The sun is beginning to set, and I've been walking through the crowd of people for a while now searching for Cayden. I had to help my dad with chores on the ranch, so I wasn’t able to attend the cookout. When I messaged Cayden earlier, she told me where they would be in the park; however, it’s been difficult trying to find them through the multitudes of attendees.
Finally, I find her standing beside Zac with the others hovering around them. All are waiting for the fireworks to begin. I slide up next to her on her other side. "Hey, everybody!" I smile, meeting the gazes of the people in the group.
"Hey, Brody!" They all say in sync, grinning back at me. Cydney and Mav have begun to accept that I'm around, and it's a good feeling to be welcomed since I’m considered “the outsider.” I like Dex and Mav. I can easily see how they made the girls fall for them, and I hate to say it, but Zac isn’t so bad either. Under different circumstances, we might’ve been able to be friends, but I can't be friends with the guy I'm competing against.
The first boom lights up the sky in red and white colors. I glance at Cayden, her head is tilted up watching, and the brightest smile has formed on her gorgeous face. She loves the Fourth of July–it’s always been her favorite holiday. My gaze drifts down, I notice her fingers are linked with Zac's, not enough to be holding hands, but enough to know it's a loving gesture. Hesitating for only a moment, I decide what the hell and reach for her other hand. Her head snaps in my direction, and with wide eyes, she peers down at both of her hands. A small smirk forms and she focuses again on the sky above, not releasing either of our grips.
The loud crying of a baby close to us catches my attention. At first, I thought it was Dex's daughter, Raine, but after searching, I find Melanie with her son. I hadn’t noticed she was here, and I haven't seen her since before I left for college. She looks good–worn out, but good. Dropping Cayden's hand, I walk over to her. "Hey, Melanie. I didn't see you over here."
"Hey, Brody. Yeah, I think I'm just going to take Jacob home. He's not liking the fireworks too much." Right then, he lets out another high-pitched scream. Melanie's face twists in a grimace.
"Do you mind?" I hold my arms out to take her son.
"Oh, I don't know. He's not much of a people person." But she reluctantly passes him to me.
I hold him close to my chest while swaying side to side, covering the ear that’s not pressed against me so the noise isn’t as loud. He slowly begins to calm down. "Wow!" Her eyes widen in shock. "You're really good with him."
"Thanks." I smile down at her. "He just needed to feel protected, and you should enjoy the rest of the show."
One side of her mouth lifts. She nods and tears pool in her eyes. "It's hard you know. Being the only one he has. Sometimes I forget that he can feel my frustrations, which doesn't help to keep him calm."
I gently bump her. "You're a great mom. Are you still working down at the grocery store?"
She raises her head, a dazzling smile on her lips. "Yep, I'll be there until I'm old and gray." She laughs. "How's college? You went to California, right?"
Nodding once, I respond, "I did, but that shit wasn't for me. This is my home, and this is where I plan to stay."
Melanie cocks a brow. "You aren't going to attend a local college?"
"Nah, I want to help my dad on the ranch, and when he retires, it'll be mine."
She reaches out to rub her son's head. "Sounds like you have a plan."
My gaze drifts to Cayden. "I'm working on it."
Melanie was able to stay for the rest of the fireworks, and she was even able to have some time to talk with the girls while I held her sleeping son. He's a cute little guy and barely stirred when I handed him back to her. She thanked me. I could see it in her eyes how much she appreciated the help–as little as it was. Then she buckled him into his car seat and headed home.
The rest of us arrive back at the girls' house. Callie and Dex went to put a sleeping Raine in bed, while we got busy carrying all the fireworks outside. Leave it to the three of them to overdo it on this shit.
“Did you really need to get this many fireworks?” Maverick asks in disbelief at the bags upon bags of explosives.
Dex and Callie join us just as Maverick asked his question, and all three girls answer in sync. “Yes.”
Zac pipes in, “Well, who’s lighting all this shit?”
I bust out laughing. “We are.”
