Full Balance (The Peachtree Series Book 3) Read online

  Russ wet his lips, then shifted so he was on his hands and knees, ass on display.

  “Mmm, look at you,” Stephen said. “So needy. Good. Use the lube and fuck yourself open for me. Make a show of it.”

  He could see the tremble in Russ’s fingers as he uncapped the lube and slicked them. Heat filled Stephen as he watched Russ unashamedly push two fingers in, groaning at the stretch. “Mmm, good boy.”

  He wanted to push Russ down and fuck him hard, but he was enjoying this slow, leisurely night as well. And there was no saying they couldn’t get much, much rougher later.

  His groin tightened at the thought. In the chaos of all of the changes taking place in their lives, they hadn’t had a chance to really take their time at sex since Valentine’s Day. Tonight might be their last opportunity for a while.

  “Show me how badly you want my cock,” Stephen instructed.

  As always, Russ more than outdid himself, thrusting back on his fingers, fucking himself like he was putting on a show.

  “Look how greedy you are for me,” he rasped.

  Russ threw him a glance over his shoulder. “Stephen.”

  “Oh, getting a little too worked up there, huh?” Stephen teased. “I guess you better stop.”

  Russ let out a little whine.

  “Come here,” Stephen said. He patted his thigh. “I want to watch you ride me.”

  Russ straddled him and sank down over his cock with a throaty groan, the grip of his ass tight and slick. Stephen slid his hands up Russ’s thighs and smacked his ass, enjoying the way he clenched in response. “Fuck yourself on me,” Stephen ordered.

  For a while, he watched Russ’s body rise and fall, letting him do all the work. He was a work of art in the fading evening light, every muscle honed and sculpted like he’d been carved for Stephen’s exact pleasure. But it was so much more than Russ’s perfect body. It was his brain and his heart and everything that made him who he was.

  Eventually, Stephen dug his fingers into Russ’s hips and glutes and built up a fast rhythm as Russ took him hard and deep. Russ bounced over him, sweat trickling down his chest as he exerted himself, and Stephen felt himself flush too, straining to hold back just a little longer. And then he couldn’t wait a second longer and he filled Russ, gripping his hips as he shook under him.

  Russ panted, bracing a hand on Stephen’s chest and after the haze in Stephen’s head cleared, he realized Russ hadn’t come yet.

  “I want you to come in my mouth,” he said huskily. Russ eased off him and Stephen felt the first trickle of cum drip from him. He used two fingers to plug Russ, then coaxed him to scoot forward. Russ let out a throaty groan as Stephen took his cock to the root. He fingered Russ while he sucked him and it didn’t take long for Russ to warn him he was about to come. Stephen sucked him deep, feeling the spasm in Russ’s body as he came with a strangled shout. Eventually, he eased his fingers from Russ’s hole and licked his cock clean.

  He crooked a finger and Russ bent down for a kiss and they shared the taste of his cum for a minute.

  “It might be just as well we aren’t going to be able to do that any time soon,” Russ said when he pulled back with a gasp. “Holy shit.”

  Stephen chuckled as he reached for a towel he’d set nearby. His heart was still racing too. “It’ll keep us young.”

  “I know we won’t be able to go wild and have sex on the balcony,” Russ said, his expression turning serious as he stretched out over Stephen’s body. “But I do want to make sure having Austin here doesn’t totally tank our sex life.”

  “I don’t want it to either,” Stephen assured him. “It’s such an important thing for us. It brings us closer, it’s an outlet for stress … the last thing we should do is let it slide. We’ll figure out a way. Besides, Austin’s bedroom is downstairs. Do you remember when we were moving in and you dropped the box? I never heard the crash in that second bedroom. As long as we’re mindful, we can still have an active, healthy sex life without scarring the poor kid.”

  “I know.” Russ traced his finger across Stephen’s chest, sending a ripple through Stephen’s skin. “I agree. I’d love to be able to let go occasionally though.”

  “Me too. Hey, if it comes to it, we can always take a long lunch and go to the hotel across the street from work,” Stephen teased.

