“We should at least go make sure he’s ok,” Ben says, unbuckling his seatbelt and opening the car door.
My stomach twists and I get out of the car, following Ben up the driveway. The curtains are pulled shut over the windows, but I still try and squint through.
As we approach the door, we’re both stopped in our tracks by the booming sound of Nick yelling.
Taken aback, we exchange a look. Neither of us had ever seen or heard Nick angry before, he was so easygoing it was hard to even imagine.
I can’t hear what he’s saying, but I do catch a female voice saying something in response. Ben’s brow furrows. “Who the fuck is that?” he hisses.
“Not a clue,” I whisper back.
The voice doesn’t sound familiar to me at all. Mentally, I run through my conversations with Nick, cataloguing women he’s mentioned who it could potentially be. No sisters or female cousins, his mother had passed away a few years ago…maybe his assistant?
No, I’d met her briefly, and the voice we’re hearing now is too low to be hers.
We hear a startled shout, followed by a crash, and Ben’s eyes widen. Without a moment’s hesitation, he reaches for the door. Fortunately, it’s open, and he bursts inside with me hot on his heels.
I was expecting some sort of crime scene, based on all the ruckus, but what Ben and I find when we see Nick is almost more shocking. He’s propping himself against the wall with one hand, clearly off balance and trying to steady himself, and there’s a thin blonde woman glued to his lips.
“What the fuck is going on here?!”
Ben’s roar startles the woman, who spins around. Nick stumbles back away from her. I can see a broken glass on the ground, the source of the crash. “Ben, Summer, I-fuck, this isn’t what you think-“
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me, man,” Ben laughs, but there’s no humor in the sound, just pain and bitterness, “What’s next? “It’s not what it looks like”?”
“It’s not, Ben, just fucking listen to me, she’s my ex-“
The blonde folds her arms over her chest. “I’m his girlfriend. Who the hell are you?”
“You’re not my fucking girlfriend, Shannon!” Nick cries in exasperation.
Shannon. I think I remember Nick mentioning an ex-girlfriend named Shannon. He’d caught her in the act cheating, and found out later that she had been sneaking around with multiple other guys the entire time he’d been seeing her.
“Ben, I swear, she’s my ex, she ambushed me here and she refused to leave until I talked to her. But I fucking swear, there’s nothing-“
“Save it,” Ben shakes his head, “I fucking knew this was a mistake.”
I touch his arm. “Wait, Ben-“
He yanks his arm away from me and looks at me angrily. “We just walked in on him fucking cheating on us, Summer! If we’d been ten minutes later, he’d have been balls-deep in another woman, and you’re defending him?”
“Ben, calm down, all we saw was one kiss, just let him explain-“
“No, I’ve fucking played this game, Summer,” he growls, “I’ve heard every explanation in the book.”
I look at Nick, searching his face. I want to believe him, I want to trust that he’s telling the truth.
There’s desperation in his eyes. “Ben, will you fucking wait one second?!” he snaps.
Ben ignores him and starts to storm out, and I feel my heart sink. “Ben! Come back!”
I hear the slam of a car door and start to panic. “Go on, Summer,” Nick tells me softly, “It’s ok.”
I turn to look at him, tears springing into my eyes. “I’m sorry, Nick, I’ll talk to him, ok?”
He nods, and I run out to catch Ben. Without a word, once I’m inside, Ben starts to pull away from the house and drive off, leaving half off my heart behind us.
Chapter Eleven
Nick
I still haven’t gotten him to come around, but I’m trying, Nick. Don’t give up on us yet.
I read the text from Summer for the millionth time. She’d been trying to get Ben to talk to me for the last two days, to no avail. And I couldn’t say I blamed him. It was exactly the cliché shit you see in all the stupid movies.
Shannon had shown up at my house when I was trying to leave to meet them, and she’d stubbornly refused to leave until I talked to her. She claimed to have turned over a new leaf, insisting that she’d made a mistake and I was the best thing that ever happened to her, but I didn’t buy the spiel for a second.
