James chuckled mostly because he did indeed have poop emoji stickers. Hey, at least they weren’t scratch and sniff like some of his others. “Yeah. None of that is the problem. It’s that I don’t want to do it. Truth be told, what I loved most about being on the crew wasn’t the construction aspect of our business but the hanging-out-with-you-guys part. The camaraderie. The stupid jokes we shared and the sexy coffee breaks too, of course. That stuff was what made me look forward to every single day. Now that the crew has expanded and we’re all split up…eh.”
Neil snorted at that as he very thoroughly washed James’s cock and balls before soaping up his own. “I’m going to miss those aspects of the job myself, especially the break time blowjobs, but I guess it’ll make our off time that much more intense. Having to wait all day to fuck you two is going to mean I’m pretty damn horny by the time I can be alone with you.”
James blinked slowly and tried not to get distracted by their husband’s hardening shaft, although he nearly gave up trying to hash things out in favor of reaching for Neil. It would have been one hell of a distraction. “What I’m trying to say is that without you two and the rest of the crew, I’m bored out of my mind. This isn’t rewarding. There’s something missing. It feels hollow and pointless. I know that probably doesn’t matter. I need to make a living so we can start building our own forever home together and live comfortably in it, like we have been until now, but…I can’t do it. I can’t. It’s selfish and stupid, but I need something more than a job or it feels like I’m wasting part of my life.”
“That’s not dumb.” Neil kissed James’s neck, making him sigh and tip his head to give the man better access. Devon took advantage, going onto her tiptoes to seal her lips over his. He moaned softly and surrendered to her while Neil ran his hands over both of them, staring down adoringly. “I’m sure there’s something you can apply your skills to that would also be rewarding for you.”
When they drifted apart again, rinsing off, Devon suggested, “Why don’t you come work for me. No, with me. Or with Neil. We can be a team. Nothing says all of the crew has to disband.”
“How would I pick between you?” James shook his head. “Or would you have joint custody of me or some shit? No. Then I wouldn’t be fully involved in what was going on. And it would undermine your authority with your workers, who would probably assume that because I have a dick, I’m the boss of us. That’s the last thing I want, especially for you, Devon. You’ve earned this chance to lead your own crew. You’re incredible at it and you don’t need my help.”
She opened her mouth as if to object but then shut it again, focusing on rubbing away the last of the bubbles from her short hair. Because he was right. That’s exactly what would happen. Their whole relationship, people had deferred to him or Neil when they met the threesome, especially subcontractors or clients. And it was time she didn’t have to deal with that bullshit anymore.
As much as James needed to be with them, she needed to stand on her own even more. And there was no way in hell he was going to snatch that opportunity away from her before she could prove to herself what he already knew: she was going to be an incredible foreman.
He had no fucking doubt her projects would be done on time, under budget, and exceed her clients’ expectations, and she’d do it with fewer mistakes or accidents than any of the other Powertools foremen.
She stared up at him from beneath lashes dotted with crystals. If she was getting emotional, they both pretended it was the last of the shower water, which Neil turned off, instead. Devon said, “Well, no matter what you decide to do, know that we love you.”
“And that we’ll always be here to distract you when you’re having a shit day.” Neil snagged a towel from the heated bar, wrapped it around James, then slung his arm across James’s shoulder. He drew him in tight. James’s face mashed against Neil’s chest as he breathed deep of sandalwood soap and man. Suddenly he didn’t give a fuck about the future, when he could make himself feel so damn good in the here and now.
“That I will take you up on.” James tilted his face toward Neil, smiling, his lips parted just a bit, which his husband could never resist.
Neil dipped his head and dusted his mouth over James’s before nipping at his lower lip. Not especially lightly either. Hard enough to prove that he knew James could take it. Devon hummed and cozied up to James’s back, rubbing herself against his towel to dry herself off in the most sensual way possible.
She snugged her arms around him, resting her cheek on his shoulder. “And hey, this feels final, but it doesn’t have to be. Take some time, get used to our new life here in Middletown. Screw your head on straight. See what else there might be for you. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, you can always come back to the crew.”
He didn’t want to give her false hope. Better to rip the Band-Aid off. “It’s over. I’m done. This isn’t my path. I’m so glad it’s yours. You were made for this. I’m not.”
“That’s bullshit.” Neil was uncharacteristically serious. “You’re plenty capable of being a foreman. You said it yourself. Don’t ever doubt that.”
James tried to hold his hands up, glad his husband thought so, but they were pinned to his side by plush terrycloth and the steel bands of Neil’s arms, which he did not mind one smidge. “I swear, I’m not having some kind of crisis of competence like Joe was when he first came out here. Look, I know I’m not the most butch dude. I don’t mean it in the sense that I don’t want to be in charge of something. It’s just that without the rest of the crew, I’m not sure construction is all that interesting to me anymore. I’ve been there, done that, and have the tool belt to prove it. You guys were what was holding me in place there. I’ve worked my ass off for years, and now I want something…more. Something with purpose. A job where I can make a difference. I’ve earned that, haven’t I?”
Neil’s face relaxed and he drew James to his broad chest, swiping the last of the droplets from his back with the towel before tending to himself. “Of course you have. And good.”
“Whatever it is you want, we’ll help you find it. Take some time for yourself, James. Get your priorities in order. It’s fine,” Devon reassured him, and cozied up behind him, so that he became the filling of a hot-girl-hot-guy sandwich, exactly what he liked to be best.
In that moment, the rest mattered a whole lot less. Because he had this.
James was the luckiest bastard in the entire world and he wasn’t about to let his husband or his wife forget it.
He looked at Neil and slow blinked. Barely a heartbeat went by before the other man dipped his head and nipped James’s lower lip before crushing their mouths together.
Even after all these years, it thrilled James that Neil didn’t go easy on him. That he was sure James was strong enough to take whatever he dished out and then some. Especially now, when he was feeling oddly fragile, Neil proved that he wasn’t. That as long as they were together, they’d survive this or any other hurdles life threw in their way.
Devon reached around and ran her hands between them, her palms caressing James’s chest then abs while the backs of her fingers did the same to Neil. It wasn’t long before Neil growled, then leaned over James’s shoulder to kiss Devon every bit as thoroughly as he’d done to James. James loved being caught between them, a little smooshed as they embraced each other around him, surrounding him with their warmth and good vibes.