by Anya Summers
How? How could that be?
Hannah rested against him, spooned against him in a hazy state of awareness. After the intensity of their lovemaking, Brady had been the first to break up the trio, flopping onto the bed beside Gavin while he had helped the semi-conscious Hannah off his lap. She’d curled onto her side, and he’d followed.
Gavin would follow her anywhere, even into hell. He would take whatever crumbs Brady would allow. Gavin cuddled Hannah. It was unbelievable, but he was still hard. Still desperate, and he craved the feel of her ass.
He breathed her in, that heady scent of vanilla, sex and Hannah. Brady rose, his gait unsteady, and trod into the bathroom, probably to deal with the condom. Gavin removed his own condom, tossed it into the trash by the nightstand and grabbed another. He needed to fuck her ass, to feel her rosette squeeze his cock.
He rolled the condom down his length, slicked his cock with lube and tugged her close. She sighed when he placed open-mouthed kisses against her neck, and shifted, arching against him like a sleek cat.
“Lift your leg, baby,” he murmured by her ear.
Hannah didn’t hesitate. And he moved that leg with her, positioning it over his upper thigh, granting him access to the crease between her legs. He positioned his cock against her stretched back hole.
“Gavin,” she moaned as he fed his cock into the tight confines of her ass.
Gavin flexed his hips, pushing forward until he was balls deep. Jesus, hearing his name uttered with such need nearly unmanned him. Pulling her flush against him, he turned her head and took her mouth while he lazily stroked inside her ass. He snaked one hand down, rubbing her swollen nub, and pumped his hips.
He’d never thought in a million years that he would be here, with the taut clasp of her back channel clenching him, his name on her lips. When Brady had proposed giving Hannah a night with the two of them, he had jumped on the suggestion. And now, he worried even as he groaned into her hot little mouth with her tongue down his throat, that one night of being with her, with both of them, would never be enough.
That was why he was attempting to wring every ounce of pleasure he could from the night. If one night was all he was going to have with Hannah and Brady, he would damn well make it one that would live on and fuel his fantasies for years to come.
He felt the bed shift as Brady joined them once more. Gavin lifted his mouth and stared at his best friend while he fucked his girl in the ass.
Brady’s gaze took it all in, traveling down to Hannah’s spread thighs, and darkened with lust.
“You like having Gavin fuck you, babe?” Brady fisted his dick.
“Yes,” she moaned as Gavin stroked deep in her rear.
“I thought you might,” Brady murmured and rolled a new condom over his length. Then he shifted, positioning himself at her front.
Gavin stilled his movements and felt the moment Brady entered her swollen pussy. Her ass tightened around his cock, squeezing his shaft and making his eyes roll back in his head. Brady looked at him over her shoulder and nodded, giving him the signal to take her out of her mind with pleasure. Brady shifted her leg—the one that had lain over his until he had joined them—up around his waist to give him better access to her pussy.
Hannah’s sweet mumbled cries spilled from her mouth as they filled her holes. Together, they began a slow, steady campaign, thrusting into the woman they shared. This was what had been missing from Gavin’s life these last two years.
Brady still had not explained why he’d shut Gavin out. But there was a part of Gavin that understood. Hannah was special. Hannah was the end of the line. She wasn’t a casual lay or temporary diversion, not for either of them. Hannah was the real deal, the one to build a life with and make a family.
If Gavin were to wish for anything this Christmas, it would be that after tonight, they wouldn’t shut him out. That they would welcome him back.
But he doubted even the merriment and generosity of the season would change Brady’s mind.
Brady felt the link that had been missing these last two years slide into place. It made the sex hotter, more carnal, and more fulfilling. He’d missed taking a woman together with Gavin. And Hannah, judging from the rapturous haze over her features, was loving every minute as he and Gavin fucked her.
