Braxton

by Shayne Ford

  Drunk with desire, Braxton plunges his tongue in my mouth, and I start swirling mine with his, moaning out of my mind. His lips burn, and his cock twitches in his shorts as my nails scrape his back.

  My body begins to shake.

  “You’re so good, baby,” Braxton murmurs against my lips, warm and intimately close.

  He takes my mouth again, sending a wave of pleasure through me. Deep groans come from his throat as I start to wave between them, my hand sliding down his abs.

  He places his hand on top of mine just as I slip it inside his shorts and curl it around his shaft. This is insane, and it’s so wrong and so right, and I indulge on everything my senses grab. Braxton’s passionate lips, the intensely arousing taste of his kiss, the feel of his hard body against mine, the thick girth of his erection in my hand, the feel of Jagger’s cock inside me, breaking me while his breaths sear my back, and his hands own me.

  Their deep groans fall in my ears, coursing through me like a ball of raging fire.

  Moans and grunts fill the air as I come undone, shuddering between them, making them lose control. Their roars shift in the air, the orgasm soaring through them, the intensity matching mine.

  Braxton’s eyes close, briefly, his beautiful features glowing as his lips curl into a mysterious smile. He keeps stroking himself for a few moments before he opens his eyes.

  “Damn...” he murmurs, grinning, before he gives me a soft kiss on my cheek, tears away and lets his body fall back.

  His arms split the water as he slices his way back into the ocean.

  Running shaking fingers over my face, I catch my breath, my surroundings coming slowly into focus. The sun bloodies the horizon, the water turning dark where the day fades away.

  Trembling, I tie my bra and pull my panties up, and then I turn to Jagger. Flushed, he looks at me, his eyes burning like the sunset, his lips curled into a carnal smile.

  He wraps his arms around me and locks my mouth into a breathless kiss, the longing quickly building between us.

  “This doesn’t end, does it?” I ask.

  His gaze flows through me, filled with secrets, and it dawns on me, we’ve just crossed a line.

  “This is only the beginning,” he says, threading his fingers through mine, pulling me to the shore.

  4

  VIOLET

  Sprawled on his stomach, he tucks his hands beneath his chin and looks at the horizon. Waves crash against the shore.

  Propped on my elbow, I run my fingers through his hair.

  He turns his head to me, his eyes soft and warm.

  “I’ve never seen you so happy...”

  “That’s because I’ve never been so happy,” he says, his eyes glinting with a smile.

  My fingers trail his jawline and then the contour of his lips.

  “This could end up badly...” I murmur, and a shadow darkens his eyes.

  He rolls to his side to face me.

  “Why would you say that?”

  “I’ve never imagined this...” I say quietly. “I love you, Jagger. I really do.”

  “I love you too, baby,” he says, emotion pouring in his voice. “You think I love you less because I let him touch you?”

  “I don’t know,” I say, and that’s the truth.

  His lips curve into a warm smile.

  “Do I let other men close to you?” he asks, and Jonas comes to my mind.

  “No, not really.”

  “You like him?” he asks, and I’m not sure I can give him a truthful answer.

  The corners of his lips lift with a sizzling smile.

  “I think you do,” he says.

  “And I think it’s wrong,” I say.

  “He’s not any man, Violet. I wouldn’t let anyone else touch you. And I wouldn’t let him either if you didn’t like him, and he didn’t like you. It wouldn’t make sense, would it? This is not only about sharing.”

  I go silent for a moment, his words sinking in.

  “You’ve done this before... With him.”

  His eyes narrow with a grin.

  “Not this... We’ve had fun before, but we’ve never done it with a woman we both love,” he says, taking me completely by surprise.

  “We?”

  He nods slowly, his eyes steady on me.

  “I know him well. You’re not just any woman to him, Violet. He wouldn’t be here with us if he didn’t feel for you. He’s never been in love before. It’s different and new to him the same way it was to me. ”

  “What would’ve happened had I resented the idea?”

