Three's A Crowd

by Storm, Zee Shine

  "I was thinking we could all watch a movie tonight," he said off handedly as if he had not just been sitting there looking at us getting frisky mere seconds ago.

  I cleared my throat and stood up, not showing my astonishment at his suggestion. "Yeah, sure. Umm...let me just take a shower and then I'll make something for dinner."

  Jasper waved a hand dismissively. "Don't bother. I ordered take-out," he said in a bored tone. "Chicken salad for you and pizza with extra cheese for me and Skye."

  I gaped at him. Now I was sure something was up. He was listening to loud music, apparently working in our office and now he was taking the initiative to plan dinner and a movie when he usually just sat alone staring at his phone or at the TV like his life depended on those two things, not bothering to talk or interact.

  My heart kind of melted at the change I was witnessing and I tried not to grow emotional. It was difficult and I didn't want to get my hopes up so I decided to leave the room without saying another word.

  ~~~

  Skye

  "He's going to play a Batman movie," Cole mumbled when I perched myself next to him on the couch a couple of hours later, having freshly showered and dressed casually in a loose white t-shirt and shorts.

  "Oh. Er...that's unfortunate," I whispered, biting my lip to keep from smiling as we watched Jasper select a movie a few feet away. I liked watching some of those movies.

  Outside, the wind howled mercilessly and I was grateful for the thermostat in the unexpectedly cold weather that had crept up on us overnight.

  Cole gave me a sidelong glance, studied my face and then shook his head slowly. "Oh my God," he murmured. "He's turned you too." I giggled softly and he let out a slow breath before leaning back on the coach. He looked amazing in his black t-shirt and faded jeans. "I feel so left out," he said in a low voice.

  Jasper looked up from his task finally and gave me a slight smile. He clicked play on the movie, rolled his wheelchair over and before Cole could move to help him, he grabbed the armrest of the couch on my other side and hoisted himself right next to me with a grunt that sounded like, 'I got it.'

  I blinked at him in surprise. I was basically sandwiched between the two of them. Jasper always sat away from us when Cole and I were cuddled on the couch. He usually opted to remain in his wheelchair or chose his recliner. And he never switched seats by himself when getting out of the wheelchair; either Cole or Francesco had to help him.

  Jasper raised an eyebrow at us, his handsome face alight with a kind of suppressed energy, the stubble on his jaw making him appear more of a...man.

  Okayyyy. Clearing my throat, I faced ahead and glued my eyes to the TV, watching the moonlight bathing Gotham city as Batgirl started narrating her story. I waited for the name of the movie to be displayed but the story continued to unfold. Cole sighed next to me and I squeezed his thigh in reassurance, smiling to myself because he was being a good sport despite his dislike of these movies.

  But my attention was soon caught up in the story as Batgirl went about her crime fighting; the movie so action-packed and interesting. I was particularly intrigued by her dynamic with Batman whom she was into but could not quite read or agree with.

  Jasper shifted next to me ever so slightly but I felt it and when I glanced over, his eyes were on me. My lips parted slightly at the way he was watching me with a hooded gaze and clenched jaw. What was going on in that mind of his? I broke the eye contact when my heart started to beat wildly because I was feeling just as curious and angsty about him as Batgirl was feeling about Batman. This was getting way too intense.

  The doorbell rang just as the scene shifted to a rooftop where the two major characters were having an argument and Cole got up to check it out. It was the pizza delivery guy. My gaze went back to the TV and I watched with wide eyes and bated breath as Batgirl straddled Batman and kissed him while he was lying on his back. Watching it made my body grow hot and I swallowed when he actually started to kiss her back while moving his hands to her ass.

  A soft gasp left my lips as I witnessed that scene and then Batgirl removed her costume and the scene shifted.

  "Skye." Jasper's low voice in my ear made me jump a little because I was still in a bit of a shock.

  "Did they really have sex on a rooftop?" I questioned in awe. "Like they just decided to go for it right then and there? And Batman actually wanted to?"

  Jasper chuckled. "Yeah. Hot, isn't it? I know how much you like it now. Want to watch it again?"

  I opened to mouth to say yes but instead shook my head. "This is sick," I mumbled. "They're cartoon characters for God's sake."