  “Now that sounds like fun. I never considered that. Austin or not, we should have done that before now.”

  “True.”

  “Wait a minute. Do you mean that day we were both sitting in your office dying because we wanted to fuck so bad and had to wait until we got off work, we could have just gone across the street to a hotel?” Russ gave him an annoyed look. “What the hell, Stephen?”

  He chuckled. “I believe you told me after that the wait was worth it.”

  “I did.” His tone was begrudging.

  “And let’s be realistic, once we got started, we were never going to stop.”

  Russ chuckled. “True.”

  “And not much has changed. We still can’t get enough of each other.”

  “Also true.” Russ smiled, then pressed a kiss to Stephen’s chest. “I love that.”

  “Me too.” Stephen hugged him closer. “Trust me, we can figure out a way to still have an active sex life with a kid. We just can’t be quite as free as this …” He gestured to their naked bodies entwined. “At least not until Austin stays at a friend’s house or goes to summer camp or something. That may take time, but we’ll make it work,” Stephen assured him.

  “I just wanted to make sure we talked about it before it became a problem.”

  “I’m glad you did,” Stephen said. “I want us to be the best possible parents for Austin, which means finding a healthy balance of caring for him, ourselves, and our relationship.”

  “It’s such a weird thing to think of myself as being a parent,” Russ said in a thoughtful tone. “It wasn’t something I ever thought I’d do.”

  “Me either. But it feels right.”

  “It does.”

  “I’m excited. A little nervous but excited.”

  “I am too. I think the nerves are to be expected though.”

  “Me too.”

  “So we’re going to do this?” Stephen asked. The answer was yes, of course, but he needed the reassurance.

  Russ intertwined their fingers. “We’re going to do this.”

  “Should I start calling you daddy?” Stephen teased.

  He groaned and buried his head against Stephen’s chest. “Please don’t.”

  Stephen chuckled and kiss his temple.

  ELEVEN

  Russ woke long before the light began to creep around the curtains and fill the bedroom, anxious and excited about Austin’s arrival.

  When Stephen finally woke, they had sex, then went to the fitness center to work out. But even Russ’s two favorite stress relievers weren’t enough to quiet the thoughts in his head suddenly questioning his ability to be a good parent. The doubts hit as he got ready for the day and he felt a sharp pang of anxiety in his stomach as he rubbed moisturizer onto his face.

  “Oh God.” Russ bent over the sink. “I feel like I might throw up.”

  Stephen rubbed his back and, in the mirror, Russ saw him try to suppress a smile. “Nervous?”

  “I guess.” Russ closed his eyes and tried to take a few deep breaths. “I really want to do this, but it just kinda hit me all at once and now I’m freaking out. What if we can’t handle this?”

  Stephen manhandled Russ until their bodies were pressed tightly together. Russ’s heart beat double time in his chest, but it slowed a little as Stephen trailed his fingers up and down his spine, softly stroking his skin. “Hey, freaking out is understandable. We are changing our entire household and lives. But we’ve thoroughly researched every angle of this. Will there be unexpected situations? Yes. Of course. But we have people in place we can reach out to. Remember what Marcus said. Austin doesn’t need perfect parents. We don’t have to be perfect. We
just have to keep trying.”

  Russ sagged against him and he pulled in a shaky breath. “You’re right. Of course.”

  “This is going to be one of the biggest challenges we’ve ever faced together,” Stephen said softly. “But I know you’re up to the task and so am I. Together, we’ll give him a stable home with love. That’s what he needs and we can provide that.”

  Russ nodded.

  “Now, there’s a kid who is waiting for us to welcome him home, are you ready to do that?”

  Russ sucked in a deep breath and straightened, squaring his shoulders. “Yes.”

  Two hours later, Russ was still a mess of nerves, and he bolted off the couch when the knock on the door came. Russ was vaguely aware of Marcus standing in the hall but all he could see was Austin’s face.

  He looked pissed off. Shit.

