Chapter 2
Laurette Devereux
It used to be easier to want him.
There was a time when his hand on my thigh would’ve sent the butterflies in my stomach into a frenzy. Now we’ve fallen into habit, muscle memory pretending we’re still us.
Maybe that’s normal at this stage of our relationship.
I said yes to this because I was tired of saying no. I’m hoping this can fix whatever has faded between us. Perhaps asking me to do this is Jon David’s way of still fighting for us.
And I don’t want to be the one who gave up first.
“You’re quiet.”
Jon David’s grin flashes in the dim light of the dashboard as we pull down the long gravel drive. His hand slides higher up my leg. “Are you nervous, baby?”
“A little,” I say, watching the dark trees blur past the window.
He laughs under his breath and squeezes my leg. “You’re going to love this. Trust me.”
The house comes into view like something out of an old film.
Two stories of weathered red brick and black shutters, with a deep porch wrapped around its front.
Lantern-style lights burn low on either side of the wide front door, casting a golden haze over tall white columns and two pairs of rocking chairs.
Mississippi rich. Old money. The kind that drinks top-shelf bourbon on the porch and hands down family silver like scripture.
Jon David parks, practically buzzing in his seat, all teeth and barely contained excitement.
My stomach twists, and not in a way I’d call excitement. I can’t tell if it’s nerves… or something far worse.
“This is for you, baby,” he says, brushing my hair away from my face as I unclip my seatbelt. “It’s all for you.”
Then why doesn’t it seem that way? Why does it feel like he’s getting what he wants, and I’m just going along with it?
I step out into the thick Mississippi heat, pulse skittering. The air feels wrong already.
The front door opens before we can knock.
“Evenin’.” His smile is lazy, voice smoother than slowly poured whiskey.
His name is Callum. Dark hair and light eyes. Green, maybe. Tall. Solid build. Jeans and a white T-shirt cling in all the right places. His eyes drag over me slowly, as though he’s deciding where to bite first.
“You must be Laurette.”
He takes my hand, and instinct screams at me to pull away.
“She’s even more beautiful in person,” he says, glancing at Jon David with a grin. “You didn’t do her justice.”
Jon David’s laughter is a little too loud. “I told you, right?” He slides his arm around me, pulls me in close, kissing the side of my head. “My girl’s perfect in every way.”
I manage a smile, heart hammering.
Inside, the house is old but cared for. Restored, not gutted. Southern charm at its best.
Callum leads us into the sitting room with high ceilings, soft lighting, expensive furniture. In the corner, there’s a wet bar, glassware gleaming behind beveled glass doors.
“Let’s start with a drink, shall we? Whiskey, wine, something sparkling?”
Jon David claps him on the shoulder and squeezes, too comfortably, for a man we’re meeting for the first time. “Pour me whatever you’re having.”
“And for you, sweetheart?” Callum turns to me, smiling.
Tension winds tight in my chest, as if instinct is ahead of thought. A flash of warning buried inside all this easy charm.
I don’t know this man. And tonight, I need my wits more than I need the warmth of whiskey.
“I’m okay. Maybe I’ll have something a little later.”
“Fair enough.” His eyes flicker over me. “We’ve got all night.”
Jon David chuckles, sinking into the sofa, and pats the cushion beside him. “Laurette, sit, baby. You look like you’re about to bolt.”
I lower myself beside him, every movement hesitant. “I’m fine.”
“You sure?” Callum asks, pouring two fingers of amber into a glass. “You seem a little tense.”
“She’s good,” Jon David jumps in, grinning. “Laurette’s always this way before she relaxes. Don’t worry. Once she’s comfortable, this one’s a fucking firecracker.”
I shoot him a look, heat crawling up my neck. “Jon David.”
“What?” He laughs, eyes wide as though he’s the innocent one. “It’s true.”
Callum moves to an armchair and sinks into it. “You two have been together a while.”
“Four years,” Jon David says before I can respond.
“Damn.” Callum whistles low, shaking his head. “What you two have is rare.”
His gaze lingers on me. “This kind of trust is something to envy. Takes a hell of a lot of guts to share what’s yours. And even more to watch it happen.”
My mouth is dry. “Yeah… something like that.”
Jon David’s hand finds my knee, and gives it a squeeze. “She’s going to love it.”
He’s flushed, grinning, lit up like Christmas came early. And two thoughts hit me hard enough to knock the air right out of me:
This isn’t for me.
This has never been for me.
Callum’s eyes flick to Jon David and linger too long. They share a laugh, and I have no clue what’s funny.
Cold slides down my spine, and I wonder what the hell I’ve agreed to.
