Ryan
He had to be just as nervous as I was, but Scott never said no or gave any indication he didn’t want what was going to happen. And Dare had made it clear what he wanted to happen.
Dare had been upfront with the fact that until we were all on the same page—meaning until I talked to Scott and confessed everything—no meant no and we weren’t going to use safewords or anything like that. I knew he wouldn’t have used the same language with Scott, but at some point they would have had a conversation about it.
Dare was just that kind of guy.
“Where did you guys park? Did you drive together?” Dare’s question had me focusing back on him. From the grin on his face, I knew his goal had been to get us to pay attention, because I was pretty sure we’d talked about the car earlier.
Scott didn’t mind repeating himself, or maybe just didn’t remember the previous comments. “Neither of us had to work late today, so we rode together. We’re over there.”
Pointing to the back of the lot, I realized how busy the restaurant had really been when I saw how many spaces were free now and how dark the back area of the lot was. It was the perfect spot to kiss a date goodnight, but it hadn’t been on purpose.
“Great. I’ll walk you over there.” He gave us a quick glance before turning back to the car, and I had to wonder how many of his dates would have argued with him about it. Every once in a while, I could see him pause and it was like he was so used to guys taking charge just because he was smaller that he did it unconsciously.
Scott wasn’t old-fashioned, and I wanted Dare to do things that came naturally to him. I just wanted to be told what to do. If he’d wanted me to walk him to his car, I’d have gone with that without a problem. The dominant, sexy man who’d plopped down in my lap was who I wanted to get to know better.
Dare reached out and took our hands and started walking back toward the car. Neither Scott nor I were in the closet so it wasn’t a problem, but it felt weird to know he was holding Dare’s hand too. Whether or not it was good weird or bad weird was still up for debate.
Scott pointed out our car as we got closer, but since there were only a handful in the area, Dare could have probably guessed which one was ours. His hand tightened on mine as we stopped, and he let go to be able to turn and face us.
“I talked about making sure you were both comfortable with something before we actually did anything. That means kisses too.” I tried to focus on what he was saying, but my eyes kept focusing on how his lips would feel against mine and what he’d taste like.
Scott’s low sound of agreement had me nodding. Dare’s lips turned up, and he flicked his tongue out to run over them. Forcing myself to look higher up his face, I saw how his eyes twinkled as he watched me.
Damn. Caught.
I tried to think back to what he’d asked. Oh, consent. “Yes, I understand.”
“Good.” Dare stepped closer until he was sandwiched between us. “The only fair way to do it would be to make you two kiss first, but since that seems unnecessarily stressful, we’ll do it another way and take turns with the other…fun firsts that come up.”
Dare leaned back in my arms, encouraging me to wrap my arms around him. Then, Dare reached out to take Scott’s hand and pulled him to close the last few inches between them. Dare ended up pressed between us, but because of the height difference, I was staring Scott right in the face with his stomach pressed against my hands.
Had his lips always been that full?
“How does this feel?” Dare was speaking to Scott, but I had the craziest urge to say “perfect.”
Scott licked his lips and glanced back and forth between us before shrugging. “I don’t know how to explain it.”
“Is it going too fast?”
“No. It’s just…weird’s not the right word but it’s…unexpected. I guess?”
“I can understand that.” Dare’s hands moved up and started caressing Scott’s arms, drawing attention to his muscles and strength. Dare was clearly into bigger, muscular guys and I’d never been happier that I’d kept going to the gym after college. “Should we slow down?”
“No.” Scott answered that right away, making Dare chuckle.
“Should I kiss you now?” Dare’s voice was seductive, but he was making it clear who was in charge. Scott didn’t seem to mind letting Dare set the pace, though, and something eased inside of me. If he didn’t mind that, then there was a good chance the rest wouldn’t make him look at me funny.
“Yes.” Another quick answer from Scott had Dare chuckling, but Scott didn’t seem to mind. He just blushed and waited for Dare.
Was he waiting to know that Dare was okay, or was he acknowledging that Dare was in charge of the kiss?
“I’m glad.” Dare’s hands snaked up Scott’s body and wrapped around his neck. Dare stretched up on his toes, but the way he moved had his body wiggling against mine and it was impossible to keep my dick under control.
It had a mind of its own when it came to Dare.
As he brought their lips together, I stared. I’d never been that close to Scott when he’d kissed anyone. I’d always tried to give him privacy when he’d brought someone over, but he’d never done it often enough for any even semi-awkward moments to occur.
Intimate didn’t even begin to describe it.
