Chapter 1—Liam

I stared at Derrick’s text, my eyes refusing to believe what I was reading. my cabin at the lake. this weekend. My heart rate quickened. Not because of his invitation—I’d spent plenty of weekends at his lakeside cabin—but because of everything he hadn’t said in his message, things I knew were implied. Expected. Things we hadn’t done in years. Three to be exact. Not since he’d married Eve.

I swallowed hard at the thought of her. There was no way in hell she was on board with what Derrick had planned. Not when she was the reason he’d given up the lifestyle he’d loved so much, the life he’d introduced me to. But one look from sweet, beautiful Eve, and he’d walked away from it all, devoting himself to her and her alone. Shit. I couldn’t blame him. I would’ve done the same thing if she had batted those big, innocent, baby-blues at me. But she hadn’t. She’d chosen Derrick, and it was something I’d learned to live with. And I’d been doing good, too. Burying myself in work—and any woman who’d let me into her bed.

Now, though, I could already feel myself spiraling, wondering if this really was what I thought, hoped, it was. Wondering if Derrick and I could fall back into the same, familiar routine we’d spent years perfecting. Wondering why now. But more than anything, I was dying to know how she felt, how she tasted, how she sounded when she came. My cock thickened, and I groaned. And that right there was my deepest, darkest secret—I wanted my best friend’s wife. I’ve wanted her since I met her five years ago, but he’d seen her first. Claimed her before I ever had a chance. And the fucker hadn’t been willing to share.

Until now.

Tossing my phone onto the passenger’s seat, I made the right turn that would lead me down the winding, dirt road to Derrick’s cabin. I pulled up alongside his jacked-up Dodge Ram and killed the engine. I got out and stretched my legs just as Derrick stepped out onto the porch.

He grinned and jogged down the steps, giving me a manly hug. “You made it.”

“Did you have any doubts?” I laughed.

“A few,” he admitted with a nod. “It’s been a while. Wasn’t sure you were still in the game.”

I raised a brow. “You’re the one who left. Not me.”

He grunted but didn’t say anything. I grabbed my bag from the trunk and flung it over my shoulder, and then I followed Derrick inside. The cabin hadn’t changed a bit since the last time I’d been here. The interior was all hard wood and rustic décor. The large brick fireplace still took up the northern wall, and the picture window had the same view of the private beach. Everything was open space, except for the bedrooms and bathroom, which had locking doors. This cabin was like a second home to me, full of memories of sex-fueled weekends spent with my best friend and a woman of our choosing. I was floored to think I’d now be spending the weekend sharing his wife.

“Should I put my bag in the master suite or the guest room?” His answer would tell me everything I needed to know about this surprise invitation.

“The guest room.” He grinned. “For now.”

My stomach twisted. “She doesn’t know, does she?” Heat rose up my neck, and I clenched my teeth. That had always been our number one rule: consent. The woman always had to know what our intentions were, and she had to agree. If she didn’t, we walked away. No exceptions.

“Not exactly.” Derrick rubbed the back of his neck. “We’ve talked about it a bit, but I know having you here will be the push she needs to finally agree.”

I narrowed my eyes and curled my hand into a fist. I loved Derrick like a brother, but what kind of man—husband—was he to pimp out his wife like this? I was tempted to turn around and walk the fuck out, but then Eve walked in. She was in a flowing, blue dress that accentuated her eyes. Her cheeks were pink from too much sun, and her brown hair cascaded over her shoulders. My breath caught at the sight of her. She was a million times more beautiful than I remembered.

“Liam?” Her eyes widened, and her face split with a vibrant smile. “What’re you doing here?” She walked over and hugged me.

I dropped my bag to the floor and wrapped my arms around her, holding her close, letting her breasts press against my chest, letting my hands roam down to settle on the indentation of her back. My fingers itched to dip lower, to feel her round, firm ass beneath my palms. She smelled good, too, like a combination of suntan lotion, the beach, and flowers. I glanced at Derrick, who was smiling faintly. Then he gave me a pleading look, practically begging me to stay, to help him convince his wife that taking both of us was the best idea in the world. He had no fucking idea what he was asking of me.

“I invited him,” Derrick said. “The three of us haven’t had a chance to hang out much lately, so I thought this would be a good opportunity for us to…reconnect.”

Eve pulled back, her hands on my biceps. “You’re staying the whole weekend?”

“Yeah, if that’s okay with you.” I flashed her a crooked grin.

“Of course it is.” She slid her fingernails down my arms and gave me a flirty smile. “You know you’re always welcome.”

My dick twitched. Maybe convincing her wouldn’t be so hard after all. Still, I was pissed Derrick had invited me here without Eve’s knowledge or permission. The last thing I wanted to do was blindside her. Yet, at the same time, I’d spent five years wanting her, trying to fuck the thought of her from my mind, waiting for the day Derrick told me he was ready to share. I never dreamed it would happen once they were married, but here I was. My wildest fantasy was within my grasp, and I was a selfish bastard who couldn’t walk away.