  He laughed some more. "So? This one is R-rated. It isn't meant for kids."

  I exhaled slowly. "Oh. I didn't realise that was the case."

  Jasper responded by rewinding and going back to the sex scene before leaning down to whisper in my ear. "It's okay. We all have our kinks. Maybe you've discovered yours."

  I swallowed again. It was getting me all hot and bothered. I was starting to think I could be in Batgirl's position.

  "Why are you so tense?" Jasper murmured, his hand coming up to lightly massage the back of my neck.

  I looked at him uncertainly. Why are you touching me? I wanted to ask him but I could not bring myself to utter one word as his touch warmed up my skin.

  "You two," Cole barked all of a sudden, startling me while Jasper calmly looked up. "Eat."

  He settled down next to me again and forked some salad into his mouth while the pizza sat in front of us on a low table, the cheesy aroma flooding our nostrils. How had I not noticed? Cole had paid the guy, gone into the kitchen to get some utensils and placed everything on the table while I had been absorbed in Jasper. And my boyfriend had chosen to ignore that fact as he ate and watched the movie. Cole must have seen Jasper and I staring at each other while his hand was massaging me. Strange that he did not seem bothered by it anymore.

  I, on the other hand, was very much bothered. I could feel Jasper's eyes on me again and it made me focus less on the movie and more on my body's reaction to his proximity and the amount of attention he was giving me.

  Cole finished his salad and took a long swallow from a glass of iced water. He frowned at the untouched pizza and then at us, looking long and hard at my slightly flushed face and Jasper's shuttered one. My lover. The face reader.

  Jasper's hand was resting near my thigh now, his pinky finger sort of grazing my skin and I was as tense as one of those tightropes you saw at the circus. I was pretty sure I could not stomach the pizza now due to my nervousness.

  "Skye, come here," Cole said to me softly.

  What? What did he mean? I was here. Right next to him. He saw my confusion and then leaned back and patted his denim clad thigh, a small smile hovering around his sexy mouth.

  "Um..." I hesitated because I knew exactly what would happen if I sat on his lap. I was too wound up and Cole never failed to arouse me.

  "Go to him," Jasper told me in a firm voice. "Go sit on his lap, Madison."

  Shit. Why was this so fucking arousing? Jasper telling me to go to Cole knowing what he wanted to do to me. I wanted this. I wanted this so bad.

  "Please, baby," Cole said in a husky voice, his palm rubbing my thigh slowly.

  I stopped thinking about it and made myself move. Within a few seconds, I was seated sideways on his lap with my legs extending towards Jasper who watched us with an increasingly hot gaze. My heart began to pound again. A part of me knew. It just knew that this would be the night we all slept together. My first ever threesome. It scared the shit out of me but also made me squirm with lustful anticipation. I felt so needy.

  "You're not hungry?" Cole murmured into my hair as his arms circled my waist. I shook my head. "You okay with this?" he asked, nudging aside my hair so he could bury his nose in my neck.

  I closed my eyes as pleasure seeped through me and then they flew open again when I felt Jasper's hands on my legs, stroking the smooth skin.

  "Baby, you o
kay with this?" Cole asked me again in a firmer tone.

  "Your feet are cold," Jasper then said abruptly and started to rub them slowly with those big hands of his. I almost purred with delight.

  Unable to keep a hold of my emotions or desire any longer, I turned quickly and kissed my boyfriend, burying my fingers in his hair.

  "I love you so much," I whispered to Cole but the movie was paused and my words rang clear in the silence.

  Cole didn't notice but I did when Jasper removed his hands from my body. I did not dare look at him for fear of what I might see on his face. Instead, my confusion led me to position myself so that I was now straddling Cole, kissing him with a desperation that puzzled him.

  He drew me back by the shoulders and frowned at me. "What's wrong?"

  Shaking my head, I scrambled off his lap to remove my shorts and panties, still not looking at the man seated next to us and then climbed back on top of Cole, frantically opening his zipper. He tried to halt my movements but I ignored his attempts and soon his cock was free and my hand was wrapped around it, stroking it with a firm grip. Cole let out a hiss, his eyes rolling back, his throat exposed. I leaned forward to kiss the strong column of it and finally glanced at Jasper through hooded eyes.

