He pulled her clit between his teeth and sucked her gently, swirling his tongue until he had her writhing against his face. He heard the bathroom door open, but he was unable to pull away from the addictive flavor of Kayla’s hot pussy.
Jesse’s rough hand gripped his dick.
“Shit,” he groaned.
His dick flexed in Jesse’s hand, demanding he grip it harder. It felt so damn good.
He spread Kayla’s lips wider with his thumb, allowing himself to go deeper. Her flavor coated his tongue.
Jesse’s hand working his cock and Kayla grinding on his face was more than he could take. He was going to come, and he needed Kayla to do it with him.
He slid his fingers inside and her silky heat convulsed around his finger. With one final flick of his tongue her pussy quivered around him and she screamed out her release. Jesse’s hand pumped his dick hard and he spurted onto the side of the bed.
Chris didn’t realize Kayla had been using her hand on Jesse as well until he groaned and came on her stomach.
Grabbing a cloth, Chris wiped up Kayla and the side of bed. When he returned from the bathroom, they both lay on the bed, expectantly watching him. Unable to say anything, he lay down beside Kayla with his back to her, and turned out the light. He heard Jesse’s loud sigh before he fell asleep.
* * * * *
The sound of snoring on the far side of the bed pulled Chris from his sleep. Decidedly male snoring. The urge to run was so strong inside him the only thing that kept him in place was the warm, soft feel of Kayla’s leg draped over his thigh.
Man up, Hanson, he told himself. He opened his eyes. Kayla’s body snuggled up against him was a sight he had dreamed about for so long he couldn’t believe it had finally come true. His eyes slid down her body. But seeing Jesse’s arm around her waist pulled him up short. The position of Jesse’s hand placed him just inches from Chris’ morning woody. If either of them moved even a fraction, they would be touching. Chris’ dick twitched. He needed to get out of here.
Careful not to wake Kayla, he eased out from under her leg. He stood at the edge of the bed and stepped into his jeans. His eyes were drawn to the picture the two of them made. His chest pulled tight. They looked so right together in his bed. The urge to climb back in and wake them both was so strong, it hurt.
What the fuck was the matter with him?
Turning on his heel, he fled the room. He couldn’t get out of there fast enough. Too much sex had dulled his normal inhibitions and responses. It was a freak thing. He just needed some distance and space.
The smell of coffee hit him full on when he stepped into the kitchen. Thank God for the auto-start button. He poured himself a cup and sank into the kitchen chair. Unable to stop his mind from replaying everything about the previous night, he dropped his head onto the table.
That was how they found him. Kayla’s hand ran across the top of his bare back. “Chris?” Her soft voice swept across him. “You okay?”
He raised his head to look at her. She stood before him with her tousled hair, his t-shirt hanging enticingly on her body. Her face was unsure, wary. His fingers clenched with the urge to pull Kayla onto his lap.
Jesse stepped farther into the room. “Hey, man, is there more of that?” The tilt of his head indicated the cup of coffee that sat untouched in front of Chris on the table.
He swept his hand in the direction of the pot. “Help yourself.”
Jesse moved toward the counter and took two cups from the cupboard. While he filled the mugs and doctored up the coffee as if it were the most natural thing in the world, Chris just stared at him. How could he act so normal?
Kayla eased her body into the chair beside him and took Chris’ hand in hers. “Can we talk?”
He looked at her, then at Jesse who had stopped what he was doing and stood motionless at the counter, staring at them with a hesitant look on his face. To say it was an awkward morning after was putting it mildly.
Chris pushed his chair back from the table and stood up. “I can’t do this right now,” he said and walked out of the room.
Soft footsteps sounded on the floor behind him. In his haste to get the hell out of there, he threw his jacket over his bare chest, not even bothering to get fully dressed, grabbed his ski pants and stepped into his boots with bare feet.
“Chris, please.”
The pleading tone of her voice almost brought him to his knees. He turned and looked at her. Regret filled every inch of his body. “I’m sorry, Kay. I just can’t do this right now.”
He turned and pulled open the cabin door, yanked his snowboard up into his arms and walked away.
* * * * *
Kayla watched him until he got in the line for the bullet express chair. He never once looked back. With a sigh, she closed the cabin door and walked back inside to find Jesse. She found him at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee between his hands, his head on the table.
Strong, unshakeable Jesse looked broken. Her heart ached to see him like this. She walked up behind him and placed her hand on his shoulder. He glanced up with a weak smile on his face. “Oh Jes,” she murmured and ran her fingers through his hair to comfort him.
Jesse shifted in his chair so he was facing her and wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his face in her chest. “Jesus, Kay. What the fuck did I do?” The question tore from his mouth against her body with so much emotion it cut through her chest like a knife.
“It’ll be all right, Jes.” Kayla stroked his hair, offering the only comfort she could. If this thing between them was going to work, they all needed to be on board. “How long have you been in love with Chris?”
Jesse pulled back from her. “What?”
“Come on, Jes, this is me you’re talking to. How long have you been in love with Chris?”
He roughly ran his fingers through his hair. “Fuck, this is messed up.”
