Crossing the Line (4 page)

“I know, it’s wild.” Hanna rolled her little red dress to prevent it from creasing. She tucked it into her suitcase while smiling at her bestie, who’d parked herself in the center of the bed to oversee the activity. “When I tried to, um, jump him this morning, he told me I had to wait until we
all
got to the resort later.”

Megan’s jaw dropped. “Holy shitballs, he’s for-real making this happen. A threesome for your birthday. Wonder what he’ll give you next year?” She laughed while ducking the pillow Hanna launched at her head, then picked up a pair of panties from the to-be-packed pile. “And speaking of holy shitballs…” Megan gaped at the panties—sheer black lace in the front, a web of ribbons in the back and not much in between. “These would drive any man crazy.”

“I hope so,” Hanna said, scooping them from her friend’s hand.

“Ready to tell me who the other guy is?”

“Can’t, sorry. Part of the agreement.” A fat load of hooey, but necessary. Megan’s interrogation next week would be thorough enough. If her friend knew the extra man in this adventure was Jeremy Cruz, Derrick’s best friend since forever, she’d never give Hanna a moment’s peace.

“But he’s hot, right?”

An image of Jeremy popped into Hanna’s head. She smiled at Megan, so wide it almost hurt her face. “Very hot.”

“You’re mean.”

“I know.”

“And the luckiest woman alive.”

“I know that too.”

“It’s totally unfair.” Megan dropped onto her stomach, head resting on her hands. “Your husband is this badass-looking super-hunk who worships the ground you walk on, and now you’re getting a second hottie to play with? I’d call you a bitch if you weren’t so freaking nice.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“You’re welcome…bitch.” Megan giggled. “Sorry, had to.”

“Just for that, I’m not showing you what’s in here.” Hanna waved a black, cinch-topped bag.

“Sex toys?”

“Yup.”

“You really are cruel.” Megan laughed, then stuck out her tongue. “Seriously, take pity on the chronically undersexed here and show me the goods.”

“Pfft. If you’re not getting any, it’s by choice and we both know it. And there’s nothing crazy in here.” She dropped the bag into the suitcase. “Just your standard-issue vibrators and stuff, nothing too kinky.” By her standards, anyway.

“But you’ll be with
two men
when you use them. I call that damn kinky.” Megan sighed as Hanna zipped up the case. “At least tell me what the second guy looks like. Throw me a crumb, for god’s sake.”

As if her friend needed a crumb. In her position as ECE in Hanna’s kindergarten classroom, Megan turned every man’s head when she opened the door in the mornings, especially the single dads. Many of them had sent Christmas and end-of-the-year gifts for
Miss
Atherton last year—and those gifts often included phone numbers. Unfortunately for the men, Megan refused to date anybody she’d be forced to see post-hookup. Too awkward.

Hanna hoped to god that wouldn’t be the case with Jeremy after this weekend. Aside from secretly fantasizing about the man for years, she’d always liked him. Enjoyed his presence when he hung out with Derrick. Jeremy was as fun and nice as he was attractive. Despite his job as a bigwig consultant and the barrage of expensive toys it afforded him, he was totally down to earth. It came through in his easygoing laugh and the pure love he emanated when he talked about Luke, his four-year-old son. Simply put, the man was a catch. Or would be, if he hadn’t sworn off relationships after the Vivien mess.

“Earth to Hanna…”

And she’d totally been caught daydreaming.

“Spill it, chickie. Description.”

“Oh fine.” She rolled her eyes at Megan, who was currently rubbing her hands together as if she were about to get some amazing scoop. “He’s a bit over six feet with short, dark hair. A strong nose—”

“Wait. Is that a nice way of saying he has a big honker?”

“It’s not
that
big.”

Megan’s eyebrows rose. “I hope you won’t be saying the same thing about his cock a few hours from now.”

“Oh my god, you’re horrible.” Yet Hanna couldn’t help laughing. Leave it to Megan to get to the
meat
of the matter.

“But I bring up a valid point, right? He could be wind up being a disappointment in the groinal region, unless…you’ve already seen it, maybe in a picture?”

“I haven’t. But I’m not worried.”

“Yeah, I guess it doesn’t really matter, since you won’t be fucking him.”

“Right.” Better to leave it at that than tell Megan that Derrick had seen the other guy naked, many times. That’d raise too many questions.

“Okay, so he has a big nose but he’s no Cyrano de Bergerac. What else?”

