by Sierra Hill
My nostrils flare and I let loose all of the hostility that’s been building all morning and just came to a head when he kissed London.
I glare at him, then my eyes meet London’s, her brows furrowed in question. Goddammit, I’d promised myself to keep my anger in check and follow through on my promise to London to get Sage help.
“London doesn’t deserve to be treated like some two-bit mistress. She deserves so much better than that.”
“Cameron.” London howls like she’s been scarred by a hot poker.
Sage sniffs, glancing between us both and then landing back on mine.
“Yeah, you don’t think I know that? You don’t think I’ve wanted her to be mine alone and vice versa? But here’s the kicker, Cam. She’s turned down my proposals to marry me three times. And she won’t live with me either. I ain’t got any other leverage, Cam. So, unless you have any better ideas, why don’t you just shut the fuck up? Since you don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”
I’m too stunned to say anything as Sage pushes back from the table and stomps off, leaving me to stare over the table at London, speechless and disappointed.
Chapter 16
Present Day
I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, looking for answers that I know aren’t there. My mind keeps replaying the events of the day and everything that happened between the three of us.
Once again, I’ve fucked things up for London. She’d asked me to come with her in hopes of convincing Sage to check into rehab or at least see a therapist. And within less than twelve hours, I’ve gotten into a heated argument with Sage and been shocked to learn that while I’ve been out of the picture, Sage had asked London to marry him.
Marry him.
And she declined. Not once, not twice, but three times.
Poor Sage. No wonder he seems so lost and dejected, the woman he loves has rejected his proposals. That fucking hurts for any dude, but when it’s someone you’ve been with your whole life, it takes on a completely different meaning.
After I’d been slapped with that little piece of historical trivia, Sage got a call from his producer, agent, or someone in the music business and he left to attend a meeting. He’d gotten dressed and left the house indicating he’d be back in a few hours, but by the time dinner rolled around, it was still just London and me. Alone. And I was feeling mighty awkward.
She’d been out by the pool most of the day and had remained quiet, obviously not wanting to discuss what happened between her and Sage, so, I didn’t pry. But goddammit, I was curious as fuck. I wanted to know why London turned him down like that, even though she admits to loving him. And for what reasons.
Having been in the whole loveless marriage situation myself, I wasn’t the foremost expert in the sanctity of vows, touting the benefits of marriage or the expert on being in a committed relationship. Lisa and I were a marriage of convenience for the sake of my son. It wasn’t a relationship rooted in love or even respect, sadly.
But London and Sage loved each other. I wasn’t justifying his actions, because I still thought the way he handled it and flaunted his sexual conquests in front of London was shady as fuck. He did seem somewhat reluctant about sleeping around with other women when the real woman he wanted to spend his life with kept rejecting him.
After showering and freshening up from her pool time, London and I ate a small meal from Sage’s well-stocked fridge. As I pulled out some sandwich items and shut the fridge door, I decided to take the opportunity and ask her what I wanted to know.
“Will you tell me what happened between you two?”
She wrinkled her forehead, her brow furrowed in contemplation. Grabbing a tomato to slice, she sighed.
“It’s complicated.”
I laughed out loud because honestly, Sage was always complicated.
“That’s a given.”
I busied myself with piling on meats and cheeses onto the Artisan bread that was available, quietly waiting for her to open up.
“You want a beer?” she asked, dodging my glances.
“Yeah, sure. I’ll take one.”
Handing me a bottle, she took a swig from her own and swiped at her mouth with the back of her hand.
“I couldn’t marry him or give him what he wanted.”
I’m surprised by her admission because as an outsider looking in, they were perfect for each other. They loved one another. Knew each other’s secrets. Understood each other’s quirks. And London didn’t care about Sage’s stardom, his wealth or his past.
“Seems to me like all he ever wanted was you. Although, I can’t say I like his philandering ways, but from the sounds of things, he would give all that up in a heartbeat just to be with you. Seems like he’s just doing it to get a reaction from you.”
London fidgeted with the beer label and sat down on the kitchen stool.
“Oh Cam, you’ve always been a little clueless.”
Sniffing at her remark, I sat down next to her, running my fingers through my hair that’s slowly grown out since my last cut. Keeping it short and cropped while in the Air Force was a necessity. Now that I’m a smokejumper, it’s not a requirement but sure makes things easier.
“Maybe I’m a simple guy, but if you love him and he loves you, then what’s the problem?”
She cocked her head to the side, pinching her lips in a tight frown, staring at me like I just rolled in dirt.
“The problem is that there’s always been someone else in the picture for both of us, even when he wasn’t in the picture,” she divulged, as I slowly blinked to catch up. “You can’t give your whole heart when you only have half to give.”
****
I grab my phone from the night table and check the time. A quarter past one a.m. and I’m wide awake.
Figuring I’ll go take a piss and maybe get some fresh air, I head out into the hallway in only my unzipped shorts that I’d pulled on for decency sake. As I take a few steps out into the long corridor, I hear quiet whispers.
Actually, it’s more than just whispers. It’s the sound of heavy breathing and exhales. Moaning and panting.