“Why didn’t you tell him?”
Jesse’s bitter laughter broke through the silence. “Yeah, ’cause clearly that would have gone well.” He paused then looked up at her and took her hand. “This wasn’t all about me wanting to get with Chris.” His fingers traced a pattern across her palm. “I mean, what happened between us was pretty fucking amazing.”
“I know. I was there.” Kayla smiled.
“How fucked up is it that I want to fuck both of my best friends?”
With a grin on her face, Kayla raised her palms. “Pfft, I know the feeling.”
She wrapped her arms around Jesse and held him against her body. “I get it, Jes. I wanted you both so badly there was no way I could choose between you. What the three of us share has always been amazing. The only thing missing between us was sex, and now that I know how incredible that can be… Wow.”
“Yeah, well don’t get used to it because I don’t think Chris is going to come around to our way of thinking.” His sullen voice almost made her laugh. Jesse had never been good with not getting his own way.
“Give him time, Jes. We both have had years of fantasizing about this idea. For Chris, this is all really new.”
“He’s been in love with you since we were kids.” Jesse groaned and roughly ran his hand across his face.
She jerked her head back. Chris had been in love with her? How could she not have known that? They needed to have a serious talk about running from their feelings.
“Fuck, maybe I did take advantage of the situation. I knew how much he wanted you and that he would take you any way he could get you. I shouldn’t have put him in that position. Maybe I should just leave, so you guys can work things out between you.”
“Don’t you dare leave. I was there too, Jesse. Chris was just as into this as you were. I think that’s what has him so messed up. Give him time, he needs to figure out what this all means and come to terms with it in his own way.” She tilted Jesse’s head to force him to look at her. “He wanted you, Jes, don’t beat yourself up about it. He’s a smart guy, he’ll figure out how great this could be if he ju
st gave it a chance.”
Their eyes met and held until Kayla finally felt like Jesse believed her. Then she kissed him. “Trust me.”
“I hope you’re right, Kay.”
She sat down on his lap, seeking comfort through sex. Jesse unhooked her hands from around his neck and set her on her feet.
“I’m sorry, Kay, but I can’t.”
“What do you mean you can’t?” Hurt welled up in her chest. “I thought you said this wasn’t just about Chris.”
“God, Kay. It wasn’t, it isn’t. Lord knows I would love nothing better than to make love to you, but I just can’t do that to Chris. He’s been in love with you for so long, it would destroy him if we were together without him.”
She placed her hands on her hips. “So, what? If he can’t come to terms with things, then that’s it? We all go our separate ways?”
Jesse buried his hands in his pockets. “I guess. I mean we can still be friends.”
“Yeah, sure we can,” she scoffed, unable to keep the bitterness she was feeling from coming to the surface.
Tears welled up in her eyes. How had everything gone so horribly wrong? Just yesterday they had been talking about her moving in with them and now it seemed as if that would never happen.
When the first teardrop rolled down her cheek, Jesse stepped toward her. “Come on, Kay, don’t cry. We’ll figure this out, I promise.” He pulled her into a hug, more brotherly than anything else.
“I just think we need to put a hold on anything sexual between us until we figure out where we stand with Chris. I screwed this up too badly already without adding anything else to the mix. Trust me on this. I know Chris. He’d want us to wait until he gets his head straight.”
She knew he was right but that didn’t make it any easier to accept.
Chapter Five
It had been five days since Chris had seen Kayla or had any real contact with Jesse. It seemed as if both he and Jesse were trying to avoid each other. He grabbed his car keys from the kitchen counter and gave a cursory check of the room to make sure he hadn’t left a mess for Jesse to clean up when he got home. The last thing he needed was him bitching about what a pig he was.
They were working opposite shifts this week, so it wasn’t unusual not to have hung out with Jes, but usually they would have had a beer or a cup of coffee together in passing to help decompress. That was one of the best things about being roommates with Jesse. He understood the daily stress of the job.
As a paramedic, Jesse was often called out to the scene of accidents and crime scenes that Chris worked. After, they’d talk through the cases. Jesse’s medical knowledge helped give Chris an insight into the victims he wouldn’t otherwise have. It’s funny how much you could miss something you didn’t even realize was important.
Swinging into the police station parking lot, he saw his partner sauntering into the building as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Granger was a typical family man, two kids, married to his high-school sweetheart. He was living the dream.
Chris wished he could talk to him about what was going on to get some perspective, but there was no way he could speak to him about this. If Granger found out he was even remotely interested in a relationship with a guy he’d request a new partner. Homosexuality and the Blue Wall didn’t mix. Damn it, this was so messed up.
His cell phone buzzed on his hip. Grabbing it, he glanced at the display screen. His heart rate picked up. Kayla. God, he wanted to answer the phone, to hear her voice. But he just wasn’t sure he was ready for all that entailed.
He sighed and put his phone back in his pocket, opened up the car door and headed inside for his shift. He’d have to talk to Kayla eventually, now just wasn’t the time.
Chris hung up his car keys and personal belongings in his locker, grabbed his weapon and holster and eased into it.
“Hey, loser, you almost ready to go?”