“Clean-shaven with a manly jaw, twinkling brown eyes, charming smile and the whitest teeth I’ve ever seen on a real person.” Yikes, maybe that was a bit too much detail. And enthusiasm.

“Oh. My. God.” Megan hopped off the bed, grabbed Hanna by the shoulders and stared at her with enormous eyes. “It’s Jeremy fucking Cruz!”

Oh god—busted. Busted hard. “Why would you think that?” she asked, her attempt at innocent surprise totally ruined by the hot blush currently staining her cheeks.

“Because I know you—and Derrick, for that matter—well enough to know neither of you would invite a total stranger along for something this intimate. I just thought it might’ve been somebody he knew from work. This is even better. Jeremy is hot, hot, wowza-freakin’ hot.”

Hanna groaned again. She squeezed her eyes closed, but when she opened them, Megan’s face was still right there, sporting a giddy, teenage-girlish grin. God help her next week—Megan was going to want a minute-by-minute, lick-by-lick account of the weekend’s activities.

“Well, girlfriend…” Megan released her and flopped on the bed, winking as she patted Hanna’s suitcase. “Seems like you’re ready for tonight.”

With that comment, the nerves set in for the hundredth time. “I’m not sure I am, to be honest.” In her various conversations with Megan about Derrick’s proposition, she’d kept the focus on the sex, not her insecurities. Kind of late to be laying them out now, but she had to. “I still don’t get it, why Derrick wants to do this, how he’s okay with it. He’s never been an overly jealous guy, but this takes that to the extreme.”

“What does he say when you ask him?”

“That he wants to make me happy.” Her voice tapered off at the end, and no amount of throat-clearing brought moisture into her dry mouth. The rest came out as a scratchy whisper. “Make my dreams come true.” Stupid tears. Especially the one sliding down her cheek. “Crap.”

“Oh, honey. Come here…” Megan’s arms folded around her. “You should talk to him again. It’s been three years, maybe he’d consider a reversal.”

Megan was her best friend and they shared a lot of personal stuff. Hanna had told her that Derrick came from an abusive home. But she’d never divulged the horrifying details—the dark demons that prevented him from trusting himself. She couldn’t expect Megan to understand without that information. Even with it, it had taken Hanna years—and a huge mistake—to fully comprehend the depth of his fear.

She broke free of Megan’s embrace and wiped her cheeks. “Honestly, I’m fine. The birthday thing always messes me up. It’s like PMS, multiplied by twelve.”

“Good god.” Megan shuddered. “You’re sure you’re okay?”

“I am.” Hanna offered one hand, four of its five fingers balled together, the smallest one extended and wiggling. “I pinky swear it.”

An
hmph
slipped from Megan’s mouth as she curled her pinky finger around Hanna’s. “Then back to the question of ‘why’. Could Derrick be testing you? And don’t hate
me
for going this route—what about compensating for a guilty conscience?”

“No and no, I’m sure of it.” Which only left one thing, the reason he’d told her over and over. “He’s doing it for me.”

“I think you’re right.” Megan’s eyes drifted to the suitcase, then back to Hanna’s face. “I guess you’d better decide if you’re going to let him.”

* * * * *

When Derrick’s buddy agreed to the threesome, it’d been with one condition—a waiting period. A few weeks for his best friend to wrap up some out-of-town project he had going, plus get a clean bill of health from the doc. Those were the reasons Jer had verbalized. Legit for sure, and good ones, but Derrick bet Jeremy had an ulterior motive, like giving them time to change their minds.

They hadn’t. Over the course of the month, Derrick had had the hottest sex of his life with his wife, and he knew without asking that she’d agree with that assessment. Every time they’d discussed details for the trip to Havenbrook Resort, Hanna had gotten so turned on she’d been practically insatiable. Hopefully Jeremy had gotten some rest this week—or packed some Viagra.

“This is it.” Derrick grinned at the best thing ever to happen to him as he pulled into a spot in front of the large, stone building that housed the resort’s offices and intimate restaurant. “Time to check in and get your birthday party started.” He leaned over for a kiss that landed on hesitant lips, rather than hungry ones. Not good. Neither was the glassiness in her beautiful eyes. “Hey, what’s this, why the tears?”

There’d been no sign of trouble earlier. They’d made the two-hour drive with the top down on her convertible Beetle, Hanna laughing at the wind whipping her hair, both of them talking about music, movies and other casual stuff.

