Chapter 316: Well, that’s one way to avoid strip poker
Cass was flabbergasted. He’d thought he’d found a good distraction. He thought this was going to be a good plan.
He was wrong.
It did turn out that Cass could drink the ’wine’ that Edgar had brought with him. Cass felt repulsed by food, water, tea, anything that didn’t have...a little extra in it. Lucian did offer to give him another little white treat, and Cass’ face had flushed when he quietly whispered that to him.
He turned him down, not just because he’d offered, but because he was actually okay at the moment.
Lucian had grabbed a normal bottle of wine while Edgar and Cass split a completely different bottle of ’wine’ that Edgar brought in after he’d signed the contract. So, they were all casually drinking while playing cards.
That was what Cass thought.
Lucian was really good at cards. Really, really good. Every game that Cass taught him, he would win. Edgar was a little less good at card games, but Cass was finding out that he was in the bottom three of them. He was the loser.
Cass didn’t like that.
Lucian wasn’t actively planning anything, but Cass could feel where this could slide. He wasn’t an idiot, and this was, technically, still a romance novel. They were alone, he’d had them sign agreements that they couldn’t penetrate him, and even the servants weren’t entering. There was an obvious flow to things.
The option to bet was going to be offered, and Cass needed to not fall for any of their fucking tricks. He might be considerably calmer than he had been before, but he needed to keep it that way. No getting worked up and making a stupid decision. He wasn’t going to win.
There was no way he was going to win. He would end up stripped and naked in five rounds. He wasn’t even wearing a lot to start with. They had a full advantage.
In no world was it smart to get too worked up.
So, Cass did his best, now knowing that he could fly off the handle at any moment. The way his emotions swung was violent, aggressive, and were also hard to control. He could feel his frustration sneaking up his whole body. Stiffening him.
The wine helped, the minty hints washing away some of the annoyance building inside of him. Smartly, or not very smartly, Lucian and Edgar were sitting across from Cass instead of beside him. If he had one within reaching range, or within cheating range, things could have taken a turn. Cass felt his face warm as he could feel that he would have cheated if they had sat too close, and what that would spell for him in the long run.
He could already imagine that if it was Lucian, he would have found himself pinned to the small couch, hands above his head, cards scattered around them as Lucian shook his head, those orange, slitted eyes staring down at him in disappointment. He’d whisper something about bad boys being punished and then-
Cass cut off the image, coughing, as he tried to escape the prison of his mind.
"Are you alright?" Edgar asked softly, cards in hand, jacket off, and his eyes full of concern. Lucian was staring at Cass, his nostrils flared, and his eyes narrowed.
Cass dropped his head in embarrassment. He couldn’t believe he had been imagining things with them both in the room. Not only that, Lucian could-
Cass let out a startled gasp as Lucian stood up. He put his cards face down on the table between them and chugged his wine glass that he had in his hand. He also put that down next to the cards.
Lucian’s gaze was narrow, calculating as he got to his feet.
"You know, I just realised that all the time that we were intimate, I didn’t have a direct line to how you were feeling. I could tell, for obvious reasons, but it isn’t like how it normally is. It’s a rather interesting thing to consider, isn’t it? Since I wasn’t able to feel how you were doing in its entirety last time either." Lucian let out a deep rumble and Cass shivered. He knew that rumble. Very intimately. "However, that got through right away."
Edgar glanced between them, clearly curious about what was going on. Cass gulped.
"I-It wasn’t something I wanted!" Cass protested and Lucian’s lips turned up slightly.
"Oh? You don’t want to be pinned to the couch and made a mess of?" He asked, letting the thought hit the air. Cass’ mouth opened and closed like a fish on land, unable to form an actual protest once he’d actually said it.
Edgar took a long sip of his own wine before he set it down quietly. Cass watched in mild horror as the other man put his cards and goblet down as well, getting to his feet with a noble, classy flourish.
"If that is what Cass desires, it’s what we shall do." He stated calmly, but Cass watched as his blue eyes flared to life. Cass let out a small whimper, and then felt his whole face go red with embarrassment.
They weren’t wrong for getting ready. Cass had been pushing down the feeling, had been trying to ignore it, but they had obviously been able to tell that he was floundering. The simmering that Lucian had worked so hard to foster? 12 hours of it, to be exact? That was gone.
