Chapter 148: Let Me Dress You.

Dave returned to the bedroom just as Bryce emerged from the bathroom.

A towel was wrapped around Bryce’s waist, leaving his upper body bare and exposing the small bump of his stomach.

The light in the room illuminated his pale skin, still glistening with moisture from his shower.

Vincent sat on the bed, watching him.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked.

"Yes, I’m fine," Bryce insisted.

Dave said nothing as he approached the closet and retrieved Bryce’s pyjamas. He tucked them beneath his arm before walking over to him.

"Let me dry you," he offered, entirely unashamed of the suggestion.

It was hardly an unusual request. They had done all sorts of things for one another countless times when they lived together, and helping Bryce after a shower was certainly nothing new.

"Not happening," Bryce replied.

The tips of his ears reddened almost immediately.

Dave stared at him, momentarily speechless.

When had Bryce become so embarrassed about something they had done countless times before?

Was Vincent’s presence making him self-conscious?

"Come on, let me do it. There’s no harm in that, is there?" Dave coaxed, stepping closer.

Bryce’s face grew even redder, but he made no effort to retreat, but before Dave could reach for the towel, Bryce snatched it himself.

"You two can go to sleep. I’m really fine. I can do this myself."

Neither man obeyed his suggestion. Vincent remained seated on the bed, while Dave continued standing in front of him, the pyjamas still tucked beneath his arm.

Bryce stared at them before deciding on another approach.

"Fine. If that’s the case, I’ll get dressed in another room. Give me the clothes."

He snatched the pyjamas from Dave, although there was no genuine annoyance in his voice, and turned toward the shelf where they usually kept the body oil.

It wasn’t there.

Bryce glanced around, searching for it, only to discover that Vincent was holding the bottle.

His eyes widened as the implication struck him.

Was Vincent planning to apply the body oil to him?

Absolutely not.

Bryce knew perfectly well that allowing either of them to touch him, even under the innocent pretence of drying his body or applying the oil, could leave him aroused.

And he had absolutely no desire to endure that kind of embarrassment tonight.

Besides, Agatha had just forbidden them from having sex until the baby was born.

If they succeeded in arousing him now, what exactly were they going to do about it?

Would they resort to pleasuring him with their hands? Or would they give him a blowjob?

The possibilities were unexpectedly enticing. Bryce nearly found himself responding to the thoughts before he could stop them.

He immediately suppressed the reaction.

He was exhausted.

"Give it to me, Vincent." he said, holding out his hand.

Vincent didn’t surrender the bottle.

"Let me help you," he said, his voice just as coaxing as Dave’s had been.

Bryce looked between them in disbelief.

Dave had even positioned himself near the doorway, making it abundantly clear that he had no intention of letting Bryce leave the room.

What exactly were these two fools playing at? Bryce wondered.

"Why are you so determined to leave, and why won’t you let us help you get dressed?" Dave asked. Surprisingly, there was no teasing in his voice. "We would already be done by now if you weren’t being so stubborn."

Bryce stared at them.

"You two are stressing me out."

He intentionally emphasised the word stressing, watching their reactions closely.

As expected, his words immediately brought their stubbornness to an end.

Vincent handed him the body oil without another argument before climbing into bed and pulling the covers over himself.

Dave stepped away from the doorway and followed him, abandoning his attempt to help Bryce dress.

Bryce smirked to himself.

He had known that would work. After what had happened earlier, neither of them would dare risk putting him under unnecessary stress again, especially when they had just witnessed how severely it could affect him and the baby.

Finally, he could get dressed in peace.

He finished applying the body oil, put on his pyjamas, and switched off the lights before climbing into bed.

He settled into the middle, the space that had gradually become his natural place between them.

Almost immediately, Vincent and Dave shifted closer, their arms wrapping around him from either side.

Bryce relaxed against them.

He hoped, silently and almost desperately, that the three of them would last forever.

