Prologue
16 Years Earlier
Bishop
“I bet you ten bucks I’m better at it than you are.” Hudson’s familiar taunt echoes off the walls of the basement, bringing a smile to my lips. I cut my gaze toward Leo to see how he’ll respond, even more curious to know how exactly the two of them will go about settling this particular challenge.
Leo rolls his eyes, a lazy smirk spreading over his lips, a spark of competition in his expression that almost always leads to trouble when he and Hudson are together.
“What are the terms?” he asks, stroking his chin as he eyes Hudson. “We need someone we’ve both kissed who’s unbiased.”
“Hmm, good point,” he agrees, tapping his index finger against his chin as well.
All at once, they’re both looking at me. It’s a little bit like being cornered by a herd of Velociraptors...is it a herd or is there a different name for a group of velociraptors? Focus, best friends staring, trying to rope you into something crazy.
“What?” I ask, pretending like I wasn’t paying attention so I can buy time to figure out what to do. I mean, I can’t kiss both of them and score it so they can settle a bet...can I?
“Pleeeeease, Bish?” Hudson asks, sticking out his bottom lip and giving me his patented puppy dog eyes.
“Ugh, I told you to stop calling me Bish; it sounds like you’re calling me a bitch.”
“I promise I’ll never call you Bish again if you do this for us.”
“Ugh,” I groan again, hoping to mask the fact that butterflies have exploded in my stomach with feigned disinterest in their game. “Does it have to be with tongue?” I wrinkle my nose and hope I’m not blushing as hard as it feels like I am.
“We’re trying to settle which of us is a better kisser; I’m not exactly going to kiss you like I’d kiss my grandma,” Leo reasons, and Hudson nods in agreement.
“Fine, whatever.” I lick my lips and wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans, my gaze darting instinctively toward the basement door. The last thing I need would be for my dad to come down and catch me kissing either of them while the other watches. He already thinks there’s something wrong with me; this would seal it.
“Rock, paper, scissors to see who goes first?” Leo suggests, and Hudson agrees.
I watch the two of them try to decide who’s going to kiss me first, and I wonder for a second if this is real at all. Maybe it’s the start of one of those dreams that leave my sheets sticky and guilt settled in my gut. There’s no way my two gorgeous, jock-y best friends are about to line up to make out with me. The same two gorgeous, jock-y best friends I’ve been thinking about in entirely the wrong way over the past few months. My dad’s probably right: there is something wrong with me. It’s bad enough to have a crush on one boy, but having a crush on two?
Leo turns toward me with a sparkle in his forest green eyes, his dark hair hanging messy over his forehead and a mischievous smile on his lips.
“Looks like you’re all mine, BJ,” he says.
“That’s worse than Bish, please never say it again,” I joke weakly, my heart beating so fast I’m sure I’m going to faint as Leo approaches me. He’s tall, they’re both taller than me, but my mom keeps assuring me that I just haven’t hit my growth spurt yet. Considering she and my dad are both about 5’5”, I’m not holding my breath.
I tilt my head back as Leo invades my space, licking my dry lips again and realizing that I am completely unqualified to judge a kissing contest since the only kiss I’ve ever had was with this weird girl in the fifth grade, and it was really only a peck on the lips before I ran away crying, and her friends laughed.
Leo’s smile softens as he slips a hand behind my neck, bending down so our faces are close together, our noses brushing. I focus on my breathing, praying I don’t hyperventilate and pass out before I get the chance to feel their lips on mine just this once, even if it doesn’t really count because it’s nothing more than another game between the two of them.
“You sure you’re okay with this?” Leo whispers, quietly enough that only I can hear him. I give a shaky nod, my hands hanging limp at my sides, my eyes zeroed in on his lips, so very close to mine.
“Kiss him,” Hudson encourages impatiently, and the gleam of challenge returns to Leo’s eyes.
And then, his lips are on mine, and I forget how to breathe. He’s so much gentler than I would’ve guessed, teasing my mouth gently with his, leading the kiss as I melt into him. His tongue tastes like cherry Twizzlers and Coke when it slips past my lips. I sway toward him and start to feel a telltale tingling between my legs. I pull back from the kiss, gasping as I drag in a deep breath.
Leo looks rather pleased with himself as he steps back, leaving me a bit unsteady on my feet. I look over at Hudson, whose expression is set in a determined, competitive way, and a little tremor of nerves goes through me. I force a smile, hoping neither of them notice the half-chub pressing against the zipper of my jeans, and wave Hudson forward.
“What’s his score?” Hudson asks.
“No scores until I’ve tried you both,” I tease in a flirty tone, doing my best to mask how breathless I am right now.
Unlike Leo, Hudson doesn’t take it slowly. I’m not surprised. I don’t think slow is anywhere in his vocabulary. He comes at me like a hurricane, both of his hands finding their way to my hips as his lips crash into mine. Leo’s kiss was careful and exploratory—it gave me time to savor and process and feel things. But Hudson’s kiss is like being washed away in the rapids; it’s all I can do to keep my head above water and try not to drown. Both certainly have their appeal, if I’m being honest.
He parts my lips with his tongue, licking deep into my mouth, his hands on my hips keeping me firmly in place until he’s finished with me.
When the kiss ends, my half-chub is a full blown erection that there is no hiding. They’re both polite enough to ignore it while I plop down on the couch and surreptitiously slip a pillow across my lap.
“So, who’s the winner?” Hudson demands, both of them standing over me with twin looks of impatience.
“Um…” I shake my head, trying to clear the fog that the kisses left me with. “It was really close; you’re both good.”
“Come on, you have to pick a winner,” Leo insists.
“I guess if I have to pick, maybe Leo was a little better.”
Leo gives a loud whoop and holds his hand out for Hudson to pay him his prize money. Hudson grumbles but hands it over, already clearly plotting their next competition so he can win it back.
My lips tingle with the ghost of both their kisses, my worst fears confirmed. I’m definitely super gay, and I’m definitely in love with both my best friends.
Chapter 1
Present Day
Bishop
My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I spare one quick glance in Hudson’s direction, all the way across the bar flirting with a whole table full of guys who are probably just old enough to be in a bar at all.
My heart gives a halfhearted squeeze of jealousy. It’s stupid. Hudson isn’t mine, and he never will be. Just because we hookup sometimes doesn’t mean I have any right to get pissy when he flirts with other guys or takes them home. But my heart seems to have developed an impenetrable shield against all the logic I can possibly hurl at it. It doesn’t matter that Hudson isn’t the only one I desperately dream of a life with; all that matters is that I can’t have him the way I want him.