  He was no longer watching us but staring determinedly away with a closed off expression. I felt a pang in my heart. I knew what was wrong with him. My declaration of love for Cole had made him feel left out. Sex was not a problem but he resented the fact that I might no longer be in love with him. Is that why you don't want to try, Jasper? Because you don't want me to hurt you again? Because you don't believe I could love you?

  My eyes filled with moisture at the thought and Cole stiffened at the first drops of tears that splayed on his skin. He cradled my face and stared at me in silence. Suddenly, I knew why he denied himself the pleasure. I understood. Admitting to myself that Jasper's lack of effort to instill and maintain any intimacy in this relationship hurt.

  But he had tried today. It was me who had not been able to handle the avalanche of emotions brought on by the thought of sharing my body with the two most important people in my life. At the same time. In other words, I had panicked. Big time. So I had done the only thing deemed safe. I had simply sought refuge in Cole.

  I couldn't go through with this. And I hated doing this to Cole. Hated taking advantage of his feelings for me.

  ‘I'm sorry,’ I mouthed and he swallowed hard before nodding. Then he gently removed me from his lap and zipped himself up with a grimace. I sniffed and wiped my tears as he picked up his plate and glass and carried them over to the kitchen.

  "By all means, please continue," Jasper's drawling voice penetrated the stiff silence. "You don't have to stop on my account. I'm just a cripple, remember?"

  His cavalier tone triggered something in me. I whirled on him then, aware of my bloodshot eyes and runny nose. "So what was tonight, some sort of game to you?" I demanded angrily. "All this nonsense about dinner and a movie, getting cosy on the couch, making moves on me. What, what was that, Jasper? What were you trying to prove? That you still have the power to lure us both in with your magnetic presence but then you can't be bothered to follow through? Huh?"

  "Skye," Cole's voice drifted over from the kitchen to placate me but I was too angry to heed his subtle reminder of his preference to not give any stress to Jasper. I did not blame Cole at all. He loved being good to people, cutting them slack and making allowances but me? I was sick of this.

  Jasper still had that closed off expression on his face when he said, "I was trying. You're the one who shut me out of the mix."

  I scoffed at him. "Oh so you're sore because I'm not afraid to show my boyfriend how much I love him?" A bitter laugh escaped me. "Somebody has to," I carelessly pointed out and Cole frowned at me with a shake of his head, this time clearly warning me off from broaching the subject.

  I pointed my finger at him. "You stay out of this. This is between me and Jasper. Just because I devoted my attention to you, didn't mean he had to back off." I glared at Jasper, conveying to him all the fury banked down in me which would be unleashed if he so much as breathed the wrong way right now.

  Jasper's lips twisted a little in what I could have sworn was mockery. "Maybe if you put your panties back on before you speak to me, I'd be inclined to take your words more seriously," he said to me in a lazy manner.

  I fumed, almost ready to pull out my hair. This infuriating man!

  "Jerk," I said to him through gritted teeth and then gaped at Cole who was starting to laugh now as he stood leaning against the kitchen counter. "Seriously? You're not even going to say anything to him?" I asked him incredulously.

  Cole bit his lip, his expression still amused but at least he stopped laughing. Jasper was looking amused too. I couldn't believe these two guys were like ganging up against me when I knew I was right. Jasper needed to get over his insecurities without us babying him all the time. Getting up abruptly, I threw a pillow at his smug face because he was so damn sure that Cole would not berate him for pissing me off. Jasper calmly tossed the pillow aside and I walked away from both of them before I did any real damage.

  "Hey, little girl," Jasper's voice stopped me as I reached my bedroom door.

  "What, asshat?" I threw back, shooting fire at him with my eyes.

  He laughed and held out my panties. "You forgot these," he said carelessly, watching me with those amused eyes.

  My first instinct was to walk over to him and snatch them out of his hands but I made myself sneer and quipped, "Maybe you should keep them. See if they help out with your...little problem."

  He narrowed his eyes at me, his fist clenching around my silk panties and despite my anger of him, I felt my pussy tighten as if he had gripped me right there. Before he could see he had unnerved me with that subtle reaction, I walked into my room and shut the door behind me. And locked it.

