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  Tyler leaned forward in his chair. Incredulity reflected in his face. “Med school? No shit? Ethan’s a doctor?”

  “He became a chiropractor.”

  “Chiropractor?” Tyler shouted. “That ain’t no doctor!”

  “Well he has a diploma that has doctor in front of his name.” Jason shrugged. All those dudes with the white jackets and shit were all the same to him.

  “That’s like saying a guy who shampoos the dog is a vet.”

  Jason laughed.

  “That’s like saying a massage therapist is a doctor,” Tyler stated.

  “I think becoming a chiropractor is way more studying and harder.”

  “All that means is they charge more.”

  “They do overcharge.”

  Tyler was quiet for a moment then his voice rose. “How the fuck did he pass any tests? All he ever did was smoke and play video games.”

  “Well it did take him eight years. Anyways, it doesn’t matter. I heard he got fired at his first job for trying to get a hot young patient to crack his bone.”

  Tyler laughed. “That sounds like Ethan.”

  Jason couldn’t help but think about the friend who’d always been the life of the party until the night that changed so much. “He never really got over what happened. I think he carried around his own baggage about what he could’ve done differently that night.”

  * * * * *

  “Is he there?”

  “Who, Jeanie? I gave up mind reading a few years ago.” Jason glanced at his watch then sighed. “Aren’t you married types supposed to be in bed before midnight watching the news and shit?”

  The redhead with her lips suctioned around his dick halted mid-throat but Jason grasped the back of her neck and thrust forward. His shaft buried in her moist heat stifled the moan she emitted.

  “If I knew where my husband was I wouldn’t be calling you.” She sniffled and Jason closed his eyes.

  Whatever you do, don’t imagine her crying. This isn’t your business. Stay the fuck out of it.

  He tried to focus on the sultry lips drawing him closer and closer to release. Music thumped in the background, partially drowning the party raging on. Ethan knew how to throw a hell of a party—even if it was for his own birthday.

  “I know y’all have your bro code or whatever but I’m worried about him. We had a terrible fight, Jase.” The distinct sniffle unsettled him.

  “He probably went and grabbed a beer somewhere. He hasn’t been around any of our parties in a while.” Since the wedding. “Shit, it’s been a couple of years since some of the guys have even seen his ass.”

  “I knew it was a longshot. Please look out for him, just in case.”

  The line went dead before he could respond. He tossed the phone down on the sofa beside him and leaned his head back. Eyes closed, he focused on the redhead. But his mind replayed the sniffles, the fear he’d heard earlier.

  Son of a bitch.

  He made his apologies to Marcy and wound his way over to Ethan, who had a cluster of people congregating around him. “Hey, man, have you seen Dan around?”

  The guy grinned and took a swig of his beer before answering. “Dan? I haven’t seen that dude in ages. He must still be leg shackled to the marital bed.”

  That was an image he didn’t need in his brain. “The old lady called looking for him.”

  “Ah, trouble in paradise,” Anthony joked.

  “He just wants the hot makeup sex,” Lamar added. “Speaking of hot sex, I gotta go hunt Tyler down. He needed my help with something.”

  Jason made his way to the backyard where all the intense action was taking place. Summertime in Dallas meant string bikinis, swimming pools and endless possibilities. People he didn’t recognize lingered around the pool in various stages of undress.

  Dan was perched on the edge of the hot tub between two scantily clad ladies but his mind was obviously elsewhere. He stared into the bubbling water before him as if an answer to a question only he knew could rise from the depths.

  Jason recognized the women as regulars at the club—heavy tippers of Ethan’s. He smiled at them and they took the looming lack of conversation as a hint to vacate. Plopping himself down on the opposite side of Dan, he slid his feet into the warm bubbles and took a swig of his beer.

  “I just got done telling your wifey that you don’t come around these parties anymore.”

  Dan shrugged. “She’ll probably be here soon enough to change everything. You know there’s only one way to do shit—her way. God fucking forbid you don’t listen.”

