Everything Nice (7 page)

Charlie felt the heat in his friend’s gesture, but rather than calm him as he was sure Alex intended, it stoked the flames higher. He shook off Alex’s grip and pulled his friend’s face closer, resuming the forbidden kisses they’d begun on the couch. His lips trailed along Alex’s jaw as Allie’s hands traveled along his chest, toying with his nipples.

If this was what it felt like to be insane, Charlie was ready and willing to have himself committed for life.

A low moan came from Alex and the deep, wholly masculine sound of it pulled Charlie from his trancelike state.

He was making out with his best friend.

He mentally shook off the panic building inside him as Allie’s soft lips landed on his chest, dragging her tongue along his rib cage. Turning away from Alex, he pushed Allie back on the bed, determined to push away the unease he felt when he looked at his friend.

This is wrong.

The words crashed around his head and he couldn’t seem to shake them from his rattled brain and shredded wits.

“Together,” he heard Allie whisper, and he only had a second to wonder at her words when she took him by surprise, pushing him to his back. It was a testament to his confusion that he let her take the lead. He never gave a woman control in the bedroom. He’d never allowed another to guide his sexual play but, as Allie’s breasts rubbed against his chest, he felt the reins slip from his grasp and he didn’t bother to try to pick them up again.

He took her hips in his hands and pulled her down on top of him, relishing the feeling of her body as his cock entered her and she started to ride him, slowly, luxuriously. He heard Alex reaching for something in the nightstand but his eyes were closed, too focused, too intent on the pleasure Allie was provoking inside him. She was a miracle, a gift he’d never had the nerve to wish for. He loved her with his whole heart.

The bed shifted by his thighs and Allie’s motions stilled.

He forced himself to open his eyes, forced himself to look over her shoulder at the man behind her. For a split second he’d allowed himself to forget Alex was there, but he now watched the gentle way Alex pushed Allie forward so that her body lay prostrate atop his. As he watched his friend work lubrication into Allie’s ass, he felt the walls closing in yet again.

Although the three of them had been together numerous times the past several days, they’d always taken turns and neither man had breached Allie’s ass. She had confided that although she’d participated in anal play before, it was nothing more than a finger. Now Charlie felt spellbound by the image of Alex’s face as he worked his fingers into her virgin bud. Allie squirmed slightly and Charlie engulfed her in his embrace.

“
Shhh
,” he soothed, running a hand through her long hair. “You are amazing,” he whispered, and he saw Alex smile at his words.

Once Alex had worked three fingers in, he reached down and retrieved a condom he must have pulled out of the drawer with the lube. As he watched Alex tear the package open with his teeth and don it, he realized he’d forgotten to do the same.

“Allie,” he whispered. “Are you on the Pill?”

“Yes,” she muttered against his chest, and he felt a small sense of relief.

His question must have drawn Alex’s attention to the oversight and he wondered what his friend would say. Would he be angry at him? He watched his friend shrug and grin before resuming on his intended path. Alex pressed the head of his cock into Allie’s tight ass and Charlie swallowed heavily, amazed to realize he could feel so much. Every move his friend made in Allie’s body touched him.

Slowly Alex penetrated her ass, and it wasn’t until he was fully seated that Charlie felt Allie expel her held breath. Charlie sighed as well and realized he hadn’t been breathing throughout Alex’s entrance either.

The thick hardness of Alex’s cock rubbed against his own through the thin membrane inside Allie, and Charlie couldn’t contain the moan of ecstasy that escaped his lips.

Alex caught his gaze and he knew his friend was silently asking for permission to move. The sexual tension in the room was thicker than fog and Charlie wished he could stay lost in the haze forever. With a single, slight nod, he watched as Alex began his retreat and Charlie sucked in a breath as his friend’s cock traveled down the length of his own, rubbing and caressing it in a way so foreign yet so glorious. How had he lived without this?