  ~~~

  Chapter 39

  Jasper

  My stomach growled to remind me that food was long overdue. Leaning forward, I grabbed a slice of pizza and took a huge bite out of it. Mmm. It was pretty good. A little cold now but oh well...I wasn't really in the mood to complain.

  "Want me to warm that up for you?" Cole asked me as he settled next to me with a cold beer which Skye had bought for herself a few days ago.

  I shook my head and looked pointedly at the beer in his hand.

  Cole shrugged and took a swig. "I figured what the hell," he murmured with a grimace. "Green tea can only relieve so much stress."

  A chuckle escaped me and I took another bite of my pizza before leaning back and pressing play on the movie. About half an hour passed as we sat in silence. Not awkward silence. It was pleasant and reminded me of those good old days when we were happy and there had been no barriers between us.

  "Oh that's sick," Cole muttered as a particularly disturbing scene with Joker and Batgirl played out.

  I was on my fifth slice of pizza by then.

  "She recovers," I replied as I watched the movie intently even though this was like the third time I had played it. "Sort of."

  "What exactly does he do to her?" Cole asked in a disgusted tone.

  "Takes her photos and shows them to her father," I answered absently, grabbing his beer and taking a sip.

  Cole immediately snatched the bottle from me. "No drinking," he snapped at me.

  I sighed. "Relax. It was just a sip. I haven't had a drink in months."

  He frowned at me. "I don't care. No alcohol means no alcohol."

  I smirked at his serious tone. "Sorry, Mom," I quipped and he just looked away.

  My family in London had no idea about my stroke. I had forbidden Cole to tell anyone. I didn't want other people feeling sorry for me and making a huge fuss regarding what was and was not best for me. If my parents found out, they would cause a ruckus, demanding that I join them in London so they could care for me themselves.

  But I didn't need any of that. All I needed was right here u
nder this roof with me. I just had to meet them halfway. A text pinged on Cole's phone and he checked it before letting out a rough breath.

  "What's up?" I asked him.

  He shook his head, tapping on his phone. "Francesco can't make it tomorrow," he murmured. "Some family emergency. I'm just going to let Armaan know I'll be taking the day off."

  I didn't say anything. He didn't have to stay at home for me. I was fine. I really was. But a part of me wanted him to. Not to take care of me. But because I thought he could use a day off. The fact that he never once asked me if I was okay to remain with Skye made me feel even better. That was an option but after our last fight, he was not going to push her on me.

  "I love you."

  Cole froze for a few seconds before glancing up at me warily.

  I grinned at him. "What?"

  He cleared his throat before pocketing his phone. "What is going on with you tonight?" he asked me.

  My hand went up to his neck and I let my fingers trail over his collarbone. "What do you mean?" I asked in a low and seductive tone.

  Cole swallowed hard. "Wells-"

  I didn't give him a chance to say anything more as I leaned forward and kissed him. I tasted his mouth after three whole months and it drove me wild. A barrage of emotions flooded through me and this time, I didn't block them out. I just let myself feel everything. And it was incredible.

  Cole kissed me back just as eagerly, burying his fingers in my hair and groaning against my mouth, his body hard and straining against mine.

  I pulled back abruptly, my hands clasping his shoulders, our breaths heavy as they mingled together.

  "I love you," I told him again firmly. "And I'm sorry. I know I haven't been good to you when you've been taking such good care of me these past three months. I have no excuse."

  Cole let out a short laugh and his eyes glistened with moisture. "Well fuck, Jasper," he breathed out jerkily. "This is the last thing I expected when I came home tonight but...I'm just so happy. I love you too. I fucking missed you so much. I know it's been so hard for you but...God...it's been hard for me too watching you like that, fearing you'd never get well."