Bedfellows Read online

  Finally, he'd come to his senses. It felt good to hear him back me up.

  Adrienne nodded, her eyes dawning with understanding. “I get that. I'm the same way. I've never had a one-night fling in my entire life. I'm more of a serial monogamist, too. I just … I'm not sure how it would all work.”

  At this, Sullivan chuckled. “It's actually quite simple. Two loving, devoted boyfriends. Two men worshipping you. Bringing you pleasure. Monogamy's not the right word. But exclusivity. Just between us three.”

  Her cheeks colored, and her pulse picked up in her throat. Clear signals that she very much liked the idea. “Yes, but there are things to consider, like my ultra-religious parents, what my friends might say, and the logistics of it all …”

  “The logistics…” Sullivan was back to grinning at her. I could tell he'd be all-too-happy to explain the logistics to her in vivid detail—or better yet, offer a hands-on demonstration.

  I held up one hand. “We're getting ahead of ourselves.” We were talking about this like it was a forgone conclusion, and really, we hardly knew each other, hardly knew if we were compatible at all.

  Sullivan nodded. “Will's right. Let's just enjoy each other's company for now and see where this goes.” His tone was casual—much too casual.

  “Or doesn't go,” I added for good measure. “No hard feelings either way.”

  She nodded once and took another contemplative sip of her drink.

  A moment later, Adrienne rose to her feet, excusing herself to use the ladies’ room while Sullivan and I shared a glance.

  “Well?” I asked once she'd disappeared around the corner. “How do you think it's going?”

  The smirk that lifted one side of his mouth made me roll my eyes.

  He was so goddamn obvious. I knew he wanted her. And shit, so did I, but I wasn't about to push her into something she wasn't one-hundred percent on board with. I certainly wouldn't want her to have any regrets, and I didn't want Sullivan getting in over his head and winding up heartbroken. That wouldn't be good for anyone. Least of all me.

  “I like her, man. Like, really like her. You?”

  I swallowed. “Same. But I don't know …”

  He smiled and poured the last of the slushy margarita mix into each of their glasses. “Just keep an open mind.”

  “You, too,” I encouraged. “This might not work out.”

  He shrugged me off. Always the damn optimist.

  Dating had always been a little bit tricky for us. We'd tried a variety of tactics over the years—from just one of us pursuing a woman, and then introducing her to our desires later—which ended with varying degrees of success. To being straight up and forthright from the beginning, like with Adrienne—which is what we preferred now that we were older. Two people clicking and falling in love was an anomaly—three people? A near impossibility.

  “Give it a chance,” Sullivan said under his breath as we watched Adrienne approach again, her lipstick freshly reapplied.

  They finished their cocktails while Sullivan told stories of some of our house-flip disasters over the years. She was beautiful when she laughed. So beautiful, that it hit me straight in the groin.

  Patience, I reminded myself.

  Later when the dinner crowd had cleared out, and I'd long ago paid our bill, a moment of silence settled amongst us. It was a comfortable silence. An easy silence.

  Adrienne smiled at me. “Thank you for dinner.”

  I reached over and took her hand. “Thank you for coming.”

  Sullivan leaned in closer. “And for keeping an open mind.”

  Adrienne nodded.

  “Are you ready to get out of here?” I asked.

  They both rose to their feet so quickly, I could have laughed at their eagerness, if it weren’t for the sudden way my jeans had gone too tight in the front. The quiet chemistry that had been building between us all night was about to come to a head. But I didn't know if it'd send Adrienne running. And the thought of Sullivan chasing after her—and leaving me behind—was fucking terrifying.

  Swallowing my fears, which I told myself had no basis in reality, I helped Adrienne into the passenger seat of my SUV, while Sullivan climbed into the backseat.

  “Where can I take you?” I asked.

  “Oh, right.” Adrienne chuckled. I knew the feeling. She'd been so caught up in this—in us, that she'd spaced out for a moment on the need to provide me with directions, or at least an address.