He looked down, almost afraid of the expression he would find on Allie’s face. Was this too much for her? Was it too painful? Too overwhelming?
Too soon?

She lifted her head from his chest and kissed him gently. “I’ve never felt so…” She paused and Charlie knew she was struggling with the same powerful emotions as he.

“Me either,” he whispered, kissing her again as he and Alex started to move within her in tandem. Charlie knew none of them would last long. It didn’t seem to matter how many times they came into her body, neither he nor Alex could withstand the need to come quickly. He chuckled at the thought, aware that they would need to work on that small problem or risk destroying Allie’s opinion of their sexual prowess.

“What’s so funny?” Allie asked
,
gasping as Alex thrust into her once more with more power than before.

Charlie groaned at the impact, stars beginning to form behind his eyes. “I can’t seem to last more than five minutes with you.”

Alex moaned above him, apparently finding Charlie’s confession comforting. “Thank God,” his friend muttered. “I was afraid I was about to seriously embarrass myself. I can’t—”

The rest of Alex’s words were lost in his orgasm and his throbbing, pulsing cock triggered Charlie’s climax.

“Fuck!” he gritted out, overwhelmed by the feeling of coming inside a woman’s body without a condom. The feeling was frighteningly addictive and Charlie feared he’d never want to wear one with her again.

Allie cried out as Charlie became aware of Alex’s finger toying with her clit. He cursed his selfishness, grateful his friend was cognizant enough to see to Allie’s pleasure. She trembled and her inner muscles gripped his cock so tightly, he felt himself begin to harden almost instantly.

Allie and Alex must have felt it as well.

“Oh no,” Allie said, breathlessly. “You guys are going to be the death of me.”

“I believe Charlie pointed out that we all came a bit quick that time. I feel certain with a little practice we could really perfect our sustaining time,” Alex joked.

Allie giggled quietly before resting her head on Charlie’s chest. For several moments none of them moved, the sensations, the connection too new, too precious to break. Before long, Allie’s breathing deepened and Charlie shook his head, realizing she’d fallen asleep yet again. They were all still intimately hooked together. Glancing at his friend, he watched Alex flash him a football signal from their high school days and in unison they shifted. Charlie rolled onto his left
side,
gently keeping Allie tucked against his chest, while Alex followed the move and remained resolutely spooned to her back.

Alex’s low laugh drifted over to him and he raised his hand above Allie’s shoulder. Charlie grinned at the gesture. They’d been hell on the gridiron with that left fake and without a thought Charlie quietly high-fived him and joined in his laughter.

“She’d have kicked our asses if she’d seen that,” Alex whispered. “Probably think we were gloating or something. Never thought that move would come in so handy…” Alex snuggled into the pillow and Charlie heard his friend’s light breathing. Damn man could fall asleep in seconds.

Charlie rested his hand on Allie’s waist and wished he could find sleep as well. Instead he was aching with the heaviness in his chest that told him
this happiness couldn’t, shouldn’t last
.

Chapter Seven

“Where’s Charlie?” Allie asked, walking into the kitchen and thanking God for the full pot of coffee awaiting her.

“Where do you think?” Alex asked, and Allie winced at his hurt, angry tone. Since their super-sexy mating last Friday, Charlie had gone into virtual hiding. Although they’d spent most of the weekend in bed, she’d sensed his mental retreat. He never kissed Alex again and he refused to repeat the double penetration that had left Allie so breathless, so captivated. He’d claimed he didn’t want to hurt her by doing it again so soon.

Once the weekend ended, Charlie started heading into work early every morning and returning home very late at night. He hadn’t joined them in the bedroom again, instead sleeping in his own bed rather than joining them in Alex’s.

When Allie had tried to confront him about it, he’d brushed her concerns aside, insisting that he was working on a big project and claiming he’d not wanted to wake them up when they were sleeping so peacefully. She could feel the distance he was trying to put between them, but she wasn’t sure what to say to pull him back. It was clear he was upset, thinking they’d crossed a line they shouldn’t have.