  “Hey, glad to see you,” Russ said, forcing some cheer into his voice. He was pretty sure he sounded more nervous than anything. Austin just stared at him with narrowed brown eyes.

  “Come in,” Stephen said, and Russ jerked in surprise, then stepped back. Right, he had to actually let the kid in.

  “Can I get you anything, Marcus?” he asked when they were all standing in the kitchen. “Water or something else to drink?”

  He shook his head. “No, I’m all set. Thanks, though. I just want to run through a few things before I head out.”

  Russ listened intently as Marcus reviewed everything they’d discussed before. DCFS rules and guidelines, numbers they could call in an emergency, resources for them. It was a lot and Russ was grateful for the paperwork he could review later because at the moment it was all going in one ear and out the other. They’d exchanged numerous emails with Amy Nash about Austin and what his likes and dislikes were, and Russ was grateful to have all that to refer to. But the Nashes had officially relinquished temporary custody of him and now all of the responsibility rested with him and Stephen. They were really doing this. No turning back. Oh, God.

  When Marcus finished, he looked at Austin. “You need anything before I head out?”

  “No. I know the drill.”

  Russ’s heart ached at the thought this was a common occurrence for him. That for the past five years, he’d been forced to pack his things and move to live with a new family. As hard as it had been for Russ to grow up without his mother, at least he’d always had his father. He’d had stability. And love. But that was why they were doing this. He and Stephen were going to provide that for Austin.

  “Thanks, Marcus.” Stephen smiled at him. “I think we can take it from here.”

  “And if you need anything, shoot me a text.” He shot them both a smile that made Russ temporarily weak in the knees. It didn’t matter that the man was there in a professional capacity. That Russ was scared shitless about fucking this up with Austin. That his husband was standing right behind him. That brilliant smile was too much to ignore. “Or reach out to Dan. Don’t think you need to do this all alone.”

  “Thanks.” Russ held out a hand, the momentary distraction of Marcus’s charm pushing away the nerves. “We definitely will. I think we’ll do pretty well though.”

  Marcus’s smile crinkled the corners of his eyes. “I think you will too.” He settled a hand on Austin’s shoulder. “Okay, you be good. Don’t let me down, little man.”

  Austin let out an annoyed little huff. “I’m always good.”

  “Oh, are you now?” Marcus laughed. “Well that’s great to hear. You three won’t have any problems then.”

  He gave Russ a fond and slightly exasperated looking smile over the top of Austin’s head. “Have a good one. Call if you need me.”

  “Thanks, Marcus,” Stephen said. “I’ll walk you to the door.”

  “Are you hungry?” Russ asked Austin as they walked away.

  “Nah. I’m okay.”

  They stood in awkward silence until Stephen returned.

  “So, would you like a tour of the place, Austin?” he asked. “We can show you your room and where everything is.”

  He gave a listless shrug. “I guess.”

  “Well, our bedroom and bathroom are upstairs. There’s a huge balcony and lounge area up there that you’re welcome to use any time you’d like. This is the main floor, kitchen, dining area, and living room through there.” Stephen pointed to the far side of the large open room.

  “You actually live here?” Austin craned his neck to look around.

  Russ smiled. “We do.”

  “Huh. It looks like a fancy hotel or something.” He glanced between them. “So like, what do you do? Rob banks or something?”

  “Marketing,” Stephen said with a small laugh. “We’re both in the field of marketing.”

  “Right.” He eyed them up and down with a skeptical glance as if he didn’t quite believe it.

  “This is the home office Stephen and I share,” Russ said as they walked past the open den area. “We mostly work out of a marketing office in Midtown, but we sometimes work from home.” Russ pointed to the left. “That’s the first-floor bathroom.”

  Stephen pushed open the door on the right and gestured to Austin. “This will be your room.”

  They’d kept the walls white and chosen a neutral wood for the bed and desk. The duvet cover was also a simple shade of gray so Austin could personalize the place as he saw fit. Austin looked it over and his expression was so blank, Russ couldn’t tell if he liked or hated it.

  “This is all for me?”