  After plugging in her friend's address to my navigation system, we settled once again into one of those comfortable silences.

  When I pulled to a stop a few minutes later in front of a small, one-story home, Adrienne unbuckled her seat belt, and surprised me by leaning over the console to press a kiss to my cheek.

  “I had a nice time,” she murmured. She smelled like tequila and peaches, and holy fuck, I wanted to taste her, to suck on her tongue until she gasped into my mouth.

  Instead, I nodded, touching her cheek with my thumb. “I did, too.”

  After flashing me a sweet smile, she turned in her seat, leaning back to get closer to Sullivan. Lucky bastard. From the corner of my eye, I saw him place his hand on her jaw and draw her closer.

  The half-erection that had been threatening all night turned into a full hard-on as I watched him guide her mouth to his.

  Their kiss was brief, just as brief as her lips on my cheek had been, and then she was placing her purse strap on her shoulder.

  Her cheeks were rosy now, her eyes stormy. “You two make a tempting offer. I'll give you that.”

  Sullivan and I exchanged a look. I still had no idea which way she was going to go.

  “So, try it. What's the worst that could happen?” Sullivan asked.

  I knew very well what's the worst that could happen—a couple of broken hearts and too much whiskey, but I kept my mouth shut while Adrienne thought it over. It was her decision to make and I wouldn't push her.

  “If we do this … if I agree to date both of you, I need to set some ground rules. I feel like I should go out with each of you separately at first. Just to make sure we each have chemistry. That everything is…”

  “Yes,” Sullivan said.

  I felt like slugging him. That had never been part of our arrangement before. Instead, I found myself nodding along. What the fuck? “Whatever makes you feel more comfortable.”

  “Okay. Well, goodnight,” she murmured, pressing one last kiss to each of our cheeks before climbing out of the SUV. Sullivan climbed out behind her and walked her to the front door. Seeing them huddled together did something to me, and I watched as she unlocked the door, and then gave a little wave toward me.

  I didn't realize how much I missed her scent—something subtle and slightly fruity until she'd taken it with her.

  Once she was safety inside, Sullivan returned to the car, climbing into the front seat beside me.

  “You think she'll be okay crashing there?” I asked as we both took one last look at the house.

  Sullivan didn't respond right away, either thinking it over, or just otherwise distracted by the kiss she'd given each of us. “I'm sure she's fine. She looks like she can handle more than she lets on.”

  I murmured my agreement and pulled onto the road.

  “Dibs on the first date,” Sullivan said as I turned out of the neighborhood.

  I took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. Already we were breaking our fucking rules. What was next?

  Chapter Five

  Sullivan

  “Technically this is our third date, so does that mean I'm getting lucky tonight?” I asked.

  Adrienne rolled her eyes. “Aren't you just a peach?”

  I shrugged. “Life's too short. I say what I'm feeling, and I never bullshit.”

  “That's actually refreshing.”

  We'd spent the last half hour touring her little salon—it was after hours—and I told her I'd assess the damage and help out any way I could. But honestly, she'd hired a great crew and the
repair work seemed to be coming along nicely. It would just take a while—completely rewiring the building so it was up to code, waiting for it to be inspected, then hanging drywall, and installing new flooring—it needed to be gutted from top to bottom. She insisted that her little apartment above would be the last thing to be fixed up and that she was fine crashing on her friend's couch, but I had my doubts that that was true.

  After the tour, Adrienne turned to face me, leveling me with those big blue eyes. “And what is it that you're feeling?”

  I placed my hands on her slender hips, hauling her closer. Not close enough to feel what she was doing to me, but close enough. “You. Very much.”

  She swallowed and looked down at her peep-toe pumps. “But you hardly know me. I'm just some chick who played bumper-cars with your truck and lost.”

  I shrugged. “But what I know, I like.”

  “What do you like?”

  “You're beautiful. Independent, driven. And best of all, open-minded.”

  This earned me a laugh. “Yes, very, apparently.”

  “You ready to get out of here and head to dinner?” I asked.

