Unbearable by Jade Buchanan

“I can’t take another night like that.”

Robin looked up from where he’d been bent over the kitchen table — looking at the newspaper, not bent over for any other reason… Woe was him.

“Suck it up. It has to get better.”

“Get better? How could this possibly get better? 3:30, Rob. I was still up at 3:30, listening to that yowling from outside. I swear I can’t take another night of this.”

Chris paced back and forth in their tiny kitchen. It wasn’t as if he had all that much room to move around in, but his lanky form made the journey more than interesting for Rob.

The younger man was just plain pretty. No bones about it. Curly brown hair — in a permanent state of bed head — framed an elfin face with large hazel eyes currently hidden by green metal frames. He was dressed in nothing but thin black boxer briefs. Yes, it was Rob’s lucky day. Or days, since Chris always dressed like this in the morning.

Rob himself was kitted out in blue pinstriped pajama pants and fuzzy slippers. Not quite as erotic as Chris’ breakfast dress, but Chris seemed to like it.

Rob had always gotten off on the preppy intellectual look, and Chris just plain did it for him. Of course, that didn’t explain his fascination with Teddy, their other mate. He was about as far from preppy as it was possible to be. Fucking hot was what Teddy was. Rob sighed in longing.

Finally stopping in one place to hop up onto the counter, Chris pouted. “I’m tired, and I don’t want to go to work today.”

“I don’t know why I didn’t hear the cat.” Rob scratched his chest. “You should have woken me up. I would have dealt with it.”

Chris scoffed. “Right. What would you have done?”

Hey, Rob almost took offense at that. He grinned cheekily. “I would have put it in a closet and told it to shut its little cat mouth.”

Chris started to giggle, exactly the reaction Rob had been going for. He downed the last of his coffee and set the mug in the sink beside where Chris was perched.

Rob leaned over the other man, bracketing Chris’ hips with both hands. Chris spread his thighs so Rob could settle in between them.

“So when did Theo say he was coming back?” Rob asked.

“Four.” Chris held up his fingers to demonstrate.

Rob frowned before starting to snicker.

Chris glanced down and grimaced. “Yes, I’m aware I’m holding up three fingers.”

“Okay, just wanted to check.” Rob lifted a hand to brush Chris’ hair behind his ear.

Nuzzling into the gesture, Chris let out a mewl of pleasure.

His little mate was adorable. Now, if only their big mate would get home, things would be perfect. “So he’ll probably get down here around five if he’s lucky. We might be able to beat him home if we get in to work earlier.”

Rob still couldn’t believe how much their lives had changed in just a few short months since finding Theo. Before meeting the other man, Chris and Rob had been together for years. Their parents were friends growing up so when Chris was born a few years after Rob came along, they seemed destined to follow in their parents’ footsteps and be friends for life. No one had expected them to become mates.

No one had expected them to find another mate either, but that was just the way the world worked apparently. Rob loved it as there was more than enough room in his heart for everyone in his life. He reserved a very special place for Christopher and Theo, though.

Theodore Kisoun was about as opposite them as you could get. He was the strong silent type where Robin and Christopher tended to charge into things, yapping a mile a minute the entire time. Theo was tall, over six and a half feet, and blessed with the noble features of his Inuvialuit heritage. Short, silky black hair completed the picture and made Rob want to run his fingers through the strands at every opportunity.

Okay, honestly, he wanted to run his fingers over a different patch of hair at every opportunity, but since he couldn’t do that in public, he’d settle for the hair on top of Theo’s big head.

Theo was also a purebred polar bear, although Rob hadn’t had the pleasure of seeing his other form yet. Rob and Chris were pizzly bear shifters, courtesy of their polar bear fathers and grizzly bear mothers. It was that very split that caused them to each have two mates, according to Rob’s mom.

Whatever the reason, Rob just counted himself lucky.

Except during times like this when he was currently one mate short. “He’s not leaving again right away, is he?”

Chris leaned forward to settle further into Rob’s hold. “I hope not.”

Their lips met in a gentle exploration, tongues dueling briefly before Chris submitted to Rob. Heated moans filled the small galley space for a moment.

Rob finally drew back and kissed Chris on the nose before walking back toward the kitchen table. “Time for work.”

He’d always thought they were lucky he and Chris worked for the same company. Both geologists, they worked out of the Calgary office for the most part with only the occasional trip out to the field. It had been a business trip north to Inuvik that had caused them to run into Theo, actually.