Alex refused to approach Charlie at all and Allie sensed for the first time that her confident lover was truly at a loss about what to do. She’d grown so accustomed to him merely grabbing the bull by the horns and accepting nothing less than what he wanted that it was frightening to see him so uncertain, so apprehensive and insecure. Needless to say, it had been the longest week of her life.

“Man, am I glad it’s Friday,” she said lightly, feigning a carefree attitude. “What do you want to do this weekend?”

She watched Alex grab a cold bagel from the bag on the counter. He’d been trying to put on a good face for her this week, but she knew his attempts at remaining positive were wearing him out. They’d both thought that Charlie had only needed a bit of time to adjust, to come to grips with what happened. He lifted the hard bread to his lips and she gripped his wrist.

“Why don’t you let me cut that and toast it? Wouldn’t you like it a bit more with cream cheese or butter?” she asked.

He shrugged. “It’s fine like this.”

“Alex, I think maybe you should talk to Charlie. It’s clear this silent treatment you guys are maintaining isn’t working.” Alex had adamantly insisted two nights ago that a confrontation wouldn’t change things and Allie had hesitantly abided by his wishes. She realized that she couldn’t help Charlie, only Alex could—and that wouldn’t happen as long as they were avoiding each other.

“You’re with him all day,” she said. “Just go in his office and have it out. Stop letting him
hide
from this…from
us
.”

“
Dammit
, Allie!
He’s not hiding. He doesn’t want it, okay? I told you six years ago. He’s not fucking gay. It’s pretty damn clear he hated what happened last weekend and now he doesn’t want to see me.”

“I don’t think it’s clear he hated anything,” Allie retorted, her own temper wearing thin under the stressful living conditions. “Is that what you think?”

“He was repulsed by what happened, Allie. What we did. He’s probably sickened by it.”

“Holy shit.
You’ve lost your mind too! Is that what you’ve been thinking this whole week? That Charlie didn’t like kissing you, touching you? Talk about somebody being blind.”

“Why else would he be avoiding me? Avoiding
us
?” Alex walked to the kitchen table and sat down heavily. “I owe you an apology for that,” he said softly.

“For what?”

“Charlie would still be here, still be with you if I hadn’t forced myself on him.
Hadn’t forced myself into your relationship.”

Allie’s rage broke free and she picked up a bagel and threw it at him, hard.

“
Ow
!” he cried as the bread bounced off his forehead and hit a wall. “What the hell did you do that for?”

“I’m hoping to knock some damn sense into you! Tell you what, why don’t I go over a few things for the idiots in the peanut gallery here.”

Alex looked around and gave her an amused grin. “I’m the only person in the room,” he said.

“Like I said, idiot.”
Her anger was still full force and showing no signs of abating despite Alex’s guilty, apologetic looks.

“Number one, we are a trio—not a couple plus one, but a bona fide threesome. There is no ‘Charlie and me’ without
you
, so go ahead and get that thought out of your head. Number two, Charlie was
not
repulsed by what happened between the two of you. I was there, and apparently the only person in the bedroom paying attention. If Charlie is avoiding us, it’s because he loved every single minute of our fucking and it freaked him out. He’s not like you and me—a fact we have a tendency to forget every now and then. Charlie lives in a world where one man and one woman spend a lifetime together monogamously. He sincerely believes in relationships where he protects and cherishes a woman while leading the sexual play in the bedroom.”

Alex nodded and started to respond, but Allie cut him off with her hand.

“I’m not finished,” she said. “In the course of two weeks, we’ve asked him to participate in a ménage, give up some of his control in the bedroom and thrust him into a physical relationship with you, his best friend and a man. Talk about culture shock.”

