Just This Once (Just Us Series Book 1) Read online

  I cry myself out, trying to keep quiet in case Max comes home, and finally, I drag my water-logged carcass out of the shower and dry off before slipping into my comfy clothes and going out to settle myself on the couch.

  I still have the house to myself, and I’m not sure if it’s a blessing or a curse. On one hand, I’m not quite ready to talk about everything that happened with Max, and I know she’s going to grill me hard. But on the other hand, it means I’m left by myself to deal with my thoughts.

  So instead, I click on the TV and try to focus on that and leave reality behind, but to my frustration, my mind keeps wandering back.

  It felt so natural to be with them, like I’d found the place I belonged. That intimate little moment in the kitchen with Dante, and then after, my apology to Adam, made this feel like so much more than a one night (and morning) stand.

  I lean back and sigh in frustration, staring up at the ceiling.

  It doesn’t matter how I feel, I think to myself, tears stinging my eyes, Because Adam and Dante are engaged. They wanted a plaything for a night, and now it’s over and you need to go back home.

  I pull my cell phone out of my pocket and pull up an e-mail from the airline I was flying with, reading over some of the fine print.

  About an hour later, Max arrives home to find that my suitcase is packed and ready and I’m sitting on the edge of the couch waiting for her.

  She frowns at me. “What’s up?”

  “Max, I, uh…” I sigh, “I changed my flight. I need to go home.”

  “What?” she looks alarmed, “Did something happen? Is everything ok?”

  “It’s fine, I’m fine,” I wave off her concerns, “I just need to get back.”

  “It was Adam, wasn’t it?” she asks.

  I don’t answer her and I can see rage bubbling up in her face. “That rat bastard,” she snarls, “If he hurt you, I swear to God I’m gonna-“

  “Max!”

  She stops and looks at me. “He didn’t do anything wrong, Max, I swear.”

  “So what is this about, Lace?” she asks, sitting on the couch beside me, “Did I do something?”

  I feel a pang of guilt rip through me at the worried, hurt expression on my best friend’s face. “No, Max, I just…I did something stupid last night,” I confess, “And I just need to get back and put it behind me with everything else.”

  Max reaches out and puts her hand on my arm. “As long as you aren’t trying to put me behind you,” she says.

  I offer her a small smile. “Nah, I’ll leave the kinky shit to Kate and Gavin.”

  She laughs and sticks her tongue out at me before pulling me into a hug. “So…how early do I have to be up to have you at the airport on time?” she asks warily.

  I wince. “Uh…My flight leaves at five.”

  “Is that A.M. or P.M.?” Max asks suspiciously.

  I refuse to make eye contact. “It’s, uh…it’s A.M,” I admit.

  Max throws herself back against the couch dramatically with a loud groan. “You are evil incarnate and I hate you with every fiber of my being.”

  “Just stay up and then go to bed after, it’s no worse than a night out at the club,” I offer weakly, drawing a glare from her.

  She throws a pillow at me and then sits up with a sigh. “Well, if I’ve only got one more night with my bestie, I’ve got to use it right,” she says, filling me with dread that she’s going to drag me out clubbing again.

  But to my delight, she switches her television from the cable over to Netflix and goes to her kitchen, returning with a couple of glasses and a bottle of wine. “Pizza or Chinese?” she asks, holding up a pair of takeout menus.

  I start to answer and she cuts me off. “Never mind, what was I thinking? Both. Duh. I’m gonna go change and order food, you see if you can get ice cream from Postmates or one of those grocery delivery services or something.”

  “I could just go get ice cream at the grocery store, Max, it’s only like a half a mile awa-“

  She holds up a hand, silencing me. “We are doing a lazy, self-indulgent girls’ night and that means we get things delivered like the pampered princesses we are.”

  I laugh. Neither of us has ever been the “pampered princess” type, but if Max wants to lounge around in sweats and pretend for a night, I’ll happily indulge her.

  And I do successfully find a delivery service to bring us ice cream, while Max orders enough food to feed about a dozen people.

