Hunter
“There should be two rooms.”
The man behind the counter types on his keyboard again, but reluctantly shakes his head when he doesn’t have any good news to give me.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Scott. There’s only one king room on this reservation.”
“Everything else is booked,” Isabel adds from next to me. “Not even the seedy hotels have rooms available.”
“There’s a jazz fest this weekend and they’ve booked up all our hotels,” the man explains. “It’s busier than Mardi Gras.”
“Is that why you gave away our second room?” I grumble, glaring at the concierge.
“Hunter…” Isabel says in warning.
We’re just outside New Orleans, and after a long, awkward ride in the car all day, the last thing I need is to fight with the hotel staff. Drake has been uncharacteristically quiet since last night. I didn’t want it to be this way. I’m not going to make him sleep with Isabel if he really doesn’t want to, whether we made a deal or not—I’m not a monster. But I just wish he’d get on board with the idea. Because I know he wants it. I saw the look in his eyes last night when he was kissing her against the wall. I saw the fire between them, chemistry like I’ve never seen before, and it was hot as fuck.
The forbidden nature of it all makes it that much better. I can only imagine what his hand was doing up her dress, and maybe he’s right. Maybe I should be more angry about another man being inside her, but I’m not. I’m fucking turned on as hell.
“Come on, honey. We can make it work.”
“One bed for all three of us? Drake takes up a king-size bed by himself,” I argue.
“The only other option is to skip the club tomorrow night and just move on to Nashville today.”
I groan. “We’ve been in the car all day. I really don’t want to drive more.”
“So, let’s just take the room.”
With a sigh and an eye-roll, I look at the concierge as I say, “Fine. Give us the room.”
He forces a tight smile and clicks on his computer. “Yes, sir.”
Drake is sitting alone in the car, and I glance out the tall glass doors of the lobby and watch him. He looks nervous. Maybe sleeping in the same room will help loosen him up. I know once he lets go of all of his worry, he’ll see how good this can be. He’s done much crazier things.
After getting our key to the room, Isabel and I head back out to the car.
“Well…” I say as I drop into the passenger seat. “They only have one room.”
He stares at me like he’s waiting for me to explain.
“With one bed,” Isabel adds.
“You’re kidding,” Drake replies.
“Sleepover,” I say, trying to lighten the mood, but he doesn’t look entertained. With a heavy sigh, he drives the car around to an empty parking space.
When we get into the room, Isabel goes straight for the shower, leaving me and Drake alone in our awkwardness. He doesn’t even hesitate as he reaches for the bottle of tequila he packed in his bag.
I open the minibar and find some cold beers, so I grab one out and pop the top. It’s funny to think I would have never paid twelve dollars for one hotel beer ten years ago, but we’ve come a long way.
“Room service?” I ask, grabbing the menu.
“I’m not hungry,” he mutters after swallowing down a shot without so much as a wince.
With a scoff, I toss the menu down in front of him. Isabel is still in the shower, so she can’t hear us. If she could, I wouldn’t be so hard on him because she’s always trying to protect him or go easy on him, but right now, I’m done with his attitude.
“All right, fine…” I mumble.
“What?”
“Deal’s off. If you’re going to keep brooding about it, then we can pretend I never said anything. Okay?”
With a scowl, he pours another glass. “I wish I could forget it, Hunt.”
“What is your problem? There’s no damage done.”
“What about last night?” he asks, looking offended.
“What? One kiss?”
He takes the second shot and stalks over to the fridge to take out the other cold beer. “Drake, just fucking talk to me.”
When he finally turns toward me, I’m surprised to see the hurt in his eyes. “You assume that I just fuck anyone, anytime, and my feelings don’t get involved.”
I flinch. “What? I don’t think that—’
“Yes, you do. You think it means nothing to me, that I’ll just sleep with Isabel so you can get off on it, and then I’ll walk away like nothing happened. Is that how you think it will go?”
Jesus. Is that what I thought would happen?
“Drake, I didn’t—’
“It’s fine, Hunter. Just drop it, okay?”
As he cracks open his beer, I let his words sink in. Peeling the label off my bottle, my eyes keep dancing up to his face, and I wish I could let this go, but I think he might have just opened up a whole new can of worms.
“I don’t think that about you. I just…assumed that you were better at separating feelings from sex. I thought it would be easy for you.”
“With other people, it would be.”
“But not with Isabel?” I ask.
And when his eyes slide their way up to my face, it steals all of the air out of the room. “Not with either of you.”
Just then, the bathroom door opens, and Isabel emerges from the steam in nothing but a towel wrapped around her slender frame.
“Forgot to grab my pajamas,” she says lightheartedly, before tiptoeing across the room to our suitcase. The room is still drenched in tension as Drake and I stare at each other, those words hanging heavy between us.
I don’t know what he meant by that or if my imagination is getting away from me, but when he included me, he didn’t mean me in a sexual way.
