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 meanmein 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,needingmore. 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.