses Xander, then flops between the two of us. “In the middle. My favorite spot.” Bjorn slips under the covers, and Xander rolls into his side, draping an arm over his chest.

“You’re sure my reading won’t bother you?”

Bjorn shakes his head, and Xander’s eyes are already closed. “Nope. I’m already asleep.” Bjorn and I share a smile. Who knew Xander is so adorable when he’s wrung out and tired?

Bjorn reaches across him and turns off the light on that side of the bed, then settles his hand on my thigh. “Good night, Kaino.”

“Good night, Bjorn. Good night, Xander.” There’s mumbling, and I assume that’s Xander’s sleepy good night in return. I turn off the lamp next to me and unlock my phone, opening the reading app before sinking down into the pillows. It’s shocking how comfortable I am in Bjorn’s bed, with him and Xander, like we do this all the time. Which would be fine with me. I thoroughly enjoyed what we did tonight, and would very much love to do it again. Soon. And that’s the most surprising thing of all.

19

Xander

The cafe is a bit busier than usual for what’s turned into our standing Tuesday coffee meet up. I feel odd walking in by myself, but Kaino texted to say their class was running long and they’d be here soon. I have their order, but walking here wasn’t the same without them. Which is utterly ridiculous, because if it were Wednesday and I came here to get a coffee, I wouldn’t feel strange. Okay, that’s not completely true. If it were any day but Tuesday, I’d be going back to my office and making my coffee there. So my reaction isn’t all that odd. That realization makes me feel slightly better.

I push through the clusters of students chatting or focused on laptops, and relax when I see our usual seats are still free. I wasn’t sure that would be the case with so many people in the cafe today. I push through the crowd and set down my messenger bag, on the chair and settle into the corner of the love seat, pulling out my phone so I don’t inadvertently make eye contact with any students. To be more accurate, I’m using my phone to avoid accidental interactions with any of my students. I’ve seen some of them here several weeks in a row. So far, we have an unspoken truce. They don’t approach me, and I don’t approach them. We basically ignore that we’re all here together separately.

I’m so engrossed in pretending to focus on my phone that I practically shriek when something tickles my neck. Then warm lips nibble behind my ear, and I grin, slipping my fingers into Bjorn’s beard for a quick caress. “Hello, handsome.” The tickle must have been from his facial hair.

“You smell good, babe.” He runs his nose into my hair, and I close my eyes, leaning into him. The snickers of nearby students yank me out of my happy little world and back into reality. “Kaino still in class?”

“Mmm.” Bjorn walks around the loveseat and plops down next to me. Several of the nearby students openly ogle him, and I glare menacingly until they mind their own business. “They should be here soon, though.”

Bjorn turns to look at the counter. “The line’s pretty short. I’ll go get our drinks. You stay here and wait for Kaino.”

He stands, and I raise an eyebrow at him. “Are you asking me or telling me?” I’m only half-teasing. Controlling a situation is a bit of a default setting for Bjorn, and while it can be exciting in the bedroom, and arguably necessary when I’m overreacting a tiny bit, this is neither of those situations.

“Shit. Sorry.” He leans down and kisses me softly. “I meant it as a suggestion. How about I go get our drinks while you keep our seats? Like that.”

He does look very contrite, so I forgive him. “Thank you. And it’s probably a good idea before the line gets longer. I’ll have my usual, and Kaino would like a green tea today. Nothing in it.” Bjorn kisses me one more time before weaving his way to the counter. I’ve just settled back into the cushions when white-blond hair catches my eye. Kaino pushes past a rowdy group of students gathering backpacks and coats and finally makes it to me, a little wide-eyed.

“That was like running a gauntlet. I feel like I should get some kind of reward for making it through alive.”

I smirk up at them. “What would you want that to be?”

In a surprise move, they take my hand and place the softest, sweetest kiss against my palm. “That would be my prize.”

I blink up at them, slightly stunned at the physical contact, as well as the public affection. It’s definitely less demonstrative than Bjorn was, but for Kaino it seems like so much, and I’m flattered. “It’s a good prize.”

They turn, dropping into the empty space beside me. “Sorry I’m late. There was a guest speaker, and the class had lots of questions. But it was fascinating, so I didn’t mind much. Except I knew you and Bjorn were here waiting.” They glance around, and I automatically do the same, catching the eye of the students who’d tittered when Bjorn had kissed my neck. Several of them are openly watching us, and one actually grins, giving me a thumbs up and a wink. I quickly look away, unease settling in my stomach. Did they see Kaino kissing my palm? They can obviously see him sitting closer than a friend normally would. Do they assume we’re all together? What if this gets back to the provost? “Where is Bjorn?”

I gesture toward the counter. “Getting drinks.”

“I’m back with drinks.” He walks around the love seat and sets them on the small table in front of us. “You stole my seat.” He leans close to Kaino. “Is it okay to kiss you?” Kaino nods and Bjorn kisses them on the lips, lingering when they bring their hand up to cup Bjorn’s face. As they part, both are smiling. “Someone’s in a good mood, and I like it.”

Kaino’s cheeks pink, and they roll their eyes. “What can I say? You both make me happy.” They reach for their tea and blow into the mug. “I’ve also been replaying Saturday night in my head.”

“It was epic.” Bjorn’s grin is equal parts lecherous and proud. “I can’t stop thinking about it either. We should definitely do that again. The sex and intimacy part, definitely. Also the showering. But maybe we can save the bossy thing for special occasions. Don’t get me wrong, it was hot, but I’m not sure I’d like a steady diet of that.”

I’m about to ask them to keep their voices down when there’s a gasp from my right. I wince internally. “Perhaps we can discuss this when we’re not within earshot of students, some of whom take my class.”

Bjorn ducks his head. “Whoops. Sorry. I probably should have asked about kissing you first, too.”

“Noted. On both counts.” Kaino looks between us, then frowns. “We haven’t really talked much about that. We probably should have assumed a need to keep things quiet here, especially since Xander works for the school. Should we change our location in the future to someplace further from campus?”

I shake my head. “No. I know that sounds contradictory, but I’m not embarrassed by either of you or our relationship. Nor do I think it’s wrong, or any of the other negative opinions people might have about polyamory.” It still feels odd claiming that designation, but that’s what this is. And I suppose I’m trying it out. “I refuse to be shamed. What I am suggesting, please and thank you, is that we keep discussions about the specifics of our relationship to a more private place, especially with students eavesdropping.” I stare at one such student, a freshman if I’m not mistaken, who has her phone out, attempting to snap a picture or record us surreptitiously. I clear my throat loudly, and when she looks up, she quickly puts the phone away. “If that ends up on social media, I’ll be speaking with the dean of your program.” She gathers her things and scrambles towards the door, her friends in tow.

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