Chapter 10
ten
. . .
Wick
Watching Meghan melt into Marco’s arms while they danced was a special kind of torture. Like being flayed alive, every nerve ending exposed and raw, bleeding.
She would never be mine. Not in the way I wanted her to be, the way I needed her to be. I’d had my chance—that day at the picnic when she’d looked at me with those big blue eyes and laid her heart at my feet. She’d offered me everything I’d ever dreamed of on a silver fucking platter.
And I’d thrown it back in her face.
“I’m in love with you. I have been for a long time now. And I know you probably don’t feel the same way, but I just... I couldn’t keep it inside anymore.”
I stared at her, my heart pounding in my chest, my mind reeling.
She loved me. Meghan Price, the girl I’d watched grow into a woman. The woman who’d haunted my dreams and fueled my secret fantasies .
It was everything I’d ever wanted to hear, more than I’d ever hoped for. And yet, I stood there with the sun beating down on me and a sickening sense of dread curdling in my stomach. Because this couldn’t happen. We couldn’t happen. Not now, not ever.
“Jesus, Meg,” I choked out, running a hand through my hair. “I don’t...I don’t know what to say.”
Her face fell, hurt and confusion flickering in her eyes. “You don’t know what to say? Well, that’s just great. Fan-fucking-tastic. For a man who prides himself on always having the right words, you’re doing a piss-poor job of it right now.”
Hot, defensive anger reared in my chest. Who was she to put this on me, to lay this burden at my feet and expect me to just accept it with open arms? Didn’t she understand how wrong it would be for us to cross that line? “What do you want from me, Meghan?” I snapped, my voice harsher than I’d intended. “You drop this bombshell on me out of nowhere and expect me to, what? Sweep you into my arms and declare my undying love?”
She recoiled as if I’d slapped her, tears welling in her eyes. “No, of course not. But I thought...I hoped...”
She trailed off, her voice breaking. And God, it killed me to see her looking so vulnerable and exposed. All because of me. Because I was too much of a fucking coward to admit the truth. That I’d loved her for longer than I could remember, with an intensity that terrified me. That the thought of losing her, of ruining the precious bond we shared, was enough to bring me to my knees.
But I couldn’t force the words past my lips, no matter how much my heart screamed at me. Because if I allowed myself to give in, there would be no going back. No pretending that this was just a passing fancy, a momentary lapse in judgment brought on by too much whisky and the heat of the moment. If I let myself love Meghan the way I wanted to, it would destroy us both. It would shatter the carefully constructed walls I’d built around my heart, leaving me exposed and vulnerable in a way I’d sworn I would never be again.
I stood there, chest heaving, staring at the two of them. The sight made my blood boil.
“Wick, it’s not what it looks like,” Meghan’s voice trembled as she disentangled herself from Marco’s embrace.
I let out a harsh laugh. “Really? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you two were about two seconds away from fucking in the middle of the goddamn zoo.”
Marco stepped forward, a challenge in his dark eyes. “And what if we were? What’s it to you?”
I gritted my teeth, fighting the urge to wipe that smug grin off his face with my knuckles. “Meghan’s not some cheap thrill for you to use and discard, asshole. She deserves better than that.”
“Oh, like you?” He crossed his arms over his chest. “The guy who’s been pining after her for years but never had the balls to make a move? Give me a fucking break.”
My vision tunneled until all I could see was Marco’s infuriating face. I lunged forward, grabbing him by the lapels of his jacket and slamming him against the wall of the enclosure. “You don’t know shit about me or my relationship with Meghan,” I snarled, my face inches from his. “So why don’t you do us all a favor and fuck off back to whatever hole you crawled out of?”
He just grinned, his eyes dancing with mirth. “Touched a nerve, did I? Face it, Wick. You’re just pissed because I had the guts to go after what I wanted while you were too busy playing the martyr. ”
I tightened my grip on his jacket until my knuckles turned white.
Then I registered Meghan swatting at me. “Let him go, you big ass.”
I released my hold on Marco’s lapels and stumbled back a step, panting with exertion and barely contained rage. Meghan placed a hand on my arm, her touch zinging through my body despite the layers of clothing between us.
“I think you should just go, Wick,” she said, her eyes pleading. “We all need some time to cool off and process...this.” She gestured vaguely at the charged space between the three of us.
I opened my mouth to protest, but the words withered on my tongue as Marco slid up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back against his chest.
Meghan’s eyes closed briefly and she let out a shaky exhale, her body melting into his embrace. Marco smirked at me over her shoulder as he dipped his head and pressed an open-mouthed kiss to the side of her neck.