  His lips curve into a hot smile.

  “You didn’t...” I look at him, surprised. “Nothing would’ve happened,” he finally says.

  “Aren’t you afraid?” I ask.

  “All the time. You?”

  I lower my eyes.

  “I don’t want to hurt him as much as I don’t want to hurt you. He loves you. You know?”

  His eyes search mine for a moment.

  “I know,” he says, without the slightest hesitation in his voice. “You’re the only woman I have ever loved, and he’s the only man I trust with my life. I can’t ask for more than that. That’s why I want to hold on to this feeling for as long as I can,” he says softly.

  “What if I fall for him?”

  His lips curve into a slow smile.

  “More than you already did?”

  He grins, and a blush scorches my face. His fingers brush my cheek.

  “He can’t take what’s mine. He doesn’t take away from us. He adds to us. Besides, we’re all bound to each other.”

  “Are we?” I ask, smiling.

  “Mm-hmm. It was unavoidable,” he says, grinning playfully.

  He nudges me to my back, and hovers over me, his hand sliding down the side of my body.

  “That’s what he said,” I mutter.

  “He’s a smart man,” he says.

  “Have you two talked about this?” I ask, smiling cunningly.

  A heartfelt grin spreads across his face.

  “Not in that many words, but we don’t need to. I know him, and he knows me...” he says, his eyes glittering, and despite what he just said before, looking fearless. “You wanted to know life... This is life, beautiful and unrestrained. All you need to do is to let us love you,” he says, and then his lips start romancing mine, and I fall with him, wrapped in the music of the ocean, caressed by the warm sand.

  Braxton

  “Is everything okay?” Jagger asks, locking my eyes in the mirror.

  I rake my fingers through my hair, gazing at my reflection.

  “Yes. Why?”

  “You’ve been unusually quiet since we came back from the beach.”

  I run my eyes over my clothing, fasten my buckle, and spin around to face him.

  “You need this bathroom?”

  “No. I’m done.”

  “Are you?” I ask, my chin pointing at the towel wrapped around his waist. “She’s probably ready, and you’re still naked... We’re gonna be late.”

  “Don’t worry about me. Are you going to tell me?” he asks as he veers toward the closet.

  “Tell you what?”

  I follow him and enter the closet just as he peels the towel off him, his back to me.

  My gaze sweeps his long thighs and perfect butt, my cock getting heavy between my legs. I shove my hands into my pockets and clench my ass trying to stifle my reaction. To my dismay, I twitch inside my pants.

  Fuck.

  He pulls a pair of boxer briefs on him and turns to me, adjusting his bulge. It takes a lot of effort to keep my gaze from dipping. He shrugs into a shirt and pulls his tailored pants up.

  “Why are you so quiet? It’s not like you,” he insists.

  His eyes come to me as he buttons up his shirt.

  Silently exhaling, I lean against the doorframe.

  “What did she say?” I ask.

  A slow smile drapes over his lips, and I drink in his mouth, my eyes lingering more than t
hey should.

  “You want to know what she said or how she feels?”

  I slice my eyes up, my gaze connecting with his.

  “Both.”

  “She’s afraid...”

  “Aren’t you?” I ask, and he erases the distance between us.

  “You know... She asked me the same thing.”

  “And?”

  He shoves his hands into his pockets, his shirt pulling open across his chest.

  “I can’t fucking be. You know what scares me more than this? The fucking alternative.”

  “What’s the alternative?” I ask, my pulse spiking.

  He pulls even closer, his voice soft and mellow.

  “The way I see it, Braxton, it’s like this... I didn’t plan to fall for Violet, but I did, and I want her as much as she wants me. However, life is life. We came from different tracks of life and we sort of collided, and whether I wanted to or not, I pulled you in with me, and there are only two options. She either drags us on her track, or we pull her on ours. So see, I can’t be afraid...” he says and searches my eyes for a moment. “You still haven’t told me why you’re quiet.”