He brushed away the single, fat drop that’d rolled down her cheek. Cupped her face between his palms. “This weekend is about you. We can change the plans, postpone them, call the whole thing off permanently, anything you want. Talk to me.”

“Now that we’re here and it’s almost real, I’m scared.”

“Of what, baby?”

“Things changing between us.” Her hands closed around his wrists and squeezed. “What if you’re not okay with it, once it’s happening, or afterward? I can’t lose you.”

“That’ll never happen. I love you. You won’t lose me, I promise.”

“That’s easy to say now,” she whispered.

Hurting her, even a little, was the absolute last thing he wanted to do. “I’m going to call Jer,” he grabbed his cell from the cup holder, “tell him we’d like to be on our own this weekend. A romantic weekend, just the two of us. We can decide whether to try this again later.”

Her lips parted as if to speak, then her head jerked sideways at the sound of a horn.

Jeremy. His black Hummer rolled up, filling the neighboring spot. He leaned out the open window and smiled down at them, at Hanna in particular. “You guys check in already?”

Shit. “Not yet. Give us a couple minutes here.”

“Yeah, of course,” Jeremy said, pulling his arm and head back inside his vehicle until Hanna’s voice stopped him.

“Wait—it’s okay, Jeremy, we’re ready.”

No hesitation or wavering in her voice now, but Derrick wasn’t taking this thing one step further until he was sure. “I meant what I said, baby. We only do this if you want to.”

Hanna glanced at Jeremy’s face in the Hummer’s window, then back to him. “Only if we
both
want to.” His wink must’ve been reassurance enough, because a new smile lit her face, beginning on her kissable lips and spreading to her shining eyes. “Okay.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes. I love you. I trust you.”

“Good.” This time when he kissed her, she melted into it. Opening for him, letting him tip her head back and plunder her mouth while palming one breast through her t-shirt, for Jeremy and the rest of the world to see. She moaned against his lips, Jeremy’s wolf-whistle sounded from above them, and blood raced to Derrick’s cock. “Good” didn’t begin to describe the plans he had for the weekend.

* * * * *

“Take your time.” Derrick’s lips grazed hers, pulling away exactly when she wanted him to give her more.

“Tease.”

“You like it that way—it makes you hot. Speaking of hot…damn, baby, that suit.” He winked, grabbed a towel and headed across the room. “We’ll see you at the pool.”

Then he was gone. Beyond the closed door, his voice and laugh mingled with Jeremy’s before fading away. And for the third time today, the reality of what—and who—was to come slammed into her brain.

“Oh god.” She dropped onto the king-size bed. Wrong move, it only made the thoughts rush in faster. Thoughts of what would happen on this bed a few hours from now. Dirty, delicious things involving two gorgeous men and immense amounts of pleasure. Because her husband wanted to bring her hottest fantasy to life. With Jeremy. And that’s what made this weekend an even wilder ride.

Ten years ago, she’d been out for a girls’ night. Lots of drinking on her friends’ parts, mostly dancing on hers. Maybe a hook-up, if somebody caught her eye. Two guys had. Buddies, obviously—both of them handsome and built, each had asked her to dance throughout the evening.

Even way back then, when the most adventurous thing she’d done was have orgasmless intercourse at a drive-in movie, the thought of being sexually sandwiched between Derrick and Jeremy had been front and center in her thoughts. If they’d asked her to go home with them—with
both
of them—that night, she would have. At last call, Jeremy had kissed her cheek and said good night. Derrick’s kiss had been less gentlemanly. There’d been no “goodnight” from him, but it’d definitely been a good night. The beginning of a long-lasting relationship with an incredible man.

She’d never looked back and wondered what-if about Jeremy, but she couldn’t deny that she’d continued looking
at
him. Imagining him as guy-number-two when she and Derrick role-played. She’d replaced him with other imaginary, faceless men for the duration of his marriage to Vivien—it would’ve been too weird to sit and talk with her, otherwise—but when Vivien had been crazy enough to divorce him, Hanna had welcomed Jeremy back to her fantasies. Immediately.

While she’d never actually told Derrick about her ongoing attraction to his best friend, he’d obviously figured it out. According to Derrick, though, he had another reason for choosing Jeremy this weekend. Trust. He trusted Jeremy’s discretion. He trusted his friend to respect the rules they’d laid out. He trusted the man not to try and steal his wife.