  Trouble in paradise wasn’t in his wheelhouse. “You know, Lamar or one of them could probably help you more than me, man. They’ve done that married thing.”

  Dan chuckled. “Oh yeah, I’m real good with taking marital advice from Lamar. He’s been married three times? Or is it four? I lose track. Oh I remember. We decided it was three and a half because the last one only lasted a week.”

  “Yeah, that’s right. We told him he’d qualify for the frequent groom discount now.” Jason took another sip and then set his beer down.

  “I didn’t think it’d be so tough having someone around 24/7. And Vanessa. God help me but sometimes I wish to hell we hadn’t had her. What the hell do I know about being a dad?” Dan shook his head and kicked at the water. “Man, you should see Jeanie in action. She’s a hell of a mom.”

  “I’m sure.” She was probably a hell of a wife too.

  “I don’t deserve her.” He looked over at Jason. “You know, I never apologized for the way things went down when we got engaged.”

  “Nothing to apologize for.”

  “Come on, man. It’s just the two of us. Let’s call it the way it was. I was an ass that night I showed you the ring and told you I was gonna propose. I knew she was seeing you too and I couldn’t stand it.” He sighed. “Sometimes I wonder if she regrets choosing me.”

  “You’re delusional. A blind man could see how much she loves you.” The need to air the dirty laundry of the past spurred his confession. “And for the record, we hadn’t been hooking up right around that time. We did once but then I knew it wasn’t a good idea to bang the girl my manager was interested in.”

  “You’re a hell of a guy, man.”

  “So are you. I’m sure you’ve got that Father of the Year coffee mug sealed up by now.”

  “Well, marriage and kids changes shit, you know? You sort of lose most of yourself and you become a vat of diaper changes, sleepless nights and sexless weeks. I wanted to make her happy, man, but I see her staring off at the distance sometimes and wonder if she really is.”

  “Shit, man, she’s probably exhausted. Vanessa’s a handful just like her dad.”

  Dan grinned enough to light up his face. “Yeah she is.”

  “I think you need to get your ass home and take care of your woman. Talk to her about this shit ’cause she’s the only one who can help you.” Jason pointed at the couples fucking in the swimming pool. “Being around this crap isn’t solving anything.”

  “Wow. That’s deep.”

  “Fuck you.” Jason laughed. “You know I’ll always have your back, man.”

  “Yeah.” Dan looked away. “I really am sorry about the way shit went down. I know Jeanie gave you shit the last time you were over at the house. If it’s worth anything, I think she misses your visits. You should come hang with us Sunday. I’ll barbeque.”

  “I’ll see what I can do.” He paused for a moment and thought on the anger in Jeanie’s voice when she’d caught him at their house high. “Get your shit together, man. Whatever issues you’re having can be fixed but you’ve gotta put the time into it. That means none of the bullshit we used to do. Like these parties and the indulgences.”

  “Yeah, I’ve been trying to clean up but it’s tough. That shit’s rough to get off of.”

  Jason knew Dan had messed around with some of the harder shit but hadn’t thought about the aftermath of giving it up. “You know we’re here for you, ma
n.”

  He nodded. “Think I’ll hang around for a little longer. I’ll give Jeanie a call and let her know where I’m at and that you found me. That should cool the situation down some.”

  Crisis averted, Jason headed back into the house in search of the redhead he’d blown off earlier. She’d been a little pissed about the way he’d walked away but with enough time he could make it up to her.

  * * * * *

  “You sure you want to do this?”

  Lamar’s question rattled Tyler’s decision but he knew it was what he wanted. “Becca’s a hell of a woman. I want to do this for her.”

  He’d secured one of Ethan’s extra bedrooms for a little role-play action tonight. Of course, he hadn’t shared the exact plan with Becca. All she knew was that they were going to have some fun.

  “Fair enough. If shit starts going south just give me a signal and I’ll bail.”

  A foreign emotion churned in his gut as he stood in the hallway, telling himself this was a good thing. Becca had wanted to have a ménage with another guy for quite a while. With everything they’d done together—and everything she’d done for him—he could do this.