Theo, on the other hand, travelled a lot more frequently. Which sucked. Big time. Their Teddy was a Senior OH&S Specialist for one of the large oil companies in these parts, and he had to travel all over North America to oversee their projects.

Luckily, he was coming home now.

They lived in a fourplex that was only attached at one side, and their bedroom was thankfully on the outside so Rob didn’t have to worry about keeping it down lest the neighbors hear them getting it on.

Rob definitely had plans to make a lot of noise once his big bear was back.

He gathered the newspaper together and threw it on the stack of recycling. “All right, get your ass in the shower so we can get going. The sooner we go to work, the sooner we can come back here and meet up with Teddy.”

“You ready for tonight? You made the reservations, right?”

“Oh ye of little faith.”

“I’m just saying that last t –”

“That was one time! It’s not like I forget every time we go out to eat.” Rob slapped Chris on the ass, setting the other man off into peals of laughter. He let out a growl, watching those twitching hips as they rounded the corner toward the front of the house and the staircase going upstairs. Damn, that was one fine ass, and Chris knew exactly what he was doing with it.

Rob couldn’t wait until tonight.

* * *

Theo pulled to a stop in front of his new house and parked his truck with a sigh of relief. He was so damned glad to be home. It was still new enough, he couldn’t stop his smile of wonder at the thought. He hoped he never lost that, but he was sure his boys wouldn’t let him become complacent.

Hell, life with two pizzly bears was nothing short of extraordinary. The two never stopped.

And speaking of his two bears… Christopher and Robin opened the front door and stepped out onto the porch to wait for him. Damn, he liked that sight.

Theo got out of his truck and started up the drive. “Hi, boys.”

Christopher let out a sound that was suspiciously like a squeal before launching himself off the porch and into Theo’s arms. Theo crushed the younger man to his chest and practically devoured his mouth. It had been too long. Granted, only five days but still way too long to go without them.

Robin rubbed Theo’s arms where they were wrapped around Christopher’s body. “We missed you.”

Theo released Christopher to lean down and capture Robin’s lips. He felt the tension leaving him. “Missed you too,” he whispered against Robin’s mouth.

“Come on inside before we give the neighbors a good show.”

Theo grinned, letting Christopher grab his small suitcase and trudge up the stairs ahead of them. Robin slipped a hand into Theo’s and squeezed his fingers.

“It’s good to be home,” Theo murmured once they’d stepped inside the foyer, and he’d shut the door behind them.

“How was the flight?” Robin asked.

“Terrible. We landed so hard the pilot actually came on and told us he wasn’t sure if we’d landed or had been shot down.”

“Seriously? Are they allowed to say that?”

“Small plane. Everyone laughed. It was worse driving home, though. I hit rush hour pretty badly. There was an accident on the Calf Robe, too.”

Robin shuddered. “Ugh. I hate having to drive over Baby Cow Housecoat Bridge. It’s always slow going over the danged thing, and that’s without any accidents.”

“Say what?” Theo grinned before bending down to unlace his shoes. “Why on earth do you call it the Baby Cow –”

“Housecoat Bridge?”

“Yes.”

Christopher snorted. “Ignore him. He just does it to bug me. It took me until last year to realize that the sign said Calf Robe and not Calf Rope. I didn’t get what a Calf Robe was so Rob delights in teasing me about it.”

“Only because you went on and on about it for about an hour that night, thanks to mighty Google. Do you know what it stands for?” Robin asked him.

“Why?” Theo quirked a brow.

“Because you actually read more than the comic books Chris has, so I’m curious.”

“Hey!” Christopher yelled. “They’re graphic novels, and there’s nothing wrong with either.”

Theo hid his smile. “It’s Blackfoot. Calf Robe was the former chief of the Siksika.”

“Ha! I knew you’d know.” Rob threw his arm in the air.

“I’ll have you know graphic novels can be complicated and intense. Don’t knock them,” Christopher muttered.

Theo pulled Christopher in close and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “You want me to take you upstairs and make you feel better?”

Chris practically lit up before turning on the spot and hot-footing it up the staircase. “Last one up doesn’t get blown.”

Theo met Robin’s gaze before throwing out an arm and blocking the younger man’s surge forward. “Not this time, babe.”

Robin’s chant of “no fair” followed Theo up the stairs and made him grin.

When he reached the top of the stairs, he knew exactly where Christopher would be waiting for him. The master bedroom was off to his right and came equipped with the biggest bed Theo had been able to find. Christopher had taken advantage of Theo’s delay and was currently laying spread eagle in the centre of the bed, without a stitch of clothing on.

