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I traced the slight scratch on his neck. I was so close to losing them. I cupped my hand over his cheek and almost said what I'd needed to say since I saw the knife. “Matthew, I... ” Words were never my friends. I always said the right things to get a man into bed. Then the right things to get him the hell out. Anything else never crossed my mind. Three words, and I couldn't arrange them into a coherent sentence.

“Luke, I'm okay. We're all okay. Don't... ” His breath hitched and he arched into Richard's touch. “Don't worry.”

The grip on my cock tightened. A thumb swiped over the head of my prick and brought to life a moan. Richard's body moved with more vigor. His arms pumped faster. Matthew's head slumped back to the edge of the tub.

My body was close to its release, and I could tell by the whimpers and deep breaths from the other men they were right with me. My orgasm hit as soon as the words left my mouth. “Richard. Matthew. Can't lose you.”

They moaned in concert through their pleasure.

When our bodies relaxed, Richard wrapped an arm around me and wound the other back around Matthew, holding us close.

I breathed deep and rested my head on his shoulder. Save for our sated breathing, quiet surrounded us. It was soothing to hold on and not think and let the release wash over me.

Matthew's giggle interrupted the quiet. The sound filled the room and eased my soul.

“What's funny?” Richard asked, his voice filled with contentment.

“The water's all cummy.” Matthew giggled again.

“Oh, that sounds good,” Richard said. “God, I love your laugh.”

“Me too,” I said.

Whether it was a genuine reaction, or if he did it to please us, Matthew laughed again.

I sighed, and a blissful smile emerged. I buried my face against Richard's neck. I never wanted to leave the bathtub or the men in it.

If life could only be as simple as when we were fucking.

A half hour later, we admitted the water was far too cold to tolerate, got out, and dried off. Matthew adjusted the towels until they hung over the rack in an obsessive-compulsive alignment. I understood his delay. I didn't want to leave the refuge of the bathroom either.

Richard sighed. “Bed. We need to talk, and I want to sit down.”

We left our clothes on the bathroom floor and moved into the bedroom. Richard climbed into the bed and sat with his back to the headboard. Matthew crawled to his side, and Richard reached his arm out for me. “C'mere, Luke. We're in this together.”

I eased onto the bed and into his outstretched arm.

Matthew outlined my cheek and jaw with the back of his hand. “We're in this together.”

I shifted out of the embrace, and Matthew followed suit until we all faced one another.

“What do we do now?” Matthew asked. When no one spoke, he lowered his voice. “Maybe we should leave. Move away from him.”

Richard cleared his throat. “I've been thinking about that ever since I saw that fucking knife against your skin. Nothing is more important to me than you two. Let's get out of this city, sell the house and my real estate holdings, take what money I have left, and go. If we don't live near him, maybe he'll back off.”

The despair built again. It didn't cancel out the anger of earlier; it blended with it, mixing my emotions into a constricting knot. Matthew had signed up for classes, and he had his mom. Richard had his reputation to think of, and his home. I couldn't ask them to leave and hide out somewhere.

“You're gonna lose everything because of me.”

“We are not,” Richard said. “We're not losing each other or you. That's all we need. We're your family now. Nothing he does to us can change that. But I won't let him harm us. Even if we go to the police, and they investigate, we aren't safe from him. He'd be screwing himself to try something then, but he might do it.”

“He'll find us anyway. The minute he said he was running for president, I knew there was nowhere to hide. And even if there was, we are not running away. He's pushed me around my entire life. I have to stop this, once and for all.”

Matthew's large eyes lifted. “What're we gonna do?”

“We could play his game,” Richard said. “Blackmail him. Walter probably has video of your dad's indiscretions.”

“No,” I said. “We have done nothing wrong. I'm not going to let either of you get into trouble. We're not sinking to his level.” I got on my knees. “We have to turn him in. They'll know it's him if he tries anything. He won't get away with it. Not once we have the police involved. Not once everyone knows he stole all that money for his campaign. Once they know what he did to Danny Conner.”