  Hell, he’d done a woman with another guy before. He couldn’t understand why the idea of sharing Becca with anyone bothered him so much until he’d accepted that unidentified thing chewing his insides was jealousy.

  Love.

  He loved her.

  He’d finally found the woman who could accept him. The real him.

  After tonight he intended to make things right.

  “Let’s do this.”

  He turned the doorknob and pushed the door open. She sat in the middle of the bed wearing a thin, white-lace teddy that made all the blood drain to his cock. Shock radiated on her face when Lamar stepped in.

  The man was built like a tank. He could make the biggest men step back. A pretty red rose in her cheeks but she made no move to cover herself. Her legs were spread wide and her discarded panty sat on the bed beside her. One of her hands moved between her legs. Tyler angled to the side so he could watch her fingers dip into her gorgeous pussy.

  “I didn’t realize we were having company.” There it was. The phrase they’d both agreed would signal their mutual acceptance to fulfill her darkest desire—a ménage with two men.

  He recalled the times they’d spoken of her fantasy—the one where he shared her with a guy she didn’t know. He armed his voice with authority. “I owe Lamar here some money and when we got to talking about it we agreed there was a much better way to work the debt off.”

  Her eyes widened and Lamar choked off a chuckle. Yeah, Tyler probably should’ve mentioned there was a little method acting being padded onto the beginning of this. Tyler and she had always liked to up the ante a little bit, incite a little mental play into the bedroom whenever they could. Tonight he’d play along with one of the fantasies she’s always had. “Come over and show Lamar what a good girl you can be.”

  She crawled over to the edge of the bed and chewed on her lower lip as she looked at Lamar then over at Tyler. Pride swept through Tyler when she reached for him first.

  As she began undoing his jeans he nodded at his friend. The quicker this went down, the better. Lamar grabbed her hips and positioned her ass until it was in front of him. This put her cattycornered on the end of the bed.

  “You get this pussy nice and wet just for me?” Lamar asked.

  “I-I didn’t know we were going to have company.”

  Tyler pulled on her hair and claimed her lips in a heated kiss. The passion surging between them almost made him forget Lamar was there. He severed the connection and pushed downward until her hands continued their work of removing his jeans.

  Her mouth was hot pleasure sliding up and down on his dick. The vibrations of her moans made their way to his balls. He knew without looking that Lamar was playing with her pussy and clit. She always mewled so sexily when Tyler did that.

  A few moments of pumping down her sweet throat and Tyler knew he was closer than he should be. Lamar nodded, as if sensing the buildup of need within the room. They’d worked in tandem to turn Becca into a molten bundle of nerves.

  Lamar sheathed his cock with a condom and slid into Becca’s pussy in one deep stroke. She cried out against Tyler’s dick. Her nails dug into his ass cheeks. When her eyelids fluttered open and she gazed up at him his heart stopped.

  Trust and love reflected there. The emotions settled in him, setting up residence and owning his soul like no one else had. She’d confessed her love weeks ago. Why the hell he’d waited to do the same was beyond his understanding right now.

  She was everything he’d been seeking night after night. Tomorrow he’d tell her. Tomorrow he’d forge a new path for them. Together.

  He erupted in her mouth and groaned as she kissed and played with his balls until the last of his release coated her tongue. Lamar continued fucking her pussy. Tyler leaned down and kissed her.

  She clung to him with each moan and gasp. He nibbled on her earlobe. “Come for me, beautiful sweetheart.”

  He felt her orgasm in the slight shudder of her body as he kissed her. Lamar groaned. “Fuck that’s hot, man.”

  Tyler blocked out Lamar as he finished off and did as they’d agreed—left without making awkward-moment-after conversation. Becca collapsed on the bed with a grin on her face as she looked up.

  “I never thought you’d play that out with me.”

  “You know I’ll try anything with you, sweetheart.”

  “You’re amazing.”

  “No, you are.” Tyler leaned down. “We’ll have to do that again sometime, maybe slower. Longer.”