My theory is that her new sugar daddy had gotten tired of her shit and she was struggling to find another sucker to be her meal ticket. So she’d come crawling back to me in the meantime, whiskey on her breath, hoping I’d be gullible enough to buy this shit. But I know better than to trust her cheating ass.
Unfortunately, though, to my utter frustration, Ben’s echoing the same sentiment towards me. I’ve tried to be patient with him, give him time to cool off, but I’m tired of waiting.
I haven’t eaten, haven’t slept, all I can think about is getting the two of them back. I’m on such constant alert, listening for my phone, I keep hearing phantom buzzes and checking it obsessively, praying I’ll see their names.
Summer has texted me a couple of times, but I imagine things aren’t easy for her right now, either. And it kills me that I can’t be there for her.
I’ve been sitting on their front porch for nearly an hour now. I guess they’re both at work, but at least that gives me the chance to catch Ben and keep him from slamming the door in my face.
I’ve never been so desperate. The last month has been the best of my life. The more time I’ve spent with Summer and Ben, the more time I’ve wanted to spend with them. I can’t get enough of them.
So the last few days, to be cut off almost completely, has left me feeling hollow inside. It’s fucking torture.
Finally, I hear the roar of an engine pulling into the driveway. I don’t know if it’s Summer or Ben, but I don’t care. Either, both, it doesn’t matter, I need to see them.
And one way or another, I’m going to make Ben fucking hear me.
I hear the slam of the car door and footsteps approaching and I rise to my feet. It’s Ben, I’m sure of it.
When he lays eyes on me, he freezes in his tracks. “Nick,” he looks like he wants to tell me off, but his eyebrows shoot up when he takes in my appearance.
“Ben, please,” I hold up my hands, “I just want to talk. Just let me say my piece and then, if you really want, I’ll fuck off and leave.”
I pray he doesn’t call my bluff. I’m not giving up and leaving without a fight.
“There’s nothing to say, Nick,” Ben shakes his head, “It’s over.”
I grit my teeth against the jolt of pain that ripples through my chest at the words, but I don’t let it deter me. I take a step towards him.
“Would you please just listen, you stubborn fucking asshole?!” I snap.
Ben steps back, clearly startled.
“Shannon is my ex. She and I dated, I caught her cheating on me, I ended it,” I blurt, rushing to take advantage of the moment.
I expect Ben to interrupt and tell me to fuck off, but he’s listening, and I feel the tiniest spark of hope.
“She showed up out of the blue,” I explain, telling him my theory about her wanting to use me as a landing pad until she found the next meal ticket.
And I explain the kiss. Shannon and I had been arguing, and in hysterical dramatics, she had launched herself at me, knocking shit over and breaking a glass in the process, and she’d thrown me off-balance.
In trying not to fall, I think I’d grabbed onto her or something, but honestly, the whole thing was such an unpleasant blur, I don’t even know.
As I explain, Ben remains stoic and silent. “Why should I believe any of this, Nick?” he asks me.
“Have I ever given you a reason not to trust me, Ben? From the first fucking night we were together, have I fucking lied to you once?” I try to s
mother the note of desperation wheedling into my voice.
And that spark of hope kindles into a tiny flame when Ben falls silent again. He can’t think of any good reason not to believe me.
I close the distance between him, grabbing him by the shoulders. “Please, Ben, I swear to you, on my life, I am telling you the truth. It sounds stupid, it sounds crazy, and I know it sounds like bullshit, but it’s what happened. I would never do anything to hurt you, or Summer.”
He grits his teeth, eyes locked on the ground, and it clicks. The key to getting under his armor is to take off my own, expose my belly and throw myself, vulnerable, on his mercy.
So I swallow my pride and decide to lay all my cards on the table. “Ben, I fell in love with you and Summer that first night the three of us were together. I didn’t want a relationship. I didn’t want to fall in love. Fuck, I’ve never felt love like this, it scared the hell out of me,” I grip his chin and force him to look at me.
