Their gazes burned through him, incinerating his damn pride. He looked up, right into Edgard’s eyes. “I don’t want you to go.”

If Trevor thought his admission would loosen the tension in the room, he was sorely mistaken. The sticky silence went on.

The furnace kicked on, breaking the still, heated air.

“Bizarre as it might sound, it was what I wanted to hear.” Chassie finished her beer in one greedy gulp and reached for another. “Let’s get to it.”

“Get to what?”

“You know . It.”

“Baby, you’ve been hittin’ the Bud a little hard—”

“So? I needed the liquid courage.”

Trevor frowned. “Liquid courage for what?”

A determined glint shone in Chassie’s eyes. “To tell you that I want to see you and Edgard together.”

“See us together…how?”

“See you together sexually.”

His eyes threatened to pop out of his fool head. “Jesus, Chassie, you can’t just—”

“Yes, I can and you’ll damn well let me finish. I wanna watch you two touchin’ each other. Bein’ together like you used to be. As lovers.”

“Why?” burst from Trevor’s mouth before he curbed it.

“Channing told me how beautiful it was watchin’ you guys. I need to see it for myself. Maybe then I’ll understand.”

Trevor swallowed his disbelief as he reached for Chassie’s hand. He didn’t speak for a bit.

A disgruntled, “What?” tumbled from her pursed lips.

“You were ready to kick me out yesterday after just seein’ Ed kissin’ me.”

“Ah yeah. I know.”

“It made you jealous. So you think you can handle seein’ what we are when we’re really together? Sexually? As lovers?”

Chassie looked straight at him. “I want to try.”

He considered her.

“What? You don’t believe me, do you?”

Trevor shrugged. “Hell, if you remember, you offered me to Ed at one point yesterday, sayin’ you were done with me.”

Edgard snorted softly.

A feeble smile appeared on Chassie’s face.

“Then you asked me not to be with Ed while you were gone. Which I respected.” His eyes cut to Edgard. “Which we both respected.”

“I know that too, Trev.”

“So how am I supposed to believe you want me to be with him now? How can I believe you ain’t gonna change your mind?”

“I said things out of anger because I was hurt. Because it was such a shock that I didn’t know anything about him or how you felt then or now.” She tried to dislodge his hand but he held tight. “It didn’t have to be a shock. You could’ve told me.”

“You’re wrong, Chassie. Telling you would’ve served no purpose,” Edgard said.

After Edgard spoke, her gaze zoomed to him. “Why?”

“If Trevor couldn’t admit how he felt about me to me, or even to himself, what chance did he have of explaining it to you so you understood? Especially when he knew how much that declaration would hurt you?”

“It would’ve hurt no matter what. With all the confusing thoughts runnin’ through my mind, one thing stuck out, one thing haunted me.”

“Which was what, baby?” Trevor asked.

“Longing. I saw it on your face. I saw it on Ed’s face. I didn’t understand it. But I had seen it before. Off and on since the first time we met.” She squeezed her eyes shut.

“Made me think of my brother because I’d seen it on his face too goddamn many times to mention. I never knew what it meant when he’d get that far off look. Now I think I do. If Dag would’ve trusted me, if he would’ve trusted one person in his life, one person that he didn’t have to lie to, one person who would try to understand, one person who loved him no matter what he did, or who he loved, would it have made a difference?”

“I don’t know, but you can’t beat yourself up about that, Chass.”

“Too late, even when I can’t go back and change the past. Not Dag’s past, not the past you two shared, but I can go forward. We all can go forward. Start fresh.”

Chassie opened her eyes. “Neither of you used my absence last night as an excuse to be together like you both longed to.” Her laugh was soft and sob-like. “It sounds crazy, but I know neither of you want to hurt me, you’d rather hurt yourselves again and I can’t live with that either. So seeing you two together is what I’ve come up with to start. If either of you has a better idea, I’m all ears.”

Edgard snatched her free hand. “So if Trevor and I are together tonight, what does that mean for tomorrow night? And the nights after that?”

“I don’t know. I wish I could guarantee I won’t have a screaming, hissy jealous fit at seein’ your hands on him, Ed. But the only thing I can promise is that for tonight, it’s not about me. It’s about you two. What you bring to each other. I won’t stand in your way, I won’t pass judgment. I won’t participate, I’ll try like hell not to interrupt. I’ll just be there watching.”

