I shake my head. “Definitely not often, no, I can count the number of times I’ve done it on one hand. It can get messy, jealous dudes and whatnot.”
“Would you ever do it again?” he asks.
I look at him, and he meets my gaze with an intense, icy-blue stare that I can’t quite read. Without breaking eye contact, I nod. “With the right people.”
“Like the two of us?” he asks.
I look from him to Hazel, whose golden-brown eyes are the size of saucers, staring at her partner. “Are you offering?”
He swallows, hard. “What if I am?” he turns to Hazel, “How would you feel about that?”
Hazel opens her mouth to speak, closes it, then opens it again. “I-um, I don’t- I can’t-”
Her words come out stuttering and shaky, and her cheeks are bright as poppies. “You can say no if you’re not into the idea,” I tell her gently, “Seriously, I won’t take it personally.”
“That’s not it!” she blurts hastily, “I mean…I um…I’m into it. A lot.”
She squirms in her seat a little bit and looks down at her hands. “I don’t know what it is, but watching the two of you together, like when you were dancing? It turns me on like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”
The confession surprises me, and based on the look on Brendon’s face, it surprises him, too. “Is that so?” I ask, “Well, if that’s the case, I think I can do you one better.”
I reach out and take Brendon’s face in my hand, my thumb across his cheek and my fingers gripping his chin to pull him to me. I move slowly and deliberately, making my actions crystal clear so that the other man has time to pull away if he wants, but he remains still as a statue as I lean in and kiss him.
I hear Hazel gasp, but honestly, the sound is a little far away, because I’m fucking falling, losing myself in this kiss. At first, Brendon is stiff, just letting me press my lips to his, but after a moment, he starts to respond in kind, his mouth moving against mine and his tongue tracing the line of my lower lip.
I’ve been with some pretty amazing kissers in the past, but I’ve never been affected like this.
It’s like the 4thof July and New Year’s Eve all crammed into my skull, lighting me up with fireworks from within. Every nerve, every cell in my body is buzzing, and my heart pounds like the drummer in a speed metal band.
I don’t know how long I’m kissing him. I lose all sense of time and it could be seconds, it could be hours, but all too soon, it’s over. Brendon pulls back, and when I open my eyes, I see that he’s panting hard. Apparently the kiss had affected him, too, but I couldn’t quite gauge whether it was a good thing or a bad thing.
At least not until he leans in for a second kiss.
When we part for a second time, he turns to Hazel, worry etched onto his face as he searches hers. She looks stunned, her mouth slightly agape, and when she realizes we’re both staring at her, she blinks and closes her mouth, clearing her throat. “Um…wow. Could one of you do me a favor and pinch me right now?” she asks, holding out her arm for emphasis, “Because I’m not fully convinced that this isn’t all part of a really vivid, elaborate wet dream.”
“I think I might be able to do you one better,” I say, looking at Brendon with a questioning gaze.
Not that it’s really his permission I need, but I’d still rather not get decked in the face. He picks up on what I’ve got in mind and leans back against the sofa so I can lean over him, taking Hazel’s cheek in hand and bringing her face to mine.
And just as I’d done with him, I claim her lips in a kiss that immediately sets off a bombshell in my brain.
It’s softer, sweeter, but every bit as earth-shattering as my shared kiss with Brendon. Still fireworks, but maybe these are the shimmering gold waterfall kind versus Brendon’s bright, electric strobe kind.
It’s the only way I can think to describe it, and it’s unlike anything I’ve ever felt before.
When I finally draw back, Hazel’s eyelids flutter open, like she’s coming out of a dream. “So…believe you’re awake?” I ask.
“I think so, but just in case I’m not…” she stands up and tugs her shirt over her head, to the surprise and pleasure of both Brendon and I, “…I’d like to get to the good part before I wake up.”
“Well, perhaps I should introduce you two to the rest of my apartment,” I say, rising to my feet.
My heart is pounding. I’ve still left them an out, if they don’t really want to do this, but after the two of them exchange a glance that seems to hold an entire conversation, Brendon rises to his feet, taking Hazel’s hand in his, and the two of them follow me to my bedroom.
Standing beside my bed, Brendon tentatively reaches for the hem of my shirt. “May I?” he asks hesitantly.
I nod. He nervously tugs the fabric up and over my head. “Can I ask you something pretty personal?” I ask him.
“Considering what we’re about to do, I think I can handle a personal question,” he says with a slightly nervous laugh.