“You think he knows you were looking into that?” Richard asked.

“I'm guessing that's part of why he's doing this.”

“Why wouldn't Fowler have said that?”

“'Cause that would mean admitting my father had something to do with the kid's death.”

Matthew shifted closer to me. “But so far Walter hasn't been able to find anything.”

“Maybe we can't prove what he did to Conner thirty-five years ago, but maybe we can prove he stole that money, that he threatened your lives.”

“You don't think he'll want revenge?” Matthew asked.

I sank back onto my heels. “He might. It wouldn't surprise me. But he won't have anyone left to follow his orders. Fowler's going to be in trouble for this too.” I shook my head. “I can't live my life afraid of him. I can't run anymore.”

“I think we should do whatever you want to do,” Matthew said. “Part of me wants to run, but part of me wants him to pay for what he's done to you, to Richard, to us. I'll stand by you if you want to go to the police. I'll stand by you if you want us to leave and never come back.”

Richard kissed Matthew and then reached for my hand. “I think if turning him in is what you feel strongly about, then we should do it. Or else you'll regret it later. I can't say I won't be nervous about something happening to either of you, but I'm not one to back away from a fight. And if we fight your father, we're not going to lose.” A smile emerged on his face and triggered one on mine.

Relief washed over me. “Thank you.”

“But what proof do we have?” Richard asked. “All we know is what that man downstairs confessed to us. It will be our word against theirs.”

I stood, working through what I'd tell the police and how it would sound. I went to the dresser and grabbed a pair of jeans. “I'm going to call Walter. He'll know who we should talk to. I want to get this over with.”

Matthew and Richard clambered off the bed and searched for clothes.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

Richard pulled a T-shirt over his head. “You're not doing this alone. You're not going to plan this out without us. We have statements to make to the police too.” He walked across the room and kissed me. “Family's in this kind of shit together.”

“No fucking way, Luke. You are not doing this!”

Richard didn't sound like himself. He wasn't talking in his commanding tone. He wasn't being firm, yet caring. He was screaming at me.

“I have to!” I yelled back and sank into a chair. Matthew put his hand on my shoulder, the touch nervous, but solid.

We were in an empty interrogation room on the third floor of the FBI field office, five days after we gave our statements.

Only a couple of the detectives had glared at us like we were crazy when we told them the three of us were in a relationship together. Then, all of them gave us stares of disbelief when I told them my father, the senator, had fraudulently stolen millions from Richard's investment accounts and had threatened to have Matthew and Richard killed if I didn't do as he asked.

Because it involved a US senator, the FBI had taken the allegations seriously and was working the case with the Department of Justice and local authorities. Even the FBI Special Agent in Charge had been involved in the initial layout of evidence. Not that there was much of that. A few sheets of testimony from my lovers and me were all they had to go on— were all that connected my father to any of his crimes.

The FBI said they needed tangible evidence in order to continue with any investigation. They could either question him or I could help them. Neither option was on my top ten list. But the week deadline was almost up, and something had to happen or Richard and Matthew would never be safe. So I agreed to do what had Matthew nervous as hell and Richard pissed off at me.

I agreed to wear a wire and go after a confession from my father.

The plan wasn't a popular one with the FBI either. Even after the warrant had been signed, there was much debate over the planned surveillance. No one wanted to attempt a recording of the presidential hopeful confessing anything more mundane than where he gets his hair cut. In the end, the task force reluctantly came to the conclusion it was the best way to either learn if he had anything to do with the stolen funds and threats, or to eliminate him as a suspect.

In spite of it being what I had to do, the decision was met with resistance from the men in my life, neither wanting me anywhere near my father or his lackey. I shuffled them into the empty interrogation room in hopes of gaining their support. We'd just made it inside when Richard protested the plan, screaming like I'd never heard him do before.

“What other options are there?” I asked when I could speak without raising my voice.

“How about we let the agents do their jobs first? See what they can find out. We just brought this to them. Give it some time. They're trying to track the money.”

