Chapter 21
Jen
The heat of this day is relentless and by three o’clock, I’ve had all the pool and sunshine I can handle. I give Riddik snuggles and hug the girls. Brett’s the only one of the guys who’ve been at the pool today and he’s watched the baby, allowing us girls to float and chat and work on our tans.
I give Sloan a call when I’m on my way back just to let him know I’m headed to my apartment. I haven’t been there in a couple of days and I need to change out some clothes and just chill in my own space for a bit before I go into work tonight.
“Sounds good. I have a podcast to do in the morning and then I promised one of the guys from Take Down Goliath I’d look over their new track and offer some advice, so I probably need to devote a couple hours to that.” Sloan gives me the rundown because they leave again in a couple of days.
“Okay. Dinner tomorrow?”
There’s a pause like he’s checking his calendar.
“Yeah, dinner tomorrow. Also, Luke says hi.” I can hear the smile in his voice.
My own grin spreads wide across my face. “Tell Luke I said hello and invite him to dinner.”
“Done,” Sloan says into the phone. “He’ll be there.”
The next night, I let myself into Sloan’s house with three bags of groceries. It feels like a special occasion so I’m making my lasagna. Sloan’s car is here, but he’s nowhere to be found which means he’s either out with one of the guys or he’s with Luke.
I set about putting the meal together when Sloan comes in the kitchen from the back door and wraps his arms around my waist.
“Hey,” he says, grinning into my neck.
“Hey, yourself. Were you out back?” I ask, realizing now he was probably in the sound studio behind the house.
“Yeah, checking out that track. They have a good start but it needs some tweaks if they want it to make the charts.”
Sloan is kind and selfless. He’s one of those people who would do anything for you and make it seem like no big deal, which makes you want to burn the world down for him in return.
“Well, I’m making your favorite. Wine’s in the fridge. What time is Luke coming?”
“Whatever time we tell him to.” Sloan chuckles at his own joke.
“So, things went well with you two yesterday?” I ask, hoping he’ll offer the story.
“Depends,” he starts. “If you think him coming down my throat and then me beating his ass in a shooting competition counts as well, then yes, things went extremely well.”
“He let you blow him?” I ask excitedly, only a small hint of jealousy creeping in. “That’s a big deal.”
“He said he’s trying to come to terms with everything. The tension was high. He was in his BDUs. He packed me a fucking picnic, Jen.”
“Oh, well obviously, you couldn’t not suck his dick.” I’m aiming for teasing, but apparently my jealousy — which I never have because I am the queen of do you, boo — rears its ugly fucking head.
Sloan grabs my chin, forcing my eyes to his. “Hey, talk to me. I’ve done this before. You haven’t. I don’t want to lose you and threesomes can be hard if you don’t communicate.”
I melt into him, wrapping my arms around his waist. “Honestly, I’m really happy for you. Both of you. I know you need this.”
“But?” he prompts.
“But you guys have a past, a history I was never a part of. I’m afraid I’ll get pushed out,” I admit.
“Baby, this man cannot survive on dick alone,” he says with a smile, bringing his hands up to cup my tits, drawing a laugh out of me even as I roll my eyes.
“Next time, it’ll be the three of us together, okay?
I’m serious, Jen. I don’t want to lose you.
I don’t know what I would have done these last few months if you hadn’t been here.
You know how isolating and lonely fame can be and with all the guys tied up in their own families, it felt like I’d lost something else, until you and I got together. ”
I arch my head back, my chin resting on Sloan’s chest, my arms still around his waist. “So, this exclusive thing we’re doing…how does it work with Luke involved?”
“Let’s discuss when he gets here. I have a feeling you’ll both enjoy what I have in mind.”
Thirty minutes later, there’s a knock on the door. Lasagna and bread are both in the oven so I take my glass of wine and pull the door open to see Luke dressed down in stonewashed jeans and a perfectly form-fitting, navy blue Washington Capitals t-shirt and a matching backwards hat.
“Holy shit.”
“I could say the same,” he says with a smile far more at ease than I’ve ever seen him wear. His eyes take in my buttercream-colored dress. The spaghetti straps are loose to expose more of my chest than is probably necessary but fuck it, I’m in it to win it tonight.
“Come in.” I stand back and let Luke in just as Sloan comes down the stairs in a pair of really short fight shorts and a white tank top. Thank God for the summer heat, I think to myself.
