Chapter 3—Liam

I’d watched Eve’s hands tremble throughout dinner. I’d watched her barely eat what was on her plate. And I’d watched her down three glasses of wine like it was water. She was nervous as hell. Too nervous. And when a woman wasn’t completely relaxed and committed to being shared, things didn’t go well. That was a hard lesson Derrick and I had learned with Beth Gibson. From that point forward, we’d agreed if either of us had any doubts about a woman’s sincerity or ability to handle both of us, we’d walk away.

And I was having doubts about Eve’s commitment to this.

“I’m going to grab another bottle of wine,” Eve said, excusing herself from the living room.

“She’s getting drunk,” I said, a mixture of disappointment and understanding in my tone. “She’s not ready.” I shook my head.

“She’s fine,” Derrick said. “A few glasses of wine will help her relax.”

I eased back in the recliner and took a sip of the beer I’d been nursing since dinner ended almost an hour ago. How could he not see how nervous she was? “A few glasses? She’s popping open bottle number three.”

“And we helped her with the first two, remember?” He gave me a strange look. “I think maybe you’re the one who needs to relax.” He stared at me. “Seriously, man, what’s going on with you? You’ve never been this on edge.”

“I’ve never shared a married woman before, either,” I snapped, finishing my beer in one long gulp and setting the bottle on the coffee table.

“So, don’t think of her as my wife.” He shrugged. “Pretend she’s just like every other woman we’ve ever shared.”

He could not be fucking serious. Eve wasn’t like every other woman. If she was, he wouldn’t have married her. He wouldn’t have walked away from a life he’d loved. And I wouldn’t have spent the last five years hating myself for lusting after a woman I could never have. I stood. “Want another beer?”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

I grabbed two beers from the fridge and handed one to Derrick. Twisting off the top, I slouched back down in the recliner and took a long drink.

“If you’re having second thoughts—”

“I’m not,” I said much too quickly. “I just don’t want this to go bad. For any of us.” And I had a sinking feeling that’s exactly what was going to happen. Without any emotional attachments, it was easy to share, but when we were both in love with the same woman? It was a disaster waiting to happen. And to make it worse, Derrick had no fucking clue.

“We’ve been doing this for years, Liam. It’s never gone bad before, and it won’t now, either.”

I wished I could share in his certainty.

He took a pull from his beer. “Relax, okay? This isn’t going to work if you don’t play your part.”

I sighed. Derrick and I had very specific roles, and we never deviated from them. He was the dominant, dirty-talking alpha who always took the lead and orchestrated what everyone was supposed to do. I, on the other hand, was the smooth-talking romantic who got the woman to relax, to tell us what she wanted, how she wanted it. He made the woman feel desired in a filthy sort of way, like she was naughty for letting two men have her. All the while, I made her feel cherished, assuring her that giving in to her darkest fantasies was perfectly acceptable, that she was safe, loved even. And the women ate that shit up. Hook, line, and sinker. Derrick was damn good with his hands and fingers. I was a fucking God with my mouth and tongue. Our system was flawless. As long as we stuck to our roles.

I knew I wouldn’t have any trouble making Eve feel safe and loved. It would be as natural as breathing, but I wasn’t sure I could handle the things I knew Derrick would say and do to her. She was about to see an entirely different side of her husband, and I wasn’t sure she’d like what she saw. Then again, I had no idea what their sex life was like. Maybe she liked it hard and dirty. Although, she didn’t strike me as that type. Then again, it was always the quiet ones who were the wildest.

Eve returned with another glass of wine. “Do you guys need anything else?” she asked, taking her spot beside Derrick on the couch.

“Just you, babe.”

And there it was. Derrick’s commanding voice, my signal that the fun was about to start. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, focusing on the fact that I’d waited years for this moment. I wanted Eve with an unparalleled desperation, and this was the only way I’d ever have her. I needed to stop thinking and just do what I did best—shared.

When I opened my eyes, Eve was straddling Derrick’s lap, and he was kissing her neck. He never was one for kissing on the mouth; that was my specialty. I took another drink of beer, my gaze trained on Eve, on the way she tilted her head, the way her long, brown locks fell down her back, the way her fingers curled against Derrick’s shoulders. Normally I made the first move, got the woman loosened up, but it made sense that Derrick would this time. I was sure Eve was more comfortable with him than she was with me.

“Derrick,” she whispered.