Theo growled before moving forward rapidly and shucking his shirt. He didn’t care where it landed when he dropped it, but his jeans were quick to follow. Clad only in his boxer briefs, Theo crawled onto the bed and straddled Christopher’s lean body. He took just enough time to notice Christopher had removed his glasses before they were kissing again. Lips slid sensuously against each other and slowly said hello and welcome back without the need for words.

Theo moved south, taking his time, and pressed kisses along Christopher’s jaw line and down his neck. Christopher writhed on the bed underneath him.

“Man, I love watching you two like this,” Rob said from the side of the bed.

Theo shifted in place, wordlessly inviting Rob to join in. His actions were obviously enough because Robin slid alongside Christopher and smoothed his hand over Theo’s back. Theo tilted his head and accepted Rob’s seeking mouth.

Together they licked and sucked every bit of Christopher they could reach. Christopher whimpered and tried to kiss them back, but Robin held him still. Theo ran his fingers over Christopher’s soft belly before tangling in the trail of hair leading down to his target. Christopher was thick and needy, and Theo’s mouth watered to get a taste.

He pressed a gentle kiss to the tip of Christopher’s dick. The jump and yell that resulted from his actions made him smile. He continued his slow pace and licked along each glorious inch before sucking the head into his mouth. Laving his tongue over the glans, Theo concaved his cheeks.

“Please!” Christopher yelled.

“Please, what?” Robin asked for him.

Robin’s fingers ghosted over Theo’s hair before coming to rest right at the edge of his lips. They fluttered there for a moment before Theo released his catch and sucked Robin’s fingers in. Robin chuckled when Theo opened his mouth again and let him go.

“Great minds and all that,” Robin whispered.

Theo moved back to paying attention to Christopher’s neglected cock while Robin’s fingers dipped further south. Theo couldn’t see them from his vantage point, but he could tell the instant Robin touched Christopher’s hole. Christopher arched his back and let out a moan. He must have realized his hands were free now because he suddenly reached down and smoothed his palms along Theo’s shoulders and upper back.

Theo bobbed his head and took Christopher to the root. He loved the feel of his mate’s dick. How hot it was. How uniquely Christopher. He felt the same way about Robin. These two men were keepers, no doubt about it. He didn’t know if he deserved them, but he wanted to do whatever it would take to make them happy. With that thought in mind, Theo hummed and started to move back. He let his teeth scrape ever so gently along Christopher’s skin.

Christopher bucked one last time before flooding Theo’s mouth with cum. He cried out with his orgasm, his hands clenching and unclenching on Theo’s shoulders.

Theo moved quickly and grabbed Robin before he could move. Robin met him eagerly and opened his mouth for a heated kiss. They shared the taste of Christopher together.

“Your turn,” Robin gasped out.

Theo wasn’t going to disagree. He quickly flipped to his back and opened his arms for both mates. They instantly set hands and lips to reacquainting themselves with his body. Robin’s touch was more urgent, not surprisingly. Christopher moved languidly. Gentle was his little bear cub.

With a slap to Theo’s hip, Robin urged him to lift up. Within seconds his boxer briefs were on the floor, and Robin was licking and sucking his dick like it was his last meal. Theo closed his eyes and tossed his head back. Shit, he wasn’t going to last very long. It had been too long since he’d had anything but his own hand. Christopher caressed Theo’s chest. His thumbs rubbed over his nipples, tweaking them and causing Theo’s brain to go that much closer to complete meltdown.

“Fuck…”

“Come on, big guy. You need this. Please,” Christopher whispered. He moved up and kissed Theo softly on the lips while his fingers continued their torment on his nipples. Theo lifted one hand to hold the back of Christopher’s head still as he grabbed on to Robin with the other hand. He wanted to touch his boys.

Robin was doing something with his tongue that should be illegal. Fuck, oh… He wasn’t going to last. He’d be embarrassed about his staying power if this didn’t feel so incredible.

A smooth palm moved over his thigh and between his legs. Fingers quested out to hold his sac in a steady hand. One squeeze of that warm hold — accompanied by a pinch to both nipples — and Theo was gone. He growled low in his throat and arched his hips up. White cream jetted out to be swallowed by Robin.

A splash of warmth against his calf let him know he wasn’t the only one who’d found release.

