Any Given Sunday (18 page)

the sex shop. It was the first time the two of them had mentioned the previous Sunday’s occurrences though he knew both of them had thought of nothing else since.

He moved to the bottom of the bed and ran his hand along her skin, wondering if

he’d ever felt anything so soft. She was shaking slightly. He gave Sean a concerned look and realized Sean had already noticed. He was holding her tighter, whispering

soothing, tender words. As Sean assured Lauren this was going to be amazing, Chad

took comfort in the words as well.

He placed the tube of lubrication to her hole and squeezed a generous amount.

Slowly he worked it into her tight opening, first with one finger, then two, then three.

She was panting, squirming with need by the time he pulled his hand away. Placing his cock at her entrance, he glanced down and watched as Sean nodded, giving him an

encouraging smile.

He began to press forward, savoring the sounds of Lauren’s mews for more and

Sean’s groaned, “Yes.”

The feeling was one he’d never expected to experience, the moment the most

important of his life. Slowly, he entered Lauren’s ass and felt, for the first time, like he’d come home. He could feel Sean’s cock through the membrane between them. Felt his

friend as Sean began to thrust.

Chad remained still for a moment and closed his eyes against the incredible

sensations racking his body. Sean moved again and Chad tried to restrain the shudder

fighting its way through him. He leaned over Lauren, resting against her back as he

sought more of the closeness, more of her warmth.

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When he opened his eyes, his gaze was captured by Sean’s.

He recognized the look. He’d seen it before.

As he watched, Sean raised his hand from Lauren’s neck and cupped Chad’s cheek.

The caress was shocking, but not unwanted. Before Chad could consider his actions, he bent forward, placing a kiss on Lauren’s bare shoulder before moving even lower.

Sean met him halfway, his lips covering Chad’s, Sean’s strong hand holding him in

place for the kiss.

The touch of Sean’s tongue against his closed lips jarred him to his senses and he

moved away quickly, staggered by the implications of what had just happened. His

gaze flew to Lauren’s and he realized she’d watched the kiss. She’d seen it.

His heart began to race with fear, confusion, trapped lust. “Lauren,” he whispered

miserably.

She smiled, the most understanding, loving smile he’d ever seen. “Make love to me,

Chad,” she said softly. “Make love to
us
.”

Her words released the demon in his soul and he began to move. His first reaction

had been to pull out, to get out—out of this room and this house, but as he moved, Sean did too. The pressure of their combined fucking was his undoing and he couldn’t make

himself give up the pleasure. He pushed in again and again until he and Sean were

moving in tandem, taking Lauren as if their lives, their futures depended on it.

His climax hit him like an eighteen-wheeler and he felt as if he wouldn’t survive the impact. Sean and Lauren followed, the three of them clinging to each other in the

aftermath. As they slowly disentangled, Chad fell to the side, Lauren quickly claiming her spot in the middle.

Once again, Chad lay quietly listening as Sean and Lauren slept. This was becoming

a habit, his lovers sleeping as he lay awake—freaking out. He was anxious to break it.

Hell, it had already broken. Everything was broken.

Rising quietly, Chad escaped the room. At the doorway, he turned to take one last

look at his lovers. He knew there couldn’t be any more Sundays for him.

* * * * *

Sean followed Lauren into the living room. They’d awoken a few minutes earlier to

find Chad missing from the bed. While he wasn’t surprised by Chad’s escape, he could

see Lauren was upset by it. As they walked into the room, Chad looked at them,

weariness written on his face. Had he been down here alone these past few hours,

stressing out, worrying about that kiss as they slept?

“We missed you,” Lauren said, bending down to kiss Chad. He turned his head at

the last minute, her lips brushing his cheek instead, and Sean felt a twinge of anger at noticing Lauren’s obvious distress.

“I wasn’t tired,” Chad lied. Sean could see the dark circles under his friend’s eyes

that proved the deceit in his words.

