Chapter 16
16
JOSH
T his is going to either go really bad or really well. I run to my room and throw on my swim trunks. There’s no way I’m letting Brian get out there before me in case he decides he wants to kill Logan. Grabbing another beer on my way through the kitchen, I step out onto the back porch, thankfully beating Brian out. The noise of the hot tub jets block out the sound of me coming outside, but Logan sees me anyway. He winks at me then leans forward to say something to Kelli.
I watch her spine straighten, but she makes no move to grab her swim top still sitting on the edge next to her. Logan and Kelli are in two corners directly across from each other, so I head for one of the others. Today has been tense, and she has been in the forefront of my mind all day. I didn’t hear a word that was said in our meeting this morning, too busy replaying Kelli’s flirty words from earlier that morning. I told Brian that she isn’t mine to like, and I mean it, but damn it if I still don’t want her anyway. Being around Kelli quiets the chaos in my mind, and it’s something that I am starting to crave when I’m away from her.
I hear Brian come out to the porch right as I’m about to step into the hot tub. Turning, I see his eyes fixed on Kelli’s back with a blank expression on his face. “Well look who decided to crash our game,” Logan says, leaning back in his spot with his hands thrown over the edge on either side of him.
“What game is that?” Brian asks, moving to the other corner of the hot tub.
“Before either of you get in, you have to know the rules. If you get in, you have to play. And if you choose to not answer the truth or take the dare you are given, you have to leave the game. Are you in?” He looks at Kelli the whole time he talks, never dropping his smirk. Brian and I look at each other, then both climb in across from each other to the two empty corners. Kelli’s red cheeks are the first thing I notice, especially as that blush travels down to where her creamy skin meets the water. It could be from the heat, but I doubt it. I really try not to look below her face, but my eyes drop anyway. The bubbles from the jets are making it hard to see much below the surface, and unfortunately, they hide her naked chest pretty well. A very obvious throat clearing gets my attention, causing me to look up and see Brian giving me a death glare. Like he can blame me.
“We got you more things from your house” Brian says, clearly trying to avoid playing this game. “I didn’t see a swimsuit though, is there a problem with yours?”
“Not at all, she just lost it to a dare,” Logan says cheerfully as he looks entirely too pleased with himself over that. “Speaking of, it’s my turn.” He looks around at all of us before slowly turning to me. “Truth or dare, Josh?”
I hate this game. I have only played it once and have actively avoided it ever since. For Kelli though, I’ll take one for the team, “Truth.”
“Good choice, Joshy. How do you feel about Kelli?”
He has me trapped and he knows it. These two can read me like a book, and I haven’t exactly been hiding my growing feelings for her. I look at Kelli, her ocean blue eyes meeting my emerald green ones. “I think she is too good for me, yet I want her anyway. She’s incredible and I find her on my mind more often than not.” A smile spreads across her lips as her cheeks flush. “Truth or dare, Kelli?”
“Truth.”
“Which one of us do you find the most attractive?”
“That’s not fair, you are all stupidly attractive and you know it.” I narrow my gaze at her with one eyebrow raised waiting for her to answer. “Okay, but you can’t hate me over this. Face would be Logan, body would be Brian, and sexy dominant broody vibes that I like is all you.” Can’t say I hate that answer. Anyone with eyes knows that Logan has a model face, and Brian is more cut than I am. Not a lot of women see my attitude and find it attractive, so I like that she does.
Logan’s smug face beams at her. “I like your face, too, pretty girl.”
She splashes some water towards him, giggling. “Shut it.” Her head turns toward Brian, her gaze softening. “Truth or dare, B.”
“Truth.”
“You guys suck at this game. Where are all the dares?” Logan whines.
Kelli really contemplates her question, finally pushing her shoulders back and looking him in the eye. “How many times have you been in love?”
His brows scrunch as his head tilts to the side, questioning. “Only you, dove. Always you.”
Her shoulders immediately sink, her gaze moving down to the water. She has to know that she is the love of his life. The only one he has ever and probably will ever truly love. He has let things go so wrong for them, the hurt still so fresh at the surface for them both.
“Truth or dare, Logan.”
“I’ll stick with your boring round of truths.”
