Chapter Nineteen
CONFESSION
I don’t pray as often as I should.
If I start now, do you think God will listen?
“DO YOU MIND? If you keep doing that, I’m going to cut your husband’s handsome face.”
Priest chuckled as Robbie slapped at his fingers, which he trailed along the top of Robbie’s thigh from his knee to the edge of his short pajama shorts. “Then you shouldn’t wear such minuscule shorts around the condo all the time.”
“And what should I wear? Jeans? These are comfortable for bed.”
“These are indecent, Robert. And you don’t ever wear them to bed.” Lucky for us, Priest thought, as Robbie squirmed on the vanity and Julien’s warm chuckle bounced off the bathroom walls, as all three of them washed up Saturday morning.
A few minutes ago, Robbie had offered to be of service when he’d walked in and found both Priest and Julien at the mirror working on their morning shadow and beard, and when Julien had shaken up the shaving cream and lathered it on, Robbie had scooted up onto the vanity, where he now sat with a razor in hand.
“Are you laughing at me?” Priest asked, giving the pair the side-eye.
“Non.” Julien’s full lips quirked, and surrounded by the white cream on his face, they looked even plumper than usual as he aimed his eyes at Robbie. “But keep teasing him, princesse, it’s highly amusing to watch.”
“Is that what I’m doing?” Robbie asked, as he let his eyes roam down Priest’s naked chest to the towel secured at his waist. “I’m just sitting here. This is the first time I’ve even looked at his cock, and that is hard to miss.”
Julien smirked at the innocent tone Robbie had employed, and then turned the hot water faucet off now that the sink was full. “Exactly. You’re ignoring him. He’s feeling…neglected.”
Robbie’s eyes cut to Priest’s. “Aww, I see how it is. But really, there’s no need. I’d be more than happy to do him next. I’m a giver like that.”
“You’re a troublemaker is what you are. Are you two having fun?” Priest asked, and Julien looked at him in the mirror and winked.
“Always. What about you, princesse? You having fun?”
Robbie wriggled closer to Julien who stepped between his legs, and then swished his razor in the water. “Always.”
Priest raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know about this camaraderie the two of you have going on right now, ganging up on me.”
“It’s only fair.” Robbie gently scraped the razor down Julien’s cheek, dragging away a section of frothy cream to reveal a strip of smooth skin. “You two tag-team me all the time.”
“Hmm,” Priest said, as he placed his hands on the sink and looked at Julien and Robbie. “We do, don’t we?”
“I love how he says that all relaxed.” Robbie rinsed the blade in the basin and dragged it down the next section of skin. “Yes, you do. And while it’s one of my favorite activities, it’s only fair you get to see what it’s like sometimes. Plus, we always pick on Julien about his food snobbery. You can’t always win, Priest. Sheesh.”
“That’s true,” Julien said. “But it seems we all like a partner in crime occasionally.”
“As long as we’re all partners in every other way, I’m okay with that,” Robbie said, as he again rinsed the blade. But before he started on the next section, he stopped and pursed his lips. “About that…”
“Oui, princesse?” Julien said. “What is it?”
Robbie lowered his hand to his lap and looked at Priest, and the serious expression that entered Robbie’s eyes was familiar. Priest was instantly aware that what Robbie was about to say next was something that had been weighing heavily on his mind.
“I know we haven’t really talked about where we go from here, as in making things permanent. But you both said when I was ready, you were open to having that discussion.”
Now finished with trimming his beard, Priest put his electric razor down and came to stand beside Julien. “Right,” he said. “We realize this is a lot more complicated than an average relationship. Unlike an unattached couple, you’re joining us, and that’s something we need to work out the legalities of. We want you to be equal here.”
A pink hue blossomed on Robbie’s cheeks as he looked between the two of them. “I know one thing.”
“What’s that?” Julien said.
Robbie worried his lip with his teeth and said softly, “I don’t want to break this up.”
Priest narrowed his eyes, not quite understanding. “Break what up?”
“This,” Robbie said, and pointed with the razor. “The two of you, your marriage. What you have? I don’t ever want to come between that or ruin it. I fell in love with that as much as I fell in love with you. Does that make any sense?”
“Oh, princesse, you could never ruin us.” Julien cradled Robbie’s cheek. “Not ever. You enhance what we have and make us see each other in a different light. You allow us to give ourselves in different ways because we love you in different ways.”