He closed his locker and turned to face his partner. “Yeah.”
Chris eyed Granger’s newly cut hair and freshly shaven face. “Don’t you look pretty? You get all gussied up for me?”
“Fuck you. Gina made me take her out for dinner tonight before my shift. Just the two of us.” Granger rolled his eyes. “I don’t know why she makes me do the whole wining and dining her thing when I have to go to work. After this many years, the only reason to go on dates is to get laid, and I certainly didn’t get that.”
The mere mention of sex made Chris think of Kayla and Jesse. Memories of their weekend together filled his brain.
“Man, if I knew how little I’d get laid after I got married, I might have played hard to get and made her wait.”
Chris laughed. “Yeah, I’m sure Gina would have let that happen.”
Granger stuck up his middle finger and Chris rolled his eyes. “I can see it’s going to be a fun night.”
“You don’t know how good you’ve got it, man,” Granger told him.
If he only knew.
Chris grabbed the keys to the unmarked car they’d been assigned and initialed the sheet. “Let’s ride.”
On his way out of the station, he tapped the counter to let the dispatcher know they were leaving and their radio would be on.
They had barely pulled out of the parking lot when the radio crackled to life announcing a 10-75 domestic disturbance in progress.
Flipping on the siren, Chris pulled a u-turn to head in the direction of the call while Granger radioed in they were on it.
When they arrived at the house, the front door stood half off the hinges. Huddled together shivering under a bush sat two children, faces wild with fear. Chris crouched down so he was on eye level with the kids. “Hey, guys, I’m Officer Hanson.”
He glanced up to see an elderly couple making their way across the street. Granger intercepted them, allowing Chris to focus on the kids.
“Can you two slide out of there?” Neither child moved. He stuck his hand out to urge them forward. “Come on, guys. I promise you’re safe, nothing’s going to happen.”
The elder of the two children stared back at Chris, her weary eyes far too old for her age. She sighed, and without dropping her arm from around her little brother, she crawled forward. United they stood before Chris. Goose bumps covered their skin and they clutched each other as much for warmth as comfort. Taking note of their thin pajamas, he quickly took off his jacket and wrapped it around them both. These kinds of calls always pulled at him. It was such a goddamn shame to see kids like this.
Granger was busy talking to the elderly couple and held up his notes to show Chris he had all the info. With a better understanding of the situation, his partner was ready for them to go inside. Chris took hold of both the children’s hands and led them toward the elderly couple.
“Can you watch them for me?” he asked the woman. She immediately crouched down and enveloped the children in her arms.
A loud crash sounded inside the house, accompanied by a woman’s scream. Granger and Chris bolted for the house. Sirens sounded down the block, indicating backup was on the way. Chris took one last look at the children and booked it after his partner.
Unable to take the time to follow protocol, Chris pushed open the front door of the house. A woman lay huddled on the floor in the fetal position, a man kicking her exposed back and ribs. The sick sound of breaking bones filled the air.
“Police. Put your hands up,” Granger called out.
The man raised his head. “Get the fuck out of my house.”
Itching for a fight, Chris stepped forward. “Not going to happen, son.” He allowed all his anger and disgust to leach into that one statement. “You need to step back and put your hands where I can see them.”
The man kicked the prone woman in the ribs. “Fucking bitch.”
That was all Chris needed to step in and subdue the man. He pressed his knee into the man’s spine and secured his hands behind his back. “Stay down.”
The man slumped beneath him. “Smart move,” Chris told him.
>
Officers Wheeler and Michaels walked in as Chris was pulling the man to his feet. Chris passed off the scumbag. “Take him downtown and throw him in lockup until we get there. He was kicking her when we walked in.”
With the suspect secured and being taken in by the other two officers, Chris bent down beside his partner to help assess the woman.
“We’ve got a bus on the way,” Wheeler told them.
The roaring sirens barreling toward them made Chris tense. He really hoped Jesse wasn’t working overtime. He didn’t feel up to having a confrontation with him tonight.
Footsteps sounded on the staircase outside moments before two paramedics swept into the room. Chris breathed a sigh of relief when Jesse wasn’t one of them.
With the woman loaded on the bus, Chris and Granger followed them to the hospital to take the woman’s statement and hopefully get her to agree to go to Transition House. He knew if Kayla had a chance to work with the woman, she’d have a good chance of breaking the ties to her relationship and saving those kids from growing up in that environment.
Granger set a cup of vending machine coffee beside him while they waited for the doctor to finish up with the woman they had brought in. Finally, the doctor stepped out and gave them the okay to talk to the victim.
Chris pushed aside the curtain. Jesus, the guy had worked her over good. Bruises covered most of her face and her eye was almost swollen shut.
“Mrs. Jacobs? I’m Officer Hanson. We were at the house.”
“I remember you and just call me Eileen, please.” Her broken voice was barely a whisper. “Where are my kids?”
“They’re in the cafeteria with one of the candy-stripers, getting some ice cream.”
“Oh good.” A sob racked her chest and she covered her face with her hands. “What kind of mother am I to let my kids see that?”
Longing for Kayla Page 6