In its place was the slow rumble of something that was thinking about spilling over. Bubbling and broiling. Any second now, and Cass’ thoughts should have been an indication of that as well.
Cass normally didn’t imagine bigger, broader men pinning him to couches. He rarely imagined them.
A soft voice that Cass hadn’t listened to since he’d gotten here whispered in his ear.
That’s a lie. You’ve just been too scared to imagine anything since Lucian was able to see your feelings and Lord Blackburn was able to see your thoughts.
It was his voice. Him, and Cass felt his eyes widen and his mouth open in shock. The stark truth of it all spoken loud enough to shake him. He was right. Cass had been...avoiding those topics. Brushing them off. He wasn’t able to do that right now, and he probably wouldn’t be able to do that moving forward.
Cass felt his face crumble, and he wasn’t exactly sure what kind of expression he was making right now. He dropped his head, his breathing coming out in ragged breaths as he felt Lucian take the cards from his hands and place them on the table. Then, carefully, gently, very much unlike what Cass had imagined, he toppled Cass over, a second set of hands covering his own as Cass fell onto his back.
He stared up at the two faces above him. Edgar was watching him, his expression soft, and Lucian’s wasn’t that different.
"Are you feeling shy now, Cass?" Lucian asked softly. "Harder to just get down to it? I know you aren’t doing well. It’s been your turn for a few minutes but you’ve just been sitting there, struggling with your own thoughts. You lose track of time when you’re in ’it’." He told him softly and Cass let out another whimper.
"S-Shy? Who wouldn’t be shy?" Cass’ mouth was going to run away from him, he knew it, as he felt his eyes water. He was getting emotional again, and this time it wasn’t rage. "I’m not used to this. There is a reason I’ve avoided situations like this until now. This is hard." Cass whispered, his lips trembling. Edgar’s hand moved, coming down to gently brush some of Cass’ hair out of his face.
"It’s okay that it’s hard, Babe. I get it. It’s never easy to trust someone else with your body. But you can trust us. We have no plans to hurt you, we don’t want to. You had a good time with Lucian the first time, right? We won’t do anything harmful to you, just help you out." Edgar’s voice was soothing as Cass felt himself hiccup. It was close to a sob, close to releasing something more.
"Fuck. I don’t want to cry." Cass choked out. Lucian leaned down and he licked away Cass’ tear tracks.
"Mmm. I agree. I don’t like it when you cry either. Not like this. Sadness is thick, and doesn’t leave the mind easily. It’s okay, sweetness. You can be shy or quiet or whatever you want to be. We’ve got you. I’ve got you, and Edgar will prove that he can help you too." Lucian’s voice was soft, pleasing, and hit the part of Cass that was getting worked up. Cass felt his eyes spill over more.
"But I don’t want to pinned down." Cass let out, his voice cracking and immediately he was let go.
"Oh Cass. I’m sorry." Lucian apologised immediately. "I just wanted to play to your-" Cass shook his head, sniffling as he gripped his own wrists.
"You thought I wanted it because I thought it. It’s okay. Just...I get overwhelmed too easily. I don’t like being unable to move." Cass mumbled and Edgar and Lucian shared a look. Edgar nodded, reaching for Cass and tugging him gently against Edgar’s chest as he sat down. Lucian sat down on the other side of Cass, having him kind of sandwiched between them.
Lucian rubbed Cass’ thighs thoughtfully, making Cass’ breath hitch as Edgar rubbed his arm against Cass’ chest. Cass almost thought he was imagining things until Edgar pressed his lips against his ear.
"We won’t pin you again. At least, not like that. We will always make sure you can escape. How is this? Too tight? Are you comfortable with this?" Cass felt his eyes widen as he glanced back at Edgar.
This...this could be a disaster of his own making. The men were going to check with him constantly to see if certain positions were okay. While Cass was still himself.
Cass frowned, ignoring the small sound that left his lips. At this point, he was taking those sounds as an occupational hazard right now.
"I-I’m fine." Cass whispered and Edgar grinned.
"Good. I’m going to kiss you now, Cass. Turn your head away if you don’t want it." Edgar warned, his eyes flaring a bright blue. Cass blinked, his mouth opening slightly as he licked his lips. Edgar gave him lots of time to turn away, but he didn’t, and just as Edgar’s lips met Cass’, Lucian’s hands slid up Cass’ thighs to a rather dangerous zone.
Cass felt his mind short circuit. This was going to be dangerous.