Chapter 9 #2
The hot tub was already bubbling when we stepped out onto the back deck, steam rising into the cold air. The world was silent around us—just pine trees, snow piling on the railing, and the sound of jets cutting through the stillness.
I tugged a towel around myself as I stepped barefoot across the deck, the wood icy beneath my feet. Jack was already submerged, his arms stretched along the ledge behind him, grinning like the king of some winter kingdom.
If he wasn’t so attractive and charming, his smugness would be annoying. But somehow, it worked for him.
“You all are late,” he said playfully, his hair already damp.
“Some of us needed a minute,” Hana replied, lowering herself slowly into the water. “It’s freezing.”
“You’ll warm up quick,” Jack promised with a smirk.
Elliott took my hand, guiding me up the steps as I dropped my towel, shivering slightly in my bikini as I stepped in and lowered myself. The heat hit me instantly as I eased in. Elliott joined me, then slipped an arm around my shoulder, his hand rubbing slow circles on my skin.
Jack and Hana sat across from us, their bodies close together, his hand lost somewhere underneath the water. No one said much at first. The air was thick with that same charged energy, like we were all waiting for someone else to say the thing first, to push the boundary yet again.
I stole a glance at Jack. He had his eyes on me—assessing, teasing, like he knew I was still warming up to the idea of how far this weekend could really go.
“So,” he finally said casually. “How’s everyone feeling after the big meeting?”
I raised an eyebrow. “You mean the totally professional sex treaty we signed this afternoon?”
“That one,” he said, laughing. “Just checking in.”
“I feel good,” Hana said, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Relaxed.”
Elliott gave a low hum of agreement beside me. “Same.”
Jack looked at me. “And you, sweetheart?”
I took a breath, felt the way Elliott’s thumb was tracing the line of my collarbone. I met Jack’s gaze and gave a slow smile. “Ask me again in a few hours.”
He grinned, like I was challenging him. “Fair enough.”
The silence after that was thick, but not awkward. Just slow, tension simmering.
Beneath the water, I stretched my foot out and it bumped into Hana’s. Neither of us moved away as she smiled at me, that crooked one that made my heart flutter a little.
Jack shifted in the water, moving just slightly closer to me. It could’ve been casual—adjusting for comfort, sliding to where the jets hit better—but then his arm brushed against mine beneath the surface, and it didn’t move away.
I stayed still for a moment, deciding what to do; then, I let my knee drift in his direction, our skin brushing in the water in a way that made me acutely aware of how little space there was between us now.
For some reason, this made me more nervous than before. Was it because last time it was in the heat of the moment, and now we had all talked about it, anticipated it?
Across from me, Hana mirrored the move. She floated closer to Elliott, so close now her shoulder nearly rested against his chest. She smiled softly at something he said, something I couldn’t quite hear over the jets, and then reached up to smooth her wet hair back, moving it to the side of her neck.
Elliott didn’t even try to hide the way his eyes followed the motion.
Jack’s voice pulled me back, his tone low and casual as always. “How are you feeling now, love?”
I turned my head toward him, noticing the way his expression was now more gentle, more aware. “I’m good,” I responded, almost shyly.
It almost felt wrong, feeling this flustered about another man besides Elliott.
Jack tilted his head, all smugness and dimples, probably realizing what he was doing to me. “Nervous?”
I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t stop the smile that surfaced. “Why would I be nervous?”
He smiled back. “Cheeky, aren’t you?” he murmured, more of a statement than a question, and his hand boldly skimmed under the water to grab the inside of my thigh.
I inhaled slowly, feeling that familiar heat between my legs.
Elliott leaned back against the ledge, shifting his arm up around Hana’s shoulders like it was the most natural thing in the world. She nestled by his side, relaxed, almost dazed by him.
I didn’t blame her.
They didn’t kiss yet, but the intention hung between them.
Elliott’s eyes trailed back to me for a moment, looking between me and Jack.
“Anyone want a drink? Nonalcoholic, perhaps?” Jack asked casually, his hand still gripping my thigh beneath the water. His eyes were on me—watching, measuring, playful.
“No, I’m good,” I said softly, matching his energy.
Elliott chuckled, eyeing me. “I’m good as well.”
I met Jack’s gaze and let my hand drift to his thigh, in the same spot where his hand was on mine.
No one said the words, but the current had shifted. And we were all being pulled into the same tide.
I hadn’t moved my hand from his thigh—I was still deciding if I wanted to. But Jack made the choice for me.
He let go of me, then let his arm slide behind my back, his hand landing on my hip, gripping softly before pulling me closer. My breath hitched as my heart raced.
“You know,” he said, his voice low near my ear, “you drove me crazy yesterday.”
“How so?” I asked, my tone just as innocent as the glint in his eyes wasn’t.
“Watching Hana. Watching your husband with her,” he started, pulling me even closer. “How much you got off on it. Fucking naughty girl, aren’t you”
His voice was low, almost a growl, and my pussy pulsed with need. I bit the inside of my cheek, my heart pounding frantically. His mouth was close enough now that I could feel the heat of his words.
He didn’t give me any time to respond; his hand flexed on my hip before he leaned in and kissed me. His mouth claimed mine smoothly—confident, hungry, teasing. His tongue flicked against mine, and his grip squeezed me, drawing a low gasp from my throat.
Across the tub, I heard movement, a faint splash of water, but I couldn’t bring myself to look.
Not when Jack deepened the kiss, sliding his other hand up to grab the back of my hair. He pulled me even closer as my legs straddled either side of him, feeling his hard cock beneath my lap.
My fingers curled around his biceps. He was strong, commanding, confident.
And then I heard a small moan that wasn’t mine. I pulled back enough to glance sideways—Hana was on Elliott’s lap now, straddling him, her hands in his hair, his hands on her hips.
My breath hitched at the sight.
Jack pressed a kiss to my neck and whispered, “Looks like we’re not the only ones, sweetheart.”