“It all happened too fast,” Alex interjected, and Allie waved him off again, picking up another bagel. Alex threw his hands up in time and knocked the bread away before it hit her desired target. “
Dammit
, Allie, stop throwing shit at me!”

“In what world is six years too fast, Einstein? Hell, it’s been longer than that, even. When did you first realize you were in love with Charlie?”

Alex shrugged. “A lifetime ago,” he answered sadly.

“So if anything, you’ve almost waited
too
long.”

He nodded and his shoulders lowered dejectedly. “You’re probably right. It’s too late now.”

“Holy hell, you are dense! I said
almost
too long. For someone who knows what they want, you sure as hell don’t know how to go after it.”

Alex rose from the table, his frustration pouring off him in waves. “Face it. I’m asking for too much, Allie. I want more than Charlie can give.”

“I don’t hear you asking for a damn thing. You keep plotting all these sneak attacks rather than confronting him with the truth. Go talk to him. Tell him how you feel. Stop hiding.”

Alex shook his head, but she could see him considering her words. “If he left—”

“He won’t leave,” she whispered, secretly praying her words were true.

“You did,” he answered, and his two softly spoken words took her breath away.

All these years he’d thought he’d run her off, scared her away. She had thought she’d convinced him of the error of this thinking, but obviously the residual pain was still lingering.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, walking over and wrapping her hands around his waist. “I’m so very, very sorry. Here I am yelling at you for hiding your feelings when all along I’ve done the same damn thing.”

Alex embraced her with his strong arms and she relished the power in them. He was tall, like Charlie, but bulkier, built like a bodybuilder, and she continually marveled at the fact he could make her five-foot-six frame feel tiny.

“Sounds like we’ve all made a few mistakes along the way,” Alex said, his chin resting on the top of her head. “Probably to be expected, considering what we’re attempting to achieve.”

She pulled back to look up at him and offered the words she’d yet to speak to either man. It was time they all came out of hiding. “I love you, Alex.
So very, very much.”

He grinned, leaning down to brush a light kiss against her lips. “I love you too, hellion.”

“Go talk to Charlie,” she insisted. “Tell him how you feel.”

“If he leaves—” he started, but she covered his lips quickly with her fingers.

“I’ll still be here.”

* * * * *

“So we kissed, Charlie,” Alex said as he walked into his best friend’s office, slamming the door behind him. Brooks and Travers had stepped out for a long lunch and Alex had decided Allie was right. Enough was enough. Charlie had shut him down for days and he couldn’t take the distance, the silence, any longer. He knew his best friend was struggling with what that kiss and the heated interlude that followed meant, but Alex couldn’t stand being ignored, treated like a leper.

“If you can’t handle that, then fine. Throw a punch at me, key my car, move out, trash my office,
yell
…
something
! I don’t give a fuck what you do, but stop shutting me out. Things got a little intense the other night. I know that, but this silent treatment is just pissing me off.”

Charlie stood and Alex wondered for a moment if his friend was going to take him up on the punch. He certainly looked angry enough to kick some serious ass.

“Why aren’t
you
freaked out?” Charlie asked hotly, and Alex stumbled back a step at his question.

“What?”

“You were there too, Alex. You were touching and kissing me back. Why is it I seem to be the only one struggling with that fact?”

Shit. Alex had been ready for the anger, but now that he was faced with actually confessing how he’d felt from the start, he became tongue-tied. He’d hidden his feelings for years and, despite Allie’s assurance that things would work out, Alex couldn’t kick free from the one question that haunted him. What if Charlie left? He didn’t think he could survive if Charlie left him.

“I…I’m struggling,” he said, though the words sounded exactly like the big fucking lie they were.

“No,” Charlie said, walking closer to him. “I don’t think you are, Alex. In fact, I think somewhere deep inside that conniving mind of yours you plotted for this to happen all along.”

“Conniving mind?” Alex repeated angrily, Allie’s similar comment in the kitchen this morning floated through his mind. What had she called it?
His sneak attack?