  Adrienne nodded, and flipped off the lights at the front of the shop before locking up.

  I was impressed with the place. Despite its current state—I could see she ran an upscale salon and spa. It was all leather and wood and iron chandeliers. It was impressive that she'd been able to open her own business at such a young age, and that was just another thing to appreciate about her.

  I ushered us to my now fixed-up truck and helped her climb inside. I couldn't help the glimpse I stole of her curves. Her ass was just begging for my hands, but for now at least, I minded my manners.

  We had a casual dinner at the park—choosing a random food truck on both the menu and also what looked least likely to serve up a side of food poisoning.

  Adrienne laughed as we stood in line to order our food. Perusing the menu, we decided to order several items and share. Asian dumplings and spring rolls and a side of stir-fried noodles, it all smelled terrific, and I loved that she had a hearty appetite. Will and I both liked to eat, and so a dainty woman who only picked at things would never work.

  After sitting down at a nearby picnic table, I tapped my water bottle against hers. “Cheers.”

  “To?” she asked, smiling sweetly at me.

  “To finding the one.”

  “Or the two.” She winked.

  “Exactly.” I laughed as I dug into my food.

  Adrienne helped herself to a bite of noodles, grinning as she chewed.

  The rest of the date went like this—just easy, and comfortable. We shared small talk and some laughter, all of it coming so naturally. After we finished our food, we strolled the park hand in hand and bought some seed to scatter for the ducks in the pond. Adrienne laughed and picked out names for the baby ducklings. And God, it was crazy, but I could already see her being an amazing mother. I could picture her, full with our baby—either mine or Will's—it wouldn't matter. Her belly round and full, her cheeks glowing, she would be beautiful.

  Growing up without much of anything—we wanted it all. A wife, kids, big family Christmases, all the cozy holidays and family traditions we never got to experience. It was crazy because I hardly knew her, but I just had this unmistakable gut feeling that maybe Adrienne would be the one to make those dreams a reality.

  Will would say I was getting ahead of myself, but I couldn't shake this feeling. It made me want to be even more careful with her than usual, to cherish her and treasure each moment. It was like I would look back on this time fifty years from now, and I wanted to memorize each little thing.

  As the sun was setting I led us back to my truck and once again helped her inside. I started it up, the low hum of the radio in the background.

  “The night's still young. You want to come see our place before I drop you off?”

  Adrienne smiled and nodded, shyly. “Sure. Why not.”

  I had no idea what might happen back at our place, but that didn't stop my knuckles from turning white as I gripped the steering wheel the entire ride back home.

  I maneuvered my truck into the driveway and stopped.

  “Wow. This is great.” Adrienne's wide brown eyes seemed to take in every detail. From our neat, two-story brick home, to the big grassy yard, to the little flower boxes in front that Will kept meticulously weeded, her eyes were soaking it all in.

  I wasn't surprised to find Will’s car gone, as he'd told me he'd be out tonight.

  Once inside, we slipped off our shoes and I poured Adrienne a glass of wine. Carrying her wine from room to room, she followed me as I gave her a tour.

  “We bought it three years ago. Got it for a steal. It was in horrible shape.”

  “So, you guys restored it?”

  I nodded. “With our own two hands. Top to bottom.”

  Her gaze cast around the open concept living and dining rooms, and I knew she was appreciating our attention to detail. The dark wood floors and soft gray walls, the built-ins surrounding the natural stone fireplace. Our home was our castle, and the one place we splurged. Neither of us was much into clothes or gadgets. But a nice faucet, walk-in closets, a couple of pieces of art on the walls, we happily invested here in our home.

  “It's beautiful,” she said as I showed her the first-floor master—which belonged to Will. The second bedroom on this floor had been converted into a home gym, and we merely peeked inside before continuing the tour.

  “Up here is where I spend most of my time,” I said, guiding her up the stairs with my hand resting on the small of her back. The pair of jeans she wore tonight hugged her ass, and I had to force myself to look away before I went rock hard.

