by Lynn LaFleur
Lifting one hand, he ran his fingertip across Julian’s cheek. His friend shivered and closed his eyes.
“It’s still there, isn’t it?” Lane said. “The feelings. The desire. All those things we tried to deny a year ago.”
“Yeah, it’s still there.” Julian’s voice sounded rough, raspy. He opened his eyes. “But it can’t be. It isn’t what I want.”
“Isn’t it?” Lane stepped closer until their bodies touched. Julian sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth when Lane pressed his cock against Julian’s. “You’re just as hard as I am. You can’t deny that.”
“No, I can’t.”
The short distance between their mouths disappeared when Lane leaned forward. Fire spread through his body at the touch of his lips to Julian’s. Groaning deep in his throat, he cradled Julian’s face and stroked his tongue along the seam. Julian parted his lips and Lane took immediate advantage, darting his tongue into his friend’s warm mouth.
The kiss lasted only seconds before Julian jerked back. “Lane, stop. I can’t. I’m with Molly now.”
Hearing Molly’s name was like a glass of cold water thrown in Lane’s face. With a heavy sigh, he dropped his hands and stepped back so their bodies no longer touched. “So there’s no hope for us? None at all?”
“Lane, I…” He stopped and looked down at the floor. “Shit,” he muttered.
“Yeah, that’s kinda how I feel.” Lane ran his hand over his close-cropped hair. “I need another beer. Want one?”
“Sure.”
Lane helped himself to two beers and handed one to Julian. He twisted off the cap and took a long swallow while trying to decide what to say. He understood why Julian had rejected him. That didn’t keep it from hurting.
“Lane, what happened between us… It was very intense and a complete surprise. I’d never thought about fucking a guy. I don’t know why it happened between us any more than you do.”
“But it did happen, Julian, and it affected our friendship.”
“No, man, we’re still friends—”
“Not like we were. Hell, you barely acknowledged me the whole time I was gone. You didn’t answer any more than three or four of my emails. I finally gave up writing to you since it was obvious you didn’t want to hear from me.”
Julian lowered his head again. “I shouldn’t have been that way. I’m sorry.” He lifted his head and Lane could see the regret in his eyes. “That was wrong of me. You were off serving our country and all I could think about was my own selfish needs. I wanted to be involved with a woman. I wanted to fall in love, get married, start a family. That wasn’t going to happen with you.”
Lane polished off his beer and set the empty bottle on the cabinet. “Where does this leave us?”
“Can’t we go back to the way we were before the evening with Claire?”
Nice and tidy. Sweep four months under the rug and pretend they never happened. That would be the logical thing to do. But Lane couldn’t do that. He couldn’t close his eyes at night without seeing Julian’s naked body. He couldn’t fall asleep without remembering the taste of Julian’s dick, or the way it had felt thrusting inside him. “I don’t think things will ever be exactly the way they were between us before the evening with Claire.”
“No, I guess not.” Julian set his empty bottle next to Lane’s. “I don’t know what to do, Lane.”
“Yeah, you do. You said you’re with Molly now. She’s a great gal. I hope I’m lucky enough to meet someone like her.”
Julian’s cell phone rang. Lane waited for Julian to answer it, but he made no move to do so. After the second ring, Lane said, “See who it is. It might be important.”
Julian unclipped it from his belt and looked at the display. “It’s Molly.”
“Yep, definitely important.” Lane forced a smile he didn’t feel and gave Julian a playful slap on his upper arm. “Catch ya later.”
“Lane, wait.”
With a wave over his shoulder, Lane headed for the door. He came here today hoping for a chance to reconnect with his former lover. Since that wasn’t a possibility, he had to get out of here before he did something really stupid…like beg for another chance.
Julian pressed the button to accept Molly’s call. “Hello.”
“Hi. Were you busy?”
He watched Lane walk out the door and close it softly behind him. His stomach clenched with unfulfilled longing and regret. The time with his friend hadn’t ended at all the way he’d hoped it would.
“Julian?”
He snapped back to the present when he heard his name. “I’m sorry. Lane came over for lunch and I was telling him goodbye.”
“Did you two eat all your mom’s leftovers?”
“Guilty.”
“Even the pie?”
“Yep.”
“Damn it. I was hoping to snitch another piece.”
Julian chuckled. Talking to Molly always made him feel good. “If you’re extra special nice to me, maybe I’ll bake a whole pumpkin pie for you.”
“Define ‘extra special nice’.”
“Use your imagination.”
“I’m a writer. I have an incredible imagination.”
Julian grabbed a Coke from the refrigerator and popped the top. “You tell me you’re a writer, but you haven’t let me read anything you’ve written.”
“You haven’t asked me.”
“I haven’t? Well, I’m not very smart. I want to read one of your books.”
“Maybe.”
The little minx liked teasing him. He could hear the smile in her voice. “Do I have to be extra special nice to you to read your book?”
“I think that’s a great idea.”
Julian wandered into the living room and flopped down on the couch. “What do I have to do besides bake a pumpkin pie?”
“I’ll get back to you on that, after I make my list.”