“Are you falling for my girl?”
Logan’s eyes shoot to Brian’s. If Brian wants to get his girl, pushing his friends to admit their feelings to her is not the way to do it. “I am falling for OUR girl, yeah.” Brian’s entire face goes hard as Kelli’s face lights up like a Christmas tree. “Back to you, Josh, truth or dare?”
“Truth.”
He taps his finger on his chin dramatically. “Ooh I got it! Is the reason you like to share women because you’re a voyeur, an exhibitionist, or because you’re a control freak?” That’s not where I was expecting him to go with that, but I have no problem answering honestly because he and Brian already know the answer. This is clearly for Kelli’s benefit and to gauge reactions.
“All of the above,” I respond. In high school, I accidentally discovered that I enjoy watching people fuck when I stumbled upon the ‘secret’ hook up spot behind the gym. Then joining the military, you are often bunked in barracks where you share rooms, and well, I discovered I don’t mind having an audience either. Brian happened to share a room with me for a while, and eventually, we just started sharing women. It was easy. I trusted him and he let me control the situation how I liked, so it became our thing. Kelli doesn’t look surprised by the question or my answer, which intrigues me. Did Logan give her a heads up about our activities, or is sharing something not foreign to her? Fuck, my dick is getting hard just thinking about it.
“Okay Kel, truth or dare?” I ask, praying she will pick dare. It’s a miracle that Brian hasn’t said anything to Logan about the swim top, but the look in his eyes is all lust aimed at Kelli. I really shouldn’t poke the bear, but something has to give. We can’t all keep getting more attached to this girl without a blow up bound to happen.
“Dare,” she replies, looking me in the eye and reading my silent request.
Fuck yes . “I dare you to sit on Brian’s lap.” She sucks in a breath while looking at the others, then slowly scoots toward him, making sure to keep only her head above water.
“Damn, going in for the kill,” Logan mutters under his breath toward me. The feel of Brian’s glare aimed at me is doing nothing to take my eyes off the stunning girl in front of me. I would rather have Brian hate me instead of Logan, so here I am testing the waters, so to speak. As Kelli slides herself onto his lap, she leans her back against his chest and lets her head rest on his shoulder. One of his hands is resting over the edge of the hot tub holding a beer, but as his jaw clenches, I know his other is somewhere touching her soft skin.
They look good together, even if Brian is stiff as a board. He said he’s ready to be honest with her. What better way to get him there than to make him hold onto the one thing he won’t let himself have? Kelli leans to the side and looks up at him with adoration and a little twinkle of mischief when she asks, “Truth or dare, B?”
He keeps his glare on me for another second, grinding his teeth to keep from either yelling at me or thanking me. Either way, I know I’m going to pay for this later, but I’m hoping it pays off. He slowly looks down at her, and the minute their eyes connect, his body starts to relax. “Dare.”
“I dare you to sleep in my bed with me tonight.” She says it sweetly, but I see the way her eyes cut to the side. She doesn’t want to sleep alone, that’s clear as day to me, and she’s killing three birds with one stone with that dare. Not only would she not be alone tonight, but she’s also forcing him to spend time with her, which I can see she desperately wants. What she may not know is the fact that she just hit him where he needs it. He knows about the nightmares and that her asking means she is asking for his comfort when they happen. I look over at Logan, who is looking at her the same way I am, full of wonder and awe. The one thing Brian feels he can’t give her, he will be giving her tonight. It was a gift she was giving him and she didn’t even know it.
“Any night you want me, I’m there,” his voice comes out soft. Love radiates from him as his gaze stays locked on hers, but as soon as he looks away, I see the fear hidden in his eyes. This is going to be so good for them both. Kelli squirms on his lap, drawing a low groan from him. My cock is throbbing now at the thought of her ass rubbing against him. “Alright Logan,” Brian continues with a gritty voice, “truth or dare?”
“Dare, duh.”