  “And you haven’t told me how she actually feels about it.”

  He leans toward me, his mouth inches away from mine, his words soft like whispers.

  “She’s scared for a lot of reasons. She doesn’t want to lose me, and she doesn’t want to hurt you. She admits to that, but what scares her the most is how good it feels. Unusually good. She can’t reconcile that with her beliefs. She thinks that just because I let you touch her or she lets you touch her, what I feel for her means nothing. She told me she loves me, but it’s confusing to her since she’s attracted to you. You kinda got under her skin...”

  He pauses, his eyes drilling me.

  “Now, you. What’s your problem?”

  My heart pounds harshly in my chest.

  I bring my fingers to my lips and lower my eyes. He cuffs my wrist and tilts his head down trying to catch my eyes, his touch warming up my skin.

  “What is it, Braxton?”

  “I’ve never felt so good,” I say, my voice low and whispery like his.

  “I know...”

  “But, I don’t want to ruin anything... Not for you, and not for her. I can go away if you tell me to. I don’t want her to turn against me... Everything was great, but perhaps we were simply caught up in the moment. I know how women think. She may have second thoughts, even resent me. She may feel guilty. She loves you, Jagger. I know she does, but she has also opened up to me and let me feel her. That’s why it was so good. I’ve never felt a woman’s emotions before, and I know how deeply she feels for you. I don’t want to destroy that.”

  “You won’t destroy anything... But you don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to...” he says, and even if I know he’s only testing me, panic spreads through my blood.

  My hand curls around his neck, and my lips graze his cheek, the scent of his freshly shaven skin entering my lungs.

  “That’s not what I said. I want this more than anything I’ve ever wanted... All I’m saying is, the moment something goes bad or you feel threatened, or you think she has had second thoughts... all I need is a fucking sign from you. That’s all. Okay?”

  He nods, and I pull away. A playful grin sprouts on his lips.

  “Fuck, man. You’re really tense. You need to get laid really badly. That hand date of yours didn’t do much for you,” he says jokingly.

  A smile creases my lips.

  “You think?”

  He chuckles.

  “Maybe tonight... will be your lucky night,” he says teasingly and winks at me.

  He runs his teeth over his lip, and narrows his eyes, giving me a come hither look, and my cock stirs in my pants.

  “Go fuck yourself, Jagger...”

  “Seriously man. Just relax. Things are not as bad as they are in your head.”

  He pats me on my back and curls his arm around my shoulders.

  “Let’s go downstairs and wait for her.”

  5

  VIOLET

  I examine myself in the mirror. This is a long way from the kind of dress I used to wear not long ago. The only fancy gown I’ve ever worn was the one I changed into after I’d peeled off the monstrosity called a wedding dress, which was akin to the sanitation truck.

  The long black dress I’m wearing falls smoothly on my body, slits up to my thigh and plunges deep at my neckline, the sleeveless style setting off my shoulders and my arms. My hair, straight and shining, drapes over my back. I brush a few bangs away from my face and walk out the bathroom.

  Balancing gingerly on my four-inch heels, I sway my hips all the way down to the first floor. The dialogue fades away as I reach the bottom of the stairs.

  Sunk into an armchair, ankle crossed over his knee, Braxton gives me a steady gaze as I stroll to the middle of the room.

  Propped against the windowsill, his arms folded over his chest, Jagger narrows his eyes as he takes me in, his lips curving into a slow smile.

  They both wear dark, tailored, dress pants and button down, slim fit shirts. They share a smile and drink me in, and my heart beats so hard it could spring out of my chest.

  This feels surreal.

  “The car is waiting,” Braxton says, pulling out of his chair, and heading for the door.

  Jagger strides to me, places his hand on the small of my back and walks me out. In front of the hotel, the driver holds the door open for us as we scoot inside.

  Smoothly, the limousine pulls away.

  One hour later we drive past a wrought iron gate and enter a large estate. A party sprawls on the first floor of the house, spilling onto the large terrace occupying most of the lawn.