There’s pain in his blue eyes, but I can also see that same little blaze of hope that’s burning in me, and seeing it reflected back only makes mine grow. He hasn’t given up yet.
“I was with Shannon for six months and never felt a fraction of what I felt for you two that first fucking night.” I continue.
“None of this has gone according to plan, and everything has happened insanely fast. But the fact is, Ben, pure and simple, you and Summer are everything I’ve ever wanted and I’m madly in love with you and that gorgeous girl. It’s like you’ve shown me how much love my heart is capable of, and I had no idea I could feel this much. You fucking nerds are my whole damn world, and without you, I’m a mess.”
“I can see that,” Ben quips, looking me up and down, and that small joke floods me with happiness.
“Please, Ben,” I say hoarsely, “Let’s forget this ever happened and get back on track. I need you both, more than I can put into words. Yeah, this whole thing has been fast, but I don’t give a shit. I want to make you and Summer happy for the rest of my fucking life. Please, give the three of us another chance.”
I hear a sniffle behind me and both of us turn to see Summer standing there, tears trickling down her face. We’d been so caught up in the conversation that we hadn’t heard her approach.
“Sorry,” she says, wiping at her face, “Didn’t mean to eavesdrop. But seriously, Ben, would you please just kiss him already?”
I turn to Ben. “Yeah, Ben,” I whisper, “Would you please just kiss me alr-“
Ben’s lips crash into mine, and it feels like a triumph. He kisses me hard enough to crush the breath from my lungs, and I kiss the stubborn nerd for all I’m worth. Summer slips past us and unlocks the front door, and without parting, the two of us crash inside.
I can hear Summer giggling, and it’s like the sound is the last gear that needs to turn to get my heart started again.
I think for a moment about dragging them both upstairs, but screw it. The door’s locked, no one can see, and if anyone did want to peek in the windows right now, let them. Let them watch me enjoying the loves of my life, I don’t give a fuck. All I care about is the two of them.
Fabric rips as we scramble to tear each other’s clothes off, and I hear Summer mutter “I’ll be over here taking my own clothes off. This blouse was expensive, you animals.”
It makes both of us laugh hard enough that it breaks our kiss. “Come here,” I tell her, beckoning her over.
After wiggling her jeans and panties down her hips, I gently and carefully unbutton her blouse. I even make a big show of folding it and draping it over a chair, which earns me an eye roll from Summer and snickering from Ben.
I grab her and claim a kiss, pulling her flush against me. My cock presses against her belly and she slides a hand between us to stroke it. I guide her down to the floor, hovering over her. “Shit, Ben, do you have a condom?”
“I’m on birth control,” Summer blurts breathlessly, “You don’t-“ she blushes, “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. Ben told me about the, uh the test.”
I had been talking to Ben and we’d been swapping stories of our cheating exes, and somehow it had led to me telling him I’d been tested after my most recent relationship and I was clean. I hadn’t given him the information with any expectations, however.
But if Summer is offering, I can’t refuse. Her thighs are already slick with wetness, and I slide into her with ease. Ben sprints upstairs for a moment and returns with the lube, but I can’t focus on anything but the tight heat of Summer’s bare pussy.
She felt amazing before, but this is a whole new level, nothing between us.
But when Ben’s lubed-up fingers start to probe my ass, stretching me and prepping me for his cock, I know the pleasure is only just beginning.
After a few minutes, Ben deems me ready and when I feel him positioning the tip of his cock at the tight ring of muscle, I still my thrusts, reaching down to play with Summer’s clit to make up for it and so I can keep hearing those breathy little gasps of pleasure and feeling her pussy tighten around me like a fist.
Even slick with lube, it takes a little patience to get Ben’s huge dick inside me, but I’m basking in every second. He feels so fucking good, and to feel him inside me while I’m inside Summer is pure fucking bliss.
“Oh, fuck, yes,” I let out a low hiss of pleasure when Ben starts to move, and I take the cue to resume my own thrusts.