Gavin kneaded her breasts. Her mouth hung open, issuing a string of moans. Her gaze was half-lidded. And he felt Gavin stroke her back channel, felt him move through the delicate tissues, plunging his dick inside her. Brady’s possessiveness reared its ugly head—the one that declared in no uncertain terms that Hannah belonged to him, and him alone. He hated that he wanted to snarl at Gavin, get him to back off.
Brady tempered his feelings. It was just for tonight. One night only, as a gift for Hannah. Because then, he was going to get a ring on her finger, make her his for all time.
Hannah’s sweet cries spurred him on. Brady flexed his hips, his fingers digging into her sides, and pumped his dick in her slick heat.
Hannah clung to him. She was beyond the realm of pleasure and enjoying every minute of the double penetration. He had known she would. It was part of her makeup. She was the most carnal, open woman he’d ever been with, always willing to try new things. She reveled in her pleasure, gave herself over to it and submitted herself to his mastery, body and soul. She was everything a Dom could ever want.
He’d been the one to introduce her to anal sex and double penetration with a few of his cock rings.
He’d been the holdout, not wanting to share her with anyone, especially his best friend. And now he knew why as Gavin drew her face back and took her mouth in a hungry, possessive kiss. Because Gavin loved her too and, given time, could make Hannah love him.
Brady was a miserly old fuck and selfish to boot, and he’d not wanted to share her. It didn’t matter that they had been sharing women for more than a decade by the time Hannah waltzed into his life. From the moment she did, he’d had the unwavering need to claim her for himself.
He tweaked one of her swollen nipples, getting a throaty moan from her as she ripped her mouth away from Gavin’s.
“I need… oh. More, please. I’m so close,” Hannah panted.
Brady nodded at Gavin. “I think we’ve played with her long enough. Let’s give it to her.”
Gavin scowled for a moment, a stubborn flare of rebellion in his gaze, before he finally conceded, “Let’s do it. I want to hear you howl, baby.”
Like they’d done hundreds of times before, they worked in concert, syncing their strokes, plunging deep. Hannah’s arms wrapped around Brady’s neck and she held on to him, buried her face against his throat.
His balls began to tauten, and Brady released his control, pounding into her sweet, clasping cunt with relish. He loved the way she felt around his shaft. And he could feel Gavin filling her, thrusting inside her, hammering her ass with hard, smacking thrusts.
“Oh, I… ahhh,” Hannah keened, her hips bucking between them as she climaxed. Vibrations shook her small frame.
It began at the base of his spine, burning up his shaft like lava, before exploding like a volcanic eruption. Brady rammed inside her sheath again and again as he came.
“Hannah,” he roared.
“Fuuuck!” Gavin grunted as his climax hit.
They drew it out for as long as possible, until the last drops had been expelled from his shaft. But he stayed with her, keep his softening shaft in her slick, quaking heat. Brady cupped Hannah’s cheeks. “Look at me, babe.”
Hannah lifted her lids, her gaze swamped with love and satiation. It was exactly as it should be.
Needing to claim her, he began, “I love you, babe. I hope you liked your Christmas present, but I have one more for you.”
A delicate auburn brow rose, and she gave him a wicked grin. “More?”
Ignoring his best friend as he withdrew from Hannah’s body, Brady shook his head and barreled on. He needed this, like an affirmation that even after tonight, she was still his, would always be h
is. “Not that, you naughty minx, although maybe later, after some sustenance. Another gift—or at least, I hope you will see it that way. I’ve loved you from the first moment we met. I will give you everything and anything to make you happy.”
Hannah softened against him. “You do that already, I love you too—”
He cut her off by placing a finger over her lips. “And I wanted to ask you if you would do me the honor of becoming my wife? Marry me, Hannah.”
Shock riddled her form for a second before tears slid from her eyes. And it was in her eyes he saw his future, saw the children they would make, and the life they would spend with one another. She reached for him, shoving his finger aside, and sputtered with smile, “Yes. Yes, I will marry you. Brady, I love you so much.”