I leaned to the side so I could watch as their lips moved against each other’s and felt the way Dare moved against him. It was beautiful. Dare led and Scott followed. Part of me said I should be jealous, but I wasn’t. No matter what, Scott was my friend and Dare wanted us all to be even more. There was nothing to be jealous over.
He was going to kiss me next. Then it would be Scott.
I wasn’t sure which idea gave me more butterflies in my stomach, but I felt like a kid all over again getting ready for his first kiss. When they finally pulled away, Dare gave Scott one last peck on the lips. They were breathless, and if Dare’s expression was anything like Scott’s, the heat from their gazes could have started a fire.
Just watching them stare at each other was blazing, but when they turned to look at me, it was even hotter. Dare released Scott and turned in my arms until his back was pressed against Scott and his chest and groin were flush against me. There was no reason to hide how turned on we all were, that was the point, but I loved the way Dare didn’t try to hide what he was feeling from either of us.
As his hands reached up to wrap around my neck, I shivered. He telegraphed so much with just a look. I’d never met a guy before who could wrap me around his little finger with just a heated stare. For just a moment, I worried about what Scott would see on my face, but when Dare stretched up to kiss me, worries faded away. There were too many other incredible sensations to let fears take over.
The taste of Dare’s lips.
The press of Scott’s body against my hands.
The weight of Scott’s gaze as he watched us.
The feel of Dare’s fingers as they trailed over my neck.
It was like everything clicked into place in that one moment. The tender kiss made me want to wrap Dare in my arms and never let him go, but not having to be the one in charge and not having to make the decisions made everything easier and freer.
When Dare finally pulled back, my heart was racing, and it took a moment before I felt the soft touch of Scott’s fingers as he caressed my arms. Dare’s stare was just as tender, but I knew there were things he was holding back.
Holding back because I was hiding things from Scott.
I got another quick kiss as he relaxed back in Scott’s arms. “Thank you for going out to dinner with me.” Then he craned his head around and smiled at Scott. “You too.”
Scott grinned, but made no move to step away. “I had a good time. Thank you for asking me…” Then he glanced at me. “Us. Thank you for asking us.”
Us.
That word carried more weight than it ever had before.
My hands were still pressed between us, so I couldn’t reach up to touch Scott. I wasn’t ready for either of them to move away, so I rubbed my fingers back and forth, caressing both of them. Scott’s eyes darkened, and he pressed closer.
“You two have no idea how beautiful you are together.” Dare’s heated words were light and teasing, but I could feel the truth behind them. His honest admissions were becoming addicting. Glancing down at Dare, I tried to match his mood, but I was starting to overthink things again, so it was hard. “Is it our turn now?”
He nodded. “Oh yes, I want to see my two…guys kiss.”
“Yours.” Scott had been so quiet the word almost startled me.
Dare looked back at him and nodded, not disguising how much he wanted to possess us both. “Yes.”
“Okay.” Another simple word with more weight than I would have ever imagined.
“Yes.” As I answered, I leaned forward, bringing my face closer to Scott’s.
He had plenty of time to move away or to tell me no, but he waited silently. If he had any reservations about Dare leading us into the kiss or the idea that we were going to kiss, I couldn’t see it in his eyes.
Dare gave a low moan as my lips finally touched Scott’s. His lips were soft and silky against mine, but they were stronger than Dare’s, and I could feel the strength he was holding back. I had a flash of what appealed to Dare about his muscles. I didn’t want to control it, though. I wanted to be wrapped in it.
Just because I loved the feel of Dare’s lithe body against mine didn’t mean I couldn’t appreciate Scott’s sculpted beauty.
We kept the kiss almost innocent with the barest hint of tongue. I wasn’t sure what he or Dare wanted, so taking it further was tempting but not something I would do without knowing what they needed…without knowing what would please Dare.
It hadn’t been an order or anything obvious, but it’d been clear what he wanted.
Fuck.
What would it be like when it was an order?
As I pulled back, I felt my nerves start to spin again. What would Scott think? The smile in his eyes and the way he watched my lips as I pulled back had the washing machine in my stomach slowing. “That was nice.”
Fuck.
I was an idiot. “I mean—”
Dare burst out laughing and Scott smirked. His teasing didn’t surprise me at all. “Smooth. Very smooth.”
“You two…” Dare stretched up on his toes to give us both a quick kiss on the cheek. “How has no one scooped you both up before?”
I wasn’t sure how to answer, so I shrugged. Scott made a matching gesture that had Dare chuckling again. “I could stay like this all night, but then things would go too far. If I let you walk away now, are you going to be weird when you get home? I don’t want you worrying or overthinking it.”