“After you make your list?” he asked, trying not to laugh. “You plan to make me work, huh?”
“A gal has to take whatever she can get.”
Images flashed through his mind of all the ways and positions they’d already made love. What they’d done wasn’t a fraction of what he wanted to do with Molly. “Maybe I can give you some ideas for that list tonight.”
“That’s part of the reason I’m calling.” All traces of humor disappeared from her voice. “I had lunch with Shawna and she’s really down after her visit with Mom yesterday. She could use some cheering up. I thought maybe I could take her out to dinner and a movie.”
Molly’s obvious love and concern for her sister added to the reasons why Julian was growing to care so deeply for her. “Sounds like a good idea.”
“Thanks for understanding. We’re still on for tomorrow night, right?”
“Absolutely.”
“And you’re still coming over for dinner Sunday, right? We’ll pop popcorn and watch a DVD after dinner and you two can get to know each other.”
“Sounds great. I’ll be there.”
Her voice dropped to a husky whisper. “Maybe I’ll drag you into my bedroom and have my way with you.”
“Promise?”
She giggled. “I promise.”
“Hey, since you aren’t coming over tonight, I have a lot of free time. Email one of your books to me.”
“Maybe.”
“You’re determined to be difficult, aren’t you?”
“Anticipation makes the prize sweeter.”
Julian decided right then that he had to do something outrageous with Molly in the bedroom the next time she came over, something that would make her come over and over.
His cock liked that idea a lot.
“I have to go back to work,” she said.
“Okay. Call me later.”
“I will. Bye.”
Julian laid his phone on the end table and took a long swig of his Coke. Since Molly wasn’t coming over, he didn’t know what to do tonight. The meal he’d planned to prepare for her would be wa
y too much for only him. After the huge lunch he’d eaten with Lane, he wouldn’t be hungry for hours anyway.
He heard the beep from his phone that indicated a text message. Julian looked at the display to see the message was from Molly.
Shawna sending 3 chapters of 2nd book. My personal fave. Should be in your email soon. If you like I’ll send more. If you hate please pretend you like. Authors are very neurotic.
He chuckled and replied with a simple K. He moved closer to the coffee table, pulled his laptop in front of him and waited for his mail program to load.
There were the usual junk messages along with real messages from Jill, his mom and some friends. Nothing from Shawna. He was about to open and read Jill’s message when another popped into his inbox from sross444 with the subject of Molly’s Book. He clicked to open it.
Hi Julian,
Molly asked me to forward the first 3 chapters of her book to you. It’s a romantic suspense, heavy on the romance and sex.
Looking forward to finally meeting you Sunday.
Shawna
Julian saved the attachment to his desktop, then leaned back with the computer on his lap. He opened the attachment and began to read. Sweat didn’t break out on his upper lip until he got to the sex scene in chapter three.
Sarah closed her eyes when warm lips closed over her left nipple. She sighed softly. Henri always knew what she wanted, what she needed. She ran her fingers through his thick hair and arched her back, trying to get even more of her breast in his mouth.
A gentle lick on her right nipple made her open her eyes again. Jonathan smiled down at her.
“I can’t let Henri have all the fun, can I?”
“No, of course not.” She palmed her breast, lifting it closer to his mouth. “Suck me.”
“Holy shit,” Julian breathed. Molly was writing about a ménage à trois? How the hell did she know about that?
His cock jerked as he continued to read.
Sarah sighed again. Such wonderful lovers. Perfect lovers. So giving, so caring. So incredibly sexy.
A hard tug of Henri’s mouth and Sarah arched her back again. She stretched her arms over her head and spread her legs, leaving her body completely open for whatever they wanted to do to her.
A hand drifted down her stomach. She didn’t know whose hand touched her. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was the pleasure flowing through her body.
One finger brushed her clit. Another dipped inside her pussy. Both men continued the attention to her nipples…licking, sucking, tugging. Her body grew hotter, the pleasure more intense. The feelings were so strong, it was impossible to keep her eyes open. They drifted closed when the first ripples of orgasm snaked through her womb.
“Jesus.” Julian shifted on the couch and tugged on his fly, trying to give his hard rod more room. He’d never imagined his Molly could write so hot.
Several moments passed before Sarah had the strength to open her eyes. Henri and Jonathan were on their knees on either side of her, their hard cocks standing straight up. She wrapped her hands around them and began a slow milking motion.
“You know what I want,” she whispered.
They leaned over her body until Henri’s lips touched Jonathan’s.
Julian hit the page down key, but nothing happened. He’d reached the end of the chapter.
“Molly, no! You can’t leave me hanging there.”
He closed the document and reopened it. The chapter still ended at the same spot.
“Well, shit.”
Julian closed the laptop and set it on the coffee table. So what does this mean? Does Molly have a fantasy about being with two guys at the same time…two guys who also have sex with each other? Or is it simply her imagination?
It would be hot to watch another man touch Molly. Especially if that man was Lane.
Julian knew a writer used imagination in his or her books. He doubted if a mystery writer killed someone for research, or a paranormal writer had a heart-to-heart conversation with a vampire. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder if some of Molly’s own sexual fantasies were woven into her books. Maybe she wanted to be with two men at once. Maybe she wanted to watch two men kiss, touch, fuck.