And she threw her arms around him.
He gathered her close, murmuring his love for her once more, but as he did, he glanced over her slim shoulder. Gavin lay supine on the bed, apart from them, staring at the ceiling, his face a mask of abject misery. It was Brady’s fault. Once again, he’d dealt a crushing blow to his best friend, out of fear. And Brady wondered if he had done irreparable damage to their friendship. Now that she had said yes, even after tonight’s erotic exploits, some of his doubts, his fears, waned.
Would Gavin ever forgive him for the way he had treated him?
But then Hannah kissed him, tugging his mouth down to hers, and he let himself go into the beauty of her warmth, doing everything he could to ignore the elephant in the room. What should have been the happiest night of his life was tainted by his betrayal and mistreatment of Gavin. And Brady sincerely doubted there was any means of making recompense.
Chapter 6
The following morning, Hannah escorted Gavin to the front door.
“Are you sure you can’t stay for breakfast? I make the best French toast. And I’m sure we could all use the calories after last night,” she said, looking up at him.
It was almost too much, her kindness and giving heart. She accepted what they’d done in the dark of night without any regrets. He loved her. He knew he shouldn’t, because she only had eyes for Brady. But he did. And now that he had been with her… he couldn’t seem to stop his heart from rolling over and exposing its soft underbelly in her presence. “I wish I could. I’m sure the French toast is fabulous. I have to run home and then head into the station. Thank you, for everything.”
Knowing it might be the last time he would ever get the chance to do this, he cupped her nape, tilted her head back and slanted his mouth over hers. She leaned into him, returning his kiss with equal fervor. He infused the kiss with everything he felt for her, hoping like hell it would be something she remembered even years from now.
Because he knew Brady. Brady had staked his claim on her, pushed up his plans to propose to drive home that she belonged to him. That Gavin was just a passing thought and act in their relationship.
Gavin kissed her until he felt her soften and surrender against him. Only then did he end the embrace, waiting until she lifted her gaze to his. “Thank you for everything, Hannah. I’ll never forget it. I—”
“Gavin, is everything all right? You should stay and we can talk about it,” she said, trying to soothe him.
Before he could say any more, Brady padded into the room, his hair still damp from the shower. Gavin shook his head. It was no use. Brady was shutting him out again. He brushed his lips against her temple. “Everything’s fine,” he lied. “Merry Christmas, and congrats on the engagement. I hope you two will be happy together.”
And before she or Brady could respond, he pushed out the door. He had to get away. Now. Before he did something stupid—even more so than sleeping with Hannah last night—like confess his feelings for her.
He all but vaulted into his black Ram truck, gunned the engine, and tore out of the drive. Dejected, Gavin drove home. He had choices to make. If Brady was going to give him a taste of heaven only to cut him off at the knees and deny him once more, then he didn’t think he could maintain their friendship.
They’d been friends since grade school. Brady wasn’t just his friend; Gavin considered him his brother from another mother. And from that first time they’d shared a woman, they had become closer than brothers. They were both hetero and had no designs on one another in that way. But there was a completion that he hadn’t found elsewhere.
Gavin had been with women in the two years since Hannah’s advent into Brady’s life and the moratorium Brady had enacted. He was a red-blooded male who enjoyed the opposite sex. And as a firefighter, women tended to throw themselves at him. As a Dom of Cuffs & Spurs, the single subs lined up for a chance to scene with him. Yet not a single night had yielded more than a perfunctory release.
Until last night.
Gavin let himself into his house, heading straight for the shower. He could still smell Hannah’s scent on him. It would drive him mad if he didn’t wash it off, wash her off. He stripped as he walked, thinking he would toss the clothes in the wash before he left for the day. Erase all traces of her.
Because he couldn’t think about her. Or Brady. Not if he wanted to retain some semblance of normalcy. In the shower, he let the hot water do its job, whisking away the tightness in his shoulders. He stood with his head lowered, palms braced against the tile wall.