“You guys ready for bed?” Isabel asks, after coming out a minute later in her flannel pants and tank top.
Without another word, Drake and I take turns in the bathroom, averting our gazes as we pass each other. Then we climb into the bed, putting Isabel in between us.
“This reminds me of the time we went camping and it was so cold we slept in the back of the SUV,” Isabel says with a smile.
I hug her close, looking across the pillow at Drake, staring back. “That was a fun trip,” I say.
“Yeah, it was,” he adds.
With her pressed against my body, there’s a sliver of space between her backside and Drake’s chest. And as the two of them reminisce, I think about what he said. About how sleeping with Isabel would put his heart at risk, making him more attached to her than he wants to be.
I’m ignoring the part where he included me because he clearly doesn’t mean it in the same way he means Isabel.
And call me crazy because there’s a part of me that wants him getting emotionally involved. I don’t want Drake just having meaningless sex with Isabel. I want it to mean something. I mean, I know he can separate sex from emotions, but I don’t think I want him to.
Is this cruel of me? To set my best friend up for heartbreak? Or do I know, deep down, I would never let that happen? That, somehow, I can still protect him after all of this is said and done.
Clicking the lights off behind me, I bathe the room in darkness. With the small amount of light coming from the city through the window, I stare at Drake again. I’m an asshole for this, but I’m also a little bit drunk and I’m tired of playing around with this idea. I’m ready to make it happen.
Tugging Isabel closer, I press my mouth against her ear as I whisper, “Drake looks lonely over there. Why don’t you cuddle with him?”
She pulls back and gazes up into my eyes, and I shoot her a warm smile, kiss her forehead, and give her a reassuring nod. After a moment, she does as I said. Slowly, she rolls out of my arms and nestles her body against his.
Without hesitation, he swallows her up in his arms. I can’t get over how small she looks against him and how the moment he has her, she is the center of his focus. He’s no longer glaring at me, but gazing down at her. She’s facing him as he runs a hand down her back, stroking her spine while she breathes into his neck. It’s so intimate and perfect, and not an ounce of me is mad about it.
There’s subtle movement between them, and when Drake pulls his head away to look down at her, my heart beats faster in my chest. The look on his face is full of desire and anticipation.
And I’m holding my breath as I wait.
When Drake rubs a thumb over her jaw, her lips part. He stares at her for what feels like forever, their gazes locked in the dim light. He sends me a hesitant glance before turning back to her. Then he closes the distance between them, pressing his mouth to hers, and my body lights up with excitement.
Their mouths are fused as she bends against his body, running her fingers through his hair to pull him closer. There’s a soft hum and the sound of heavy breathing as their kiss picks up speed.
“Is this okay?” he murmurs, and she barely lets him get the question out before she’s pulling him back down.
“Yes,” she cries out against his lips.
I feel like a fiend, wanting more, needing more. I’ve never felt anything so visceral in all my life. The energy between them and the sight of my two favorite people on earth devouring each other has me wanting to explode. I love it so, so much.
“Pull up her shirt,” I whisper, and I see Drake’s hand move toward the hem before pausing. He moves away again, looking down at her with hesitation before she nods emphatically.
“Yes,” she says in a panting moan.
Then her shirt is up and her breasts are exposed, his large hand quickly covering one soft mound, squeezing and pinching the tight bud of her nipple. The more he massages her breast, the more I notice his hips grinding against her.
And the satisfaction I feel when he rolls on top of her, settling himself between her legs, is nuclear. I want him to fuck her so much it hurts. I know he probably won’t do that tonight. I imagine they’ll both want to take this slow, but the way they’re consuming each other right now has me questioning that.
His mouth moves from hers, instantly covering her nipple with his lips. He’s sucking and nibbling, moaning into her flesh, which I know drives her crazy. Her back arches and she lets out a loud hum of pleasure.
I’m just lying here on my side, watching this scene play out, and I feel like a lurker, intruding on a private moment between two people who desperately want each other.
My God, how long have they felt this? Have these feelings been lying dormant or is it the forbidden nature of it all that’s driving this passion? Either way, I can’t believe how good this feels to watch.
“You should taste her,” I say. “You wouldn’t believe how good she tastes, Drake.”
Isabel lets out a small yelp, lifting her head to stare down at him.
“I want to taste her,” he replies, his feral gaze on her face. “Is that okay?”
She nods again. But before he moves down between her legs, she grabs his face and pulls him up to her mouth to kiss him again. When he’s had his fill of her mouth, he travels down her body, tugging down her pajama pants and taking her underwear with them, so she’s bare for him. She’s hesitant, I can tell. Wriggling her knees together as he runs his hands along her thighs.
“Spread your legs for him, baby,” I whisper. “Let him see how beautiful you are.”
Her knees finally fall apart as her breathing picks up. At the sight of her naked cunt, Drake lets out a growl.
