Roll Against Regret (3d20) (9 page)

Carter finally looked at me again, and my pulse kicked-started again, double-time. His expression softened, and he turned his attention to Jackson. In a few short strides, he joined us on the balcony and wrapped an arm around Jackson’s waist. “You didn’t answer the lady’s question. If I tell you I’m falling for you, do I have to share?”

Jackson turned away from me and draped his arms around Carter’s neck. Elders, I liked the way that looked. Jackson scrubbed his thumb across Carter’s cheek. “I’m not as forgiving about the shaving thing as she is. I’ve got delicate skin.”

“You’re outvoted. Besides, maybe you just haven’t tried it on the right guy yet.” Carter crushed his mouth to Jackson’s and pressed him against the doorframe. Twin groans teased me, and my senses flared to life. I couldn’t drag my gaze away from the sight. Desire flowed through me. I hoped the neighbors were enjoying the show too.

They broke apart, and one of them gasped. Both, maybe. I struggled to find my voice, more desperate than ever to know if they were okay with what I hinted at.

Jackson dropped one arm from Carter’s neck, but held on with the other. He reached for my hand, intertwined his fingers with mine, and turned his head enough to look me in the eye. “Do you know what you’re actually asking? Have you thought this through?”

I hadn’t actually sat down and plotted details, but my own okay-ness with the situation told me I’d been mulling it over in the back of my head since Ryan told me about his relationship. “I know what I’m asking.”

Carter scooted closer to Jackson. “I refuse to be a casual use-me-at-night-and-toss-me-out-the-next-morning kind of thing. At least when it comes to you, Zoe. And to Jackson. I want all in. I want to be your now, not just your past. Both of you.”

I wanted that too. So much, it ached in my chest and lingered in my fingertips and leased space in my head. I stopped myself from saying so. Jackson needed to chime in first.

“I’d be pissed if you wanted it any other way,” Jackson said.

“I don’t want you to do it for me. Either of you. I want it to be because you feel something for each other,” I said. Why was I objecting to my own idea? Maybe I couldn’t believe it was actually working. I was terrified one of them would decide this was a bad idea.

“That’s ridiculous.” Carter’s tone was kind. “If we weren’t doing it a little for you, we’d go back to the idea where I walk out with him and leave you behind.”

“No,
we
don’t.” Jackson pulled away from him with a teasing huff. “If that were the case, you’d leave alone. Pixie and I are a package deal. Do you come with the package?”

Carter laughed, and heat flooded my cheeks. I couldn’t hold back my snicker either, despite the sentiment in the words. “I can’t believe you just said that.”

“Yes, you can.” Jackson squeezed my hand. “You also believe I meant it exactly the way it sounded.”

Carter shook his head. “I’m going to waste the last of my restraint by not responding to that the way I could.” He rested his free hand at the base of my neck. “Which means, I can stop exercising self-control, and do this.”

He brushed his lips over mine, a touch so feather-light it almost wasn’t there. When he deepened the kiss, the rest of my doubt evaporated. I didn’t think Carter’s touch had ever been so tender. It wasn’t the same as it had been the other night. Hunger still hid behind the gesture, sneaking in on his tongue when it danced in my mouth. Echoing in his groan. But this wasn’t a frantic, just-for-one-night grasp. His scent filled my head, and he dug his fingers into my skin. This was a complement to the security I felt with Jackson. The promise that whatever happened today, tomorrow and every day after built on it.

Carter didn’t so much break the kiss, as slide his mouth along my jaw and up to my ear, before pressing his forehead to mine. “I won’t lose you again, Zoe. And I won’t give up Jackson, either.” His voice was low.

He jerked away suddenly, and I realized it was because Jackson was pushing him back into the apartment. They kissed again, a tangle of limbs and gropes, as Carter walked backwards, letting himself be guided. Even though I’d known from the start of my relationships with them that they liked men as much as women, I’d never seen either of them act on it. Which made sense, given the whole we-were-dating thing.

Watching them together, synchronous, grasping at each other, I understood exactly why Jackson enjoyed seeing me with Carter. Holy hell, that was hot.

Jackson pushed Carter’s shoulders, and Carter collapsed back on the couch. Jackson dropped to his knees and traced the bulge in Carter’s jeans. Carter moaned and slid lower on the couch. Jackson made quick work of the button and zipper in his way, and worked Carter’s cock free.

A new level of arousal coursed through me. I couldn’t pull my gaze away. Didn’t want to. As I watched, I moved my hand to my breast and kneaded the flesh through my T-shirt.

Carter leaned his head back and closed his eyes when Jackson flicked his tongue over Carter’s swollen, purple head, and licked away a drop of precum. Jackson took Carter in his mouth, hand gripping Carter’s thick shaft.

Need throbbed between my thighs, and I pinched my nipple, engrossed in the show in front of me. Carter tangled his fingers in Jackson’s hair, setting the pace, and a whimper tore from my throat.