The way she whispered his name, low and needy yet so full of trust and love…Fuck. I wanted to hear her say my name that way. I squeezed the beer bottle so hard, I was lucky I didn’t shatter the glass in my hand, and I clenched my teeth.

“Yeah?” he said, easing down the strap of her dress.

“I don’t…”

The hairs on my neck stood on edge, and my body tensed. She didn’t what?

“I’m not sure how this is supposed to work,” she said.

Derrick chuckled. “Don’t worry, babe. We’ll teach you as we go.”

“Remember, Eve, you’re in control,” I said, despite the dirty look Derrick gave me.

Nodding, she twisted to look at me, and it was a like wrecking ball to my heart. Her face was flushed again—from the wine or being in her husband’s arms, I wasn’t sure—and her normally crisp blue eyes were hazy, hooded with her long lashes. “Are you going to sit over there all night?”

My brows lifted with surprise, and a slow grin spread across my face. Maybe she wasn’t as nervous or unsure as I’d thought.

“Liam has this thing about making the woman say she’s ready,” Derrick said, kissing along her collarbone.

Something in his tone twisted my insides. He sounded…annoyed. And a bit angry. What the fuck was that all about? I brought the beer to my lips and took another sip.

“Is that true?” Eve asked.

I gave a curt nod. I didn’t fuck around with getting consent. Never have. And I wasn’t going to start now just because it was Derrick’s wife. If she didn’t say the words, I was leaving. “I won’t touch you unless you tell me it’s okay.”

“It’s okay,” she said, giving me a small smile.

My heart lodged in my throat. It was a step in the right direction, but I needed more. “I need to hear you say the words, Eve.” I wanted to hear her tell me she wanted me. I knew it was a dick thing to make her say, and purely selfish, but if I couldn’t have her the way I wanted her, I’d at least get something I wanted.

Derrick replaced the strap of her dress and patted her ass. “Go on.” He nodded in my direction.

She hesitated, her gaze flickering between me and him.

“It’s okay,” he said. “Tell him what he wants to hear.”

Setting my beer on the coffee table, I moved to sit on the couch. Eve met my gaze and then whispered the words I’d been dying to hear. “I want you to touch me, Liam.” Her voice trembled slightly, and that only made her sexier in my eyes.

My dick was instantly hard, and I suppressed a groan.

“Good girl,” Derrick said, grinning. He sliced a look at me, giving me an imperceptible nod, our signal that all was good.

“Come here.” My voice was thick with emotion. This was it. I was finally going to have the one woman I always thought was untouchable. I reached for her and pulled her onto my lap, positioning her so her feet were in Derrick’s lap. She stared up at me with wide-eyed wonder and a bit of fear. And for the first time ever, I felt the same way—excitement and fear swirling inside me. “It’s okay,” I said softly, trailing my fingers down the side of her face and tucking a few stray hairs behind her ear. She leaned back against the arm of the couch, and I angled my body so I was closer.

“Relax, babe.” Derrick ran his hands up her legs and spread them, his palms inching down the inside of her thighs. “We’re here to please you.”

In my head, I could hear him telling me to “work my magic.” He didn’t realize it was hard to convince her to relax when I was just as nervous. I focused all my attention on Eve, trying to forget everything else except how badly I wanted her. She licked her lips and nodded, but her gaze never once left mine, not so much as a blink. It was as if she was trying to anchor herself by staring into my eyes. I lowered my head, heart racing, and brushed my lips over hers. Once. Twice. By the third time, her eyelids fluttered closed, and I parted her lips with my tongue, dipping inside for a long, sensual taste. Christ, her lips were soft. I always imagined they would be.

I swirled my tongue around hers, teasing and exploring. She tasted of feminine heat and red wine, the combination unlike anything I’d ever experienced. “So sweet,” I mumbled, deepening the kiss and dragging my hand down her arm. The way her skin reacted to my touch, the way she threaded her fingers in my hair, the way she moaned into my mouth…God, I was not going to survive this when it was over and I had to walk away. I felt Derrick get off the couch, and if Eve’s body tensing was any indication, she’d noticed, too.

“Wait…what…?”

“It’s okay,” I repeated, nipping at her bottom lip, drawing it out between my teeth before kissing her again. Deeper. Harder. “He’s getting the room ready.”

“How do you know…?” She shook her head. “Never mind.”