The pressure of restraining his emotions for so many years broke free in a whirlwind of irrational, uncontainable rage. “Is that what I’m doing, Charlie? Plotting to put you and Allie into an uncomfortable situation? Forcing the two of you into a ménage as some sort of game? Is that what you think? Why? Why would I do that?
To fuck with your minds?
To get my jollies?
You think
it’s
fun for me to have my heart ripped out at every turn just because I made the fucked-up mistake of falling in love with both of you? Go to hell, Anderson! I’m sick of this shit! I’m
gettin
’
outta
here.” Alex turned to leave, anger and heartbreak roaring through his system.

“Oh no you’re not!”
Charlie gripped his upper arm, pulling him around roughly.

Alex, his nerves shattered, turned with his fists clenched and ready. Before he could swing, Charlie shoved him back against the closed office door, leaned in and took his lips in a brutal kiss.

Alex was too shocked to respond, but Charlie didn’t seem to notice. Charlie claimed his mouth with the same unbridled passion he’s seen him offer to Allie.

Alex pulled away. “Don’t. Not if you don’t want what comes with this. I won’t be shut out again.”

Charlie reached up and gripped his face between his hands. Their faces were so close, their breathing so hot and heavy, Alex felt consumed, burned by it.

“I want it,” Charlie barked out. When his lips touched Alex’s this time, Alex was ready. He twisted his hands in Charlie’s shirt, pulling him closer, dragging their erections against each other through the material of their pants. Alex wanted there to be no misunderstanding about where he hoped this would lead. The fear of that misapprehension fled when Charlie lowered one hand to Alex’s ass and pulled him even closer.

The temperature in the office shot up and Alex suddenly couldn’t stand the unbearable scratchiness of the clothing on his body. He ripped the buttons from their slots on Charlie’s dress shirt. Buttons bounced off the wall and floor, but Charlie paid no mind. He reached for the belt of Alex’s trousers, tugging it loose, ripping it free. He dropped it to the floor and immediately went for the button and zipper of his pants.

“Take them off,” Charlie commanded as he pushed Alex’s pants and boxers down over his hips. Alex toed off his shoes, kicking the infernal material free. Their lips never stopped exploring throughout their disrobing. Alex bent down to take one of Charlie’s nipples between his teeth. The excited hiss that flew from his friend’s mouth encouraged him to move his torment to the other. Charlie’s hands were rough in his hair, directing his movements, holding him to his chest for several moments before pulling his face back to his for another kiss.

Charlie was directing their play, but Alex didn’t give a shit. He was here in his best friend’s arms and he was living the dream he’d feared would never come true.

“Desk,” Charlie said, grabbing Alex’s arm and directing him across the room. Alex heard Charlie loosening the fastening of his own pants. “Lean over. Put your hands flat on the surface.”

Alex obeyed, waiting with unconcealed anticipation. He watched as Charlie rounded the desk and pulled a bag from the bottom drawer.

“I bought this stuff last week for us to use with Allie.
Forgot about it until now.
I didn’t think…” His words drifted away and Alex saw him pull out a few sex toys, a new tube of lubrication and a jumbo box of condoms. He watched as his friend pulled on the latex shield then slathered it with a generous amount of the slippery gel. He thought he sensed a moment’s hesitation in Charlie’s movements, but then his friend looked at him and the uncertainty disappeared.

“Fuck me,” Alex whispered.

Charlie shook his head as if in disbelief then grinned. “I won’t go easy on you,” he said, the familiar lilt of teasing in his voice.

“I didn’t expect you would.”

Finished with words, Charlie placed the tube of lubrication against the pucker of his ass, working in some of the slippery gel with two fingers. Over and over he worked to loosen the tight opening and Alex struggled to breathe against the powerful sensations his fingers roused. Satisfied with his work, Charlie replaced his fingers with the head of his cock before pausing again. “You’ve done this before.”