Carter turned toward me, and his eyes opened halfway. He smirked, before his attention was snatched from me again. His hips thrust against Jackson’s face, and his breathing became a series of pants. He pushed Jackson back, his voice heavy when he spoke. “God, you’re amazing. But not like this. Not this morning, anyway. We have time.” Carter looked between us. He stood, pulled Jackson to his feet, and kissed him again, before turning to me.

“Bedroom. Now,” he barked.

I swallowed at the command and at the slickness I felt between my legs with each step I took to obey him. I paused in the doorway, unsure where to go next. Jackson stepped in front of me. Carter placed his hands on my hips, and in one swift movement pulled my top over my head and tossed it aside. Cool air caressed my scorched skin, drawing my already hard nipples into sharp nubs.

Carter’s chest met my bare skin, his cock pressing against my back. He cupped my breasts and massaged, the gentle gesture becoming hard and insistent within a few seconds. I leaned my head back against his shoulder, losing myself in the sensation and diving in deeper when he scraped his teeth along my neck.

Fingers brushed my stomach. Jackson’s, I managed to register. He undid my jeans and pushed them to floor with my panties, leaving me exposed, wet, and eager, between two mostly-dressed men.

Jackson pressed against me, trapping me. He pulled my head forward again and kissed me, tongue sliding into my mouth. The same tongue that had licked Carter, the same lips that had been wrapped around Carter’s dick just moments earlier.

Apparently I could be more turned on.

I reached for Jackson, caressed his hard-on through denim, and enjoyed the way he jerked against my touch.

Carter continued his ministrations on my nipples, cock grinding against my ass. Jackson slid his fingers between my legs and parted my wet folds, still holding me captive in a kiss.

I gasped into his mouth and bucked against his hand when he brushed my clit. The sensitive nub had swollen to the point where his first touch almost made me climax. I didn’t know which sensation to focus on, so I sank into all of them, letting the multiple touches wash over me. Climax surged quickly. “Jackson, you’re going to make me come.”

And like that, every touch stopped. Gone in an instant. Vanished from both the front and behind. I forced my attention back to Jackson, desire still pulsing hard and hot in my veins. He glanced over my shoulder, and then met my gaze and shrugged, a smile playing on his face.

Carter spun me to face him. He pressed his entire frame against mine. The fabric of his T-shirt and jeans against my hyper-sensitive skin sent desire—and traces of disappointment for the interrupted moment—crashing over me. He stepped into me, forcing me to retreat until my legs collided with the bed.

“Climb in the center.” His gaze locked on mine. “And lie on your back.”

“And you’ll fuck me? Drive your thick cock inside me and finally let me come?” The language was only partly for Jackson’s benefit. I was so turned on, an entire string of dirty words was queuing to escape my lips.

“God, I love how filthy you talk.” Carter scraped his palm up my chest and squeezed my breast hard enough to send a jolt of pain accompanied by need shooting straight to my sex. “But no. Middle of the bed.”

I crawled on my hands and knees to the center of the mattress, making a show of keeping my ass in the air for a couple extra seconds before rolling onto my back. Calloused palms grabbed my wrists and pinned my arms over my head, erasing what would have been a seductive lip bite and replacing it with a gasp. Carter knelt above me. Holding me in place. “Don’t focus on me,” he said.

I turned my attention to the foot of the bed. Jackson stood there, stripping down to nothing, exposing his lean, wiry frame.

“Fuck, he’s sexy.” Carter growled.

Jackson’s gaze trailed over my body, leaving whispers of fire in its wake but not sating me. I didn’t know which part to play. The submissive girl Carter demanded, or the equal partner who bantered with Jackson. Though Carter didn’t seem to have any problems with what I’d done so far, and I could tell from the lust in Jackson’s eyes he was enjoying the combination as well.

I squirmed against Carter’s grip as the seconds stretched on, not trying to get away so much as needing to be touched. Carter brushed the outside of my ear with his lips. “What happened to the dirty talk?” His voice was low and gravelly.

I licked my lips and turned a seductive smile on Jackson. “If you’d wanted me tied down while you fucked me, you could have asked sooner.”

Jackson knelt between my legs. “Some things take experimentation.”

“So, helpless little me, squirming because my pussy is wet. That makes you hard?” I teased.

Jackson pushed my thighs apart, and the head of his cock hovered close enough to my skin I felt the heat. “Helpless is one thing you’re not, Pixie. But yeah, this is pretty hot.”

He glided his dick along my slit, sliding easily. Any other clever words vanished from my mind when he bumped my clit. I expected him to pull away, but the pressure increased. It wasn’t like the circling he did with his fingers. I lifted my head to see his hand wrapped around his shaft. He stroked himself, pressing his dick against my engorged sex.

My interrupted orgasm built quickly again but hovered right at the edge of climax. Jackson worked himself—and me—harder and faster, drawing out my pleasure.

The pressure on my wrists disappeared, and the weight on the mattress shifted. Carter knelt next to me, pinched one of my nipples, and rolled it between his fingers. With his other hand, he jerked off. He twisted the hard nub on my chest, and bliss rocketed through me. I cried out and arched my back. At the height of orgasm, Jackson thrust inside me, drawing me out to another peak.