The three sisters begin snickering too.
“What’s so funny?” Dex questions with his brow arched.
“I’ve been doing their fireworks for years. They love to watch but are scared shitless to light them.”
The three guys stare at each other for a second before their gazes’ snap to the girls. “You got all this shit for us to do, and you three are just gonna sit there lookin’ pretty while we take the chance of blowing our faces off?” Maverick asks, shocked.
Cydney’s eyes turn to slits. “Yep, and you will do it because you love me, Maverick Taylor.”
Dex guffaws. “She’s gotcha there, asshole.”
Mav leers at her. “I’ll light your fuse, baby. You are my little firecracker after all.”
“Oh my God!” Cayden busts out laughing. “That was the cheesiest shit I’ve ever heard in my life.”
The way Cydney is staring at her man, like he is the only one for her, with an expression full of love and longing, I can tell she loved it. Mav sees it too because he runs over and scoops her up, throwing her over his shoulder, and carries her into the house.
The door slams behind them and the baby monitor picks up the sounds of Raine crying. “Whelp. That’s the end of our night,” Callie announces and begins to head inside with Dex following closely behind.
That leaves me, Cayden, and Zac alone. Instead of doing the fireworks, we decide to head inside. Cayden leaves Zac and I alone in the living room for a few minutes, returning with a bottle of Fireball, a deck of cards, and three shot glasses.
She sets them on the coffee table. "No reason we can’t have a good time still. Let's play a game!" Cayden's enthusiasm is clear in her tone as she grabs the liquor, pouring some into each glass.
Hesitantly, I sit on the couch. "What kind of game?"
Zac sits in the chair. "I agree with Brody. What kind of game?"
Cayden sits on the floor with a mischievous smirk and shrugs her shoulder. She begins shuffling the cards, setting them in the middle of the table when she’s done. "We each pull a card and the lowest number takes a shot."
"Okay." Zac and I reply in unison, but we both eye each other. We’re thinking the same thing, there's more to this than just a game.
The game begins. Zac takes the first two shots, I take the next one, and then Cayden. The shots are coming quickly, and we’re getting closer and closer to the bottom of the bottle.
We are all feeling the effects, and then Cayden opens her mouth, "Drinking makes me hot." She begins to remove her black tank top. "It also makes me horny." Her filter has definitely disappeared.
"Christ, Cayden!" Zac shakes his head, but his eyes are darkening with lust as they zero in on her luscious tits. She was a definitely fucking fool for thinking he never desired her. I figured out the truth the first time I met him by the way he watched her every move with the hungry look of a predator. It has only intensified from there. They give each other small smiles and flirt when they think no one is watching, and to top it off, he gently touches her whenever he can. As an outsider looking in, I think he does a shit job of trying to hide his feelings, but that’s still not going to stop me from winning. My feelings are in this as well.
She stands and begins removing her shorts. "What, Zac?" She questions with a pout. "You know you like all of this." She runs her hand up and down her body. "He wants it too." Her head drunkenly sways toward me. "Don't you, Brody?"
"It doesn't matter if we both want you, Cayden." I sigh heavily.
Her head tilts to the side in my direction. "What matters then?"
"Which one of us do you want?" That's the question, and that's what's important.
She sticks her bottom lip out. "I don't want to choose."
Zac speaks up, "You have to." His tone is stern and demanding.
"Why can't I have both of you tonight?"
My brows rise. "You want to have a threesome?" Jesus, Cayden was always open to exploring, but I didn’t think she’d ever want two guys at once. Especially since the two of us that are competing to win her.
She bites her bottom lip and nods. "Earlier when I was holding both of your hands, it got me thinkin’. I started wonderin’ what it would be like to have you both. Both of you filling me up at the same time. Both of your mouths on me, licking me. Both of your hands touching me."
"Cayden," I whisper, running a hand down my face. My cock jumps behind my zipper.
Zac groans. "Fucking hell!" My head snaps in his direction. His eyes are on her, but he's adjusting himself.