  White roses tucked in jars of glass grace the linen dressed tables as live music fills the air. Paper luminaries line the footpaths, lighting up the gravel alleys, and lanterns dangle from the trees. Fairy berries cover the bushes, their pulsing lights looking like fireflies.

  “Whose party is this?” I ask as Jagger takes my hand, helping me out of the car.

  “You didn’t tell her?” Braxton barges in, grinning.

  “No, I didn’t tell her, big mouth.”

  “This is his home, and it’s his cousin’s wedding,” Braxton says, and I turn to Jagger.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?”

  They both start laughing, and Braxton curls his arm around me.

  “He didn’t want you to know he’s rich,” he says jokingly, and the fact that he’s rich is the least of my problems right now.

  “Shut the fuck up, Braxton,” Jagger hurls at him.

  “Are your parents here?” I ask Jagger, my blood drawing out of my face.

  Braxton pivots in front of me, his eyes twinkling, amused. He nods slowly, and my heart sinks.

  “Oh... She’s so scared,” he says mockingly.

  “Braxton!” I bark, glaring at him.

  Jagger's lips press on my temple.

  “He’s messing with you. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

  I look at him, panicked.

  “You’re going to be okay,” Jagger says seriously.

  He threads his fingers through mine and walks me toward the house. A few women recognize them and greet them, none of them interested in who I am.

  We reach the entrance, and Jagger rushes ahead of us, while Braxton and I lag behind. We enter a large hallway that stretches across the house and takes us to a spacious dining room.

  Family members snatch Jagger right from the door. I walk slowly so I can hide behind Braxton. He snakes his arm around my waist and brings me to his side.

  A man sitting at the end of a long table sets his eyes on me as soon as we enter the room. Jagger stops near him, and my gut tells me the man is none other than David Parker.

  He breaks his stare and locks Jagger’s eyes, and then he pulls out of his chair to hug his son. His face lights up with a smile.

  Winding his arm around Jagger�
�s shoulders, he murmurs something in his ear while gazing in our direction.

  Slowly, I slip behind Braxton again.

  “They don’t eat people,” he says, whispering in my ear.

  “They’ll crucify me,” I murmur as if I speak about the Spanish Inquisition.

  He turns to me, his broad shoulders blocking me from anyone’s sight.

  “He’s hardly a virgin, in case you haven’t noticed,” Braxton says, tenderly brushing a lock of hair away from my face.

  I look up.

  He’s smiling.

  He’s right, but that doesn’t make me more comfortable. I know how people think. I steal another glance in their direction.

  Jagger edges to his mother.

  The tall, blonde woman I now can easily recognize looks younger than her husband and just as well put together. She wears a tailored pink dress paired with diamonds.

  They speak briefly before he points at us and his mother follows his gaze.

  “Wave and smile,” Braxton says, smirking.

  I do as I’m told, and Sonia Parker wiggles her fingers at us.

  “What did he tell them?” I murmur.

  “That you’re a friend of ours.”

  Jagger walks to us, grinning.

  He stretches his arms across our shoulders and walks us out of the room.

  “See... Nothing happened,” he says as we stroll across the corridor, back to the terrace.

  Throughout the evening, we mingle with the guests, and since no one in his family approaches me, my jitters fade away, and I begin to relax.

  At one point, Braxton tears away from us and joins a group of friends. Minutes later, Jagger rushes inside the house beckoned by his dad.

  I pick up my glass of wine from the table and walk away.

  A snaking alley takes me to a small lake surrounded by old trees, paper lanterns and strings of lights dangling from their thick branches.

  I near a bench and take a seat.

  A few moments later, the noise of the party becomes a soothing hum in the background as soft music drifts from the house.

  “And who’re you?” a woman asks behind my back, her brass tone quickly getting on my nerves.

  I glance over my shoulder.

  A woman in her early thirties, with long dark hair and green eyes, enticing curves and toned legs walks around the bench and takes a seat next to me.