He didn’t know what would happen to their relationship, nor could he predict how the unresolved issues between them would eventually be settled. For tonight, however, he didn’t want to dwell on any of it.

So he quieted his thoughts and allowed himself to feel their presence, letting the steady warmth of their embrace ease the tension he had carried throughout the day.

Sleep claimed him almost immediately, and Bryce surrendered to it.

_

The next morning arrived far sooner than any of them would have anticipated. Curled up together in bed, with Bryce nestled between them, all three had slept through the hours without stirring.

Dave was the first to wake.

He reached for the watch on the bedside table, and his eyes widened when he saw the time. Ten in the morning.

He had slept far longer than he intended.

Careful not to make a sound, he turned his attention to Bryce and Vincent, both of whom were still asleep.

He watched them for a few moments, finding it difficult to look away from the peaceful sight of them lying beside each other.

Eventually, he slipped out of bed.

Bryce needed all the rest he could get after what had happened the previous day, and Vincent had been just as exhausted. Dave decided to let them sleep.

He, however, needed to get to work.

Working as Vincent meant that a considerable amount of paperwork might have accumulated in his absence.

He hadn’t gone to the office the previous day, and he could only imagine how many documents were waiting for Vincent’s signature.

He went to the bathroom, washed his face and brushed his teeth, then made his way down the hallway toward the living room.

As he walked, his thoughts shifted to Eli.

He had left him alone in the house the previous night, without even arranging for food to be brought to him.

Dave wondered how he had managed through the night and whether he had eaten anything at all.

Reaching the living room, he retrieved the phone he had left there. He discovered three missed calls from Eli.

His heart skipped a beat.

Eli might have thought he was intentionally ignoring him.

Dave immediately dialled his number. The call rang without an answer, forcing him to try again almost at once.

This time, Eli picked up.

Relief settled over Dave as soon as the call connected.

"Hey," he greeted him.

"Hey," Eli replied.

His voice sounded hoarser than it had the previous night.

"Sorry, I overslept. I didn’t hear the phone ring," Dave explained as he walked into the kitchen.

While speaking, he began considering what he could prepare for breakfast before Bryce and Vincent woke up.

"Can you come?" Eli asked.

Dave stopped moving.

For a moment, he couldn’t find an immediate answer.

He couldn’t simply leave the house to see Eli, not when Bryce hadn’t even woken up and didn’t even know that Eli had spent the night at his residence.

If Bryce woke up to find Dave gone, only to discover that he had left to see Eli, it might stir up doubts all over again.

The last thing Dave wanted was to give him another reason to overthink their already complicated situation.

"Are you okay?" he asked instead. "Is something wrong?"

"No. Is something supposed to be wrong for you to come to me?" Eli replied, his voice growing slightly thicker.

"No, that’s not what I meant," Dave corrected himself immediately.

"I’m hungry, and I feel a little lonely in this whole house," Eli continued. "Besides, I just want to see you. Maybe I should move into a hotel room?"

Dave fell silent, caught off guard by the suggestion.

"You don’t have to do that if you don’t want to live in a hotel," he answered eventually. "I’ll come and see you later. For now, I’ll order some food and have it delivered to the house. What do you want to eat?"

"Don’t order, bring me whatever you can when you come over."

"I’m not sure when I’ll come over, but it definitely won’t be now," Dave replied.

Eli said nothing.

Dave waited for a moment, expecting him to respond, but the silence stretched between them.

"Eli?" he called.

"I don’t want to bother you, so forget it," Eli replied.

"I didn’t say you’re bothering m..."

Before Dave could finish his sentence, the call ended.

He stared at the screen, taken aback by the sudden change in Eli’s mood. He hadn’t meant to dismiss him, yet somehow, his words had left Eli sounding hurt.

Dave lowered the phone, trying to make sense of the conversation.

He had barely begun thinking about what to do next when he sensed someone standing behind him.

Turning toward the kitchen doorway, he found Vincent there.

Dave’s heart skipped a beat, and then began to race for reasons he couldn’t quite explain.