9. Harrison
CHAPTER 9
Harrison
Okay, so I’m going to be riding out a monsoon in Texas in a roadside dump with my best friend, my ex-lover, and my other friend’s ex-fiancée. Oh, and that ex-fiancée is the woman who both of the aforementioned men are in love with. Yes, I’m aware of Liam’s not-just-a-friend feelings for Ivy. I’m not an idiot. I just play one…most of the time.
I watch them all run from the car to the door to the motel room.
It’s one of those places that has the doors on the outside. It opens right up to the parking lot. It’s just one thin piece of wood between us and the rain storm. Or the serial killer with the chainsaw.
I sigh.
This is the craziest road trip ever.
So why am I having such a great time?
I watch as Liam unlocks the door and lets Ivy precede him into the room. Ford lugs his bag and Ivy’s suitcase inside. The door shuts behind them.
I take a breath.
Okay, so this is it. The four of us in one room for the night. The guy told me there are two beds. Two queens. Not even king-sized beds. That means it’s going to be two and two. It’s gonna be a tight fit.
And something is going to happen.
There’s no way the four of us will emerge from that room in the morning unscathed.
This sexual tension amongst us is ridiculous.
And yet, I don’t think I like three other people on the planet as much as I like the three people in that room.
I’ve liked Ford for most of my life. I love him like a brother. I’d do anything for him.
I’ve liked Liam since I met him. Fucking him was just the hot caramel, crushed cashews, and whipped cream on top of the grumpy-sexy-bossy-intriguing sundae. I could just listen to him talk or watch him do, well, anything for hours. And that was before I knew he could dance.
Fuck, that was hot. And surprising. And watching him smile and actually laugh …God, I wanted to push him up against the wall and kiss the hell out of him just for that.
And yes, I definitely like Ivy. She’s spunky and funny and has been up for absolutely everything I’ve tossed at our entourage. She’s supposed to be heartbroken and down on her luck and was even hungover for a good portion of the first day. But the girl rallied. She was fun, adventurous, and curious about everything from the new sour candy I found at the gas station to the rubber ball “museum” to the armadillo circus. I love her smile and making her laugh gives me a warm feeling that I want to keep producing. Yeah, I absolutely like her.
Something needs to happen in that room. We all have a lot of emotion to work off and we need to really connect somehow. We’ve been getting closer. Between the wedding debacle, getting Ivy through that first night, the silly stops that first day, the honky-tonk…now we need something more absolute. Something real. I can’t explain it better than that.
So Ivy was just left at the altar. Big deal. It wasn’t her fault. Brad is an asshole. We all know that now. It’s time to move on. What good does it do for her to hold herself back from Ford because of Brad? That’s stupid. She probably should have been with Ford all this time. No time like the present to correct that mistake.
As for me and Liam, I know I hurt him, but he wants me as much as I want him. I just need to make the first move since I was the one who bailed last time. Fine. I can do that.
We’re grown-assed adults. The three people I’m with just need a little nudge.
Or a Let’s Fucking Go shove.
I get out of the car and jog up to the door. I step into the room and immediately strip my shirt off, and head for the bathroom.
“Whoo! I’m soaked.” I grab a towel from the rack and run it over my hair. “How about you, Ivy? Bet you’re pretty wet, aren’t ya’?”
Both Ivy and Liam are standing in the middle of the dinky room, between the beds, watching me as I rub my hair with the towel. I’m not totally full of myself, but I don’t spend an hour and a half in the gym every day because I like the smell of sweat. It keeps me healthy and strong, and the people I like to fuck seem to appreciate the muscles it produces.
I drag the towel over my chest and down my abs. “Ivy?”
She’s following the path of the white cloth. “Yeah?”
“Are you wet?”
It’s a stupid question. She is, of course. We all are. It’s pouring outside and even running the thirty feet from the car to the motel drenched us all.
Her blonde hair is hanging straight, and water is dripping from the ends. A drop of water runs from her hairline down her temple, over her pretty cheek, to her jaw.
Her tongue pokes out and slides over her lower lip. “Um,” is all she says as she watches me drag the towel over my arm.
Liam steps in front of her, blocking my view. Except that I’m tall enough I can see her over his head.
“Knock it off,” he tells me with a frown.
I chuckle. “Oh, don’t worry, William,” I say. “I’m paying attention to you, too.” I step forward and lift the towel to his face, dragging it over his cheek and down his neck.
His lips fall open. “Just…” He clears his throat. “Leave Ivy alone.”
“If she wants me to,” I agree. I loop the towel around his neck and look past him at Ivy. Then I drop my hands to my button and zipper, undoing them and pushing the wet shorts over my hips. “You feeling bothered by me, Ivy girl?”
She’s watching me strip, her eyes wide. Her gaze goes to the mirror on the wall behind me, where she’s got a good view of my ass.
“No.” Her voice is soft.
I grin at Liam as I toe off my shoes and step out of my shorts. “See? No problem.”
“Harrison.”
I look over at Ford. He’s standing by the window with the bed between him and Ivy. He looks bothered. He’s watching Ivy watch me.
“Everything is good, buddy,” I tell him. “Just go with it.”
I’m in only my black briefs. They’re a little wet too, but I don’t intend to keep them on for long. I step into Liam, grabbing both ends of the towel around his neck. I pull him close and kiss him. It’s a hard, short kiss. Just a warm-up. Just to let him know what’s coming. “Save my spot,” I say against his lips before letting him go, pushing him down to sit on the bed to my right, and stepping past his knees to Ivy.
I take her by both upper arms. She’s staring at my mouth, maybe replaying my kiss with Liam.
“I’m going to share a bed with Liam, so you’re going to be over here with Ford, okay?” I say, turning her and walking her one step to the other bed.