“Good. Then I guess I’m staying.” I sliced a look at Derrick, whose face reflected all the relief I didn’t feel.

“I hope you’re hungry,” Eve said. “Derrick was just getting ready to put some steaks on the grill. Weren’t you, babe?” She patted his chest and placed a kiss to his cheek.

“Yeah.” He sighed.

“I’m starved,” I said, letting my gaze linger on her lush body. God, I was going to fucking hell for even considering sharing another man’s wife. But it wasn’t any man. It was my lifelong best friend. And it was Eve. The woman I couldn’t forget no matter how hard I tried. Maybe that only made my decision to stay here worse.

I tossed my bag in the guest room, then joined Derrick on the back porch where he was firing up the grill. “Thank you,” he said.

I nodded and crossed my arms. If this was going to work between the three of us, he needed to cut the bullshit sneaking around and give me some answers. “Why now?”

He sighed and glanced over his shoulder like he wanted to make sure Eve wasn’t within earshot. “I love her. I really do. But I’m so fucking bored.”

I turned to look inside, getting a clear view of Eve, of her long legs, round ass, and tantalizing curves. “You’re bored with that?” I shook my head with disbelief.

“I know how fucked up it sounds, but if anyone should understand, it’s you. The things we used to do…” He let out a low whistle, then laughed. “I miss it, Liam. All of it. The rush of sharing a different woman every weekend, of making her scream, of fucking her until she can’t do anything but lay limp between us. Taking turns when one of us needed a break. Drinking beers on the beach while she slept.”

Hearing him talk about our past conquests made me both nostalgic and angry. We’d certainly had a lot of good times together, but he was a married man now. He shouldn’t be lusting for a life he’d willingly given up. He’d made the choice to leave it all behind for Eve because she’d asked him to. And now he was having regrets?

“Remember Vicki Jenkins?” He groaned, his eyes rolling back. “Damn. She gave as good as she got.”

Oh yeah, I remembered Vicki. Fiery redhead who I’d dated a few times after Derrick and I had shared her. She knew how to suck a cock. I took a deep breath. “Are you sure about this, Derrick? That’s your wife. You really want another man touching her?”

“Not any man. You.”

I sucked in a sharp breath.

“I need something to happen. It’s either this or…” He shook his head, a look of regret crossing his face.

“Or what?” My blood ran cold. He was not standing here telling me he was considering cheating on Eve. I wouldn’t hesitate to knock him on his ass for that.

“Shit. I don’t know.” He shook his head. “You’re the only person I’d trust with her.”

I was the last fucking person he should trust with Eve, but I didn’t tell him that. Mostly because I worried if I said no, he’d find someone else. And there wasn’t a straight man on earth who wouldn’t jump at the chance to be with Eve. “How’re you planning to get her to agree to this?”

Placing the steaks on the grill, he closed the lid, then turned to face me. “I figured you could spend some time with her. Talk to her. Touch her a little. Let her know you want her.” He shrugged. “You were always the smooth talking one. Work your magic. She knows how I feel about the situation.”

My heart lodged in my throat. “You’re giving me permission to touch Eve?” My voice was hoarse and thick with emotion. God, how long have I waited for this, dreamed of it? And even though I was thrilled I had his blessing to make a move on his wife, it wasn’t his permission to give. It was hers. Didn’t he realize that? “You want me to seduce your wife?”

“Yes.”

In that moment, I had a life-changing decision to make. I could take the high road, tell him how much of an ass he was being, and leave. Or I could shove all my reservations and guilt down deep and take what he was offering me. But would Eve be willing to play along? I still didn’t have an answer to that, and I would never pressure her to do something she didn’t want to do. And I knew, if she said no, I could talk some sense into Derrick, make him see how big of a mistake he was making by pushing the issue. If he decided to find someone else to share her with, though…My throat constricted. No one cared about them like I did.

“You’re the third this time, and you know what that means, right?”

I nodded. The third was what we called the man who was invited to share, usually a single man who was given the honor of fucking another man’s girlfriend. It was extremely rare to be a third in someone’s marriage, though, and there had been some talk around DOM-nation, the exclusive sex club we used to frequent, whether Derrick and Eve’s marriage would last, or whether I’d be their third. Because everyone knew Derrick and I were a team. Inseparable. When I hadn’t immediately been invited to their bed, rumors started circulating that Derrick and I were no longer friends, that Eve had been the one to tear us apart, and that she had given him an ultimatum—her or me. None of it was true, of course, but the fact that I’d stopped going to the club as much as I used to didn’t help quell the rumors.

He slapped me on the arm. “That shouldn’t be a problem, though, right? You always did like taking the ass better anyway.”

I scowled. Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem, but I wanted Eve. All of her. And knowing I could only have the parts of her he allowed had disappointment swirling in my gut. I studied my friend, and the desperation in his eyes had my chest seizing painfully. I had to do this. For him. For Eve. For me. “All right,” I said.