She removes her bra, letting her perky tits pop free from the offending material. Her nipples are rosy and pebbled. I forgot how gorgeous her body was; the excitement begins to bubble inside of me.
My cock hardens even more, almost to the point of painful. "If we do this, what happens after?" I question.
"I don't know," She answers honestly. Cayden hooks her thumbs into the thin straps of her thong, sliding it down her legs before kicking it across the living room floor.
Zac pipes in, "You choose. We do this, it's one fucking time, and then you choose. Understood?"
"Understood." She nods excitedly.
"Then, I'll do it," Zac gives her his answer.
She turns to me. "Brody?" She asks, hopeful.
"Alright, let's do it." Something inside of me is screaming that this is a bad idea, but I want her. I guess at this point I’ll take her any way I can have her, and I just hope I’m the one she chooses after.
Cayden sashays toward the staircase. Zac and I stand from our seats, glancing at each other briefly before following her to her bedroom. She closes the door and locks it after we all enter. In front of us, she stands bare, uninhibited, and confident. We are stock still, unsure if it’s nerves or excitement over what we are about to do. We simply gape at her, taking in her gorgeous body.
Zac is the first to gather his composure and makes a move. He begins stripping, and I follow suit until the both of us are free of our clothing.
We step closer to her. Zac lifts his hand and grabs a handful of her hair, pulling her head back. "Are you sure you wanna do this?" He asks. I'm assuming he needs her confirmation once more before we cross this line. Maybe she’ll change her mind.
Without hesitation, she answers, "Yes."
I blow out a deep breath. I guess we’re actually doing this.
He nods once before his lips possess hers. A moment of jealousy slams into me, but I ignore it and drop my head to pepper kisses along the crook of her neck, sucking the skin there before moving up to the shell of her ear.
Zac releases her mouth as he moves down to one of her rosy nipples. Placing my mouth where his had just been, I run my tongue along the seam of her lips and push inside, exploring her spicy flavor. My tongue dances along hers, dueling for control. I swallow her moans for a moment before breaking away and lowering my head to her other nipple. Her hand grips the back of my head, holding me in place. I glance over, she's holding Zac the same way. When I look up, her head is tipped back slightly, her plump lips parted as quiet moans escape. I circle my tongue around the hard bud and suck it into my mouth, gently biting down, and then releasing it with a pop. I’ve missed touching her and having my mouth on her body so fucking much. The head of my cock beads with precum.
Zac and I both move down Cayden's body at the same time, each of us getting on our knees. Taking hold of her thighs, we make her spread her legs further than they were. Her hands are still fisted in our hair as we take turns using our mouths on her wet pussy. Her sweet flavor coats my taste buds with each lick, and her cries of pleasure begin to intensify. I let Zac take control of the front as I stand and move behind her. Reaching around her with one arm, I palm one of her tits and massage her flesh. My other hand travels down her ass and between her thighs. Pushing two fingers inside of her, I pump in and out of her pussy while Zac continues his assault on her clit. I bring my mouth to her ear and whisper in a feather-light voice, "Does this feel good? Do you like having both of us?"
"Yes! God, yes!" She mewls.
The tip of my tongue runs along her spine as I start lowering myself back down to my knees. I grip her ass cheeks with both hands and spread them, laying my tongue against her little, puckered hole. I begin moving around in circles along her rim, getting her wet and ready for more while I insert two fingers back into her pussy. When her moans grow louder, I’m positive she’s loving the torture we are inflicting upon her. Her walls begin to clench around my two fingers working her pussy, and I know she's close to coming. After one more pump inside of her, I pull my fingers out. Fully coated in her wetness, I replace my tongue on her puckered rim with one finger and slowly begin to enter her back hole.
She begins to shake against us, her orgasm slamming through her body. I pull my finger out of her ass as Zac stands, and we walk her to the bed. Zac lays down and we help her straddle him, taking him inside her pussy.