Every time his hips jerk forward, he’s driving me deeper and deeper into Summer’s pussy, and clearly, she’s fucking loving it.
She drags her nails down my back, caught up in pleasure, and I like the little shock of pain from the scratches. “That’s right, baby, take it all,” I murmur, bending to take one of her nipples between my lips.
Summer cries out and I feel her walls grip me like a vice as the orgasm builds and rips through her. “Oh, fuck, Nick, yes, I’m cumming, yes!”
It’s all too fucking much. Ben inside me, Summer’s pussy tight around my cock, her pert little nipple between my teeth and her screaming my name…
I blow my load, the pleasure slamming into me like a motherfucking freight train and knocking the breath from me, and I hear Ben let out a yell as he floods my asshole with his own heat.
Like a puppet with its strings cut, I collapse sort-of half on the floor and half on top of Summer, kissing every inch of her exposed flesh that I can reach in my love-drunk daze. Ben sinks down beside us with a little more dignity, pressing his lips against my bare shoulder.
“I’m sorry, Nick,” he says, “I was an idiot, and I need to learn not to jump to conclusions.”
I turn to face him. “I get it. It was a shitty situation, I can hardly blame you for thinking what you did.”
“I should have listened when you tried to explain.”
“Hey,” Summer chimes in, “Both of you, stop apologizing and let’s just bask in the happy.”
We both laugh. Summer’s right. Bask in the happy, indeed.
Chapter Twelve
Summer
One Year Later
I’m so excited. I’ve been working all afternoon on dinner for my guys, and I can’t wait to surprise them. Because tonight, we’re celebrating.
The last year has been amazing, but it’s also made me do a lot of thinking. Nick has joined Ben in the voices urging me to quit the club and just let them take care of me, and I’ve finally decided to agree, on one condition: I’m going to take the time and go back to college, and tonight, I want to celebrate having gotten an acceptance letter for my top choice school.
I had never been able to settle on a degree, so I’d only ever done a few semesters before deciding it wasn’t worth spending the money on tuition just to be shiftless. Now, though, I was finally ready to go back, and at least for now, I had decided to start pursuing a nursing degree.
But the biggest thing that being with two men has taught me is that sometimes life has other plans, so I suppose we’ll see what happens.
The table is set, c
andles are lit, and I’ve shimmied into my sexiest little black dress. Now all that’s missing is my guys.
I’m not the only one who’s made a career change, either. When Ben offered him a partnership, Nick jumped at the chance, and he’d taken to it like a duck to water. It’s made it easier for all of us to spend time together, too, with the two of them able to sync schedules.
I’ll admit, being in this relationship has sent me down some internet search rabbit holes, and I’ve learned a term that sort of describes a feeling that all three of us get. It’s called compersion, and the simplest definition I’ve found for it, not to mention the one I like the best, is “happiness for another person's happiness.”
That joy I feel when I watch them, the way it turns me on to see them touch each other, it all falls under that umbrella, and it’s not a feeling everyone can relate to. But the three of us all get pleasure from each other’s joy, and right now, things have never been happier.
I peek out the window for the millionth time, and to my delight, I see the car pulling into the driveway.
With a squeal of delight, I quickly pour glasses of champagne for the three of us and take two in hand, ready to greet them both. The door swings open and the sight of my men, still suited up for work, immediately makes my heart beat faster.
“Welcome home!” I blurt excitedly, thrusting a champagne flute at each of them.
They look at the glasses, both looking confused for a moment, then both of their expressions turn angry and they glare at each other. “You told her!” Ben says accusingly.
“Me? I didn’t say anything, you must have spilled!”
I blink, completely lost. “What?”
But they don’t hear me. Ben plunks his suitcase angrily on the floor and throws his hands up in exasperation. “Why would I have ruined it, the whole plan was my idea?!”
“Doesn’t mean you couldn’t have caved. What, did you show her the ring, too?”
Ring?
“Of course not,” Ben snaps, “Because I’M not the one who said anything!”
Just For Halloween (Just Us Series Book 3) Page 5