I knew every move he was going to make before he made it. “We’ve done this a time or two before.” Smiling, I righted her and maneuvered her body so she was straddling me. She gasped, the sound eliciting a groan from me. I took her face in my hands, my thumbs stroking her rosy cheeks. Her lips were red and plump from my kiss, and that realization knocked the breath from my body. “You’re so beautiful, Eve.” I moved my hands from her face and down her arms to settled on her waist.

“Kiss me again,” she whispered breathlessly.

Fuck. She could ask me absolutely anything in that tone and I’d do it without question. Gripping her ass, I rocked her forward slightly, then eased her back only to do it again. My cock was so fucking hard, I expected to bust my zipper any second, and encouraging her to grind on me wasn’t helping. But that’s exactly what she did. White hot lust whipped through me, and sweat beaded on my brow.

She pressed her hands to my abs and rotated her hips, pressing down and rocking on my lap. Her movements were firm, yet there was a hesitation to everything she did, almost like she was afraid she was doing something wrong, even though it clearly felt good. With a groan, I palmed the back of her head and claimed her mouth with another kiss.

“Oh, God,” she moaned against my lips, and my body ignited. “This feels so wrong.” She slowly ran her hands up my chest, clasping them around my neck.

I took a deep breath, trying not to let disappointment creep in. “Why?” I traced her bottom lip with my tongue and gently squeezed her ass. “If you can’t tell”—I lifted my hips, driving my cock against her—“I think it feels fucking amazing.”

She gasped, her eyes widening seconds before her lashes fluttered. “It does.” She nodded. “But my husband’s in the other room. I thought we were supposed to be doing this together.”

Of course, she wanted Derrick. He was her husband, her safety net. To her it did feel wrong somehow to be making out with another man. I needed to pull my shit together and show her it was okay, that Derrick wasn’t going to get angry with her for what we were doing. “We are,” I assured her.

“I’m right here, babe,” Derrick said from behind me, his voice husky and thick. “Been watching the show, and its fucking hot as hell.” And that was one of his darkest secrets: He always liked to watch me with women.

“See?” I raised a brow. “Everything’s fine.” I brought her mouth back to mine and smiled when she eagerly accepted my kiss. Knowing Derrick was watching only spurred me on. If he wanted a show, I’d give him a show. How far could I go with his wife before he’d step in? “God, you have the softest lips.” I felt her sharp inhale as I left her mouth and kissed along her jaw. “Bet the rest of you is just as soft.” Then I felt her rapid pulse punch against my tongue as I nipped down her throat, and my cock twitched.

“That feels good,” she said on a soft exhale.

Dragging my lips across her collarbone, I eased the strap of her dress from her shoulder, kissing the same path Derrick had moments before. I wanted to erase all traces of his lips from her body and replace them with mine. I knew I shouldn’t be thinking that way, but I couldn’t help myself. Eve was my ultimate fantasy, and now that I had her—even if it was only one night—I was going to do everything I’d always dreamed of doing to her.

To my surprise, she pulled her arm free, and I moved to the other side, repeating the slow tease until her dress pooled around her stomach. I sucked in a sharp breath at the sight of her round, firm breasts and hard nipples. And fuck, they were hard. I swirled my tongue around the hardened peak before nipping at it with my teeth, which, by the look she gave me, she didn’t really like. Without fail, the way a woman reacted to foreplay was how she’d react during sex, too. If she liked to be spanked and have her nipples bit, you could get away with rougher sex. Same with how she sucked dick—she’d give in the manner she wanted to receive.

And apparently, Eve liked it slow and easy. That only made my cock harder and my heart race faster. Slow and easy wasn’t something I had the chance to do very often, but when I did, I always came so damn hard. There was a certain eroticism in taking your time, withholding your release while drawing out your partners until neither of you could stand it a second longer. I closed my mouth around her nipple and suckled erotically, keeping my gaze on her face as I did. Her eyes became hazy, and her lips parted on a moan.

“Ah, God, yes.” Planting her hands on my shoulders, she flung her head back and arched her body.

If I hadn’t been so damn aware of her, of every move, of every sound she made, she would’ve flung herself right off my lap. I flattened my palms against her back, and my eyes rolled with how hot her skin was, how silky smooth and perfect.

“You like having his mouth on your tits?” Derrick asked as he rounded the couch.

“Yes,” she moaned.

Releasing her nipple, I gently blew across the wet, hard nub, and she trembled. “I think it’s time we move this little party into the bedroom,” I said, glancing up at Derrick.

He grinned. “I was just thinking the same thing.”