I couldn’t speak, nodded, feeling foolish but unable to deny the fear that had been gnawing at me since that first kiss.
“Listen to me,” Rhett said, his eyes locked on mine with an intensity that stole my breath. “I want Aimee. I won’t lie about that. But I’m falling so fucking hard for you, Troy. You’re not a stepping stone or a placeholder or an experiment. You’re my boyfriend. I could never leave you for anyone—not even her.”
My heart stuttered. “Boyfriend?”
“Yes, boyfriend.” The word landed with the weight of a declaration.
Something tight and painful in my chest finally let go. I pulled him close, crushing my lips against his, pouring everything I couldn’t say into the kiss. This wasn’t like our playful kisses or even our heated ones. This was deeper, more desperate, a claiming and a promise all at once.
I tasted donuts on his tongue, felt the scratch of his morning stubble against my skin. Every sensation screaming mine, mine, mine. And for the first time, I believed he felt the same way about me.
When we finally broke apart, both breathing hard, Rhett’s eyes were dark with desire, his lips red and slightly swollen. “Believe me now?” A hint of his usual cockiness had returned, though his voice was unsteady.
“Getting there.” My own voice was equally wrecked. “Might need more convincing later.”
Rhett grinned. “Happy to oblige. Repeatedly.”
Aimee cleared her throat and took a step back, her eyes darting between us like she was intruding on a private moment. “I should give you guys some space.” She turned to leave the kitchen. Her fingers trailed along the countertop as if she needed something to ground herself, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the subtle curve of her back in my too-big t-shirt, the way it hung off one shoulder revealing a tantalizing glimpse of smooth skin.
“I thought you offered me a kiss,” I called after her, my voice lower than I’d intended. She froze mid-step, and I saw the slight stiffening of her shoulders, the way her breath caught. “I’ll do anything to make my boyfriend happy,” I added, the word “boyfriend” still new and exhilarating on my tongue.
“Jesus, Troy.” Rhett’s eyes went wide. “That’s the first time you’ve called me your boyfriend, and it sounds so fucking sexy coming from your lips.”
I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face. “Get used to it, boyfriend.”
Aimee turned back, hesitation giving way to boldness in her expression. “Well, you did kiss when I dared you. It’s only fair.”
She crossed the space between us with measured steps, each one deliberate, her gaze never leaving mine. When she reached me, she didn’t wait for me to bend down. Instead, she rose onto her tiptoes, one hand sliding up my chest to curl around the back of my neck, pulling me down to meet her.
The first touch of her lips against mine hit like a jolt—soft yet purposeful. For a split second, I froze, overwhelmed by the reality of her mouth on mine after so many months of wondering. Then I was kissing her back, my hands on her waist, pulling her against me.
What started as tentative exploration quickly ignited into something fierce and hungry. Aimee moaned into my mouth—a sound so sexy it made my cock twitch—and suddenly shewas devouring me, her tongue sliding against mine, her body pressing closer. Her fingers tangled in my hair, nails scraping lightly against my scalp in a way that made my scalp tingle.
I groaned as she tugged on my bottom lip with her teeth, a move so unexpectedly aggressive it made my head spin. My hands slid down to her hips, lifting her slightly, feeling the softness of her body contrasting with the firmness of mine.
Just when I thought I might combust from the heat between us, she pulled back, her chest rising and falling with rapid breaths, lips swollen and pink. “That was probably a mistake.” Her eyes betrayed her, dark with desire, locked on my mouth like she was already craving more.
“If that’s a mistake, I want to make all the wrong choices,” I said, my voice rough with need.
Rhett cleared his throat behind us, a sound that was half laugh, half groan. “Can I have a turn?” His voice was surprisingly polite despite the hunger in his eyes. “Please?”
Aimee’s gaze shifted over my shoulder to Rhett, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. “Well, since you asked so nicely.” She stepped around me.
I turned to watch as Rhett moved toward her, his movements slow and purposeful, like he’d been waiting for this moment for years and didn’t want to rush a second of it. He cradled her face in his hands with a tenderness that made my chest ache, his thumbs brushing her cheeks before he leaned in.
Holy fuck. Watching Rhett kiss Aimee was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen in my life. Where our kiss had been a sudden explosion of heat, theirs started slow and built like a fire carefully tended. His mouth moved over hers with deliberate care, coaxing rather than demanding. One of his hands slid into her hair, releasing it from the messy bun so it cascaded down her back in golden waves.
I couldn’t look away as his other hand traced down her spine, pressing her closer, the contrast of his large frame against her smaller one making my cock throb with need. When she made a small, needy sound in the back of her throat and wound her arms around his neck, I almost lost it.
They pulled apart, breathing hard, and Aimee turned her flushed face toward me. Her lips were red and glistening, her pupils blown wide. Without thinking, I stepped forward, drawn to her. This time when I kissed her, it was deeper, more possessive. I tasted Rhett on her tongue, and the combination of them both was intoxicating.
Rhett moved behind her, his hands sliding around her waist as he pressed against her back. His mouth settled on the curve where her neck met her shoulder, and she gasped into my kiss, her body arching between us.
We took turns, trading kisses—my mouth on Rhett’s while Aimee’s lips explored his jaw, Rhett kissing Aimee deeply while my hands roamed her body, Aimee turning to capture my lips again as Rhett watched, his eyes hot and hungry. It was a dance with no choreography, instinct and desire guiding us.
“Gorgeous,” I murmured against Aimee’s ear as she pressed back against Rhett, her head falling onto his shoulder while my fingers traced the outline of her breast through the thin t-shirt. “So fucking gorgeous. Both of you.”
Her eyes fluttered open, meeting mine, pupils so dilated they nearly swallowed the blue. “We shouldn’t.” Her body contradicted her words, pressing into my touch.
