I’m not sure what I expected to happen after Leo fulfilled his part of the bargain and let me fuck him. It certainly wasn’t his complete one-eighty into bi-land. But I saw it in his eyes when he stood over us, a perfect reflection of the bone-deep craving I have for both of them. I don’t think he sees me quite the same way as I see him, but I don’t really care. All that matters is that they’re here now, and neither seems the least bit spooked by how intense things got.
If anything, I suspect Leo hasn’t come close to getting it out of his system. Even though he seems content to just snuggle, he’s still hard enough to go another round. I’m too dazed and muzzy from all the sex, so I can’t form the words to tell him I’m game. As sleepy as I am, I feel too alive with all the pent-up want for these two. I can imagine us going at it until we’re raw. Even though a very real downside to all of it looms, I’m not ready to acknowledge it yet. I want to milk it for all it’s worth and maybe even spend some time fantasizing about it not actually ending.
I did kind of lay down my limits with Leo last night. That I don’t do casual. That if we do this, it isn’t just on a lark. And we did it, so what now? Was I too damn desperate to have them both admit they wanted something serious with me to see the one enormous roadblock to that ever happening? I mean, besides the fact that poly relationships are still pretty fucking taboo. Not to mention that anything that flirts with homosexuality doesn’t fly among the gangbangers Leo deals with, and he needs to maintain control. It’ll be difficult for him to hold on to that terrifying el Rey León persona if he ever comes out as anything remotely queer.
But I don’t want to hide what we have. Not even from the one man who could—and probably will—take it all away from me the second he finds out.
I’m suddenly aching for Leo to fuck me just to distract me from those thoughts, but I also don’t want to ruin this perfect moment.
Instead, I lift onto my elbow to peer down at Celeste. She’s sound asleep and doesn’t make a move as I pull the blankets higher up to cover her bare shoulder. I remain propped on my elbow, gazing down at her for a minute in the faint light from the bathroom. I’m tempted to grope her just a little to reaffirm that this is all real, but she deserves her rest.
“You all right?” Leo murmurs and I finally blurt out the thing that’s been eating at me since reality started to seep back in.
“Arturo’s going to kill me, isn’t he? For real this time.”
“He didn’t kill you the first time you defiled his daughter. Why would he now? Trust me, he doesn’t hold back if he intends to put a man in the ground.”
“I was a kid then,” I say and shrug, not sure if that logic holds up or not. I shift onto my back and tuck Celeste closer to my side. She repositions in her sleep and sighs as her cheek comes to rest on my chest.
“She was a kid then.” Leo reaches over me to brush a lock of hair off her forehead, remaining propped on one elbow looking down at us. It’s a tender gesture that drives home how deeply he cares for her. “I think the fact that he had you beat to shit is because of that, but the reason he didn’t kill you is unrelated.”
“How much did she tell you?” I ask, because he’s letting on that he knows a lot more than I expected, all things considered.
“Everything except who you were. You weren’t the only pendejo who got on Papá’s bad side for touching her. You’re just the only one who lived to tell. All she told me was that the first boy she was with was spared. The only other candidate didn’t have to do more than think about fucking her before he disappeared. She wanted to make sure I understood how real this is, if Papá Flores is allowing me to be with her.”
“So you think he’d spare me now? Why? I didn’t save her life like you did.”
He’s silent for a minute, then drops onto his back and stares at the ceiling, sighing. “I’ve been his lieutenant since September. Most of the shit I’ve learned since then I wish I didn’t know, but I wouldn’t change a thing since it means I get her. I’m going to tell you something that I don’t think Celeste knows, or she’d have already told you.”
“I’m listening,” I say when he pauses and takes a breath, then looks at me.
“I think your parents are working for him. Or your mom is, anyway.”
I let out an involuntary laugh. “Fuck no, that’s impossible. My dad hates Arturo. Says the whole reason he joined the marines to begin with was to stay out of his reach. Which is fine by me, since it got him out of our hair most of the time. He wanted to leave LA, but Mom refused because she didn’t want to start over somewhere new. That’s probably why he keeps volunteering for assignments as far away as he can get.”
He shoves himself back up onto one arm. “Mad Dog, how do you think your mom managed to keep her studio all this time? This is prime real estate. Real estate that Arturo Flores owns. You are here at the pleasure of the fucking king of Los Angeles. She’s been laundering money for him probably since you were born. He hasn’t killed you because she means something to him.”
My urge to wrap my hands around his
