Rhythm of Three (Rule of Three) (12 page)

Dag closed his eyes briefly. But then he opened them and his gaze was steady and unblinking. Full of hope. Need. Aching vulnerability. And love. “Yeah,” he said. “But never like this. With you. Love you, Chris.”

“Yeah.” Chris groaned. “Love you too.” A hard shudder of emotion worked down his spine. He pushed into Dag’s body. Oh Jesus. Jesus Christ. He gritted his teeth at the pleasure that poured through him. His skin burned and tingled all over, his balls drawing up tight.

Opening his eyes, he looked down where they were joined now, intimately and perfectly, and pushed in deeper, the tight clasp of Dag’s flesh on his, sublime. He studied Dag’s cock, so big and thick against his belly, his balls full and round and smooth. Chris once more licked his lips, dazed and overwhelmed.

Dag’s hands reached for him, clasped his thighs, his head lifting off the bed to also look down his body at where they were joined. His dark hair fell over his forehead, and noises climbed up his throat, soft, guttural noises of pleasure.

Fully seated inside him, aroused beyond measure by Dag’s enjoyment and his own pleasure, Chris slid his hands up Dag’s body, over his ridged abs, his flat pecs, then curved his fingers over Dag’s shoulders and held on as he began to move.

Dag’s eyes met his and they stared at each other with almost unbearable tenderness, moving together slowly. Then Chris lowered himself over Dag, sliding an arm beneath his head, and kissed him. They kissed deeply, tongues sliding and sucking, breathing hard, Chris’s hips rocking into Dag’s body, slowly and steadily.

Dag’s hands moved to Chris’s ass and gripped him, helping him move against him. Their mouths slid together again, then Chris lifted his mouth a breath away to look at Dag, both of them panting, soft noises escaping their throats, heat building. The love in Dag’s eyes made Chris’s throat clench and he gave another hoarse groan. “Fuck, man,” he croaked. “Fucking amazing.”

“Yeah. Love your cock in me. Perfect. Love it. Love you.”

Chris kissed Dag’s stubbled jaw, opened his mouth on him and grazed his chin with his teeth, kissed and sucked the skin on the side of his neck. He buried his face there, breathing hard as his pace quickened. He kissed Dag’s shoulder, his chest, found a nipple and sucked it into his mouth.

Dag’s body twitched and he pulled in a sharp breath. He lifted his arms and folded them behind his head, watching Chris as he kissed and sucked. “Yeah, do that,” he groaned.

Chris kissed his way back up, all the way to the underside of Dag’s arm, tracing his tattoo with his tongue. He curled his hand around the back of Dag’s head, kissed his ear, sucked on his earlobe. “Feels so fucking good,” he muttered in Dag’s ear, “fucking you.”

“Close,” Dag groaned. “So close…”

“’Kay.” Chris pushed up again onto his hands, sucked Dag’s other nipple briefly, kissed the middle of his chest, then straightened and gripped Dag’s thighs. He was close too, dark pressure gathering, his skin buzzing. He watched Dag fist his own cock and start stroking, jerking in fast movements as Chris increased the pace and fucked Dag in a quick, hard rhythm. The mattress bounced beneath them.

Sensation built and twisted, hot and fierce. Cries fell from Dag’s lips as his hand stilled on his shaft and Chris watched in awe as Dag’s face contorted and he came in wrenching pulses, semen landing on his taut abs.

With a couple more slow, squeezing tugs on his dick, Dag groaned and then it slammed Chris too, hot and bright, electricity racing up and down his spine, the backs of his thighs tingling, sensation exploding inside him. He held himself tight at Dag’s groin, eyes closing, cock jerking with each pulse of semen, draining him.

When his ejaculations had ended, he dragged open his eyes and looked at Dag. More emotion swelled in his chest, his heart still pounding, breathing still jagged. “Holy fuck,” he grunted. Their eyes met and something passed between them, something amazing and powerful and moving. “Love you. So much.”

And once more he stretched out over Dag’s sweat-dampened body to kiss him.