“They still think you might have stolen it. It's been five days. You know as well as I do, if they bring my father in for questioning, he'll know it was me. He'll think I've defied him. You were right when you said he'd risk it all to come after us. He's that fucking crazy.”

Richard's eyebrows rose. “That's supposed to be your argument that it's okay to do this? What do you think he'll do if he catches you wearing a wire?”

“The FBI will be there.”

“He won't let you take everything from him.”

Matthew stepped close to Richard and placed a hand on his arm. “I don't think you or I've got a say in this.”

I laughed at the look Richard gave Matthew. Boy, he liked to have control, and Matthew telling him he couldn't shocked us all.

Matthew rubbed Richard's arm. “This is his chance to show his father what sort of man Luke is. Show him that standing up and fighting mean more than running and hiding. That Luke is more of a man than his father will ever be. We can't keep him from doing this if he needs to. If his father gets away with it, becomes president, he'll blame himself... and us.”

Richard met Matthew's gaze. His eyes pleaded for understanding. “I can't. I can't let him do this.”

I flew out of the chair. “Let me? Who the hell do you think you are?”

Richard glared at me. “The man who's in love with you.” He pointed a finger at me, jabbing it in my face, reminding me of the entire year of verbal abuse I'd received from the ninety-year-old nun at St. Mary's Elementary who was pulled out of retirement to cover my class when Mrs. Slawinski had gone on maternity leave. I wanted to swat his hand away as much as I did hers. I held back. Although I wasn't sure why. I certainly wasn't ten. And he wasn't a nun. He yelled louder. “I won't stand by and watch you try to prove something and get yourself hurt. All so you can stand up to your father.” Richard stalked across the room, grabbed a chair, and fell into it. “I don't know if I can keep doing this.”

My mouth dropped open. “What?”

“Sit back and watch while you pull away from us.”

“I'm not... this has nothing to do with you.”

“How do you figure? We're the ones he's threatening. I'm the one whose reputation he's trying to ruin. I'm the one who might end up in jail. Matthew's the one that fucker had a knife to. How does it not involve us?”

“I didn't mean it like that.”

“You meant what? I've no say in how we protect ourselves? I think the FBI should handle this. Not you.”

“They're the ones asking me to do this.”

“Doesn't mean you have to. What if he doesn't confess? What if they get nothing on him? And he knows you were helping them? What do we do then?”

“We'll figure it out.”

“I'm not waiting around to find out.” He rose and covered the distance between us with two large strides. “If you do this and anything happens to you or Matthew— ”

“You'll what?”

He grabbed my collar and jerked me forward. His mouth slammed over mine. It wasn't a kiss. It was a possession. The top dog was showing his fangs.

I crushed my lips against his and hardened the kiss.

He withdrew. “I'll always love you.” He turned and walked out. The door slammed shut behind him.

The silence left in his wake gave the moment a finality I didn't care for. Matthew stared at the closed door, his back to me.

“Matthew.”

He didn't flinch or face me.

“If he can't understand why I need to do this... if he can't get past it... ” I ran my thumb over my bottom lip. I could still feel his saliva there. “I want you to— you should stay with him.”

Matthew spun around. “What?”

“We both can't walk out on him and you know it.”

“You're not going anywhere.”

“He might not forgive me for this.”

“He will.”

“Not if I'm putting us in jeopardy. Not if I'm putting you in jeopardy.”

Matthew shook his head. “No. I— ”

“It's going to be okay.”

“Luke... ” He took one shaky step after another.

I pulled back. “Just go. If he thinks you're not going home with him, it'll destroy him.”

“And you think losing you won't?”

“I didn't say— ”

Matthew stood in front of me in an instant. He stroked my cheek with an open hand. “What do you want, Luke?”

I leaned into the touch. “Right now? I want you to trust me.”

His lips brushed mine. “I do.” His hands hauled me against him. Fear was palpable in the kiss, the contact. He asked for my touch, my reassurance. I let him in and gave him everything he asked for, everything we both needed.

When the kiss ended, we held each other in the quiet for a few more moments.