Page 25 of A Really Gay Book
“You sent up alarms everywhere. I was about to schedule an emergency house meeting over it. I guess you saved me the trouble.”
“Nice job, Apple! I’m getting sick of house meetings. I swear we seem to have one every other day,” Baz groaned.
“Speaking of house meetings, we should probably talk about the one tomorrow.” Vix said.
“It can wait, I want to know more about Adam’s Apple,” Baz said eagerly.
I had a feeling that whatever they were talking about had something to do with the meeting the other day. Too bad I hadn’t paid attention to it. Now that Apple lived here, I should probably become more involved in our living environment because I wanted him to like it enough to stay.
His apartment seemed cold and lonely, and I knew my house would be a better place for him. I would make it so happy for him here.
“We aren’t calling me that. Ever.” Apple’s eyes flashed. Baz was unmoved, but Vix cringed against the couch. “No one ever say that again.”
Apple was as small as Vix, but his personality easily dwarfed our jittery little engineer. The only time Vix outshined a room was when he was hyper-focused on something. Then he was a bossy, excitable little bit of baggage.
“You don’t want to be mine?” I asked, feeling something nasty stir inside me.
“Of course I’m yours, husband, dear. I just don’t want to be called a body part.” Apple snuggled into my side and the nasty feeling vanished.
“You can’t buy our house, Apple.” Gareth said like the last few minutes hadn’t happened. He had his priorities, and our household was at the top of his list. If you were one of Gareth’s people, you stayed his.
And it looked like he was going to accept Apple. Thank god. If you were one of Gareth’s people, you were as protected as a person could be, and joining his fate with mine meant Apple would need all the help he could get.
“Is it safe? Like, you don’t have a skeezy landlord, do you? Because if I buy this place, I can make sure no one ever kicks us out.”
“No landlord. We own it collectively.”
Apple nodded slowly. “Good. But I want to buy in. Adam likes it here, and I don’t want you to kick him out.”
“Why would we kick him out?” Baz asked. “We love Adam—he’s the best! And we couldn’t get away with half the stuff we do without him around.”
“Love how? What kind of stuff?” Apple gave Baz a look promising violence if he got an answer he didn’t like, and it sent a thrill of pleasure through my body.
“Adam is family, Apple. We take care of him, and he takes care of us,” Baz said simply, like he wasn’t being faced by my possessive lover. Husband. Whatever.
Baz could take care of himself. He was easily the most lethal person in the room. An uninformed onlooker would think it was Gareth, but Baz was terrifying when given free rein.
“This brings us to the next rule on the list,” Gareth announced, bringing our circus back on track. Honestly, without Gareth, we would all spiral into chaos within a matter of days.
“What happens in the house, stays in the house,” Apple read. “Explain, please.”
Gareth turned to face me. “Are you vouching for him?”
“One hundred percent. I trust Apple with my life.” I didn’t know how it was possible to feel this way about someone I’d hated a week ago, but I knew it down to the fiber of my being now. Apple would die rather than hurt me. Apple loved me.
Apple shot to his feet. “Sex now please.” He tugged on my arm to make me get up.
I was halfway to my feet when Gareth said, “Not yet. Rules first, then sex.” When Vix and Baz perked up, he amended quickly, “Between Apple and Adam. I’m not fucking you two.”
I sank back down to our chair and pulled a protesting Apple into my lap. He stopped protesting when I kissed him on the head and tucked him against my chest—which was swiftly becoming my favorite cuddle position to put him in. If we didn’t give in to Gareth, he would mother hen us all to death until we agreed. It wasn’t worth the headache.
“Apple, Adam is a man of his word. He never lies, so if he believes in you, I’ll take you on faith. But I need you to verbally promise me you will never tell anyone anything you learn about us. And once you finish reading the rules, you will sign the bottom of the paper. If you break your word—”
A growl tore its way free from me. “Don’t threaten him.”
Apple gave a happy shimmy in my lap. “You are so fucking delicious and perfect, Adam. I am so sucking your dick as soon as we are done here. And you don’t have to threaten me, Gareth. Adam is happy here. I won’t jeopardize that. I promise to never share your secrets—as long as they don’t put Adam in danger.”
“I would never let something like that happen. My people stay safe no matter what.” It wasn’t a promise or a vow. It was simply Gareth speaking his truth.