He glanced expectantly between us. Would we be weird? Probably.
I gave him another shrug. “I’ll try?”
No point in outright lying to the guy that I wanted to punish me at some point. That seemed like it’d be setting me up for failure.
Scott probably wasn’t on the same page as me, but he started nodding immediately. “Me too.”
Dare didn’t seem to believe us for a moment. “I’m texting you both later, and if you don’t seem happy and functional, we’re going to have a talk.”
Was it weird that it sounded hot? Probably.
“Okay.”
Scott smiled. “Gotcha.”
Shaking his head, Dare stretched up and gave us both quick pecks. “All right…drive safe and text me when you get home.”
We reluctantly stepped away, but it felt wrong…like we were letting him escape. Maybe that should have been the other way around since he was the one in charge, but I just wanted to wrap him up and keep him with me longer.
Longer could very easily turn into always.
And I was back to needing to talk to Scott.
Dare called out a goodbye as he walked away. Scott and I stood there watching while he crossed the lot to a small, black Mini Cooper that had flames painted down the side. Yep, that was Dare alright…small and fiery.
The drive back wasn’t so awkward I felt the need to tattle on myself, but it was close. Mostly it was just quiet. Which, when I thought about it, wasn’t that unusual for Scott and me, but I wasn’t sure how he was feeling about what had happened.
We were dating.
We’d kissed.
We’d each watched the other kiss Dare.
As I pulled in the driveway, I turned off the car and glanced over at Scott. “So should I walk you to your door and see if I can get another kiss goodnight?”
He chuckled and relaxed back in the seat. Angling his body toward mine, he smiled flirtatiously. It wasn’t a look I was used to him aiming at me, but I could get used to it. “I’m not easy. You’re going to have to work for another kiss. What kind of guy do you take me for?”
I snorted. “Well, I was hoping easy, but that seems to be the wrong answer here.”
Scott laughed and his arm reached out reflexively to punch my arm, but at the last minute it changed. Instead of the teasing slug I was expecting, his fingers spread out and gripped my arm, squeezing my bicep.
“How would you have responded if I’d agreed to a goodnight kiss?”
Fuck.
“I don’t know.” It was such a lame answer I kept going. Sharing the things that were going through my head was hard, but I wanted him to know I was trying. “You were so quiet, and I was worried about it getting weird. I’d just started wanting to make you laugh. I didn’t think…I don’t know.”
And I was back to where I’d started.
But Scott didn’t seem to think it was a stupid answer. “Do you want to kiss me again or was it just something you liked while Dare was watching?” He paused for just a moment while his hand kept stroking my arm. “There’s no right or wrong answer with this. Honest. He wants both of us, and I know there isn’t just one way for three people to have a relationship, so I’m curious.”
My mother always called this a “Do I look fat in this dress?” question. Meaning, the chance of him honestly not getting upset about the answer was slim to none. Luckily, honesty was the best policy…in this situation at least.
“I’m going to call bullshit on that no right or wrong answer part. But honestly, I liked kissing you. You’re still…you’re still Scott to me and it might take me a while to wrap my head around you not just being my friend anymore. Well, you’re still my friend, but you’re more.”
I was a reasonable public speaker, but no one would be able to tell by the way I was explaining myself to Scott. He was his quiet self, though, and just nodded, not minding my stumbling explanation. “Yeah, friends but more now. I liked kissing you too.”
I shouldn’t have been so relieved, but some of the stress I was carrying faded away. Nothing that had happened at the restaurant gave the impression he hadn’t wanted it, but it was such a big change. One that maybe should have happened a long time ago.
But then I would have had to have said something a long time ago.
And I was back to wishing Dare was still with us to give me or maybe us a push in the right direction. “Can I kiss you again?”
God, I sounded like a kid who was trying to figure out dating for the first time. The next step was going to be notes asking him to check yes or no.
Relief and something that looked like worry flashed over Scott’s face, but he nodded. “Please.”
“Yes” or “sure” would have meant agreement too, but “please”…there was something more personal about the word…more than just giving permission.
Please kiss me…it meant so much more as I played the words over in my head.
As I leaned forward, Scott mirrored my movement. Instinct took over as our heads turned and lips met. There wasn’t the passion and nerves that had run through me when Dare had directed us in the parking lot, but it was tender and…familiar almost. He wasn’t someone new I was trying to understand and learn. He wasn’t someone I was trying to see if we would fit.
I already knew we fit.
He was Scott…but he was quickly becoming my Scott.
One little word.