  “No. That’s just how I wanted it. Quick and dirty.” She dragged him onto the bed. “I can’t believe you surprised me with that. Wow.”

  “Yeah.” Tyler sighed and savored the feel of her body against his. This was exactly what he’d been looking for. She was what he was looking for. Now all he had to do was get the guts up to tell her.

  A phone ringing awoke him. Damn. He must’ve fallen asleep. Becca’s raised voice punctured the silence. “I said I’ll be there as soon as I can. Just hold on.”

  She looked over at the bed. Worry made him sit up. “Something wrong?”

  “I’m sure it’s nothing. My roommate’s having another meltdown. I need to get over there. I’m sorry.” She leaned down and kissed him. “You go back to sleep. I’ll find someone to take me home. The party’s starting to break up.”

  He fell back onto the pillow and sighed as she ran her hand down his unshaven jaw. Sleep reclaimed him.

  Chapter Ten

  “I’d rather put my nuts through a meat grinder than relive those times after the accident, man.” Jason bit his lip as he thought about those few days and what he had and hadn’t done. “You know, I never got a chance to apologize.”

  “For what?”

  Even though Tyler looked unaffected by the statement, Jason could tell in his friend’s tone.

  “I wasn’t there for you, Goose. I should’ve been.”

  “Nah. Jeanie needed you more than I did. I handled my shit like I always do. It wasn’t like you could’ve undone what happened. Don’t worry about it.”

  “We never really spoke about what all happened back then.”

  “Not much worth remembering.”

  “Yeah.” Jason took a deep breath and pressed again. “Still, isn’t that the sort of shit we’re supposed to talk about? Isn’t that what that doctor lady’s always telling us?”

  He could almost feel the good times slip away like they had back then. One reckless act had changed everything.

  “I wonder sometimes what would’ve happened if I’d been there with her—if I’d gotten off my lazy ass and driven her myself.” Tyler began rocking the chair faster. “They didn’t deserve what happened.”

  “Yeah. I know.” He could still feel Jeanie’s anguish from that day and it took everything in him not to look over to where she sat now. What did
she remember about that time? Probably very little. Grief had a way of doing that—sucking away minute portions of your memory and never returning them.

  Sometimes Jason wished his memory of those times would slip away into the fog of getting old. It would be a blessing in a way. Regret was a bitter companion and he had plenty of that for everyone. “I was the last one to talk to Dan that night. I threw him out—told him he had a wife waiting for him and didn’t need to be around. Maybe if I’d been cooler they wouldn’t have crashed.”

  “The what-if game sucks because you can never win.”

  * * * * *

  The second hand of the clock echoed, ticking off each moment that passed as if even it were uncomfortable with the icy silence of the room. Jeanie collapsed in his arms in unheard sobs that shook her entire body. The other guys sat huddled on the other end of the room, draped around Tyler like stone guardians in case he came out of his shock.

  Jeanie’s fingernails dug into his forearms as she took a gulp of air and choked on her tears. He knew this was necessary—the last thing Dan needed was to see her break down—but nothing could’ve prepared him for the emotions churning in his gut right now. Helplessness debilitated his speech.

  Really—what the fuck could he say? Apparently no one knew what words would offer solace since the room was quiet. The antiseptic stench of the hospital wafted into the air and hung there—an unwelcomed reminder of where they were.

  As if they could forget.

  Michael walked in, his boots pounding on the white-tiled waiting room floor. He shoved his keys into his jeans and looked around. “Who’s going to tell me what the hell’s going on?”

  Jason noted the hostile glares cast from the other side of the room and the tension in Jeanie’s body upon hearing the voice of LaBare’s owner. The man was a son of a bitch on a good day—and this was far from a good day.

  He looked around expectantly. “Lamar?”

  “Not now, man.” He swiped his hand through his hair and motioned toward the hallway. “There’s a cafeteria down the hall and around the corner where you can grab some coffee. I’ll head down there and fill you in when I can.”