“You’re so fucking perfect, Isabel,” he whispers as he tosses her clothes away and lowers himself between her legs. First, he plants a soft kiss against her belly, and I watch her tender flesh erupt in shivers and goosebumps. Then he presses his lips to the inside of each thigh, and Isabel pants and hums in anticipation.
When she turns her head to look at me, I smile, biting my lip as I lean in, taking her mouth in a bruising kiss. With her lips against mine, she lets out a loud whimper, and I glance down to see Drake’s mouth buried between her legs. I pull away from her to watch as he licks at her pussy, lapping his tongue eagerly against her clit.
Isabel is squirming and clawing at the bed with her nails as he tongue-fucks her with vigor.
“Drake, yes!” she cries out. I can’t help but touch her. I know I’m probably not supposed to be involved, but she’s too delicious to abstain. I brush her hair back, running my hands down her throat, feeling the vibration of her noises against my fingers.
“Look at you, baby. So beautiful like this.”
Drake growls against her cunt, gazing up at her as he thrusts his tongue between her folds. Her legs are squirming around him, her back arched, and her small breasts bouncing with the deep heaving of her breaths.
“Make her come, Drake. She’s so beautiful when she comes.”
Drake hums again. Then he pierces her with two fingers as he sucks eagerly on her clit, making her scream. Her panting is growing slower and deeper, a sign that I know means she’s about to lose it.
She digs her fingers into his hair, latches her thighs around his head, and nearly flies off the bed. It’s the greatest thing I’ve ever seen. I’ve made Isabel come more times than I can ever count, but I never had the chance to truly watch it. My eyes are feasting on the sight of her strong muscles contracting, her long neck exposed as she lets her head hang back. Her eyes are closed in a look of euphoric bliss, and her delicate lips are parted as she lets out a raspy cry.
Once her orgasm has faded, I kiss her again, brushing her fiery red, sweat-soaked hair out of her face.
“That was amazing,” I whisper against her mouth.
Drake rises from his place between her legs, kneeling back on his knees, and my eyes instantly fall to the bulging length in his gym shorts. He catches me looking and trails his eyes down my body, landing on my matching erection.
Well, fuck. What now?
There are a few long moments of awkward silence before he grabs Isabel’s pajamas and helps her slide her legs into them, pulling them into place. Then, she’s looking at me, her bottom lip pinched between her teeth.
“What about—’
“That’s enough, Red,” I reply. “Let’s get some sleep.”
“Are you sure?”
I nod. “Yes, baby.”
“Okay,” she says with reluctance.
Without a word, Drake escapes to the bathroom, closing the door behind him. I’m not sure what he’s doing in there, and I’m not going to ask. Isabel cuddles close to me, her hand drifting over my stiff cock. I take her gently by the wrist.
“Red…” I say in warning.
“Are you okay?” she asks, finally taking her hand away.
“I’m fucking great. Are you okay?”
Her green eyes gaze up at me as she nods. “I’m fucking great too,” she whispers. The F-word rarely comes out of her mouth, but fuck me, it’s so cute when it does.
“Good.”
“Do you think he’s okay?” she asks.
“Yeah. I don’t think he would have done that if he didn’t want to. But…”
“But what?” she replies. I curl her hair behind her ear and kiss her forehead.
“But when he gets into bed, would you be comfortable cuddling with him instead of me? I just want him to know that you want him for more than sex.”
She lifts her head and gives me a puzzled look. “More than sex?”
“Yeah. I think it would make him feel better. To know you really care about him.”
Her touch travels over my cheek as she takes a deep breath. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing? I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
“You care about him, don’t you?”
“Don’t you?” she replies.
More than she understands. Fuck, more than I understand, and I know what my wife is worried about, but everything in my gut is telling me this is right.
“Of course, I do.”
“Okay, because you keep saying me and how much I want him, but you want this too, Hunter, and I think he needs to know how much you care about him—as much as I do.”
Sometimes I feel like Isabel can see into my thoughts. I swear she knows things I keep hidden in my head, even before I think them out loud, but that’s just what makes us so perfect for each other. She is in my head as much as in my heart.
A few minutes later, Drake emerges from the bathroom, hits the light, and climbs back into bed behind Isabel. She stays cuddled against me for a moment, and I’m about to start worrying that she can’t do it. That letting him eat her pussy was one thing, but cuddling with him while they fall asleep is too much.
And I can’t stop thinking about what he said to me earlier, about not wanting to get hurt. I just need him to know he’s not just a quick fuck to either of us. That for some fucking reason, him getting attached to Isabel is exactly what I want.
Then, just when I start to lose hope, she kisses me quickly on the lips and rolls away, resting her head on Drake’s outstretched arm. He hesitates for a moment, gazing at me through the darkness. But when I don’t protest, he relaxes his body, laying his arm over her, and slowly falls asleep.