  The second floor held two more bedrooms—mine, plus a guest room, and an open loft area with a large TV and two comfy couches.

  Adrienne surveyed our surroundings, sipping her wine. “It's beautiful. It fits you perfectly.”

  “You think so?”

  She nodded as I led us to one of the sofas. Adrienne sat beside me, clutching the stem of her wineglass in her hands.

  She looked so sweet, so innocent, and nervous and lovely.

  Jesus, I wanted her.

  “So … I know you wanted to do this—test drive us each separately to be sure we had chemistry …”

  “Test drive?” She broke into nervous laughter.

  “Sorry. Wrong choice of words.” I took her wineglass from her hands and placed it on the coffee table. “Tell me what you're thinking. I want you to be completely honest with me.”

  “Tonight has been great, Sullivan. It's just, when I think about adding Will into the equation, I get …”

  “Scared?”

  She shook her head. “Butterflies.”

  “Butterflies are good, right?”

  “I think so.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. I leaned in closer, captivated by her. Everything about her drew me in—from the swell of her full lips, to her uncertainty about this, and especially her willingness to try.

  “He's not here now. Put the butterflies away.”

  “Okay.” She smiled.

  I leaned in closer. “I've wanted to kiss you all night.”

  She wet her lower lip with the tip of her tongue and it was all the answer I needed. She wanted this, too. Wanted me.

  My heart pumped faster with that secret knowledge.

  Tilting her chin so that her lips met mine, I took her mouth. Gently at first, and then with a growing sense of hunger as her warm, wet tongue came out to meet mine.

  She tasted incredible. Slightly sweet from the wine, and feminine and simply perfect.

  “Sull…” she moaned as my lips broke from hers.

  “Yes?”

  “I…” she started, but then stopped herself, leaning in toward me again and pressing her full mouth to mine. I happily obliged, kissing her again. This wasn't just chemistry, this was explosive.

  I was lost to her. Tongues and lips and soft, happy
moans of pleasure. Finally, I pulled back again. “Can I touch you?”

  A shy smile. A slight nod of her head.

  Pressing my lips to her throat, I cupped her breasts in my hands, loving the soft weight of them in my palms. They were large enough to fill my hands, but not too-large, and just right for her small frame.

  She moaned again as I massaged her perfect tits.

  “Can we take this off?” I asked, beginning to pull at the little buttons on her shirt.

  She nodded and helped me, pulling the top off over her head. The sight of her sitting on my couch wearing nothing but those jeans and a lacy lavender bra was enough to let me die a happy man.

  The splotches of pink across her chest, the dip in her belly, the little knot of her belly button. God, I wanted to taste every inch of her. Wanted to plant wet kisses over her skin, working my way from her head to her toes. Instead, forcing myself to go slow, I continued kissing her—deep licks and sucks of my tongue against hers for what felt like an eternity—until she was grinding and whimpering, her body begging for more.

  I undid the button on the front of her jeans, but before I went any further, I needed to see her eyes. Needed to know this was okay. Pulling back, I gazed at her. Adrienne offered me a faint nod, and it was all the assurance I needed. I worked my hand into the front of her pants, down into her panties where I felt her warm and wet and silken.

  I couldn't believe she was already so wet for me, it only made my cock harder.

  I rubbed the firm, swollen bud of her clit, enjoying the soft pants and moans she made as we kissed.

  “You like that?” I asked, my mouth resting against hers.

  “So much,” she moaned, moving her hips as my fingers continued working against her wet flesh.

  I didn't dare take her pants off completely. The desire to fuck her—to thrust into her hot, wet center over and over again until I had emptied myself inside her was nearly overpowering. Will would never forgive me, and I wouldn't do that to him. Tonight wasn't about taking what I wanted, it was about giving all the pleasure I could to this sweet, beautiful woman. Besides Will and I had made an agreement—and these were the rules of engagement. Touching her, making her feel good—those were all things on tonight's menu. Fucking her without Will here was definitely not.