  In fact, when it all arrives, Max seems to realize she’s gone overboard. “Oof, I’m gonna have leftovers for a month,” she says as we settle in and she opens a box of lo mein.

  “You know,” I offer, “We could invite Kate and Gavin to help us with some of this.”

  She freezes in place and looks at me, looking touched. “But it’s our girls’ night.”

  “So?” I shrug, “I like Kate and Gavin, it would be cool to get to know them better.”

  Max’s eyes glitter with tears and she blinks them away quickly before reaching for her phone to text her partners. “That means a lot, Lacey.”

  “Max, I’ve always supported you loving whoever the hell you wanted,” I say, smiling, “Why would this be any different?”

  She sighs. “I don’t know, it’s just so unconventional, and not everyone gets it.”

  “As long as they make you happy, I’m happy for you,” I tell her.

  The smile that spreads across Max’s face is beautiful, glowing with pure love. “They really do,” she says softly, “I’ve never felt like this before.”

  “Is it hard?” I ask her, “Trying to balance things with the three of you?”

  “It has its moments,” she admits, “Even though all three of us are together, there’s still a little jealousy sometimes, and we argue like any other couple. Sometimes that’s harder, because two partners will team up against the one who disagrees.”

  I listen intently as she speaks, absorbing every word. “But just like any other relationship, communication is the key to making everything work,” she continues, “and trust.”

  I smile a little. “When did you turn into some wise relationship guru?”

  She shrugs, “It’s just what I’ve learned to keep things running smoothly. I would go to the ends of the Earth for the two of them,” she stares down into her noodles, her cheeks turning pink.

  Adam and Dante’s faces flash through my head and I tell myself that it’s not the same, it could never be the same. But that doesn’t stop me from continuing to ask Max questions about what it’s like to be in a three-way relationship until Kate and Gavin actually arrive.

  Gavin had texted back and asked if he could bring his sister, Jessie, who had apparently just moved to town and was crashing on his couch temporarily. We gladly agreed, eager to have more mouths to take down this feast, and we’re both quickly glad we did, Jessie is hilarious.

  Then the five of us really dig into all the food and watch superhero movies on Netflix late into the night, and by the time we think to look at the clock, it’s already time to take me to the airport.

  Jessie had fallen asleep hours before and was still snoring softly, curled in an armchair. Kate and Gavin hug me goodbye, and they stay at Max’s when we leave, offering to clean up while Max runs me to the airport. I think the offer is enough to make Max fall in love all over again, and she’s still grinning like a fool until she has to stop and let me go through security.

  She throws her arms around me and squeezes me tightly. “Call me as soon as you land, ok?”

  “I will,” I promise.

  “And promise me we’re going to talk about whatever happened last night eventually?” she asks.

  I nod. “That, too.”

  With that, I slide off my shoes and step through the metal detector as Max waves from the other side.

  Once I’m settled on the flight, I chance a peek at my phone before I shut it off. I hadn’t given my cell phone number to the guys, but it was still the same one I’d had in hig
h school and I guess some tiny part of me hoped that maybe Adam still had it and would try to reach me.

  But it’s another silly, impossible thought, and I power off the phone. When I lift off the ground, I tell myself, I’m leaving all those feelings here and flying away without them.

  I know it won’t work, but I try and convince myself anyway. The truth is, I don’t think that these feelings will ever go away.

  Chapter Ten

  Dante

  Two weeks Later

  Nothing’s felt right since she left. It’s like a dark cloud just hovers over us constantly. We’ve worked, come home, picked at dinner, and gone to sleep. Just that one day with Lacey had changed so much.

  I can’t stand it. All I want is to bring her back here. I want to fall asleep with her in my arms and wake up to see her snuggled with Adam. She belongs with us.

  So, when Adam gets home from the office after a meeting ran long today, I’m waiting for him. He looks up at me as he walks in, and it makes my chest ache to see how tired and depressed he looks. “What’s going on, love?” he asks.

  “We need to talk, Adam.”