There was only one way to know for sure—ask her.
First, he had to talk to Lane. Picking up his cell phone again, he scrolled through the numbers and pressed the call button.
Lane answered with a soft, “Hey.”
“Hey. Listen, I’m sorry for the way things went today—”
“It’s okay. You’re with Molly. I accept that.”
He cared deeply for Molly. Part of that caring included pleasing her however he could. If she wanted to be with two men at once, he and Lane could arrange that.
The selfish part of him hoped she wanted a ménage because he longed to be with Lane again.
“Are you at your mom’s?”
“No, I’m still in Seattle. My mom’s fellow was coming over and I wanted to give her time with him.”
“Will you come back to my apartment? I have something I want you to see.”
“Yeah. I can be back there in about twenty minutes.”
“See you then.”
Julian ended the call. He blew out a long breath. He’d ask Lane to read the scene and find out what his friend thought of it. Then, if Lane agreed with him, he’d approach Molly about making one of her fantasies come true.
Chapter Twelve
Julian finished unpacking the last box, giving Lane time to read the chapters Julian had printed out from Molly’s book. Lane had been surprised at Julian’s request to read the chapters, but had agreed and settled onto the couch, manuscript pages in hand.
“Julian.”
He carried the collapsed box into the living room and placed it next to the front door with the other boxes. Lane still sat on the couch, the pages on his lap. He looked up and smiled at Julian.
“Man, this is great. Molly’s a fantastic writer. Where’s the rest of it?”
“That’s all she sent.” He slipped his hands into the back pockets of his jeans. “What do you think of the sex scene?”
Instead of answering with words, Lane moved the pages from his lap. His hard cock pressed against his fly.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought of it too.” He rounded the coffee table and sat on the other end of the couch. “I don’t know if that scene is strictly her imagination or based on fantasy.”
“You think she wants to be with two guys?”
Julian shrugged. “I don’t know, but I’m going to ask her. If she says yes, what do you think about being the second guy?”
Slowly, Lane straightened the pages and laid them on the coffee table. He remained leaning forward, his hands dangling between his knees. “Let me make sure I understand what you’re asking me,” he said, his gaze focused on the manuscript pages. “You told me there can’t be anything between us again, yet you’ll change your mind if Molly wants to fuck two guys at the same time.”
Julian had never told his friend how he felt about him because he knew they’d have no future together. He had always been happy with women. More than anything, he’d wanted to meet the woman he could share his life with, one who would love him as much as he loved her. Their relationship was still new, but he thought he’d found that woman in Molly. He cared deeply for her.
That didn’t mean he didn’t also care for this man…and always would.
“I want you in my life, Lane. No matter what happens with Molly, I’ll always care for you. If Molly decides she wants to be with both of us at once, I’ll be very happy with her decision.”
Lane held his gaze for several moments before he spoke again. “What if she doesn’t want to go through with it?”
“I think she will.” He gestured to the pages on the coffee table. “Molly loves sex. I think what she wrote is her fantasy, not just her imagination.”
Lan
e leaned back on the couch. “You’ll really be okay with Molly having sex with me?”
“I think it’ll be hot.”
Groaning, Lane shifted on the couch. “Hell, man, I’m getting another hard-on.”
Julian grinned. “I guess that means you wouldn’t mind having sex with Molly.”
“Hell no. She’s a fox. I’d like to kiss every freckle on her body.”
“She’s coming over tomorrow for dinner and to spend the night. That would be a good time for me to talk to her.”
“That would be a good time to go for the whole deal.”
Lane was right. There was no reason for them to wait if Molly agreed to the ménage. “I think I should talk to her first before you come into the picture.”
Lane rubbed his upper lip. “There’s a seafood restaurant about two miles from here.”
“The Chowder House.”
“Yeah, that’s the one. I’ll have a drink in the bar. You talk to Molly, then call and tell me what she’s decided. If she wants the ménage, I’ll come over. If not, I’ll go home.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
Lane nodded. “Yeah, I am. I told you on the phone earlier that I accept you’re with Molly. I meant that. I’d prefer it to be different, but I understand why it can’t be.”
“Maybe it can. Maybe I can have both of you.”
Lane’s eyes flared with heat. “I’d like that,” he said, his voice low.
Julian swallowed as his cock swelled. That selfish part of him rose up again, hoping Molly would say yes. Then he could have the two people in his life he cared about the most.
*
Molly ran her hands down her long skirt to be sure it flowed the way it should. Since she’d worked overtime yesterday, her supervisor had let her leave an hour early today. She’d hurried back to her apartment, showered and put on the multi-hued skirt and tomato red, long-sleeved blouse. Julian had told her he liked her in red.
He’d find even more red beneath her clothes. Getting off early meant she had time to dash by Lavender Lace and pick up a bra and thong set in almost the same shade as her blouse. She’d never worn a thong, but decided to try one after Julian’s comment about loving her ass. If he loved it, it should be on display for him to see.