I walk back to my jeans, grab a condom, and sheath myself in the latex. It’s going to take a lot more than one finger to get her primed and ready for me to take her ass with my cock, but I know where her vibrator is. Grabbing it out of her dresser drawer, I take it with me back to the bed, and find that Cayden has already begun to set a rhythm while riding Zac. Her hips move with perfect precision, her body rolls against his, as his hands roughly grip her ass cheeks, both of them moaning with pleasure and staring into each other’s eyes. It seems like they are one being, as if no one else is in the room with them.
Jealousy slams into me again and my heart twists painfully. The connection I am witnessing right now, I can see that the love between them is strong. It’s so strong that I've completely vanished from the room. Neither of them is worried about me, stopping to ask where I am, or checking to see if I’m still with them.
This was a stupid fucking idea.
I can't do this. I want her for myself, but it will destroy me to be inside her one more time before she's ripped away from me.
I don't bother taking the condom off. Quietly, I grab my clothes from the floor and leave the room. After dressing in the living room, I walk out to my truck and head home for the night. I need to rethink this situation. I need to do something before I've lost her forever.
* * *
“What the hell was I thinking when I agreed to the damn threesome?” I ask myself that question over and over as I pace back and forth in my living room. Don't get me wrong, it was fun, hot, and amazing while I was involved, but when I saw the way she and Zac looked at each other, the connection between the two of them…I can’t stop obsessing over it. I've had this sinking feeling since that night. I'm losing her, and I refuse to let that happen. As a last-ditch effort, over the last couple of days, I've been doing some research on her precious Zac. I've gained enough information about him and his lies that Cayden won't want him after she discovers the truth. She’ll choose me after she reads everything in the folder, and then I will have won my prize.
Pulling out my phone, I send her a text, asking her to come over. She replies immediately saying that she's on her way. I continue pacing the living room floor until I hear her light knock ten minutes later.
Opening the door, she enters with a worried expression. "Brody, what's going on?"
I shut the front door and spin around to face her. "I've done some checking on Zac, and I think you should take a peek at what I’ve found."
Her hands go to her hips and she glares at me. "You did some checking?"
I nod fiercely. "Yes! Did you know that he's not even from Georgia? Did you know that he hasn’t even been seen since his high school girlfriend was in a car accident? He’s lied to all of you."
Her anger is palpable. Why is she mad at me? Her glare would shoot me dead if that was possible. "Since when did you become a private investigator, Brody? What is this? A ploy to get me to pick you? You're so insecure that you have to find a way to make up lies about Zac?” She pushes her finger into my chest, poking me. “You had no right to spy on him, and I can’t even believe you’d make shit up like that!"
Exasperated, I hold the folder out to her. "I'm not making anything up, Cayden. He's the fucking liar, and from what I found out, a bigger asshole than I ever imagined he could be. He’s fooled all of you! Just take the damn thing and read it! After you see for yourself what’s in there, he can be out of the picture and we can be together.” I grin cockily, satisfied and proud of myself. “I win."
Her hand rears back before connecting with my cheek unexpectedly. My head snaps to the side, and I cover my burning cheek. She begins screaming at me, "No! And after this, I wouldn’t fucking pick you even if you were the last man on this fucking Earth.” She shakes her head in disbelief, her tone lowers, and she snarls, “This is low even for you, and all this time, you’ve only cared about winning. That’s all it’s been for you. I’m not a Goddamn prize, Brody!"
"Take the folder!" I push it into her chest with my free hand.
She grabs it. "You're a real piece of work." She stomps to the front door and jerks it open.
"Let's see how you feel after you read what's in it," I sneer, slamming the door shut and taking a few deep breaths.
It’s not the first time I’ve been slapped by a female, but it is a first from Cayden. I’ve never seen her so furious. I thought she would be happy, but this could seriously backfire on my ass. Now, I just have to wait to see how this plays out and hope I didn’t destroy our friendship. Then again, she can never stay mad at me for long. I hope that still holds true.