Brian looks down at Kelli as a smile slowly slides over his face. He holds her stare again as he makes his request, “I dare you to turn the jets off.” Logan bursts out laughing as Kelli lets out a little squeal. This is going to be fun. At least I won’t be the only one with a boner after this. Logan leaps over to the other side of the hot tub and pushes the buttons to turn off the jets. The quiet that settles over us as the jets stop allows the sounds of the night and the critters to be heard, bringing in a sense of calm. That is, until the water settles after Logan gets back in his spot. Simultaneously, everyone’s eyes drop down to Kelli’s chest.
“This is the best game we have ever played,” Logan says, licking his lower lip with his eyes glued to her perky boobs. “Fuck, baby girl, you have been teasing me all night with those bare tits and they are more than worth the wait.” Kelli turns her head more into Brian’s neck to hide her embarrassment, but really it just gives him a better view of her perfect, round breasts. Her breathing is getting deeper as we watch her chest heave and her legs squeeze together, slowly making eye contact with us all. Brian’s hand squeezes her hip, then trails down to rest on her inner thigh.
“He’s not wrong,” Brian mutters with his eyes not moving from her. “You still take my breath away.”
“Okay, my turn,” Logan all but shouts, pulling Kelli off Brian’s lap and onto his own. “We are pausing the game because I can see that look in your eyes, baby girl. What do you need right now?” We can all see the lust in her hooded eyes, the way her chest is heaving with each heavy breath she takes. She slowly sucks in her bottom lip and chews on it while looking around at us, leaving us all in a trance.
“It’s been a while since I’ve uhhh… No one has looked at me like this in years… I just…” she starts, but clearly doesn’t want to say what she’s feeling.
“It’s okay, baby girl, I know what you need,” Logan says right before he gently pulls her face to his and kisses her. It starts out as a gentle kiss, but Kelli quickly turns into him more as he wraps one hand around her waist, the other gently gripping her hair and angling her head until it’s all clashing of tongues. I can feel the rest of my blood rushing south as Kelli’s nipples harden and a whimper slips from her lips.
She looks like she belongs with Logan as much as she looked like she belonged with Brian. My brain is overwhelmed with thoughts of her being with both of them. With all of us. She looks like ours. She feels like ours. Her body melts into Logans, pushing her ass further into his lap and grabbing hard on to his shoulders. Brian abruptly stands up and gets out of the hot tub, walking into the house without a backwards glance. Kelli pulls back and watches him go with hurt in her eyes. Every part of me hates to see that look on her, leaving me no choice but to fix it. “It’s okay, just give him some time. I can go talk to him, if you want?”
“No, don’t go,” she pleads as she looks back to Logan who gives her a little nod of encouragement, “You like to watch, right?” She looks down at the water and lets her fingers flow through it. “Logan and I talked, he told me he wants me. Do you want me, too?” What the hell happened today when we were gone? Logan must be tired of this waiting around, walking on eggshells game we have all been playing. Her eyes slowly move up and meet mine, and I am stunned. She is too damn sweet, too good, too everything I am not. Watching her eyes fill with a silent plea, longing, and a mix of fear and embarrassment, I decide to give in, just a little.
“Yeah baby, I like to watch. I need control, though. Will you follow my instructions?” I question. She bites her lip, nodding vigorously, her face radiating excitement. “Good girl. Straddle his lap and give him what he wants.” She sucks in a sharp breath, climbing fully onto Logan’s lap as his hands grip her hips and pull her down snug on his cock. Logan and I haven’t shared before, but he knows about my dominant side. He looks up at me waiting for direction, and damn if that doesn’t turn me on even more. I move over to put my chest to her back reaching around to roll her nipples between my fingers. “Kiss her,” I tell him while I continue to pinch and tease her nipples.
Logan’s hands squeeze her hips, encouraging her to grind against his length. She lets out a little gasp as she moves along his hard shaft and pushes further down on him as she rocks her hips. I’m entranced by her movements, her ass moving against my cock every time she rocks back. Moving one of my hands up to grip the hair at the back of her neck, I angle her head so Logan can deepen the kiss. The gravel in my voice is unavoidable as I growl in her ear, “You like the way his cock feels against your needy pussy? How long has it been since someone has given her what she needs?”
“Too long,” she gets out in a breathy moan as Logan moves to kiss along her jawline. I bite down the length of her neck on the other side, licking at the sting after each nip. My hand in her hair moves down her back, then slips around to the front, stroking along her hips and teasing along the edge of her bottoms. “Please!” She cries as Logan lifts her breast and bites down on her nipple.