Chapter Nine

Kassidy opened the door of the condo later that night and pushed inside with her big shopping bags. “Hello! Anyone home?” She tripped into the living room, a wee bit buzzed from several cocktails with the girls. The television was on but silent. She took in the trail of clothes—men’s shorts, T-shirt and boxers—and followed it to the bedroom, amused.

She paused in the open door and in the light from the living room saw Dag and Chris in bed, asleep, both on their bellies, faces toward each other, Dag’s hand resting on the middle of Chris’s bare back, the covers down around their waists. She smiled.

They were beautiful. Dag’s dark, messy hair contrasted with the white pillow, the skin of his arm darker against Chris’s golden tan. Her heart squeezed with love for them both.

She moved into the room, still carrying her purchases, and the noises caused Chris’s eyes to flutter open. “Hey,” he murmured, “you’re home.”

She sat on the bed next to him and leaned down to kiss his cheek. “I am. You guys are in bed early.” He met her eyes and she smiled at him, wordlessly communicating with him. His answering smile melted her. She touched his face with her fingertips as Dag stirred next to him. “Okay?” she whispered.

He caught her hand and kissed her fingers. “Yeah. Great. I love you so much, Kass.”

“Love you too.” She looked at Dag, blinking his long, dark eyelashes, and she leaned across Chris to kiss him too. “And you.”

“Babe. What time is it?”

“Just past ten.”

“Huh. Guess we crashed.”

“Yep.” Her smile widened.

“How was your girls’ night?” Chris asked, rolling over and shoving pillows behind him.

“It was…good. Except…” she sank her teeth into her bottom lip, “…Danielle sort of spilled the beans about us to Sarah and Tyra.”

“Oh.” Dag and Chris exchanged a look.

“You don’t look too upset about it,” Dag observed.

She sighed. “No. It was fine. Although…all we told them is that I’m sleeping with both of you.”

“Ah. Okay.” Another exchange of eye contact.

“Basically, they’re jealous,” Kassidy said with a grin.

“As they should be,” Dag said.

Chris and Kassidy laughed.

“I bought a dress,” she shared. “Wanna see it?”

“Sure.” Dag too sat up and leaned back against the headboard.

“I’ll put it on.” She stood, eager to show them her sexy new dress. “I got shoes too, and they’re so cute.” She took her purchases into the bathroom and changed in there, smiling at her reflection in the mirror, excited to show off for her two guys.

Her two guys who’d apparently just had sex with each other. And looked so happy and content and satisfied. Too bad she’d missed it, but she was happy it had happened. She knew they’d needed it. This relationship was weird, for many reasons, but it struck her that not only was there one relationship between all three of them, there were also three relationships between each of them. And each of those relationships was unique and had to develop at its own speed and in its own way. The relationship between Chris and Dag was different than between her and Chris, or her and Dag, but no less important, and she wanted to make sure that they had the time and opportunity for it to grow as it should.

She turned and looked over her shoulder at the deep V at the back of the dress that made it impossible to wear a bra. She smiled with a little shiver, then slipped her feet into the pretty, impractical new shoes and walked into the bedroom.

Chris and Dag had flicked on the lamps on either side of the bed and were sitting up waiting for her. As their eyes turned to her and they both gave her an up-and-down look and a slow smile, she’d never felt more beautiful or more appreciated, or more loved.

She did a little catwalk pivot to show them the back of the dress.

“Nice,” Chris said in a rough voice.

“Sexy,” Dag agreed. “Wow, Kassidy, you’re beautiful. Love that dress.”

“And the shoes.” She cocked a hip and extended one foot.

“Oh yeah. And the shoes. Hot.”

“I love you guys.” She beamed at them.

“We love you too, babe,” Dag said. “Now take the dress off and get into bed here with us so we can show you how much.”

Kassidy found herself actually tearful the next morning when Dag was packing a suitcase to leave. “I don’t want you to go,” she said, sitting on the side of the bed.

“I know. But I had to go back to San Francisco at some point. Now’s a good time.”

He’d decided that rather than go stay in a hotel or with her parents, he’d head back to California and spend the week taking care of the things he needed to do there.