Callum shifts in the armchair, one leg crossed over the other, a whiskey glass resting easily in his hand. “So, Laurette… Jon David tells me you made him wait six months before you agreed to let him take you out.”
It’s not a secret, but Callum’s familiarity with my past with Jon David catches me off guard. How many conversations have they had? How much of me has Jon David already handed over?
It seems like more than I realized.
Jon David laughs. “She was stubborn as hell, man. Wouldn’t give me the time of day at first.”
I force a small laugh, tucking my hair behind my ear. “To be fair, I had my reasons.”
Callum’s eyes spark with something. Interest, perhaps. Or amusement. “You enjoy playing hard to get, don’t you? Bet you know exactly how far to take it.”
He leans back in the armchair, wrist draped over the armrest, eyes on me. Then his gaze shifts and lingers on Jon David.
“Smart, gorgeous, loyal as fuck. I hit the jackpot with this one.” He grins and bumps his knee into mine. “Best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“Lucky man,” Callum says, but his eyes stay on Jon David, a little smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
“It seems you know each other.”
Jon David cuts in. “I told you, babe. We met on the app, the one for people who are into this.”
“We hit it off.” Callum finishes for Jon David. “Been talkin’ a while now, haven’t we?”
Jon David laughs. “We figured out pretty quickly we’d be a good match. It took a little while to get you on board. But hey, here we are.”
My pulse flickers. “I didn’t realize you two had been talking this whole time.”
Without me.
Jon David waves it off, smiling too big. “Don’t make that face, baby. I told you this. We talked about it, remember?”
He told me the safe version. The version where none of this was real yet. And I’m only now seeing how long I’ve been out of the loop.
I glance at Callum, and he’s watching Jon David again. Something unreadable passes between them—an expression, a flicker of meaning I can’t quite place.
Then his gaze slides to me, all warmth and Southern ease. “Everything okay, sweetheart?”
Jon David moves closer and rubs my back. “She’s fine. Once we’re in the bedroom, she’ll relax. Right, baby?”
My smile is thin and forced. “Sure.”
Something inside me goes cold. Callum keeps looking at Jon David like they share a secret. Every laugh from Jon David lands in Callum’s direction, not mine.
Callum leans forward, elbows on his knees, swirling the amber in his glass. His eyes flick between the two of us. “All right, sweetheart. We should talk about the rules and boundaries, what’s on the table and what’s not.”
Jon David grins, eyes lit with anticipation. His hand moves to the nape of my neck, fingers slipping into my hair, stroking slowly. “Yeah, yeah. Totally. We’re all about communication, right, baby?”
My heart thuds. “Sure.”
Callum’s gaze drags over me. “Are you comfortable with oral? Giving and receiving?”
It’s been four years since I’ve fucked anyone other than Jon David. I’m not a prude, but letting someone else touch me—someone I don’t know—hits harder than I expected. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to feel.
Heat climbs my cheeks. “Yeah. I’m into oral. Both ways.”
Jon David leans in, pressing a kiss to my cheek. He drags his thumb along my neck as he pulls back. “Perfect, right? Told you she would be.”
Callum’s eyes flick to Jon David, then settle back on me. “What are your thoughts about watching us?”
“Us who?” The room tilts under me. “You two?”
Jon David’s hand caresses my back. “We agreed to be open, remember? To explore together.”
The night is changing right in front of me.
This was supposed to be for me… while he watched.
But I see it now—I’m not the reason we’re here.
“No… you said this was for me. You told me it was about my pleasure. That you wanted to watch me come undone under another man, and then I’d have both of you. Two men worshipping and devouring me.”
Jon David’s smile is unbothered. “It is about your pleasure, baby. You’ve just gotta loosen your grip a little. Let it happen. Trust me.”
Callum leans in. “You okay with double penetration, sweetheart?”
My brain short-circuits. I blink, breath caught halfway to my lungs.
No, I hadn’t thought about that.
Two men… at once. The image of it slams into my brain.
My throat tightens, fear coiling in my gut.
“I… I don’t know,” I whisper, the words barely forming. “That’s… a lot.” Especially for someone who didn’t go looking for this.
Jon David rubs my back again, slower now, more carefully. “It’s all right, baby. No pressure.”
But Callum doesn’t back off. His eyes catch mine, dark and gleaming.
“Anal?” he asks, as if it’s the most natural next step in the world.
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out.
Anal isn’t off the table, but I always imagined it with someone I trusted. Not a stranger asking about it like it’s listed as dessert on the menu.
Jon David jumps in before I can answer. “We’re just figuring things out. Laying the ground rules.”