Easton

“It gets me all wet.” Easton laughed as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. “Surely you feel it, don’t you?” He pressed his nose against her neck. “How wet you are.” Realizing what he’d just said, he pulled away to stare into Scarlett’s eyes. Her face was a delightful shade of pink.

“You think I’m wet.”

“Yeah, I didn’t really think that one through.”

“No, no, it’s fine. We’re both wet.”

“I’m hard, believe me,” he said. Easton didn’t know what possessed him to press the evidence of said arousal against her stomach.

“Easton!” She gasped his name but didn’t pull away.

“I want you, Scarlett. Our time together is coming to an end, and I can’t stand the thought of going back home without being with you first.”

She smiled. “I’ve never done this before.”

“Had a summer fling?”

“No, had sex.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m a virgin.” She nibbled her lip, and it was the first time since he’d known her where she looked completely unsure about what she was saying to him. “Does it bother you?”

Carla had been a virgin.

Part of him knew he should back away right now, but the way Scarlett made him feel. The pain was almost non-existent with Scarlett. He completely forgot about everything with Scarlett. All the pain was more a distant memory than actual feelings to him.

“No, it doesn’t.” Pressing his lips to hers, he vowed to make it good for her. To make sure when Scarlett remembered this moment, she’d do so with a smile. He couldn’t keep her for himself; his father would only ruin this woman.

****

Present day

Easton sat in his office after spending the entire weekend with Liam, Scarlett, and Junior. After his confrontation with Liam, he figured he’d get thrown out, but this morning, after Junior was in the car, Scarlett had kissed both him and Liam, and promised them both she’d make an awesome dinner for their return.

He’d also shared Liam and Scarlett’s bed, their woman between them.

It wasn’t his relationship with Scarlett that was making him nervous. It was the way Liam felt pressed against him. He’d felt Liam’s arousal, but the man had simply stepped back from him and walked away.

They hadn’t been alone again since, apart from this morning when he got the chance to walk Junior to school.

He’d finally gotten the chance to see his son to school.

“Knock, knock,” Axton said.

Pulled out of his thoughts, he looked toward one of his friends.

“You okay?” Axton asked.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

“I don’t know. You’ve finally been given an almost teenage son. That’s got to have some meaning. How are things with your kid and Scarlett?” Axton took a seat, crossing his legs as he did so.

“You’re really curious about this or about who my kid is staying with?” he asked.

“I’m not going to lie, I’m curious about Knight and especially about how this all works for you?” Axton shrugged.

Again, he thought about Liam’s face and how close he’d been. Easton had wanted to kiss him, and if Liam hadn’t moved away, he’d have done it as well.

He’d never kissed a man before. He wondered what it would be like.

Would Liam have nice, firm lips, smooth, sexy?

He was losing his mind right about now. This couldn’t be happening. He finally got a chance to be with Scarlett, and now he was fantasizing about her husband as well as her.

“It works for me.” Easton shrugged. “Is there any other reason you’re here?”

Axton sat back. “I know you’re pissed off at me for making you go to rehab.”

“I’m not pissed at you for any reason, Axton. I’m actually glad you sent me. I was a mess.”

“You’re glad?”

“Yes. I fucked up in everything, didn’t I? I wasn’t good for the company or anything. I had to be taken care of. My father would have killed me and spun some kind of bullshit, but you didn’t do that and I’m grateful you didn’t. I’ve been given a second chance. A chance with my son and to know Scar.”

“You love her?” Axton asked.

Easton stared at his friend, not wanting to admit the truth.

“We all know you were never in love with Carla. It’s not something to be ashamed of.”

He averted his gaze. “It is.”

“No, it’s not,” Axton said.

Easton closed his eyes, counted to ten, and focused his attention on his friend. “Yeah, it is. It’s not the part about not loving her I’m ashamed of. She’s dead because of me.”

“You didn’t kill her.”

“I was determined to pop her cherry. I had this sick bet going on, and I had to complete it. For what reason? I don’t know. If I’d simply let it all go, she’d still be alive.”

“I wouldn’t be with Taylor. Your son wouldn’t have been born and you’d never have met Scarlett because you wouldn’t have needed a reason to go to camp.”