“I know.” She gave him a wan smile. “But I’m going to miss you. We both are.”

“You’ll be busy entertaining Chris’s parents.” But his eyes held a hint of shadow that told her he was going to miss them too.

“Ready to go?” Chris asked, entering the bedroom. “Luckily we only have to make one trip to the airport.”

His parents arrived just after one o’clock and Dag’s flight left at three, so Dag had suggested he’d go with Chris. He’d be early but he could kill time with his laptop.

“Pretty much,” Dag said. “I didn’t pack all my shit. That’s okay, right? Your parents aren’t going to come in here and start going through your closet, are they?”

Chris laughed. “Doubtful.”

Kassidy’s stomach hurt. “I hate this.”

Dag kissed the top of her head. “I know, babe. But it’s okay. We gotta do what we gotta do. I’ll be back Friday.”

He zipped up his case, and she trailed after him and Chris as they left the bedroom. She followed them to the door.

“Sure you don’t want to come to the airport?” Chris asked her.

She shook her head. “I’ll get the guest room ready. Need to vacuum and dust and clean the bathrooms before your parents get here.”

“Okay.” He kissed her forehead. “Back soon.”

She turned to Dag, her bottom lip trembling. He wrapped his arms around her and she pressed up against him for a long, heartfelt kiss. She breathed in his scent, loving the feel of his arms around her. “Love you, babe,” he whispered.

“I love you too.” She sniffled but shaped her mouth into a smile. “Bye, honey.”

Her throat hurt as she watched them walk out the door. She sucked in a long, shaky breath then squared her shoulders and headed for the cupboard with her cleaning supplies. She would distract herself from her sadness by scrubbing.

The guest room was all arranged and lovely, the main bathroom shiny clean with soft new guest towels laid out, the floors vacuumed and mopped, and a load of laundry had been done when Chris arrived home with his parents. Kassidy’s stomach had tied itself into knots. She didn’t know why. She’d met Chris’s parents a couple of times and they’d seemed to like her, but this was the first time she’d seen them since moving in with Chris, and they were actually staying in their home.

They greeted her with hugs as Chris lugged their bags in.

“How was your flight?” Kassidy asked.

“It was fine, absolutely fine. On time and smooth. I’m such a nervous flyer, so that was good,” Kathy Manness chatted.

“Chris will put your bags in the guest room,” Kassidy said. “It’s all ready for you.”

“The condo is lovely,” Mrs. Manness said, looking around. “And such a nice neighborhood.”

“Yes. We like all the old trees.”

“I’ll show you around,” Chris said.

“Would you like coffee, Mr. and Mrs. Manness? Or something cold to drink?”

“Call me Kathy,” Chris’s mom said with a smile. “And Hubbard.” She nodded at Mr. Manness. “I’d love some coffee.”

“That would be great,” Hub agreed.

Kathy and Hub got a quick tour of the condo, then freshened up and unpacked a few things while Kassidy made coffee. Chris leaned against the counter, his mouth in a straight line. “You okay, hon?” she asked quietly, scooping grounds into the filter.

“Yeah…” he sighed and grimaced, “…I’m good.”

They sat in the living room with his parents and chatted about their plans for the week. “I’m sorry Chris and I both have to work,” Kassidy said.

“We’ll find our way around,” Hub said. “Kathy wants to go to Navy Pier. And some museums. And shopping.” He rolled his eyes, but smiled.

“Hub wants to see a game at Wrigley Field,” Kathy said. “He’s already found out there’s one Wednesday night. So maybe the boys can do that and Kassidy and I can do some girl things.”

Kassidy smiled. “Sure. My parents would like to meet you this week too. They suggested maybe dinner together one night.”

“Oh that would be lovely! I can’t wait to meet them.” Kathy beamed.

Okay. This was going all right. Like Dag said, they’d keep busy entertaining the family and the week would fly by.

Sure.

The favor of a reply is requested on or before July 21. ____ persons will attend.

Kassidy stared at the small RSVP card that had come with Taisha’s wedding invitation. The invitation that had come addressed to
Kassidy Langdon and Guest
. Guest—singular.