Christopher continued to kiss him while both men came down from their highs. Look at his little one trying to comfort him. Theo wrapped his arm around Christopher and pulled him closer to rest against his chest. Robin crawled back up the bed to flop to Theo’s other side.

Theo released Christopher and stretched his arms over his head to yawn loudly.

“Shit!”

Theo grunted before glancing over at Robin.

“We’re going to be late.” Robin was already off the bed and moving toward their walk-in closet.

“What?” Theo asked.

Christopher jumped to his feet and tried unsuccessfully to brush his hair down. “Right, the reservations. I almost forgot.”

“What reservations?” Theo asked. He finally decided to get up when Christopher huffed at him. As cute as that look was, Theo didn’t want to piss off his mate. Instead, he calmly paced over to the bathroom to make sure he was presentable to leave the house. It would suck to discover he’d forgotten to wipe Robin’s seed off his leg, after all. When he came back to the bedroom, he slipped on the dress shirt and pants someone had laid out on the bed for him. He noticed the lack of underwear but that was fine with him.

“For your birthday. We wanted to surprise you with a night out –”

“Because we didn’t want to cook,” Robin interrupted. He hopped on one foot as he put on his own dressy clothes.

“So we made reservations to go out –”

“And then tomorrow we’re going hiking –”

“And fishing –”

“In Kananaskis,” Christopher said before tucking in his shirt and walking over to the dresser for a dab of cologne.

“What do you think?” Robin asked.

Theo couldn’t contain his grin. “For my birthday?”

Robin leaned in for a kiss. “Yeah. We know it’s tomorrow, but we figured it wouldn’t hurt to celebrate it a day early. Get a jump start and all.”

“Don’t let him fool you. Rob celebrates his birthday for a full month in September.”

“And that’s enough of that. Let’s get out of here before we miss our dinner.” Rob stroked his hand over Christopher’s shoulder as he walked past the other man.

Theo loved how they did that, and he didn’t even think they were aware of it. The two men were always touching in some way. It was almost constant whenever they were in the same room, as if they were two magnets being drawn together.

He wanted that same level of comfort with them, but Theo knew it wasn’t going to happen overnight. Never mind the fact that fate had brought them together, there were certain things only time could help with. Their ease with each other was one thing that would grow over time. Theo was just getting impatient.

This last business trip had been exhausting to the point that he needed to do some thinking about what he wanted to do with his life. Travelling had never bothered him until he kept being torn from the two men he wanted to bond with more than anything. Being gone so much of the six months they’d been together had been hell.

Theo realized Christopher and Robin had both left while he was woolgathering. Shaking his head he started down the stairs after them. Moments later, Theo stopped beside the passenger door of his truck and held it open.

Robin glanced over at Christopher. “Shotgun.”

“What? No, wait. I want shotgun.”

“Too late.”

“Shit.”

Christopher managed to jump up into the back seat while Robin got himself settled beside Theo in the front.

“I like this. It reminds me of my old boss’ truck. Remember him, Rob? I used to go home with my manager, Theo, back when I was working part time in university. He had a big one and I –”

“I can’t listen to this story if you want me to be calm through dinner,” Theo mock-growled.

Robin started to howl with laughter. He was slapping his thigh with one hand and grasping at his chest with the other.

“No, really. I mean it was big like yours. I used to have to slide off on my bum –”

“Okay, seriously?” Theo raised his brows. This was sounding worse the more Christopher talked.

“Well, he had to deliver the mail stuff at the end of the night and wasn’t allowed to do it alone.”

Robin was nearly purple now. He was also making an alarming wheezing noise. “M-male s-stuff?” he gasped out before bending over with a whoop.

Theo’s shoulders shook slightly as he swallowed a chuckle.

“No, that’s not right. Bag deposits? You know? Into that big slot thing?”

Theo frowned before it finally dawned on him what Christopher was talking about. He was slowly but surely learning to speak Christopher, but some days he was quicker on the uptake. It was obvious Robin had known immediately what Christopher was referring to. It was cute, actually. Almost like Christopher’s mind was going a mile a minute so he ended up forgetting words when he told a story.

“Bank deposits?” He supplied helpfully.

“Yeah, that’s it.” Christopher snapped his fingers. “Not mail deposits. At the end of the day we’d have to drive over to the bank and put the nightly pay deposits in. Rob, why are you still laughing?” He paused for a moment, obviously going over what he’d said. “Wait! No, no, I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”

He glanced in the rearview mirror to see Christopher cross his arms and slump down in the seat. Theo finally lost his battle with his laughter.