Edgard’s eye caught Trevor’s and the pure heat caused his desire to escalate and his cock to harden.

Still, Trevor held that split-second of doubt. Was Chassie doing something that’d hurt her in the long run just because she knew it was what he wanted now?

The greedy part of his brain screamed, Why are you questioning her motives when she’s given you a goddamn green light—go go go!

“You understand if I start touchin’ him tonight, I won’t be able to stop.”

Chassie nodded.

“Good.” Edgard softly kissed Chassie’s hand and set it on the table. He stood. Before he even turned toward Trevor, Trevor was out of his chair and on him.

Their mouths met in a furious kiss. Trevor trapped Edgard’s face in his hands. He inhaled Ed’s whole mouth like a sumptuous feast, making up for the mere crumbs he’d tasted the day before.

For the longest time they remained plastered body-to-body in a deep lip lock.

Reacquainting themselves with the urgency of long denied desire and endless, unstoppable kisses.

Edgard pulled away with a gasp, resting his forehead to Trevor’s. His entire body shook. He clutched Trevor’s arms as the breath sawed in and out of his lungs.

Trevor smoothed his hands over Edgard’s silken hair, repeating, “It’s okay.”

“I wanted…I needed…”

“I know.”

“I never thought…”

“Me neither.”

“I’m…I can’t believe…”

“Same goes.” He traced the shell of Edgard’s ear with his thumb. “I’m here. We’re both here.”

Edgard seemed to regain control. He lifted his head and pressed his mouth to Trevor’s. “Let me have you first.”

Trevor’s belly muscles tensed with anticipation and his cock jerked against his zipper.

“Now.” Clasping their hands together, Edgard led them out of the kitchen and into the living room.

The fluorescent bulb in the ceiling bathed the room in bright white, making Trevor feel as if he’d stepped from the darkness into another reality.

They stopped in the center of the room in front of the couch. Trevor heard the springs squeak a second later, but when he turned to see if Chassie had followed them, Edgard’s fingers on his jaw kept him facing forward, facing only Edgard.

His gut clenched. It was impossible to look away from Edgard’s triumphant eyes.

“Do you know how many times I jacked off to this fantasy? Trying to decide what I’d do to you first if I ever had the chance again?”

Trevor shook his head.

“Sometimes I rip your shirt open, sucking your nipples while I give you a handjob.”

Edgard placed his lips on the side of Trevor’s neck. “Sometimes I get your jeans down around your knees, then rub our cocks together until we both shoot on your belly. But the one I wanna fulfill now? Having your cock in my mouth.” Edgard’s breath drifted hot and damp over the collar of Trevor’s shirt before he stepped back. “Clothes off.”

The plain white T-shirt sailed over Trevor’s head. He managed to unbuckle his belt.

His knit boxers hit the floor the same time as his jeans and he kicked them away. Last thing to go were his socks. Then Trevor stood naked in front of Edgard, his cock erect, his face flushed, waiting and wanting.

“Ranch work agrees with you.” Edgard flattened his palms on Trevor’s pecs and held them there for a second before slowly sliding his hands to Trevor’s ribs, landing solidly on his hips. Amidst openmouthed kisses Edgard murmured, “I wanna keep kissing you. I wanna keep touching you.”

“I’m good with that.” Trevor felt rough-tipped fingers roving down the outside of his leg and his cock twitched when Edgard dropped to his knees in front of him.

Firm male lips tickled the coarse hair on his thighs, back and forth in an erotic arc until Trevor trembled. “You like that.”

“You know I do.” Trevor grabbed his cock with his right hand and Edgard’s hair with his left, forcing Edgard to look up. Brushing the sticky cockhead over Edgard’s parted lips, he said, “You wanna suck it, you’re gonna suck all of it.” He cupped Edgard’s jaw, pushing his chin down and slid his shaft in halfway.

A moan reverberated up the length of his dick. While Edgard sucked, he slipped one hand between Trevor’s legs.

Trevor withdrew, warning, “No ass play. No strokin’ my balls. Mouth on my cock, hands on my thighs.”

“Whatever you want.”

“Open wide.” His hips snapped and he was buried balls deep in that blistering wet heat. Trevor didn’t move, he gave himself permission to feel. Edgard’s lips stretched around the base of his cock and his tongue stroked the underside of his shaft. The warmth of Edgard’s body radiating from beneath his clothes. The need to create that explosive friction had Trevor pulling back with the intention of slamming deep.