Whirlwind by Bailey Bradford (reading the story of the .txt) 📕

Jordan’s mom had spilled the beans, Stefan had been alone. Three days of it and he was ready to go sit in the graveyard and bawl like a baby. He hadn’t realized how much he wanted something more with the two men.

Maybe he should be grateful for what they’d done together and just let it go at that. Jordan, despite Stefan bailing him out when confronted about it, obviously had strong feelings for Gideon. Gideon had seemed absolutely shocked to hear it, but for all Stefan knew, they’d worked it out and were all in love and sappy with each other.

They probably hadn’t even given Stefan a second thought. They’d had a heart-to-heart, exchanged promises of commitment and happily-ever-afters. Stefan would just be another guy they’d both shared for a short period of time. And Stefan knew he’d be alone again.

The thing was, he couldn’t get Jordan and Gideon out of his mind. Even watching porn didn’t work. Stefan wasn’t interested in watching guys go at it online. He wanted the real thing, and he wanted it with two special men.

Stefan didn’t hunt them down. He could have, easily, but he didn’t. He’d hidden out in his room for the first three days, moping and hoping. The hope part was for naught. Neither man had popped in to see him.

By the fourth day, Stefan was done with brooding. He was over being broken-hearted, which, all things considered, he shouldn’t have been in the first place. It wasn’t as if he knew Gideon and Jordan. He’d barely spent any time with them. They were intriguing, handsome men, but they were done with him and he needed to get over it.

At least he knew now he could have meaningless sex. Sure, he felt a bit used because he hadn’t expect to be so easily forgotten, but now he knew. He was nothing special, just a mouth-hand-hole-cock for guys. That was okay. He’d take it. Stefan wasn’t going to keep being alone. If he could, he was going to find a different guy to waste a few hours with every night. Hopefully.

Stefan took off in the night sky, awed still by the beauty of the numerous stars twinkling so far above his head. When he’d been a child, he’d thought those were the souls of the people who’d died. His mom would tell him people went to heaven when they died, and she’d point up at the sky. Stefan had thought dying might not be so bad if he got to twinkle like that.

Dying had sucked, though. Fear, pain, humiliation—at least the way he’d died. It was hard not to think everyone was scared when their life was ending, but he’d heard there were people who accepted it calmly.

Well, the afterlife wasn’t shaping up to be so hot, either. Sometimes he thought it’d be better, even, if he were still on the slow side so he couldn’t think about all that he was missing.

Love, respect, sex. Sex. More sex. Well, he still felt twenty, and he was damned horny a lot.

Stefan rolled onto his back and tried to count the stars. It was hard to do when he was still moving.

Then he wasn’t moving at all, because someone had a hold of his shoulders.

“Conner,” Stefan began, thinking for sure his friend was messing with him.

“Wrong.”

Stefan flailed and would probably have fallen had Jordan not kept a grip on him as he turned around.

“What are you doing here?” Stefan snapped, jerking out of the man’s hold.

Jordan flinched and tucked his hands in his pockets. He stared down at his feet, or the ground below them, Stefan didn’t know. He certainly wasn’t looking at Stefan.

“I wanted to see you,” Jordan said gruffly.

Stefan snorted. “Right, after three, no, let’s call it four days of nothing, you just thought you’d pop in when I finally decide to get over you and Gideon? Fuck you!”

Jordan whipped his head up so fast his neck popped. Stefan didn’t care. The man’s head could come right off and it wouldn’t be Stefan’s problem. He took off, leaving Jordan behind—only to yelp when he was tackled, Jordan’s weight coming down on his back as strong arms wrapped around him.

“Don’t leave,” Jordan said quietly, and so seriously Stefan just knew he was getting the verbal accounting of all his fears. “Please.”

“Fuck you,” Stefan retorted again. “I don’t owe you jack. You’ve had plenty of time to say anything you wanted to say, and you know what? You didn’t. You didn’t bother coming to me for the past few days, and I’m done waiting around!” All the time he’d spent thinking about Jordan and Gideon, wishing, hurting—damn it, Stefan was mad. And now Jordan was going to politely inform him that it’d been fun but all was done?

Jordan looked miserable, but Stefan dismissed it. He had to be reading the man wrong. Jordan’s voice had a funny, strained sound to it when he spoke again. “You don’t, but I owe you an apology, and an explanation. Please, I’ll beg if you want, Stef, but please let me give you both.”

Oh God. I’m pathetic. I should leave, tell him to fuck off, but I can’t. I can’t. The second Jordan had called him by a nickname, Stefan had known he’d cave in. He wanted Jordan and Gideon both to like him so badly. He wasn’t going to let either of them hurt him again, though. Besides, hadn’t he been thinking that the two of them had decided to be a couple instead of a threesome? Stefan wasn’t eager to hear that confession, but he couldn’t be a total ass.

“Fine. You can come with me to this club in Fort Worth. You’ll probably find someone there to fuck. I know I will.” Stefan grabbed Jordan’s wrist. “I was going to take the long way and enjoy the night, but now I’m thinking speedy is the way to go. Close your eyes and picture me.”

If Jordan couldn’t manage it, then tough shit. He’d either pop up beside