Man in the Middle [Wolf Creek Pack 9] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour ManLove), Stormy Glenn [important books to read txt] 📗

Justin’s eyes dropped, and his finger started fidgeting with the buttons on Chase’s shirt. “I know, I just—”

“You just have no reason to believe me after the way I have behaved.”

Justin’s green eyes were filled with surprised wonder when they flickered up to meet Chase’s. “Yeah.”

Chase smiled because of the shocked look on Justin’s face, almost as if the man didn’t think that Chase would understand his uncertainty, which, sadly, Chase knew he was totally responsible for.

“I know it will take time, mate,” Chase said as he rubbed his thumb over Justin’s lush lips. Gods, they were such perfect lips. “But you will believe me eventually. All I can promise you is that I will not be leaving either you or Taylor again. I don’t know what the future holds for us, but we are a team now.”

“I like that.”

Chase felt a huge sense of relief when the sadness and hesitation in Justin’s eyes began to fade, replaced by a sparkling green that was filled with happiness. That was the look he wanted to see on his mate’s face every day, not the sadness that had so filled Justin over the last couple of months. Chase was starting to see what Taylor was talking about.

When Justin smiled, it was like touching heaven. His green eyes were shining like twin fireflies in the midsummer night. The man was simply breathtaking.

“Maybe we should go upstairs and be there when Taylor wakes up so he doesn’t think we’ve both abandoned him.”

Oops.

The fireflies fluttered away, being replaced by a dull and murky green as Justin’s eyes quickly dropped down to Chase’s chest again. That was not what he meant to happen. He just didn’t want Taylor waking alone and thinking the exact same thing that Justin had thought.

“Yeah,” Justin said quietly, “he’s pretty mad at me right now.”

“He loves you, baby. You really scared him when you left.”

Wow, he was really winning a lot of points with his words. He thought about keeping his mouth shut but decided that Justin needed to hear how agonizing things had been for Taylor. Chase’s chest still ached every time he thought about how upset Taylor had been.

He didn’t even want to think about how scared he had been not knowing where Justin was or what was happening to his mate out there all alone. Never in life did he want to feel that way again and he wanted Justin to know this.

“Taylor loves you more than the air he breathes. When you left, he thought his life was over. You can’t do that to him again, Justin. If you have a problem, you need to talk to Taylor about it, not leave.”

Justin’s eyes were vivid green when they snapped up to Chase’s. They were filled with reproach, well-deserved reproach. “I could say the same thing to you.”

“Yes, you could. We’ve all made a lot of mistakes in this relationship, Justin. What we need to do is learn to work together, and share what we are thinking and feeling instead of trying to hide it from each other.” Thank fuck all the right words were coming out now. Chase was beginning to think his foot was going to stay permanently lodged in his mouth.

“Do you think we can?”

“It will be hard, but if we want it enough, then we can do it.” Chase smiled and moved his hand from Justin’s chin to the side of his face. “And I know that I want it enough to do whatever it takes to make this work.”

Justin stared at Chase for a long, intense moment. Chase didn’t know what to think. Justin’s expression was totally unreadable. And then Justin snickered. “Wow, when you switch gears, you don’t mess around, do you?”

“All or nothing, baby. When I fuck up or do the right thing, I give it my all.”

Apparently Justin didn’t find that funny.

Chase had. He was only trying to ease the tension between them.

Chase sighed and stepped away from Justin. He pushed a hand through his hair as he turned away, dragging his hand down his face to rub his chin. So, okay, it had been just a few hours since he had claimed Justin, a few more since claiming Taylor.

Chase knew he couldn’t expect either man to forgive him for denying them in that short amount of time. He just hoped that at some point, they would begin to understand where he had been coming from.

“Chase?”

Chase shoulders slumped when he turned around at Justin’s soft call only to find his mate looking at him with such worry in his eyes. “Come here, baby,” Chase said as he held out his hand to the man. Once Justin stepped forward and was safely enclosed in Chase’s arms, Chase rested his chin on the top of Justin’s head.

“Now, you listen real carefully to me, Justin. I explained this to you and Taylor last night. I didn’t claim you both because I was afraid for your safety. I’m still afraid. But don’t ever think it was something I did easily. The time without the two of you was just as agonizing for me as it was for you, only I didn’t have some to console me like you and Taylor did. I had to live my nightmare all alone.”

“I just don’t understand why you’ve suddenly changed your mind after all of this time,” Justin murmured against Chase’s chest. “According to you, we’re still in danger, so what’s different? What changed?”

“I guess you kind of changed things for me. I thought my heart had stopped beating when Joe called me told me that you were missing. And the pain that Taylor was in when I arrived at Joe’s, I never want to see that on his face again.”

Justin’s quiet sob made Chase’s heart ache. Chase knew deep in his heart that Justin never meant to make Taylor upset. While he understood that, he