My fingers slide around to the back and down into her bottoms. After grabbing a handful of her juicy ass, I push a finger further down, rubbing a circle around her entrance, then slip it into her wet pussy. Fuck, she is so tight and soft. I curl my finger, stroking her as she continues to grind her clit against Logan. I can’t stop my hips from rocking against her ass from behind her as I bite my lip to hold back a groan. I remove my finger, reaching around and up to tease her nipple again as my other hand moves around her throat, squeezing just hard enough. Logan’s eyes close as she grinds harder onto him. “Do you see what you do to us, Kelli? Having two men so fucking hard for you, willing to do anything to please you. Be a good girl and ride his cock. Take what you need from him.” Her head falls back against me, whimpers escaping her pouty lips.
Sliding two fingers back into her, I stroke at the spot that makes her fingers dig into Logan’s shoulders. Her little cries of pleasure have me out of my mind, on the edge of coming. I try to distract myself, so I look over her shoulder at Logan who is still taking turns sucking one nipple into his mouth while playing with the other. Her pussy starts to clench around my fingers and her hips angle more to get her clit right against the tip of his dick. “She’s so close, get her there.” He moves both hands to her hips dragging her slit over the tip of his dick, sucking one of her peaked nipples hard into his mouth. Kelli tightens around my fingers and screams her release in a mix of ‘oh fucks’ and whimpering cries. Logan holds her sagging body tight against him while I slowly kiss down her neck while rubbing her arms and shoulders as she comes down.
“Such a good fucking girl for us. You are so beautiful when you come,” I say as I can’t help but praise her. She is just as sweet as I knew she would be. As she fully slumps into Logan’s arms, I step out of the hot tub to grab her a towel, watching Logan continue to whisper into her ear and stroke her back. “Come here,” I grab her hand to help her out, but she pulls back and looks down at my erection.
“What about you guys?”
Pulling her out and wrapping her in the towel, I tell her not to worry about us. Logan and I got so much more than we could have asked for tonight, and this night isn’t about us. “Go take a shower; we will make sure B is in your bed tonight.”
She looks away, the hurt written all over her face once again as her eyes turn glassy. “It’s fine, he made his feelings clear tonight,” she says as the tears in her eyes start to spill over. I rub my hands over the towel wrapped around her arms. Logan throws the top on the hot tub and comes over to pull Kelli into his arms. He looks over at me and then up to the house. We know each other well enough for me to know he has this, and I need to go knock some fucking sense into Brian. Leaving him to take care of her, I head inside to find my other best friend.
I’m not surprised to find him still in his swim shorts pacing his room. I lean against his door jamb with my arms crossed, waiting for him to talk. Brian doesn’t freak out often; he is one of the most level-headed people I know, except for when it comes to Kelli. I truly believe they could have a once in a lifetime love. Even though it makes jealousy course through my veins, especially after tonight, I want that for him. If anyone deserves it, it’s him.
“I fucked up again,” he says as he finally sits at the edge of his bed. He looks exhausted. This might be the first time I really notice it, the dark circles under his eyes, the way his whole body sags with each heavy breath. How long has it been since he got a good night of sleep? Kelli’s presence here has to be messing with him, and I haven’t bothered to check in with him to see where his head is at recently. Logan and I have only criticized him for all he’s doing wrong instead of taking the time to ask how he is handling everything.
“Yeah, but you can fix it,” I insist. He looks up at me like I’m stupid. “You shouldn’t have left, and I don’t care why you did. Honestly, I don’t even care how you feel about all that right now. I care that you are in her bed tonight and that you get over yourself and your issues in order to be there for the girl that you love when she needs you.” The silence stretches between us as he hangs his head and stares at the floor. “She needs you, B, and it looks to me like you might need her just as much. Don’t let your past fuck this up.”
I turn and walk back down the hall, full of conflicting feelings. He needs to fix things with her, for both their sakes. Whether that looks like them finally acting on their feelings, or just agreeing to being the friends they once were, I don’t know. I just know that I want her to be happy, but part of me wants her to find that happiness with me.