Whirlwind, Bailey Bradford [surface ebook reader TXT] 📗

Stefan whirled around and would have left had Gideon not decided to speak.

“Wait, please.”

Oh damn. Stefan’s cock was hard as a steel girder as soon as Gideon spoke.

“Jordan and I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” Gideon said in a softer voice. “Just like I didn’t mean to be a jerk earlier. I just saw a spirit hovering over Jo’s mom, and I freaked. I tend to be protective of wounded people.”

The woman had been in so much pain. That was one of the reasons why Stefan hadn’t been able to resist touching her hair.

“He’s also protective of his friends.” Jordan had a slightly higher-pitched voice, but it was every bit as stimulating at the moment as Gideon’s. “I wasn’t handling the whole seeing my own grave thing very well, and my mom, Jesus, that’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to see, her sobbing over my casket.”

Stefan forgot about his hard-on, and about his raging hormones that kept telling him he wanted to get fucked then petering out before he could go through with it. Jordan’s words penetrated his own selfish musings and wants, calling him out on them as shallow, vain worries of an immature youth. Despite his age, Stefan wasn’t as mature as he’d thought.

He set aside everything having to do with him and moved to stand in front of Gideon and Jordan, who were shoulder to shoulder. “I’m sorry,” Stefan got out past a lump in his throat.

“For what?” Jordan asked, sounding genuinely confused.

Stefan forced himself to look both men in the eyes, though he felt like he was watching a tennis match, bouncing his gaze back and forth between them. “I’m sorry that you both died. I’m sorry that you”—he tipped his chin at Jordan—“had to see your mother torn up over your death. At least she loves you, and that is a big, big thing. I’m even sorry about earlier, kind of.”

“Kind of?”

Stefan looked at Gideon and couldn’t quite keep from smiling. “I had fun out-maneuvering you both. I mean, come on. Y’all are these big”—he raked them both over visually—“strong, masculine guys who just exude sex appeal.”

“We do?” Jordan asked.

Gideon snorted and stood a little taller. “I do.”

Jordan smacked his shoulder. “Not.”

“You both do,” Stefan clarified before they could start really bickering. “Y’all are sex on a stick, even though I don’t know what the hell that means. It doesn’t make sense, so maybe I should say y’all are the sexiest fuckers I’ve ever seen.” Stefan wished he could take the admission back. Fear tingled along his spine as he moved back several feet.

Jordan and Gideon glanced at each other then both looked at him. Gideon eased somehow, making himself look not so big and burly. “You’re sending some seriously mixed signals, you know that, right?”

Stefan nodded. “Yeah. Sorry for that, too.”

“You’re gay?” Jordan asked.

Stefan giggled and pointed to the still-running video. “Uh, yeah.”

Jordan paled a little. “Virgin?” Stefan frowned. “I mean, are you a virgin?” Jordan clarified.

“Well, I figured that’s what you mean,” Stefan grumbled. “I just didn’t want you to ask me.”

“So you are,” Jordan assumed.

Stefan held up one finger and moved it from side to side. “Ah-ah. Don’t go trying to jump a whole river when there’s just a puddle in front of you.”

Gideon snickered but Jordan grimaced. “What do you mean?”

“I mean—” God help him, he had to say it but the words sure didn’t want to come out. “I’m not a virgin,” he got out, but his voice broke and he had flashbacks to the hell that was puberty. “I’ve been fucked before.” And he was torn between wanting to be again, and running off to hide in a dark spot somewhere.

“While you were alive, or after?” Gideon asked.

Stefan stopped being fearful and glared at Gideon. “What, it can’t have been both?”

Gideon didn’t seem to be the least bit intimidated. “Sure, but you’re running hot and cold.” Then he widened his eyes slightly. “Oh.”

“Oh what?” Stefan scowled at Gideon. What the hell was the guy’s problem?

Gideon nodded. “I get it, then. You’re attracted to Jordan, but not me. Don’t worry, it’s not a ‘both of us or neither’ kind of deal.”

“It isn’t?” Jordan turned to face Gideon fully.

Gideon bit his bottom lip.

Stefan regarded both men. Something was happening between them, obviously. No one was volunteering anything either. There was no helping it, he’d have to ask if he wanted to know what was going on. “Are you two a couple?”

“Not exactly,” Jordan said at the same time that Gideon stated, “No.”

The two soldiers glared at each other.

“Y’all might want to get that figured out,” Stefan told them, amused and disappointed at the same time. He wasn’t going to come between a couple, or an almost-couple.

Jordan finally turned back to meet Stefan’s gaze. “We’ve messed around with guys together before, but hadn’t ever touched one another sexually until earlier today. It’s—” He shook his head. “Gid’s right. We’re not a couple, but we’re buddies in ways that might not go over so well with a potential lover.” Jordan lowered his eyelids, a sultry expression sliding into place. “Unless, of course, that lover was willing to be ours instead of just mine or Gideon’s.”

Holy—talk about every slut wannabe’s fantasies! Stefan’s poor dick was going to be sore as hell from rapidly deflating and filling repeatedly. His emotions kept sliding all over the place, and the conversation hadn’t been constantly sexual enough to keep his shaft erect.

“He looks scared,” Jordan murmured.

“Doesn’t mean my ears quit working,” Stefan snapped. He hated that they could see his fear. “I…” Boy, he was a brilliant conversationalist. Stefan tried again. “I don’t understand what you’re saying, exactly.” And it made him feel dumb again, which in turn made him angry at himself. “Never mind.”

“Can I kiss you?” Jordan asked, the question stopping Stefan from bolting, it shocked him so much.

“Huh?” he managed but other than that, he was stumped.

Jordan came closer until Stefan could see the dozens of flecks of gray in his eyes.