Absolution (The Protectors 1)

My own job hunt had been trickier since I’d decided against returning to the Navy. As much as I knew Mace and Jonas would have supported my choice to reenlist, I knew that being away from them for extended periods of time wouldn’t work for me. And in truth, I’d had enough war to last a lifetime. I was still mulling my options for pursuing a career in law enforcement since I doubted I’d ever be suited for a nine to five office job. Jonas had mentioned how hot I’d look in a uniform, so there was that too.

“We should get going,” Mace said as he glanced at his phone. “He should be wrapping up his last class soon.”

After a quick stop at the furniture store to pick out our new mattress, we headed to Jonas’s studio which was in complete chaos when we arrived. Jonas’s students were in the process of being picked up, and most of the eight and nine year olds were showing off their artwork to whatever parent or loved one was picking them up. Most of the action was in the actual studio but a few of the kids and parents were exploring the gallery where a good number of canvases hung. Jonas swapped out the artwork every week and threw elaborate “openings” so the kids could show off their creations to the community. Mace and I had attended most of them and we were never prouder of Jonas than when he was in his element making each and every kid feel special.

As we made our way into the studio, we saw Jonas saying his goodbyes to several kids who were giving him hugs and speaking in rapid fire about what they would be working on the following week when they returned. Jonas gave each child his undivided attention as they spoke, but he did send me and Mace a wink when he spotted us. It took a good twenty minutes for the studio to be completely cleared and locked up for the night.

“I thought your dad was cooking tonight,” Jonas said to me as he began cleaning up.

“Change of plans,” Mace said.

Jonas paused and then smiled. “Mrs. Pellano again?” he said with a laugh and I groaned. He kissed me and said, “I think they’re cute together.”

Before he could get away, Mace snagged him by the waist and drew him in for a bone-melting kiss that had me growing hard with need almost instantly.

“We have a surprise for you,” Mace murmured against Jonas’s lips. “Two, actually,” he said. “Can you leave this for tomorrow?” he asked as he nodded towards the canvases that needed to be moved to a back room to dry.

Jonas was breathless from his kiss so he just nodded and grabbed Mace’s and my hands and led us towards the stairs. As soon as we were inside his apartment, Jonas and Mace were all over each other and I began stripping off my jacket in anticipation. Then Jonas was in my arms, his tongue greeting mine. “Hi,” he finally murmured against my lips.

“Hi,” I returned with a smile.

“You mentioned a surprise,” Jonas said even as his hand began stroking over my erection.

“Two,” Mace corrected. He pulled a piece of paper from his jacket pocket and handed it to Jonas. “Happy birthday,” baby,” he said before he brushed a sweet kiss over Jonas’s mouth.

Jonas’s real birthday had been the day after I’d gotten shot but predictably, no one had cared or noticed, least of all Jonas. But it had taken weeks to realize we’d never made up for it so Mace and I had spent the last several months plying Jonas with little gifts here and there and wishing him a happy birthday to make up for it. He’d told us after the first few that it wasn’t necessary but he always lit up whenever we did it, so we’d already decided it would be an ongoing thing until his next birthday.

Jonas released me long enough to take the lease and look over it. “It’s ours?” he whispered.

Mace nodded. “Cole loved it too, so we signed the lease.”

Jonas threw his arms around Mace and then me. “When are we moving in?”

“Our bed will be there tonight,” Mace said. “So we have about three hours to kill. Any ideas on how we should do that?”

“I can think of a few,” Jonas said as he dropped the lease on the kitchen counter and reached for the hem of his shirt. “Wait, you said I had two surprises,” he said.

I smiled and said, “The second one needs to be unwrapped.”

Jonas watched in confusion as I moved in front of Mace and turned him so Jonas could watch. I began unbuttoning his shirt after he stripped his jacket off, but I couldn’t keep my mouth off him and we spent more time kissing than anything else. One glance at Jonas showed that he’d lost all interest in his surprise too because he was stripping off his own shirt. Jonas’s sexual confidence had grown over the weeks and while he still hadn’t been ready to give himself to us completely, he’d become a master at working both me and Mace over until we were boneless with need.