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

searching out rocks and pebbles that suited his purpose.

He knew the instant his husbands arrived, both of them blipping into form beside him.

“What are you doing?” Gid asked.

Jo poked one of the rocks that was part of Stefan’s hair.

“Hey, don’t mess it up. I’ve been working hard on this piece of art for…” Stefan calculated the time in his head, or tried to, but the fact was, time worked differently for the dead. “A while.”

Jo frowned at the portrait. “What is it?”

Stefan threw a perfectly usable rock at Jo and willed it to smack the man, not go through him. He giggled when it worked, the pebble bouncing off Jo’s arm.

“Why, you—” Jo started, giving him a sexy snarl.

“It’s Stefan,” Gid said, his hand ghosting over the rocky jawline Stefan had created.

“I know it’s Stef,” Jo said. “He’s right here— Oh. Oh, you mean that.” He pointed. “Um. I’m not trying to be a dick—”

“Any sentence starting with that means you’re being a dick,” Gid declared.

Stefan rolled his eyes. “I like dick, so what’s the problem?”

Gid grinned, and Jo winked at him.

“Well, we’ve got some for ya.” Jo grabbed his own crotch in a lewd yet stimulating display that made Stefan’s mouth water.

“If you care to leave this morbid display,” Gid added.

Stefan frowned. “This isn’t morbid. It’s a…a—” He struggled to find the words he wanted, then had them in a heartbeat. “It’s a reclamation. I was scared of heights, and falling was the worst thing I could imagine happening, the worst way to die. And that’s how I died. But now…” He set a smooth white stone down for one iris. “Well, now I fly all the time. I’m up higher than airplanes can go, even, and I’m not scared. I love it, the freedom of being up high. So I’m taking back that scared part, that memory of the terror I felt when I was falling. It’s gone forever, and all I’ve got now is the good. This is a happy portrait. Does that look like a sad face to you?” He pointed at the crooked smile he’d created.

“Wow.” Gid shook his head. “You are seriously deep sometimes, and I feel like I’m lagging behind.”

Jo nodded. “Yeah, that was impressively just—” He cupped Stefan’s chin. “You’re something else, Stef. The best thing that ever happened to me and Gid.”

Stefan understood that. The three of them made a complete, loving relationship. None of them were whole without the other two.

“So, what do I get for being so special?” Stefan fluttered his lashes at his men. “Hm?” He licked his lips, too, because he liked the way that made Gid and Jo gasp.

“Anything you want,” Gid said after he dragged his gaze up from Stefan’s mouth to his eyes. “But let’s not do it here.”

Stefan repressed a shudder. Claiming back his death and exorcising his fear was one thing—well, two things—but having sex where he’d died was too creepy for him.

He did know of the perfect place, however, unless it’d changed over the years. There was only one way to find out.

“First one to catch me gets to fuck me,” Stefan sang as he jetted up into the air. He was still faster than his guys, just barely.

“Oh yeah?” Jo said. He shoved Gid back and used him to kick off of, like a swimmer kicking off the side of a pool.

“Hey, that’s cheating!” Gid yelled.

Stefan laughed and spiraled through the sky, the wind on his side, rushing over him. The sun shone bright and he could feel it warming him, despite him being a spirit. Stefan had learned he could feel lots of things, especially if he concentrated on making himself denser in form.

Which wasn’t the best thing to do while shooting through the air, he reminded himself.

Stefan giggled and flopped onto his back as he neared his destination. He didn’t care which man won. He’d be happy with either of them fucking him. Or both.

Gid grabbed Jo by the ankle and jerked him back. “Cheaters never win,” he called out as Jo was left behind.

But Jo didn’t capitulate easily. He roared, a mock-battle cry, and moved faster than Stefan had ever seen him do before.

Stefan leaped and landed on Gid’s back. The two of them spun around in a ball of tangled limbs and macho smack-talk.

Stefan slowed down to better observe them, and too late, realized his mistake. He yelped as Jo and Gid shot over to him, each man grabbing a hold of one of Stefan’s arms.

“Ah ha!” Gid shouted, delight making his eyes shine. “And now what’re you gonna do?”

Stefan sighed as if he was the most put-upon person in the world. “Well,” he drawled, “I guess I’ll just have to let y’all have your wicked ways with me. Oh, the hardship.” He would have pressed the back of one hand to his brow for effect had he been able to do so. Gid and Jo had his arms immobilized, so he settled for more lash-fluttering.

“The hardship indeed,” Gid grumbled, pressing against Stefan’s side.

Stefan felt the hot, rigid length of Gid’s cock and was grateful being a spirit also meant they didn’t have to stop and shed clothes.

But he still had his destination in mind.

Jo thrust against Stefan’s other hip. “Yeah, I think we have the hardship covered.”

Stefan groaned. “Make one more bad joke about it, and I’ll come down with a severe headache.”

Gid laughed and Jo did too.

Stefan really loved them both to pieces.

“Come on. I have a place I want to show you.” He tugged, and they let go of his arms.

“Okay, show us your spot, stud.” Gid patted Stefan’s butt.

Stefan wiggled for him then took off again. He led them over the mesquite and cactus, beyond the dry, cracked ground and the depleted creek. The drought had really stripped Texas of many of its water sources, and that might mean his pretty area wouldn’t exist anymore.

Fortunately, as he shot around a hill, Stefan was pleased to see that the stock tank was