This room is so fucking small it’s going to feel like we’re all in bed together, anyway.
“Oh,” she looks over her shoulder at Ford. “Okay.”
“That’s not—” Liam starts.
“Ford and I are too big to share a bed,” I cut him off without even looking at him.
As if I don’t know Liam has feelings for Ivy, too.
An image of Liam and Ivy together, kissing, naked, in bed…with me…flashes through my mind.
I freeze, staring down at the woman before me.
Wow. What was that?
I do like Ivy. I find her incredibly beautiful. But I’ve written her off as off-limits. First, because of Brad. Then Ford. Then Liam.
But fuck, the idea of having her and Liam shoots a bolt of heat straight through me.
Yeah, I’d be into that.
“You have to ask Ivy if it’s okay and if she’s comfortable,” Liam says behind me, interrupting those unexpected thoughts.
“It’s okay, Liam. They are bigger than you and me,” Ivy says. Then she casts an almost shy glance at Ford. “If it’s okay with Ford.”
Right. Ford. I can’t have Ivy and Liam together because Ford wants Ivy.
I was intending to give my best friend a chance to heat things up with his dream girl. And this is my perfect chance to wear Liam down further. I need another chance with him. I need to kiss him again. I need tonight in his arms.
Should I just say that? Maybe.
But I’m a little chicken. I’ll admit it. I’m rolling the dice here and hoping that being naked in bed together will make it harder for Liam to continue to reject me.
Ford gives a short laugh. “Yeah. It’s fine with me.”
Her cheeks are pink when she says, “Okay.” She looks up at me. “It’s fine.”
I squeeze her arms. “You should undress, though. Don’t want to get the sheets wet.”
Her cheeks get even redder.
“Everyone needs to undress,” I announce to the room. “Quit dripping on the carpet.” I step back from Ivy, strip out of my briefs, and toss them toward the bathroom door.
They’re all still dressed. I’m bare-assed naked. And it doesn’t bother me at all.
Ford’s seen me naked. Liam’s seen me naked. Ivy has not, and she is actually not my focus here tonight. But when her gaze drops to my cock, it hardens, and suddenly, I find myself studying her mouth.
I can easily picture her sinking to her knees, my hand tangling in her long, wet hair, guiding her forward, those pretty pink lips parting, and my cock sliding past them as she makes a gorgeous, needy, moaning sound.
I bet her mouth is so fucking soft and hot.
She wouldn’t suck me the way Liam does. It would be softer, sweeter—I’d have to talk her through it. I’d be in control with her.
Liam is in control when we’re together. He’s the boss.
But I could boss this pretty little thing.
And her pussy…God, I bet she’s tight. She’d be so gorgeous riding me.
Would she like to watch Liam and me together? Would that turn her on? How would her pussy feel around my cock while Liam fucked me?
“Harrison?” she says softly. “Are you okay?”
I shake my head, realizing that I’m staring at her, not saying a word or moving.
I’m naked, hard as steel, intending to push her into bed with Ford, itching to get my hands on Liam, but suddenly having very vivid, very dirty thoughts about Ivy.
I clear my throat. “Yeah, Ivy. I’m okay. Really, really okay.”
I think our road trip just got a lot more interesting.
And yeah, I’m okay with that.
“You should get undressed and go to bed,” I tell her.
Suddenly Liam is there, pushing between us again.
He literally shoves me back onto the bed he was just sitting on. “Here.” He hands Ivy what looks like her pajamas.
What a mood killer.
Then he steers her toward the bathroom. He pushes her inside, shuts the door, and then turns toward me and Ford.
“Jesus Christ, Harrison.”
I just grin because he says it to my cock.
He pulls his shirt off, and my grin dies.
He is not my usual type, but I remember every inch of his body. The way he moved against me, the things he made me feel, the way he seemed to just know me.
I have had dominant lovers before, but not like Liam. Liam owns his sexuality in a way I’ve never experienced. He knew exactly what he wanted, but he gave me what I needed first. Over and over. In fact, that was what he wanted, I realized later. My pleasure was what drove him.
It was the hottest night of my life, and the way he read me, the way he made me surrender over and over, was what freaked me out. It was like he knew a part of me I didn’t even know. And I wanted more and more.
I had to get the hell out of there the next morning and I couldn’t face even a text conversation for about forty-eight hours after.
I’m suddenly wondering if this road trip and the sleeping arrangements tonight were really terrible ideas.
“You know what?” I say, pulling the duvet and top sheet back and sliding under them. “Ford, get over here. Obviously, Liam is upset.”
Liam strips his pants and underwear off. He gives me a look. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. We still have a long trip ahead. I don’t want you to be all pissy tomorrow. I’ll stop teasing you and Ivy.”
“No, you won’t.” He comes to the side of the bed naked, his fully erect cock bobbing.
“I will.” My eyes will not leave his cock, no matter how many times I say look away! “I don’t want to upset anyone.”
Ford snorts.
But Liam is fully focused on me. “All you’ve done is upset me since I saw you that first night a year ago. Certainly, since you arrived in California for the wedding. Definitely since you planted your fine ass in the car for the road trip. And now you’re naked in my bed. It’s way too late to be apologetic now, Harrison.”
His tone is ominous. His expression is full of dark promise.
My cock pulses, and lust courses through my body.
God, he’s so fucking gorgeous.
“So…”
“So scoot the fuck over,” Liam says, pulling the covers back and kneeling on the mattress.
I do, and he climbs in next to me.
He plants a hand on either side of my head, bracing himself over me.
“I knew you were going to be trouble the second I laid eyes on you,” he says.
“But no regrets, right?” I ask as he leans closer, his lips nearly on mine.
“Oh, so many fucking regrets,” he says.
And then he’s kissing me.