Luke laughs. “You know, at some point, you two are going to have to travel to the city. The hour-long commute is brutal.”
“I bet we can find a way to make it worth your while,” I tease, closing the door behind him. “Wine?”
“Please.”
While I’m grabbing the cold Chardonnay from the fridge, I hear a grunt and a picture falls off the wall. I turn to see Luke’s right calf and foot in the doorway between the living room and the kitchen and smile when I see Luke’s hat go flying over the couch.
Carrying two glasses of wine around the corner, my lips spread into a smirk as I watch Luke grip Sloan’s waist with both hands as Sloan cups his face and they devour each other’s mouths.
Once they realize I’m standing there, they pull apart.
“Please don’t stop on my account.” I hand over their wine glasses and Sloan grabs me around the waist, pulling me to him.
“Open up.”
I part my lips thinking he’s going to pour wine past them but instead, he takes his own sip and then kisses me, forcing the wine into my mouth.
“That’s…wow. That’s hot,” Luke says, adjusting himself in his jeans.
Sloan smiles and kisses the side of my head. “Maybe after dinner, I’ll spit it on her tits and you can lick it off those. I remember you having a fondness for boobs.”
“Still do.”
“Jen’s are the best.”
I clap my hands to get them back on track. “Alright guys, are we eating or getting naked because my appetite for food is rapidly devolving into an appetite for something else.”
“Food first,” Sloan says, clearly taking control and moving away from me to lead us back to the table.
I pull the lasagna and breadsticks out of the oven while Sloan grabs the salad and the bottle of wine from the fridge and we take our seats at the table.
“The hardest part of this is learning to be completely honest with each other. If you start hiding things to spare someone’s feelings, you’ll quickly resent the others and then it’s over before it starts.
It can be difficult when two people hook up without the third and since I’m gone a lot, I expect it to happen to me more, but we have to find ways to be inclusive. ”
A question bursts from my lips. “You mean Luke and I can fuck when you’re not here?” The idea has me warm all over. The sexy soldier to my left is unlocking a lot of fantasies and I’m eager to get to know who he is both with Sloan and when we’re all alone.
“Try not to sound so upset about it.” Sloan smiles, causing Luke and I to laugh at the same time.
“Yes, in fact, I think it’ll make me feel better when I’m out on the road knowing you’re being taken care of.
Knowing that only one name will come out your mouth while I’m gone, and that name is his.
” Ironic since he once told me anyone but him, but I keep my mouth shut.
“Although, my cock is hard to compete with. Sure you’re up for the challenge, Major? ”
I expect Luke to choke on his pasta but he shocks the hell out of Sloan and I — and quite possibly himself — when he throws a cocky attitude back at Sloan, clearly settling into whatever this is.
Picking up his glass and holding Sloan’s eyes he asks, “What’s my prize when I fuck her better?”
Only, no one bests Sloan.
“You can fuck me.” Sloan only smiles when Luke’s confidence falters.
At this rate, we’re not even going to get through the preliminary conversation before clothes start coming off, and while I’m on board with that, I also know how fragile this thing is, so I clear my throat to break the spell. “Focus, boys. We need to hammer this out so the fun can actually begin.”
After an hour and another bottle of wine, the rules are in place and we’re all willing to give it a try. I’m still worried Luke’s going to get cold feet but as soon as Sloan’s hand drops below the table, I see Luke shift and know he just parted his knees to give Sloan better access.
Maybe he’s worked through this better than I thought.
“We’ll go slow. If anything is too much, just say stop and it all comes to a halt,” Sloan reassures us. But I know slow isn’t really Sloan’s forte.
If I have any hope of doing this with Luke and Sloan long-term, I need to make sure these two don’t fuck it up.
Sloan is fantastic about taking what he wants and he always makes sure his partners enjoy themselves, but he’s not gentle.
He fucks like he’s trying to exorcise his demons and I now suspect Luke is the driving force behind his aggression.
They could be explosive together, but Sloan has to proceed with caution. One wrong move from either of us could send Luke running for the hills. Kissing Sloan and I is much different than stripping down and facing your sexuality head on.
I refill the glasses one more time. Sloan runs a hand up my thigh as I pour. “Trying to get me drunk, Jen?” he asks with a small smile.
“Trying to get you laid, Sloan.”
I look across the table to gauge Luke’s reaction to my statement but he’s already looking at Sloan with blown out pupils and parted lips.