But even in that kiss, I could feel it lingering: the guilt, the fear, the weight of something we all carried, whether we wanted to or not.
I held the kiss a moment longer than I needed because I could still feel the hesitation in him, like something inside hadn’t quite unclenched. Like he was trying to convince himself that everything was okay but couldn’t quite get there.
And maybe that was fair.
I stroked his hair when we pulled apart, both of us still buried deep in the other, the heat between us still thick. But even with that connection, I felt it.
The guilt. The fear.
The shadow of the past still hanging in the steam, coiling around him like a dark cloud.
He blames himself, I thought.He thinks letting Jackie play like this—with Jack—means he’s weak. That he’s failing her somehow.
I didn’t know how to say it aloud, but I knew what needed to happen.
Even if we had all agreed, said yes, go ahead, it was a “free-for-all”—we hadn’t talked about thehow. The thresholds, the what-ifs, the unspoken lines that might still be buried deep.
We needed to talk about it. Not later—now.Because the last thing I wanted was for any of us to cross into something we couldn’t come back from.
So I softly kissed Elliott again, then whispered, “I think we should all check in.”
His brows furrowed slightly, but he nodded.
I gently slid off him, pressing my hand to his chest as I caught my breath and glanced across the hot tub. Jackie was still tangled with Jack, her hair wild, her eyes heavy with pleasure. But they were slowing too, watching us now.
Jack tilted his head, alert crossing his face. “Everything alright?”
“Yeah,” I said quickly. “I just think…before we go further, maybe we all take a second to talk. Not because anything’s wrong,” I added, glancing at Elliott. “But because I want to make sure weallknow each other’s boundaries—in detail, out loud. No room for guessing.”
Jackie’s eyebrows pulled together as she glanced between me and Elliott, then she slowly nodded. “Okay.”
Jack leaned back, his hand releasing her wrists, his touch softening.
“Works for me,” he said.
We were quiet as we filed back into the house, the heat blasting against our flushed, wet skin. The storm had picked up again, and the windows were practically frosted with the snow.
We wrapped ourselves in towels and sank into the oversized couches. I sat cross-legged as Jack sat beside me, Jackie and Elliott across from us. I glanced at each of them, their eyes waiting and ready.
I took a deep breath.
“Okay,” I said softly. “We’ve all agreed this is a free-for-all weekend…but I think we should take a minute to go around and list our boundaries. Just to clear things so we all know we’re safe. Sound good?”
Jack, already reclined like he lived here, gave us all a grin. “I’ll go first: I have none.”
That made us all laugh a little. The tension eased just slightly.
He shrugged one shoulder. “Seriously. I’m good with anything. As long as Hana’s happy, I’m happy. And if I’m not comfortable with something, I’ll say it. But I haven’t found that line yet.”
I rolled my eyes, but I was smiling. “Noted.”
Then I straightened up slightly. “For me, my safe word isred. If I ever say it, that means stop. Immediately. No questions. And I want that to be the universal safe word foreveryone. Just so there’s no confusion.”
They all nodded.
Elliott sat forward a little, resting his elbows on his knees, and the position accentuated his massive muscles. Jackie looked so small next to him.
“I…I don’t think I have any boundaries at the moment,” he said carefully. “But if something comes up, I’ll say so. And I expect the same from all of you.”
