Coming August 30th

from Carina Press

Pain pulsed in slow beats, dimming from excruciating to annoying by the time Cade carried in the white-and-red box. He knelt down and handed over a bottle of Maker’s Mark with a grin. “Here, pain killer. Viv isn’t here to bitch, like you said.”

“Shot glasses?”

“What, you too refined to sip from the bottle like we used to?”

A snort helped dispel the pain. “That was the cheap shit back in college.”

Grant cracked open the bourbon and took a fast swig, the smooth burn tickling his throat and warming his gut. Maybe it would work its magic down to his feet in a few minutes. He passed it back to Cade, opened the kit and used a few gauze pads to wipe away the blood. The trickle had slowed to a sluggish welling, and the thump was decreasing.

Cade exhaled a grunt as the bourbon hit his stomach, pulling Grant’s gaze back to his face. The sweet scent of alcohol blended with the familiar fragrance of sawdust and Cade.

“Hey, you remember our junior year, those Zeta Phi girls?”

Broad lines circled Cade’s grinning mouth. He moved to his ass with his back to the dryer door, shoulder nearly touching Grant’s. “That was a hell of a night with or without the liquor.”

“You really do both of them at the same time?”

Cade shrugged. “Well, I only have one dick but I did use other body parts.”

“That the only threesome you ever had?”

“Nah, there was another after the divorce, kind of a screw-Shelly-out-of-my-system deal.” He fixed his eyes on his outstretched legs and handed the bottle back. Grant took a fast sip, resituated the gauze pad and studied Cade, who wouldn’t look up.

“Two women?”

A curl angled Cade’s mouth, and Grant fought the urge to reach out and touch that raised lip. Did a man’s mouth feel different than a woman’s? What did a clean-shaven chin feel like on your lips? Would Cade freak out if he traced the deep groove along his smile just to see what it felt like? He forced his attention back to applying antiseptic to his foot.

“It was Tony and a girlfriend of his. What about you, married man? You ever score a double before Viv?”

Grant Michaelson, your opening has arrived. Grant licked a thin film of alcohol from his lips. “Before Vivi? No, not before…but after, yeah, I’ve been with two women at once.”

Cade’s head snapped around, shock rounding his eyes. “You cheated?”

“No, you prick.” Grant shoved at his shoulder. “She was there.”

“Wait…you mean…Viv?” The incredulous expression erased five years from Cade’s face and sparkled like glitter in his eyes.

Grant feigned casualness. “It was a fantasy of hers. She wanted to try another woman, so we did.”

A low lusty groan rang through the small room. The robust vibration rippled through Grant, and his foot was forgotten.

“Viv went down on a woman, and you got to watch? I’d have blown right then.”

“I nearly did.” Grant chuckled. His grip on the bottle grew warm so he brought it to his mouth. The small taste filled his belly with liquid courage. “I love her. If I can give her her fantasies, I will. Not exactly like it’s a hardship watching my wife eat pussy while I’m getting a blow job, either.”

Cade tugged at his zipper and Grant forced his eyes to stay on the jealous expression rather than the movement. “Okay, it’s official. I fucking hate you and your perfect life. That’s like every man’s dream, you know that, right? Who was the woman?”

“Just a waitress in Calverton a couple summers ago.”

“And you never said a word? You fucking dog!” Snorting and shaking his head, Cade took the bottle and tipped it up again.

His Adam’s apple bobbed, a single jump that wrapped thick want around Grant’s tongue. Breath was harder to find through a surge of curiosity and lust. He bit his lip in indecision then shook his head in silent reproach. It wasn’t indecision; it was fear, and fear of rejection at that.

Do it, just blurt it out.

He tasted the unspoken words but Cade’s laugh cut him off. “I would have paid to see that.”

“Sorry, no pictures. But—” his stomach heaved with nerves but he pushed through them; just audible above the hum of the dryer, his words struggled with watery strength, “—she did mention another fantasy she’d like to have happen.”

“Oh, yeah?” His secretive tone tickled across Grant’s skin.

“Yeah. Your name was mentioned.”

Cade froze. Every muscle in his body cemented to stone, not even his chest rose with a breath, the time ticking in measured heartbeats of growing awareness. Had Grant’s blood not been churning and his mind racing, he might have relished the thought of silencing his more talkative friend. Now all he did was watch for movement, a blink, a twitch, something.

“What about me?”

“The three of us…together. I’ve been looking for a way to bring it up. That almost kiss…” Fear began gnawing at Grant’s bones. “Look, if you’re not interested, no problem. If you are, great. Either way, we don’t want this to change things between us.”

Cade sat back, lines framing his thinned mouth. He deliberately reached out, snagged the liquor and took a slow swallow. His fingers tightened around the chunky bottle as he lowered it to his thigh. “And you’re okay with that? I mean, I thought you were going to deck me in the yard.”

“No, I just wondered if you’d do it with me sitting there.”

A noisy exhale puffed Cade’s smooth cheeks. He turned and locked eyes with Grant. “We’ve been friends forever, man. I don’t want to fuck that up. And I don’t want to mess up your marriage. You love her. How can you be okay with this?”

“It’s because I do love her that I can be okay with it. I know you won’t hurt her. I know she loves me and I trust you both. We were hoping this week up at the lake would be a good time to play, experiment.”

“I’m so fucking confused. Give me a minute here, I want to be clear and make sure I understand. You’re saying if I take Viv to bed, you’re okay with that?”

“Not exactly. She wants both of us.”

“So what does she want? Double penetration?”

An unchecked scoff flew from his lips. “Maybe later, but not right away. She’s a little afraid of that. Besides, Vivi’s got to be in the right frame of mind for anal. A lot of liquor helps.”

“She doesn’t like it?”

“It’s not her favorite, no.”

Cade smirked, a devilish twinkle erupting in his gaze. “Well, she’s a woman. She doesn’t have a prostate. What about you? Since we’re telling secrets, do you like anal?”

“Sure, I mean, I like doing it to her. Never been on the other end though.” That could not be a blush on his face, could it? He thought he’d long outgrown those.

Cade bumped his shoulder. “Come on, Grant. You can’t tell me no one has ever fingered your ass. Not even a toy or anything?”

“Well, fingers, yeah, but no, never been any type of catcher, understand?”

“You’re missing out,” Cade teased, but it was slightly forced, a beat too jolly. “With the right pitcher, every throw is a home run.”

“I guess it would depend on the size of the bat though, wouldn’t it?

“Are we seriously talking about anal sex in baseball analogies?”

“Guess we are,” Grant chuckled. “Getting personal here, but do you prefer pitching or catching?”

For a second, Grant thought Cade wouldn’t answer. Then a private smile crinkled his eyes. “I like both but if I had to pick, I prefer catching. Does that shock you?”

“No.” It sent a ripple of lust straight to his nuts. “Doesn’t it hurt?”

“No, it doesn’t. Do yourself a favor, let Viv try something sometime. You might be surprised how good it is.”

I might. Maybe not with Vivi, but with you.

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