Page 74 of Bonus Game
“Let me help you,” Allen said, softening his tone so Kingston would know he was serious. “I’ll talk to Riley and see where he’sat and report back to you. If something about Riley is drawing you to him, then he should be the one you explore this attraction with. You’re going to drive yourself insane until you reach a conclusion on your own.”
There was thumping on the line, like Kingston was punching a pillow.
“And if Riley is confident in his sexuality and not interested,” Allen continued, pausing to wait for the thumping to stop before he spoke again. “Then you can talk things out with Jake and me, and we’ll help you decide if it’s just a Riley thing, or if it’s something else. We’ll be your safe space, Kingston.”
Jake nodded, silently agreeing with Allen’s offer.
“Pipsqueak—”
“Allen,” Allen interjected. “Don’t get all defensive with me because I’m being nice, Sloan.”
“Allen,” Kingston corrected, sounding put-off.“You’re…too fucking nice. Jake is a lucky guy.”
Too nice? Kingston was so cutely oblivious.
“And don’t worry about what other people will think,” Jake added, finally joining the conversation. “If you do decide you like guys and someone gives you shit about it, tell us—even if it’s Riley. Allen and I will take care of it.”
Kingston’s silence was loud, and Allen swore he could sense the relief from the younger man pulsing through the phone.
“Yeah—okay,”Kingston murmured.“I’m still freaking the fuck out about this, and I’m still debating leaving the country to escape my embarrassment, but I appreciate it. Don’t expect much from Evans. He already shut me down hard, hence the spiralling.”
The way Riley described Kingston usually matched his gruff exterior, but Allen wasn’t seeing any of that now. Out of the two of them, he would have expected Riley to be the first to admita shift in his sexuality, but Kingston’s vulnerability and trust surprised Allen.
Jake’s pinched expression suggested he was thinking the same thing.
“Try to relax and do something to distract yourself,” Allen ordered, leaving no room for Kingston to argue. “I’ll text you when I get to the bottom of things. Don’t you dare start packing your bags and buying plane tickets.”
A quiet sniffle from Kingston broke Allen’s heart. He didn’t know what it felt like to have a life-altering realization like this because he had always known who he was, but he knew it had to be terrifying for Kingston.
If the situation were reversed and Jake had been a gorgeous woman knocking over his panty display, Allen would be losing his mind, too.
“No tickets,”Kingston agreed.“Breathe and masturbate. Got it.”
Jake’s eyes went so wide that Allen couldn’t hold back his laugh. Kingston’s abrupt way of talking was getting great reactions from the stoic man.
“Talk soon,” said Allen.
“Right. Okay, thanks.”
The call dropped without a goodbye, and Allen lowered his hand in disbelief. “Did you know?” Allen asked Jake.
Jake’s mouth fell into a pouty frown. “I was trying to say before Sloan called that there werevibesthat day. I wasn’t sure if Kingston was interested in Riles or us, but I guess that question has been answered now.”
Allen nodded. “And now we know why Riley was so worked up when he got here. It makes sense that Kingston was attracted to Riley since he knew we were together, but I wasn’t thinking about that during the time. I thought Kingston ran away because I was accidentally too flirty with him.”
Jake shrugged, and Allen knew he was missing something.
“What’s going on in that head of yours?” Allen coaxed softly. “Did you catch something I didn’t?”
Jake’s frown carved deeper into his face as he groaned and dipped his head. “It’s just—I could’ve sworn he wasn’t only watching Riley,” he muttered. “But I’m probably reading into it too much.”
Allen knew Jake’s social cues were hit or miss, but his instincts weren’t as bad as he thought they were. Still, the thought of Kingston having an interest in all of them was a revelation he hadn’t been expecting.
“The four of us?” Allen asked. “And that…doesn’t bother you?”
He wasn’t asking Jake if he was monogamous or not, but Allen was curious to hear his answer. Their relationship was so new that they hadn’t had time to talk about boundaries or hard lines yet, but he assumed threesomes were off the table because of how possessive he was.
Then again, Jake didn’t seem to care when Riley snuggled Allen. And he hadn’t cared when Kingston started cozying up to him. If anything,Rileywas the possessive one—even going as far as forcing his sweaty jersey over Allen’s head to stake his goddamn claim.