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Any Given Sunday

Lauren moved to the couch, grasping her knees to her chest in a position that was

nothing less than self-protective. Again he was angry at Chad. The kiss had freaked

Chad out, but that wasn’t Lauren’s fault. It was his. He’d been a dumbass and followed Justin’s advice. He’d led with his stupid impulsiveness rather than his brain, honestly thinking he could trick Chad into accepting his advances. Shit. Even just thinking about it now left him feeling like the world’s biggest fool. You can’t trick a heterosexual man into bisexuality. Jesus.

“So,” Lauren said hesitantly. “What’s next?”

Chad seemed to pale at her question. “Next?”

“Fuck,” Sean muttered. He wasn’t about to sit in the room and skirt around the

problem that was slapping them all in the face. “Say it, Chad. Just say what you’re

thinking.”

“I can’t do this anymore.”

Chad’s words hit Sean harder than a brick, though he’d been expecting them ever

since that kiss.

It was Lauren who replied first. “Why?”

“God, Lauren,” Chad said, the words sounding like they were costing him a pound

in pain for every syllable. “Can’t you just let this go?”

“No. God no.” Lauren rose, knelt in front of Chad. “Do you think this is wrong,

Chad? I mean, I know you’ve never been very happy with Lily’s relationship with

Justin and K. Is it the threesome that’s bothering you?”

Chad shook his head. “It’s not the ménage. I know I wasn’t thrilled about Lily’s

relationship at first. I mean, she’s my sister. You know how that is. No guy would ever be good enough and suddenly she’s sleeping with two of them. Now, though…”

Chad’s words drifted away but Sean wanted to hear them, wanted to know where Chad

stood. Though he’d embraced sex with Lauren, Sean could see his friend back-pedaling

quickly.

“Now?” Sean prompted.

Chad rubbed his eyes wearily. “Now I just don’t know. I can’t— This isn’t the same

thing. Fuck, it’s not even close to being the same thing Lily shares with Justin and K.”

Sean’s chest ached as he listened to his friend’s words and he knew what was

different. Knew why Chad would continue to fight this threesome.

“Tell us how it’s different,” Lauren said, her words proving she knew exactly what

was going on. Sean also knew she wouldn’t relent, wouldn’t let Chad escape without

saying the words.

Unfortunately, Chad’s face closed down and Sean knew she’d never get that

confession. “I just want to be normal. Live a normal life.”

Lauren laughed sadly. “Normal is just a perception, Chad. And those are open to

personal opinions. You know that.”

He nodded. “There’s more at stake here. You know
that
.”

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Though his friend whispered the words to Lauren, Sean heard them. Heard them

and understood them.

Lauren nodded, and then she looked over at Sean for some support, some answer.

Sean frowned, uncomfortable with her intense scrutiny. He hardened his features,

erased every emotion from his face. If Chad didn’t want this, he wouldn’t force it on him. He needed to find a way to fix what he’d ruined, but the answer wouldn’t come to him. In the end, he simply shrugged and looked away.

Lauren turned from him, but not before he saw the pain in her face. “So we chalk

this up as a failed experiment without ever saying what went wrong? We just forget it all? Forget what we want and go back to the way things were?”

Chad leaned forward, grasping her hands in his. “I think we have to, Lauren.”

Lauren shook her head, fury dripping from her words. “No, we don’t.”

Chad stood up angrily. “Yes, we do. I never asked to be included in your

relationship because regardless of what I might have wanted, I knew it wouldn’t work.

Think about it. Both of you take off the fucking rose-colored glasses and think about why this won’t work.”

Sean knew why. He knew Lauren did too. He also knew he loved the two people in

this room more than he’d ever loved anyone. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t give

Chad and Lauren, wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for them.

Really? There’s nothing you won’t do, Sean?

No, he thought. There was one thing he couldn’t do. No matter how hard he tried.

He couldn’t stop loving Chad.

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Any Given Sunday

Lauren absentmindedly buttered her bagel on Saturday morning as her mind

whirled over the previous week. Her head was pounding from lack of sleep. She was

tired of living in a silent, empty house. Since Sunday, Sean had managed to work

eighteen hours a day, every day, coming home in the wee hours of the morning,

dropping onto the couch in exhaustion and disappearing again as soon as he rose.