  “Yes. There’s a bathroom through there. A closet behind that sliding door. And the doors there lead out to the small private balcony. If you need anything for your room, let us know. We’ll be happy to help you paint or hang posters or buy a few things to make it seem more like yours.”

  Austin’s gaze slid sideways to stare at them. “So like, what do I have to do for this?”

  “Keep your room picked up. Do a few chores,” Russ said.

  “What kind of chores?”

  “Taking out the trash as needed and helping with dinner or dishes every night, unless there’s a conflict with a school event or a special situation,” Russ said. He and Stephen had discussed it and felt it was a reasonable amount to expect for a thirteen-year-old.

  Austin blinked. “That’s it?”

  “Well, we expect you to pick up your belongings in the main areas of the condo,” Stephen said. “And you’re in charge of keeping your bedroom clean. It doesn’t have to be spotless, but we do expect you to care for your belongings. And this bathroom should be cleaned weekly.”

  Austin opened his mouth and Stephen half-expected him to argue, but he nodded. “Yeah, okay.”

  “And homework needs to be done,” Russ said. “Every night.”

  At that, Austin groaned.

  “We know school hasn’t been your favorite thing, but we’d like to do what we can to help,” Stephen said in a mild tone. “We thought maybe today we could go pick out a laptop and a phone for you.”

  Austin blinked. “You’re buying me a laptop?”

  “Unless you’d prefer a desktop,” Russ said. “But we thought a laptop might be easier. We’ll get you a phone too, nothing too fancy but a way you can get ahold of your sister.”

  “Okay,” Austin said slowly.

  “Once you have a laptop and phone, we’ll get you set up with the Wi-Fi password and there’s a printer in here you can use for school stuff. We’ll help you get that all taken care of later though,” Stephen said. He patted Austin on the shoulder.

  Austin still stared at them like they were aliens. “I don’t get it. Where’s the catch?”

  “There is no catch,” Stephen said softly. “We know things haven’t been very easy for you and it’ll take a while for you to trust us, but all we want to do is give you the opportunity to be a kid.”

  “And what’s in it for you?”

  They exchanged glances. “The satisfaction of knowing we helped someone who needed it?” Russ offered. Austin squinted at them like he was still t
rying to figure out the angle. The thought made Russ sad, but unfortunately, it was going to take time to get him to trust them.

  “Would you like some time to get settled into your room?” Russ asked. “You can unpack and relax for a little bit if you want.”

  Austin didn’t have a lot. A backpack and a wheeled suitcase. Russ had heard horror stories of kids being bounced around foster car with nothing to pack their belongings in but garbage bags, but Austin had an inexpensive but sturdy red suitcase. Perhaps the Nashes had given it to him.

  “Um, sure.” Austin shrugged.

  “We figured we’d leave in about an hour to get your laptop and phone. And we’ll grab some lunch while we’re out if that’s okay with you?”

  “I don’t care.”

  “Door open or closed?” Stephen asked.

  “Closed?”

  “Okay. Come out when you’re ready to leave.”

  Stephen closed the door quietly behind him and they went into the living room.

  “How do you think that went?” Russ asked quietly as they settled side by side.

  “I honestly don’t know,” Stephen admitted. He rubbed Russ’s thigh almost absently. “I want to think it went well, but I think it’s just going to take him a while to trust us. To see what we have no ulterior motives as far as he’s concerned.”

  “It makes me sad to think he’s been treated so badly in life he assumes people have bad motives when they’re nice to him.” Russ’s tone was melancholy.

  “Yes, me too. That’s where I want to help. I want to show him that isn’t always the case.”

  “It’s going to be a lot tougher with Austin than it was with Evan, won’t it?

  “Probably,” Stephen agreed. He squeezed Russ’s thigh. “Although, who knows? Younger kids’ minds are very malleable. I don’t want to go into this with the assumption it’ll be easy, but I don’t want to assume we’ll find it horribly difficult. I’m aiming for pragmatic optimism.”

  Russ chuckled. “That does seem like a good approach.”

  “You remember what Marcus said the other day.”

  Russ thought back.