The memories from last night suffused him. That first time with Hannah, when they’d all been connected, had been the most powerful orgasm he’d had in years. It had felt right, having a woman between them again. And Hannah… Jesus, he had it bad where that woman was concerned.
The thought of running into Brady every day, of seeing the satisfaction and the happiness on his face, knowing he got to go home to Hannah while Gavin stood on the sidelines hoping against hope that they would invite him back to share their bed, depressed the holy hell out of him. Hell, just knowing he was going to run into Brady at the station later that day made dread churn in his gut.
Perhaps he should put in for a transfer, go serve at another station. It would suck being the new man, lowest on the totem pole. But he would adjust. And he wouldn’t have the constant reminder of what he couldn’t have.
Deep down, he knew it was the answer. It just wasn’t the one he wanted.
Gavin dressed for work, feeling like his heart was bleeding out while the rest of him continued to function like nothing was amiss.
Chapter 7
Brady lifted a bite of Hannah’s French toast to his mouth and sighed. God, could the woman cook.
“It’s too bad that Gavin couldn’t stay for breakfast. We have plenty,” Hannah said, pouring herself another cup of coffee.
“I’m sure he had things to get done before he needs to be at the station later.” Not to mention, burn my name in effigy if the expression on Gavin’s face was anything to go by.
“Yes, well I… feel bad.”
“Why?”
“Because I have you and he has no one. After last night,” she sighed, “I just don’t like to think of him at home alone with no one to make him French toast, is all.”
Brady studied Hannah and the ring he’d slid on her finger. “That’s because you have one of the biggest hearts of anyone I know.” He clasped her hand in his and threaded their fingers together. “And I think he wanted to give us some privacy this morning, since you said you’d marry me.”
A smile lit her eyes. “I did, didn’t I? We haven’t even discussed when or where or how big a wedding.”
“Whatever you want. Just don’t make me wait too long to marry you,” he teased.
“How does the spring sound? Maybe June?” She rose from her seat, but before she could leave, he snagged her wrist and reeled her in, sliding his hands to her hips, pleased when she put her hands on his shoulders.
“June would be perfect. You’re done with school. And we could find a nice place to go on our honeymoon like, say, Jamaica or Tahiti. Rent one of those cottages over the water.”
He tugged her down onto his lap. She willingly enter
ed his arms with love in her eyes and snuggled against him.
“It’s too bad you need to go to work today. It would be nice if we could just stay in bed all day.”
“True. But that doesn’t mean I can’t make the most of the time I have before I need to leave.” He waggled his brows at her.
“But you have to go in like twenty minutes.” She pouted, nibbling on her bottom lip.
“I can work with that. Let me show you.” He needed to find reassurance in her arms. He stood, lifting her, and she issued a laughing squeak and clutched at his shoulders while he carried her into their bedroom, where he proved that he really could do a lot within twenty minutes.
Later, in his truck on the way to the station, Brady tried to decide how to handle the debacle with Gavin. They needed to sit down and talk without anyone else around. Brady had to explain to Gavin that he’d not meant to hurt him—even though he knew that he had, that Brady had acted selfishly—and he wanted them, needed them to still be friends.
He needed to tell Gavin that, while they had shared Hannah last night, he didn’t think he could allow it again. Not when he could see the feelings Gavin had for Hannah, and the abject misery on his face when Brady had proposed.
Brady pulled up his truck beside Gavin’s, hoping they would have a spare minute. He needed to apologize for being a dick, at the very least.
Except the moment he walked through the door, a call came in: a three-car accident at a shopping mail. And from there, the day snowballed. The holidays could be the worst time of the year. People cooking feasts and not turning their stoves or ovens off properly. Not to mention the morons deep-frying whole turkeys on their back decks or porches. The department had had a few calls with people setting their houses on fire because of those.