Odd Man Rush (East Coast, #2)

by Kristen Granata

I think that’s what a best friend does. She makes you feel whole. She makes you feel comfortable being yourself. She holds up a mirror and shows you who you are, and who you want to be. And you can’t picture your life without her.

Jason isn’t just my boyfriend. He’s Celeste’s best friend too, and it makes me happy to see the way he cares for her—the same way I care for her. Her parents have always treated her like she’s a nuisance, like she doesn’t matter. Jason and I are her real family.

“Something like this? This is love.”

“I love you. I would give anything for you. If you asked me to move across the world, I’d pack my bags in a heartbeat. If you said you wanted to get married, I’d take us to City Hall right now.” My bottom lip trembles. “If you want babies, we can do that too. We don’t have to figure it all out right now, but we can figure it out together. I thought...I thought you were in this with me.”

But fear is a strong motherfucker, and it’ll rob you of all the things you’ve ever dreamed of if you let it.

“Fuuuck,” he drags out, gazing down between us. “Look at the way you take me.”

“Of course there’s room for you. There’s always room for you. Regardless of what happened between us, you’re still my best friend. I’d like to get back to that.”

It doesn’t bother me. I love having Celeste around, and I always have. I only wish she didn’t see herself as the mere outsider who tags along with us. I want her to feel like she’s a part of our family, the way we feel she is.

“I want to suck your dick while Celeste goes down on me. You holding my head and fucking my mouth while I ride her face.”

“I want you to fuck me just like this so you can watch while I eat her pussy. I know how much you’d love to watch that. And I want to get on top of you and ride your cock while she rides your face at the same time.”

“And this isn’t some fantasy I want to fulfill with just anyone. It’s you. And it’s him. The two people I love and trust the most in this world.”

“I don’t want to hear what you think, or what we shouldn’t do, or whatever it is you’re trying to predict will happen. I only want to hear what you want, so if you don’t want to go any further, then tell us right now. Otherwise, you’re going to come home with us and we’re going to fuck every last bit of doubt right out of you.”

“Taste her, Celeste,” he whispers. “Rub your tongue all over my wife’s pussy and tell me it isn’t the best you’ve ever had.”

“You’re going to come on Celeste’s face, baby. But you’re going to be choking on my cock while you do. Understand?”

I never thought I could be this turned on, but watching Jason fuck Kourtney’s throat while her arousal seeps into my mouth is on another level entirely. I don’t feel like an outsider, or a third wheel. I’m as much a part of this as they are, with Jason’s eyes on me and Kourtney’s palm at the back of my head.

We’re connected. I love it...and I hate myself for it.

Their hands are everywhere, Kourtney roaming over the dips and curves of my body like an old backroad she never forgot, and Jason feeling me for the first time, learning what makes me buck and moan.

Jason’s eyes lock with mine. “You don’t come until I say you do.”

I arch a brow. “I’ll come whenever I damn well please.”

We’re all turned on, touching and kissing and exploring each other’s bodies. But we don’t take it further. We simply exist in this moment.

Jason is one of the most down-to-earth professional athletes I’ve ever met. He isn’t full of himself, or arrogant. He plays because he loves the game, and doesn’t care how the world perceives him.

“Look at me. You’re one of the best players I’ve ever seen. You’re beyond talented. Every time I see you on the ice, my chest swells with pride. So don’t think for one second that I don’t want to wear your jersey because you’re not good enough. Honestly, I don’t wear it because I like pissing you off.”

Being here with the two people I care about most in my life, feeling the way they care for me, knowing I can depend on them...it terrifies me and calms me at the same time.

It feels a lot like a family, or what a family should feel like—not like my parents ever gave me that example.

“Get this nice and wet for your wife’s pussy.” Celeste pushes the dildo inside my mouth to coat it in my saliva. “You’re going to watch me fuck her, and if you beg just right, I might let her fuck you when I’m done.”

The tie between Jason and Celeste has been growing stronger. I can feel it, and it excites me in ways I can’t even begin to comprehend.

“You can be in love with more than one person at a time. People tell you that you can’t, but you can. The only limits on our hearts are the ones we put there.”

Jason is kind and caring and everything I’d want to find in a man. I just didn’t expect to find it in my best friend’s husband. But maybe he was right when we said I need to stop looking at him that way. And maybe Erika is right: I’m the only one limiting myself. If this is what Kourtney wants, and this is what Jason wants, maybe I can allow myself to want this too.

Before Kourtney and I invited Celeste into our marriage, I never felt incomplete. There was never anything missing. So many people assume that your marriage must be lacking if you’re looking to add a third partner into the mix. But Celeste wasn’t meant to fill a void. She enhanced our lives, our relationship, in a way that no one else could have. The three of us were inseparable in high school, and it’s no different now. She’s a part of us.

“And I love you. More than all the blades of grass, and all the sand on the beach.”

Maybe that’s not what she needs you to do. Maybe she needs you to be there for her. Maybe she needs to feel like she doesn’t have to choose between you and her parents...that you’ll be there for her through this, however long it takes.

That’s not fair to me.

It’s not, but love isn’t fair. Love isn’t running away whenever something goes wrong. It’s standing with the perso...

Well, maybe I need someone to fight fo...

I will fight for you ...

I’m not giving u...

God, I miss him.

I miss the way he’d look at me. The way he always knew what I needed. The way it felt in his arms—to feel safe, to feel cared for.

To feel w...

I miss you, k...

BossMan94: Come ba...

If Kourtney truly wants this, then she’ll find a way to make it happen. But I won’t be sitting here waiting for her.

“I did it for us. For the three of us. I want us to be together, and I don’t want to hide it.” She pulls back and reaches up to touch my cheek. “I’m the one who’s sorry. You deserve so much more than what I’ve been able to give you all these years. Someone who could’ve been proud to call you her girlfriend. Someone who would’ve screamed it from the rooftops. Someone who would’ve fought for you. I’m so sorry, Celeste. I know I hurt you, but please tell me that we can start over. Tell me that you feel the same way Jason and I do. Please tell me that you want to be together, for real this time.”

“Is this what you want, boss man? Are you okay with all of this?”

“Of course I want this.” A lone tear rolls down his cheek, and he lifts his hand to caress my face. “You’ve been ours from the beginning, kókkino. We’ve...

Jason engulfs us from behind, steadying the both of us. That’s how it is between us—I’ll always catch Kourtney when she falls, and Jason will always make sure we get to the ground safely.

He’s our protector.

He’s ...

He’s ...

“I love you, Jay. I’ve always loved you. Even when you weren’t mine to love.”