When Chad wasn’t in classes, he was hunkered down in the basement, working like a

demon to finish an apartment she suspected he never planned to live in. She’d found a newspaper lying on a chair in the office with available apartments around Baltimore

circled.

Sean stumbled in and poured a cup of coffee. “Mornin’,” he grumbled.

She turned, offered him a faint smile. She’d risen early so she could catch both of

her men. She’d hit her limit of patience. The silent routines ended today.

“I’m making a nice dinner for all of us tonight.”

Sean took a drink of coffee and she could see the wheels in his brain searching for

an excuse. “I have to work the bar tonight at the pub.”

“No,” she said. “You don’t. I called Tris. Told him I’d planned something special.

He said he’d cover you. You’re officially off duty at three.” Tris had been happy to give Sean the time off. It was clear Sean’s brother was worried about him. Tris had subtly tried to find out what was happening, but Lauren brushed Sean’s sudden sullenness off as a misunderstanding she intended to clear up over dinner.

“Lauren, I can’t bail on Tris at the last minute like that. He’s got kids.”

“And he had no plans for tonight. He said it was no problem. Said you’d covered

for him twice this week so he could go to the twins’ swimming classes. He said he owed you and he was happy to do this.”

Sean was clearly not finished fighting but Lauren’s temper snapped. “I’m making

dinner tonight and you’re coming. I’m tired of eating alone! You don’t wanna work

things out with Chad, fine, but you better start figuring out a way to fix things with
me
.”

Sean sighed. “You’re right.” He crossed the room and gave her a soft kiss on the

cheek. “I’ve been an asshole this week. I’ll come to dinner.”

She reached up and placed her hand against his cheek, hating to see her happy Sean

so tired and depressed. She searched her memory, trying to recall ever seeing him like this. He was always so upbeat, positive. The sadness etched on his face was killing her.

A throat clearing at the doorway had both Sean and Lauren turning. She saw Chad

fully dressed, his backpack slung over his shoulder. “I’m heading out. Gonna hit the

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library.” They usually carpooled to campus but this week Chad had found lots of

reasons for taking his own car. Lauren hadn’t seen him outside the classes they were

both enrolled in.

“Library? Oh, I could use a bit of time there myself.” One down, one to go, Lauren

thought. This was the first time both men had been in the same room together since

Sunday and the tension was so thick, it was stifling.

“Um, actually, I need to take my own car. I’m checking out a couple apartments

near campus today too,” he explained.

“What?” she asked. She could see how much his words were hurting Sean, who

turned away from them under the pretense of pouring more coffee in the already full

cup.

“I’ve been in the way ever since you guys bought this place. Nothing but a third

wheel. I think it’s better if I find my own apartment.”

“So that’s it? That’s how you’re gonna let this play out?” Her voice betrayed her

anger, her pain. Chad was running, giving up without even the slightest fight.

“Lauren, please.” Chad’s voice was quiet, the sound one of absolute defeat.

She scrambled for something she could say to change his mind. She grasped at the

only straw she had left, knowing it was a weak one at best. “You’re just gonna run

away? We made a deal. Three Sundays.”

Chad shrugged. “We only had one more to go. If you two wanna continue the

research, go for it. You don’t need me. It’s not like we were very successful with that whole Dom/sub routine. Too much other shit in the way.”

“The deal was all three of us, and we’re just exploring, finding our way.” She

glanced over at Sean, desperately wishing he’d say something,
anything
.

“So I’m breaking the deal,” Chad said.

She started to walk over to him but he raised his hand, stopped her.

She paused mid-step. “Dinner tonight.”

Chad looked puzzled. “What?”

“I’m making a special dinner tonight and I expect you to be here.”

Chad started to shake his head but she wasn’t taking no for an answer. “Think of it

as your farewell dinner. We’ve been friends too long to let this end so badly. If friends are all we can be then let’s at least start rebuilding that part of the relationship.”