I was half-aware of Carter’s movements to my side, his rough touch on my chest and on himself. Most of me fell into Jackson’s frantic rhythm. Slamming against him. The sounds and touches and all of it blending into a mind-numbing euphoria.

Carter’s panting became grunts, and seconds later, he spurted across my chest—warm, sticky, covering my breasts and stomach. I don’t know if it was the visual, or if Jackson was as lost in everything as I was, but moments later, he gripped my hips almost hard enough to bruise, and spilled inside me.

The haze in my head shifted to something new but didn’t fade, as the world returned to normal around us. I leaned my head back with a lazy smile, and relaxed against the sheets.

Carter brushed his lips over mine. “I’ll get you a washcloth.”

Jackson rolled onto the bed next to me, propped himself up on one elbow, and traced a finger down my cheek. “Are you sure this is what you want?”

“No fair having that conversation without me there,” Carter yelled from the bathroom.

“He’s got a point.” I kept my voice loud enough they could both hear. “And yes. Very much so. Not just because of the super-hot sex, though.”

Carter knelt next to me again, touch gentle this time as he wiped his cum from my chest. “There’s more to life than that?”

“You’re an ass.” I laughed. “I love you both.”

“I get that.” Jackson sat, gaze flicking between me and Carter. “And I’m even falling for him, so it all works out.”

Carter stood. “Ditto for me. You know we’re late for work, right?”

Crap. I’d forgotten. I was the only one with no plans for the day. “Yeah. I know.” I sat too. “And I have a resume to update, and some files to send to my-not bosses.” I looked at Carter. “You suck at pillow talk.”

He dipped his head in and kissed me. “You’ll have to teach me what someone is
supposed
to say during and after sex. Apparently, you’ve been practicing.”

I pushed him away. “Go to work. I’ll see you both tonight.”

“My apartment may start to feel cramped real soon.” Jackson brushed his lips over my cheek. “Here?”

“Here,” I said.

Jackson spun back, after Carter vanished into the living room, and pulled me close. He rested his forehead against mine. “This doesn’t flip a switch and instantly change everything.”

“I get that,” I said. Carter was right, most conversations were for the three of us now, but not all of them. Jackson and I still had a few outstanding issues of our own. “I’m in this for the long haul, but only if you’re there.”

“I’ve told you before, I always am.”

“So… Yesterday—”

Jackson crushed his mouth to mine, swallowing the words. I dragged in a deep breath when he finally back. “I’m glad you brought him in. You and I are solid. It needed to be said, but I’m not bruised over it if you’re not.”

I smiled. “I’m not. We’re solid.”

After Carter and Jackson left, I lingered in the pleasant haze of the morning a while longer—hopped in the shower, took my time, and just unwound. I hadn’t dared focus on the suggestion of all three of us too long before I made it. If I’d put hope into it, and it hadn’t worked out…

I pushed the thought aside. It had worked out, and we’d make it keep working. A glance at my clock told me it was almost nine. I should get started. I still had to file for unemployment—if I could even qualify, given the circumstances of my firing. Had to start my job hunt. But first, I had some files to email.

I sent our files from the night before to all of the executives, along with a note saying I also had a backup of the documentation, outlining our findings, and leaving my contact information, just in case. A knot clenched in my chest when I clicked ‘Send.’ What if this backfired?

Too late now. I’d left Carter and Jackson’s names out of things, so they wouldn’t get in trouble over the fact those had been proprietary documents we’d just shared technically outside the company, after I’d already been threatened with embezzlement charges.

I set my laptop up on the kitchen table and started the next steps of my day. I didn’t realize how slowly time dragged without huge, looming deadlines. Ten, and then eleven took an eternity to arrive. My phone rang. Maybe someone had already picked up one of my resumes. I chided myself for the hope. “This is Zoe Sutton.”

“Zoe, this is Greg Oliver. We met yesterday?”

The name and voice seized my chest. Had that really only been twenty-four hours ago? I felt like I’d lived an entire lifetime in the last week. “Of course. I remember. Can I help you?” My voice wavered.

“I’m looking at some files you provided to upper management this morning.”

“All right…” It made sense they would call me to ask questions, but I hadn’t thought that far ahead. What was I supposed to say?
Good for you?

“And you did this work last night, after you were let go?”

“I would have done it before, but I got my walking orders first.” I tried to joke, but my laugh came out strangled.

“You know these are proprietary internal documents. Not meant for non-employees.” His tone remained steady. How did he do that?

“I do. But I’d already seen them before last night, so it wasn’t like it was new information to me.”

“I see.”

Saw what? I almost screamed the question into the phone.

“I’d like you to come down to the offices today, if you can. The sooner the better.”

“With all due respect, Mr. Oliver, I was fired yesterday. Since you can’t do that to me twice, and the police can arrest me here, if this is about the embezzlement. Everything I know is in that documentation.”