Ugly jealousy rose up inside me, urging me to rip Meghan out of his arms. But I held myself back, fists clenched, jaw ticking with the effort of restraint.
At this moment, our years of friendship hung in the balance. I wanted to reach out, to pull her to me and never let go. But Marco’s hands were already sliding over her hips, his lips trailing down her neck as she arched into his touch.
Meghan’s eyes locked with mine, pupils blown wide with desire even as they shimmered with unshed tears. “Wick, please...” I wasn’t sure whether she was begging me to stay or go.
Marco’s smug laugh broke the spell. “Yeah, Wick. Please...give us some privacy.” He nibbled at Meghan’s earlobe and she gasped, her nails digging into his forearms.
Betrayal and desire warred within me, threatening to rip me apart. I surged forward with a growl, crushing my mouth to Meghan’s in a brutal kiss. She whimpered against my lips. Her fingers tangled in my hair. I poured years of pent-up passion into that kiss, claiming her, marking her as mine.
My hands explored her body, caressing her through the silky fabric of her dress. Marco’s fingers slid the straps down her shoulders as his lips blazed a trail of hot kisses along her shoulder. She trembled between us, a breathy moan escaping her as she surrendered to the onslaught of sensation.
I dropped to my knees, my hands skimming up her thighs, pushing the hem of her gown higher. Marco cupped her breasts, kneading the soft flesh as her head lolled back against his shoulder. I pressed open-mouthed kisses along the inside of her thigh, inhaling the heady scent of her arousal. “So beautiful,” I mumbled against her skin. “I’ve wanted this for so long.”
“We both have.”
I wasn’t sure which “we” he was talking about, or what “we” wanted. This situation was spiraling out of control, but there was no going back.
Marco pinched and rolled Meghan’s nipples through the thin material of her dress. “And now we’re going to worship this goddess the way she deserves.”
I glanced up to see Meghan watching me through heavy-lidded eyes, her lips parted and swollen from our kisses. A wicked grin spread over my face. I ducked my head, nuzzling against the damp lace of her panties. She bucked her hips with a strangled cry.
Hooking my fingers in the waistband, I dragged the scrap of lace down her legs, baring her glistening pussy. Meghan stepped out of them gracefully, kicking them aside.
I surged forward, burying my face between her thighs as I feasted on her. She cried out, her fingers fisting in my hair. Behind her, Marco lavished attention on her neck and tits.
Lost in the haze of pleasure, I didn’t react when Marco’s hand drifted from Meghan’s hip to brush against my jaw. But when his thumb caressed my cheekbone, I jerked back as if burned. “Don’t touch me,” I snapped, glaring up at him. “I’m not fucking gay.”
Unfazed, Marco raised an eyebrow. “Could’ve fooled me.”
I snarled at him, but Meghan’s needy whimper drew me back in. I would deal with Marco later. Right now, worshiping the woman we both craved was the only thing that mattered.
I swirled and flicked my tongue over her sensitive clit as I thrust two fingers into her dripping cunt. Her inner walls clenched around me, drawing me in deeper.
Meghan’s moans grew more urgent, and her hips rocked frantically against my face. Curling my fingers, I found that secret spot that would make her see stars.
“Oh God, Wick, yes!”
Her thighs trembled. I sealed my lips around her clit and sucked hard as I worked my fingers in a ‘come hither’ motion. She shattered with a sobbing cry, her release gushing over my tongue. I lapped it up greedily.
Slowly, I brought her down from her high with soft licks and kisses. When the last aftershock faded, I rose up, capturing her lips in a hungry kiss.
Suddenly, Marco’s firm chest was pressed against my back, his arms reaching around me to caress Meghan’s curves. Sandwiched between them, my head spun. Marco rolled his hips and his hardness ground into my ass through our clothes.
Alarm bells rang in my head. I tried to turn, to push him away. “Marco, what the hell are you?—”
Before I could finish, his mouth crashed over mine, swallowing my protest. Shock held me immobile for a moment. Then, to my horror, my treacherous body began to respond, parting my lips for his probing tongue.
As Marco ravaged my mouth, Meghan palmed my straining erection through my pants. Their combined assault on my senses was too much. Shame burned through me as my cock pulsed and jerked. I came with a guttural groan, my release soaking through my underwear.
Marco broke the kiss with a victorious chuckle. “Knew you’d enjoy that, stud.”
Breathing raggedly, I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting a confusing swell of humiliation, anger...and undeniable lust.
What the fuck is happening to me?