Page 5 of Piece Us Together

I don’t believe that, not for a fucking second, but I also don’t think he trusts me nearly enough for me to convince him otherwise. Not yet, at least.

“Maison, breathe.”

He sobs, the sound awful and harsh in the otherwise silent night. His legs buckle. I catch him before he falls, using the building to help me keep him on his feet since he’s a fucking giant. “Help me. Please. I can’t ruin this. I can’t lose him too. Not him. Not him, too.”

“Okay.” I run my fingers through his snow-damp hair, hushing him as he cries harder. It’s the strangest feeling as I realize I’m both completely in my element and entirely outside of it. I know how to help him, I know how to handle this breakdown, but I don’t know how to do it as someone who isn’t a dominant and I don’t have his permission to be that right now.Only you, Hunter. Only you could get yourself into such a fucking mess.“It’s going to be okay, Maison.”

He shakes violently as he catches his breath and calms himself down. Then he turns just enough to show me his glazed blue eyes and croaks, “How?”

I never knew I was a masochist, but apparently I am. “I don’t know yet. But I’ll figure it out.”

The look he gives me is so unbelievably full of hope that it makes my insides quake.

I am in so much trouble.

Chapter Three

Nolan

“Uh oh.”

I smirk at the sound of Carter’s voice, adding a few more slices of bacon onto the skillet in front of me. “What?”

“You’re cooking. It’s barely six in the morning, and you’re cooking.” He hikes himself up onto the counter beside me. “Did you not sleep or did something wake you up?”

“A little of each.” I adjust the burner before settling back so I can look at my friend. He looks just as tired as I do, his hair a mess where it sticks out of the hood he has pulled over it, his eyes weighed down with bags. “You don’t look so hot yourself, you know.”

“Rude.” His attention wavers toward the coffee machine that’s only halfway finished. “But fair.”

“Something wrong?”

He rests his head back against the cabinet with a sigh. “Yes. I’m awake.”

“Go back to sleep then.” I tilt my head, realizing I don’t remember seeing him here last night. He at least wasn’t here fordinner. “Wait, did you even sleep here? Why are you here right now?”

“Nope. Apparently, Keats called Jake, who called Travis, who decided he needed to come here at the ass-crack of dawn. He doesn’t like to leave me without saying goodbye, so he woke me up and then…wokeme up.” He blushes, but his smile grows. “And then I felt all needy and didn’t want to be left behind. I wasn’t aware it was fuckingsnowing. Or that I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep without him. The sheets in our room here don’t even smell like him.”

I nod in sympathy. “I get that. I wonder—well, Maison was gone until late last night. I couldn’t sleep until he came back. I wonder if he was doing something with the whole Keats, Jake, Travis situation?”

“Might have been.” He sighs, his eyes falling closed. “I was too afraid to ask Travis what it could be. Not sure I’d like the answer, you know?”

“I definitely know. I probably wouldn’t have been able to fall asleep once he came in if I’d known that was why he was gone.”

“They’ll retire eventually, right?” he asks, his voice going a little high with hope.

I bite my lip, not sure if I can agree with that. Maison and I have skirted around that topic of conversation. I can honestly say one thing, though. “I hope so.”

“Me too.” I catch him stealing a slice of bacon from the pile already finished and cooling. I decide to let it slide. He’s sleepy and sad, after all. Plus, he’s the man I love’s little brother. “How have things been with you and Maison, other than last night?”

“Good. Great, even. I think we’re finally settling into ourselves.”

He beams at me, not even bothering to hide the bacon in his hand. “That’s awesome! Full disclosure, Maison and I had a littletalk last week. He was worried about you guys trying to figure out the whole kink thing. I’m glad it’s going well.”

“The…kink thing?” I ask, my voice wavering a little as my heart skips.

“Don’t worry.” He winks at me. “It surprisingly doesn’t gross me out. Well…I think. At least, as long as there aren’t any gross details included. The abstractconceptof him being your dom isn’t gross. Especially knowing how happy you must be.”

Him being your dom.

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