I stop in my tracks and look at the doors down the hallway. The one to London’s room is closed, but Sage’s master bedroom door is slightly ajar and a soft light shines from under the doorway.
My first thought is that maybe Sage is watching porn. From the sounds of it, that’s an easy assumption.
But it doesn’t sound like it’s coming from a TV or computer speaker. It sounds live.
Maybe he brought another groupie chick home with him tonight.
None of my business.
I turn toward the bathroom when I come to halt with the one word that would pique my interest enough to investigate what was going on in the bedroom.
His voice is low and smoky.
“London.”
I pull in a straining breath.
“Please, baby. I need this tonight.”
Chapter 17
Present Day
My own breath and heart rate accelerate a whoosh of blood to my head, creating a crashing wave effect in my ears.
Holy shit, they’re fucking. Or at least, getting ready to fuck.
I can’t stop my feet from moving me forward any more than I could stop an avalanche down a mountainside. My feet propel me toward the cracked door and like the voyeur I am, I peer in.
Sage sits on the edge of the bed facing the door at an angle, London straddling him as he peppers her neck with kisses. Her hands strum through his thick mess of dark hair, yanking his head in the place she needs his lips.
“I’ve missed this so much, baby.”
She hums with satisfaction, arching her back as his lips move down to her collarbone. London has on a short nightie, flimsy enough to see through in the soft light of the room. The skirt is hiked up so I can see the gentle curves of her ass, one of Sage’s hands spread out and cupping her flesh.
He pushes the nightie material up as he explores the skin of her backsid
e. It’s smooth and shimmery, the golden tan hidden only by the waves of her hair cascading down.
“Mmm…I just wish…”
Sage stops his assault on her neck, tilting his head up to stare at her. I notice the crinkles at the corners of his eyes no longer lined with make-up. At least not tonight.
“What do you wish for, baby?” he urges, as she slowly rocks into his groin.
It’s a word that spears me in the heart. Brings me to my knees. Gives me hope and longing so great that I believe in miracles, in fairies and ghosts of the past.
The one word she murmurs has my cock filling with blood, thickening with need.
“Cam.”
Perhaps I let out a noise, or maybe it is intuition, but suddenly Sage’s eyes peg me and bore into mine. He notices me standing there, my hand over my groin, half naked as I watch them without permission. His gaze heats and burns through me.
He smirks, speaking the words directly to me even when he says to London, “Should we ask him to join us, baby?”
I shake my head, but he crooks a finger behind London’s back to beckon me forward. She still has no idea that I stand there, on the precipice of making a monumental decision. My mouth is dry and I’m in need of…fuck.
I need them.
Never letting his eyes leave me, he drags his mouth across London’s lips, sucking at her, making me yearn for her delicious taste. It kills me to watch and not partake. But it’ll hurt me even more not to join in. To take what they’re offering.
He wraps a hand around her hair, pulling it back with a hard tug. “Answer me, baby. Tell me how much you want Cam here with us right now. How long you’ve waited for him to fuck us again. Isn’t that what you want? For Cam to fuck your tight pussy and come inside you?”
London grinds on top of Sage’s lap, wrapping her legs around his waist. The sound she makes – a soft, sensual mewl – has me taking my first step into the room.
Her head snaps in my direction when she hears my first steps.
Sage chuckles knowingly. “Your wish is my command.”
I’m not the same boy I used to be. I’m a man, with life experience, and I no longer hesitate when it comes to something I want. I am savage desire and wild longing and I know what I want now.
Them.
In three short strides, I’m next to the edge of the bed and I fall to my knees in supplication.
Because of my height, my lips are inches from her shoulder and I lift my hands to cup her face, pulling her down to meet me.
“London…I need you,” I plead, my voice raw with hunger. And then I look to Sage, who has dropped his hands behind him on the bed to lounge in a lazy as fuck position. “Can I have her?”
His lips curl in sinful delight, a smile worthy of the devil himself. It’s as if I’m making a deal for my soul.
But I already gave up my heart and soul ten years ago. No sense trying to win them back now.
Sage shrugs with one shoulder and cocks his head. “I don’t know. She’s not mine to give. You’ll have to ask her.”
I nod like a kid who’s been asked if he wants a present from Santa. My head snaps back toward London.
“May I?”
London’s smile vanishes as she looks between Sage and me, a myriad of questions and desire darkening her eyes.
She lays a hand against Sage’s rough jawline, and the other on my cheek. She slowly leans over to place a gentle kiss on my lips. It’s soft and perfect. A consent. An agreement. A desire.
Before she turns to do the same to Sage, she stares into my eyes, reading something there.
“On one condition.”
I will give her anything and everything. Whatever she wants. Just to be here with them tonight. She bites the corner of her lip. I’m fascinated with her tantalizing mouth as I stare between her mouth and down into the V of her nightie, noticing the peaks of her nipples that poke through, eliciting a thrill of excitement to my cock. My hand reaches out unbidden, my fingernails scoring over the tight bud.
“Anything. Name it.”
She doesn’t give me an immediate answer but palms her hand over mine to massage her breast, the silk of the material slipping down to expose the nipple. My mouth waters to taste it.
