The problem with this relationship being a farce is that the lines are blurred between what’s for show and what’s reality, and it’s confusing.
“Are you okay?” He snaps his fingers in front of his face. “Do I need to perform CPR? I took a class in middle school, but I think I remember the gist. But then again, if I put my mouth on yours, your heart might stop all together from the pure perfection of my lips.”
“Get out of here with your nonsense.” I swat playfully at his shoulder. He flinches before my hand makes the light contact with his shoulder, and I instantly cover my face to hide my mortification. Dropping them, I gasp, “Teddy, I’m so sorry.”
He worries his tongue against his cheek. “No, I’m sorry. I knew you weren’t going to hurt me but I—”
“You don’t have to explain.” My hands flutter around him, wanting to make this better, but I don’t know how.
It doesn’t matter that I was only being silly with him. He’s been abused by his father his whole life, a reaction like his is understandable.
He grabs my flailing hands, tugging me closer until I’m in his lap. “It’s okay, Van. I swear it.”
Tears prick my eyes, not for myself, but for him because no one should endure what he has. “I’m sorry.”
He cups my cheeks, rubbing his thumbs against my skin in soothing circles. “It’s okay. I’m okay. Sometimes I can’t help it when I’m caught off guard.”
A tear drops from my lashes onto my cheek, and I gasp when he darts forward, licking it away.
“D-Did you lick my tear?”
He smiles shamelessly. “Yes.”
“God, you’re so—”
“Wonderful, amazing, out of this world?” He rubs his nose against mine. “I know.”
“Weird. I was going for weird.” I slip off his lap, settling onto his bed once more. I take a breath, getting my emotions in check. “Now watch the show.”
He chuckles, adjusting the pillow behind his back. “I like it when you’re bossy.”
“Forget weird, you are seriously disturbed.”
Of course, my statement doesn’t faze him a bit.
A little bit later he gets a notification on his phone and goes to meet the pizza guy at the dorm entrance. I pause the show while I wait, once again looking around his room. Sure, I’m being nosy, but I can’t help it. I feel like the things a person keeps in their personal space says a lot about them.
On the corkboard above his desk, he’s tacked up a few positive quotes that surprise me to see. There are some of those instant photos scattered around too. One with him and Zoey, another with Mascen, Cole, and him. There’s a third of Jude and Cree wearing those oversized glasses you get at a place like the Dollar Store. The only other photo is one of him and his mom when he’s probably only three or so. She holds him on her hip, smiling broadly at her little boy.
That one makes me sad, because I feel like genuine smiles like that were probably hard to come by in his childhood. No matter how his dad is, it’s clear his mother truly loves him.
“Snooping?”
“Ah!” I grab my chest, jumping back a foot from the desk to glare at Jude in the doorway. He sips one of the Gatorades. “Don’t do that!”
“I’m not the one being nosy.”
“I’m not,” I protest. “I’m looking, besides this is clearly in view; it’s not like I opened a drawer.”
“That was next, I’m sure.”
It was.
He flashes an amused smile and steps further into the room. “Oh, shit I love this show.” He points at the paused screen.
“You do?”
He shrugs. “My mom played reruns all the time. I kind of got sucked in. It’s addicting.”
The door into the suite opens and Teddy growls his displeasure when he sees Jude in his room. “You better not be hitting on my girl.”
Jude rolls his eyes. “I’m not slimy enough to go after my friend’s girl. I do have standards.”
Teddy snickers. “Prove it.”
“Mind if I hang?” Jude asks. “I was just telling Vanessa I love this show.”
Teddy eyes his friend curiously. “I learn something new about you all the time. I don’t care, though. It’s up to Vanessa.”
“What can I say?” Jude takes the pizza boxes out of Teddy’s hands and sits down on the bed without waiting for confirmation. “I’m full of surprises.”
Teddy turns to me, eyes glimmering with amusement. “You want me to kick him out?”
“No, it’s fine.”
Teddy sits down on the opposite side of his bed which forces me to be in the middle. The bed isn’t that big, so I end up with each guy plastered against my side. I start the show back up as Jude cracks open the top box.
“Ew, veggie pizza.”
“Don’t knock it.” I snag the box of my pizza from him. “I love it.”
“It has mushrooms on it.” He shudders dramatically.
“That one’s mine,” Teddy protests, reaching across me to try to confiscate the other box from Jude.
“No takie backsies.” Jude holds on tightly to the box.
“I didn’t give it to you. You stole them.”
“Share with your girlfriend.”
“I want my pepperoni pizza.”
Jude pulls out a slice, the cheese melty and gooey. “Mmm, delicious.”
“If Vanessa wasn’t between us right now, I would tackle you.”
I roll my eyes and swipe a slice of the pepperoni and hand it to Teddy. “Stop whining.”
“Thanks, babe.” He swoops in, kissing my cheek.
“You’re welcome, snookums.”
Jude snorts so hard that pizza sauce shoots out of his mouth from the bite he took. “Snookums,” he cackles. “What else do you call him?”
Teddy smirks, waiting.
“Mmm,” I hum, thinking. “He likes it when I call him Daddy.”
Teddy drops his bottle of water, wetting his lap. “Shit!” He curses, scooping it up and swiping at his very damp sweatpants that now cling even more to the shape of his dick.
Jude leans forward, grinning at Teddy. “I should’ve known.”
Teddy rolls his eyes. “I hate you guys.”
Jude holds his fist out to me, and I hit mine against it.
Quiet settles between us as we eat and watch the show. If someone had told me that at some point, I’d be sitting in Teddy McCallister’s room hanging out with him and Jude, I would’ve laughed in their face, but the world works in mysterious ways.
Just like my brain.
Because as I sit there between the two guys, their body heat radiating around me, my thoughts drift in a direction I’ve never ever allowed them to go before.
Of me knelt between two men, them worshipping my body and making every pleasure come to life.
I squirm uncomfortably from the pulsing between my thighs.
“Are you okay?” Teddy whispers in my ear. I give a shaky nod. “You’re wiggling a lot.”
“I’m fine,” I squeak, my voice dangerously high-pitched.
“I feel like you’re lying.”
“Well, I’m not,” I clip out, my tone short.