  His frown deepens and I see worry flit through his eyes. “What’s up?”

  He sits down on the couch beside me and I take his hands. “Adam, you’re in love with Lacey,” I tell him.

  He starts to protest, but I cut him off and continue, “And so am I.”

  Adam freezes. “You are?”

  I nod. “I know it sounds crazy, since we only spent a night together, but I know what I feel, Adam.”

  Adam blows out a breath. “But…I still love you,” he says, “And want to marry you. So what does this mean?”

  “I love you, too,” I say, “And I think it means we need to go get our girl.”

  He looks at me. “And then what happens?”

  “I’m not totally sure,” I admit, “All I know is that she belongs here, Adam, with us. She’s ours. She completes us.”

  Adam continues to look at me, his expression serious. “What if…what if she doesn’t want to come back?”

  “She will,” I say firmly, “Or we’ll convince her.”

  A slow smile spreads across Adam’s face. “Well, then,” he says, pulling my car keys from my pocket, “Let’s go get our girl.”

  We head over to the apartment where we’d dropped her off, her friend’s place, since neither of us had gotten Lacey’s number, a stupid mistake I know we’re both cursing ourselves for.

  When we knock on the door, Max opens it, and upon seeing us, her brow furrows. “Adam? And…Dante, wasn’t it?”

  I nod. “What brings you guys here?” she asks.

  “We’re looking for Lacey,” Adam says.

  Max frowns and folds her arms over her chest. “What do you want from her, Adam?” she asks, a suspicious edge in her voice.

  “The two of us are in love with her, Max,” Adam says, a pleading note in his voice.

  The way he says her name reminds me that the two of them used to be friends, too, and it seems to have the same effect on the petite brunette. “Something happened that night, didn’t it? After Ecstasia?” she asks.

  I nod. “We told ourselves it was a one-time thing, but…”

  “But you caught a case of feelings, huh?” Max says with a crooked little half-smile.

  “And we’re getting sicker by the minute,” I quip back, making her chuckle.

  “She went home already, but I can give you her phone number,” Max offers.

  “Can you do us one better, Max?” Adam asks, “How about an address?”

  Several hours and one particularly turbulent flight later, the two of us are walking up to the door of Lacey’s apartment.

  As I look around, I’m glad we’re taking her home and getting her out of this dump. She’s our princess, and she deserves to come back home to her castle.

  Both of us reach up and knock on the door at once, then exchange a look and laugh. The door swings open and we’re greeted with Lacey’s shocked face. She looks exhausted, like she hasn’t slept since she left.

  “Adam? Dante?” she pinches her own arm, “I’m awake…am I hallucinating?”

  “No, baby girl,” I tell her softly, “We’re really here.”

  Adam decides to prove that he’s real and kisses her. She squeaks in surprise and I chuckle. The two of them kiss for a while until I finally let out a loud, mock sigh of annoyance. “Am I ever going to get a turn?” I complain, laughing.

  Adam responds with a heavy, fake sigh of reluctance of his own and passes over our giggling goddess. “If you must,” he teases.

  “I certainly hope you must,” Lacey murmurs.

  “I must,” I say as I bend down to kiss her.

  It’s like lightning, kick-starting us all back to life. Finally, Lacey lowers herself off her tiptoes, breaking our kiss and breathing heavily. “Um, why don’t you guys come in?” she says, opening the door wider and inviting us in.

  “Thanks, it was a long flight,” I admit.

  She gestures for the two of us to sit while she gets us something to drink. “So are you guys just visiting, or…?” there’s a hopeful note in her voice as she leaves the question dangling.

  “No, Lacey,” Adam says, “We’re here because we want you to come back.”

  “What?” she looks from him to me.

  “We want you to be with us, Lace,” I tell her, “We want you to come home. You belong with us.”

  Her eyes well with tears. “You guys want me to move in with you? And be your girlfriend, for real?”

  We both nod. “We’re in love with you, Lacey,” I tell her. “You make us feel whole. You’re the piece we didn’t even know was missing from our lives, and we don’t want to be missing that piece another day.”

