I never, ever want to call Ben and Parker my friends again. They are my friends, of course. Two of the best friends I could have ever asked for. But that’s not all they are. They both assured me it was fine, and when we went to bed, they stuck me in the middle.
I didn’t protest, and I’m certainly not protesting now. Not with Parker curled around me like even in their sleep, they think their weight cananchor me. Not with my head resting on Ben’s bicep, his other arm wrapped protectively around my stomach.
I’ve been watching him. To make the time go by faster. Or maybe not that. Maybe I’ve just been watching him because every small expression he makes in his sleep makes me fall deeper in love with him. The same way that every twitch of Parker’s body, every jerk of their leg, every time they snuggle closer does.
Ben smiles in his sleep a lot. Not a full smile. Just a little tilt of his lips every so often, but I know it’s a smile because his eyes also crinkle at the edges, the same way they do when he’s awake. Occasionally, I catch the rapid movement of his eyes beneath his lids. Sometimes they flutter, lashes fanning across his cheeks like he’s about to wake up.
He hasn’t. I’m glad. It’s rare that I get to just… look at him like this. Rare that I get to soak in the touch of the two people I’m in love with. Even in sleep, Parker clings to me, betraying the front they present, and Ben’s such a force. Protective and calm.
Ben’s arm tightens around my stomach, then his eyes slowly open. The second he makes eye contact with me, a sleepy smile spreads across his face. “Mornin’, baby.”
My heart skips. “I’m baby today?”
“Mmm. Do you not like baby?”
I shrug, trying to be nonchalant. “Yeah, but you’ve never used it with me.”
Scooting closer, Ben lets his hand trail lazily up my side and over my chest before brushing his knuckles along my jaw and touching my bottom lip with his thumb. “An absolute shame when you think about it, huh?” he says, sleepy hazel eyes roaming my face. “Would you like it if I called you baby more?”
“I wouldn’tnotlike it.”
Leaning in, Ben brushes his lips over mine, using his thumb to pull my jaw down so I open for him. He kisses me slowly. Leisurely. Like we have all the time in the world. Like my world might not be falling apart today. Like he’ll stand in the wreckage, holding my hand even if it does.
When he breaks away, he presses his forehead to mine. “You have to tell me what you want, baby, otherwise I won’t know.”
I nod, swallowing so hard my throat clicks. “Okay. I’ll try to do better about that.”
“Thank you,” he murmurs, before slotting his lips over mine again.
It’s easy to lose myself in kissing him. Easy to forget about what the day will bring. Easy to forget about my fears. Everything with him—and with Parker—is just so fuckingeasy.
I’m starting to wonder if there’s a catch.
Ben tangles his fingers in my hair, pressing closer and closer and closer until his body is flush against mine. His warmth seeps into my skin, all the way to my bones.
“Let’s go shower,” he says when he finally pulls back. “We need to get your mind off things,andwe need to let Parker sleep some more.”
“Yes, let Parker sleep,” they mutter, sounding half-dead and exhausted.
Ben grins, then he climbs out of bed before holding his hand out to me. “Come on, Cutie. Let me take care of you a little.”
I assume he means sexually, especially when he takes me into the bathroom and strips my clothes off. What I’m not expecting is for him to guide me under the water and actuallytake care of me.
His fingers are strong and sure as he washes my hair, massaging my head and dragging the blunt edges of his nails along my scalp. I shiver with each pass, my stomach doing flips.
After he finishes with my hair, he wets a washcloth, lathering it with soap before slowly and meticulously cleaning my body. Even though I know nothing he’s doing is inherently sexual, by the time he’s kneeling on the shower floor and washing my calves, my cock is aching.
He’s hard too, his dick bobbing between his legs, a string of pre-cum stretching toward the shower floor.
When he’s finished cleaning my feet, he stands, dropping the washcloth to the floor before crowding into my space. I bite back a moan when his wet body slots against mine.
“So gorgeous,” he whispers before slamming his mouth down on mine.
This kiss is not like the kisses from before. It’s deep and harsh. Like he’s trying to devour me. Or stake his claim. It’s unnecessary. I’m already his.
A shiver runs down my spine when he reaches between us and lines our cocks up, trapping them against each other between our stomachs, never once breaking the kiss.
His tongue slides over mine, his moans vibrating against my chest. With a gasping inhale, he pulls away. “I have to admit something to you,” he says softly.