“Let him touch you, Cam. I want to watch.”
Sage and I both let out simultaneous curses.
“Oh fuck,” I say.
“Fuck me.” Sage sits up, no longer lazy and carefree, and grabs for London’s face, claiming her kiss with a fiery passion and heat. I hear him speak something against her mouth between kisses and he murmurs, “Thank you.”
I drop back to sit on my heels, a little shell shocked by her request.
The last time I let Sage touch me, it ended our friendship.
It ruined everything.
Maybe this is what redemption looks like. Forgiveness of my sins.
Giving in and giving up the ghost of past mistakes.
Coming to the realization that life is about letting go of guilt and anger and learning to love in any shape and form to find fulfillment.
Chapter 18
Present Day
I didn’t need to give her a verbal answer. I simply stood up and curled over their bodies so they both fell to the bed in a heap.
Our hands and lips are everywhere all at once. I am so lost in them that I don’t know who is touching or kissing who.
London rolls off Sage’s lap and lays down on the bed, sandwiched between us, as we lay on our sides. I drag a finger at the bottom edge of her silk shift and slowly trail it up over the flat of her belly, nudging the material past her full breasts. I groan with admiration and reverence as London’s feminine curves are exposed to me. To us.
“You may have the honors,” Sage offers, winking at me seductively. “I’ll just busy myself down here.”
He slips down and off the bed, pulling London’s panties with him and flings them aside. Positioning myself so I have more leverage, I lean over and lap at her nipple. It has been so long since I’ve tasted her peaches and cream skin. She’d certainly filled out since our teens, where she’d once been smaller and less than a handful.
Her proportions are now more generous, offering me a banquet of flesh to feast upon. I plump at her lush, firm tits, flicking and circling my tongue around the smooth, taut nipple.
I’d forgotten how sexy it was to make London squirm under our ministrations. It only heightens the intensity with Sage’s participation. Based on London’s reaction to our touches, she appears to be in heaven, enjoying the attention we are lavishing on different areas of her body.
London’s hand lands on top of my head, grabbing hold of the hair, her grip inciting an almost painful pleasure. She reaches her other hand for Sage, her fingers sliding through his hair, as the wet sounds of his sucking at her delectable center fill the room.
“Just like that,” London sighs, her body shifting and flexing underneath my mouth. “Oooh yes…you both feel so good.”
My cock strains violently with the need to be touched, as I grind into her bare thigh. I need so badly to be inside London’s tight pussy again. I feel just like that high school kid the first time we were together when I stripped her of her virginity. I barely made it three minutes before exploding gloriously inside her tightness. It was one of the best nights of my entire life.
Sage must notice that I’m getting punchy. He stops eating London and lifts his head.
“Getting a little antsy there, Cam?” His gives a lusty chuckle, nodding at my thrusting motion into the bed. “I’m sure London’d be happy to help you out. Unless…”
Sage stands, pushing his shorts to the floor, his entire body now plainly visible. My eyes scan the work of art scattered across his torso and arms. He’s like a living, breathing Picasso painting; vibrant and colorful. I yearn to touch his inked skin.
When our eyes connect, I see it there. I see the longing and the need. All the emotion that I tried to ignore all those years ago and pushed away for fear of being la
beled something I felt wasn’t me.
But now, with time and experience, I realize it doesn’t matter. Labels mean nothing. It’s people that matter. It’s Sage that matters. Who matters to me.
“Unless what?” I urge, my eyes remaining on him while I nibble at London’s ear.
I can feel her smile grow, her cheeks expanding against my lips.
She crooks a finger at Sage, beckoning him back down to the bed.
“Unless he gives me what I want.”
I plead ignorant, just to hear her say it. “And what’s that, London?”
She points first to Sage and then to me. “I want to watch you two together.”
I shouldn’t be excited by this prospect. But I am. I didn’t think my cock could get any harder, but it does. It thickens exponentially, and I have to pinch the base hard to keep from coming. Because no matter how hard I tried to forget what happened with Sage all those years ago – my one and only time with a dude – my dick remembers it quite well. It remembers the intensity of that orgasm brought on by Sage’s wickedly talented mouth and tongue.
Sage cocks his brow. “Would you like to watch Cam fuck my mouth, baby? Watch me suck him back so far that he’s shooting and seeing stars?”
She nods her head with a coy grin, her fingers dancing over her own nipple.
“No.”
My voice is raspy and gruff, but adamant, and their eyes pop wide open with shock.
And then I clarify. “I owe Sage. I need to return the favor from a long time ago.”
The expression on both of their faces is like a cartoon animation – almost comical - as they process what I’ve just said. But my actions brook no debate, as I slide off the edge of the bed and position myself over Sage, who’s now laying on his back, his surprised shock now turned into a sexual consent by the look on his face.
London shifts to a sitting position and Sage places his hands behind his head.
Suddenly, the nerves jumble together in my stomach like a highway loop in LA. Tangled up in a weaved mess.
“You’ll have to forgive my lack of finesse,” I admit, heaving a sigh and inhaling a deep breath.