  Tears trickle down Lacey’s cheeks and Adam reaches out, taking one of her hands in his right and taking one of mine in his left. For a moment, I’m startled, thinking he’s about to make an uncharacteristically sentimental speech, but then he simply replies: “What Dante said,” making both of us crack up.

  “I love you,” Lacey says, then looks at me, “Both of you. I haven’t been able to eat, haven’t been able to sleep, I’ve barely been able to think since I left. I missed you both so much, but I was too afraid to admit it and risk you two not feeling the same way.”

  “So, does that mean you’ll come home with us?” Adam asks hopefully.

  A grin spreads across those beautiful, soft lips, like sunshine finally breaking through that dark cloud. “On one condition,” she says, a playful glimmer in those big blue eyes.

  “Oh? And what might that be?” I ask her, curious.

  “Well, I mean, I already paid for the whole month’s rent on this place, but now I’m apparently being whisked away to paradise, so before I go, I want to get my money’s worth out of this apartment,” she explains.

  “What exactly do you mean by that?” I ask, although I have a hunch I know what she has in mind.

  “I want the two of you to fuck me in every single room of this place,” she says, her voice dropping low and husky with desire.

  Adam chuckles. “You say that like it’s a challenge,” he teases, “There are only three rooms!”

  “Four!” Lacey protests, giggling, “But still, it’s the principle of the thing.”

  “Well, I think we can agree to that condition, don’t you, Adam?” I say, looking at my partner hopefully.

  He grins back at me. “Well, if you’re going to twist my arm…”

  Lacey launches herself at him, nearly bowling him over in her assault, her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist before I can blink. The sight fills my heart with happiness…and my dick with arousal.

  Adam’s hands slip under Lacey’s shirt to play with her breasts and her moan makes my rapidly growing erection throb. Adam carries Lacey over to the couch and plops her down. She pouts for a moment, but her smile quickly returns when Adam and I start peeling off our clothes in front of her.
/>   “Wait-“ Adam freezes suddenly, “Shit, Dante, did you bring any condoms?”

  My heart stops in my chest. We’d been in such a hurry, I hadn’t even thought about it. We both turn to Lacey, who’s twiddling her fingers, her cheeks flaming red. “I don’t have any either, but-“ she clears her throat, trying to cover a waver in her voice, “But I’m on the Pill, and I got tested after everything with the asshole ex, so…”

  She trails off, too flustered to continue. I reach out and cup her chin in my hand, looking her in the eye. “Adam and I are both clean, too. We both got tested before we did anything together, and we’ve only been with each other since.”

  Lacey nods and her gaze flits to Adam, questioning. Adam’s staring at her hungrily, clearly on board, but waiting for her to give the green light. In response, she stands and peels off her shirt, revealing her bare breasts underneath.

  An invitation.

  It’s one that Adam and I happily accept, swooping in on our girl. Adam’s mouth lights on hers while I work her out of her jeans and panties from behind her. When she kicks the last scrap of her clothing out of the way, I cup her firm, round ass in both hands before sliding a finger slowly down the length of her ass crack. “What do you think about me taking you here, baby,” I murmur in her ear, teasing her asshole with a fingertip and making her shudder, “While Adam pounds away at your tight little pussy?”

  Her breath catches and I can see her nipples hardening. “Yes,” she breathes, “I want to try it.”

  “That’s our girl,” Adam says, and I feel a bloom of happiness in my chest at the words, “Up for anything.”

  “Damn right,” she says with a smile.

  I realize, though, in the same haste that led to condoms being forgotten, we obviously neglected to bring any lube, so I make a quick dash for the kitchen, and to my delight, find a jar of coconut oil.

  I return to find Lacey on her knees in front of Adam, sucking him off. “I was only gone like five seconds!” I laugh.

  Adam grins sheepishly and Lacey releases him and gets to her feet, blushing. “Had to keep the party going while we waited for you, love,” Adam teases.