The Best of Both Worlds

5. Chapter One

Chapter One

She felt Caiden’s hands gripping her waist as he kissed the back of her neck, sending shivers down her spine. Her hands were full—one with a suds-covered plate and the other, the sponge she was washing it with. He pushed into her, the bulge in his shorts announcing where his thoughts were. Susanna giggled as she tried to push back, not to grind against him—although that had its possibilities—but rather, to back him up. “Will you stop,” she said, still giggling. “If you need something to do with your hands, grab a towel and help.”

He wasn’t listening. Instead, he slid his hands around her waist and snuggled into her tighter. “But this is so much more fun.” His voice was a soft tease of a whisper in her ear. “Tell you what. Let’s have some cuddle time now, and then, I’ll help you with the dishes.”

She continued washing the plate, ignoring his attempts at an evening romp. “Brandon will be home any minute and you know it.”

“Great!” Caiden stood up straight. “Then he can do the dishes.”

Susanna bumped him with her a*s, forcing him to back up or risk injury to his manhood. “Mhm, I’m sure he’ll jump right on that. He’s not extremely helpful in that area, if you haven’t noticed.”

Caiden finally surrendered, swinging around so that his a*s was resting against the counter, arms crossed over his chest. While he moved from behind her, it was obvious he had no intention of going too far. Of that, she was glad, however. She wanted Caiden close. Yet, with their roommate due home any moment, it wouldn’t do for him to walk in on the two of them wrapped in a lover’s embrace. Not since Brandon thought he was her lover.

Caiden chuckled softly, the sound having a calming effect on her, rather than coming across as mocking. “I’ve lived with him a lot longer than you have, remember?” he reminded her. “Brandon Wallace is not exactly talented in the cleaning area. He really is helpless. Truly. Why, if it wasn’t for us, he’d be living in squalor, no doubt.”

“I doubt that very seriously.” Still, she laughed, giving a shake of her head at the image of the well-polished Brandon living in anything except pristine conditions. “He could not have climbed the corporate ladder the way he has, if he was lazy.”

“I never said he was lazy. I said he’s a slob. There’s a difference. He just doesn’t put his energy toward anything domestic.”

“You’re incorrigible.” She glanced up into the window in front of her. Their apartment was on the third floor and usually offered them a great view of the lake in the middle of the complex. Yet, the night was a mask of darkness, which, at the moment, was fine with her. It allowed her a great view of Caiden Gresham, her other roommate—her other lover—as he leaned back on the counter, his arms crossing his chest as a smile crinkled his ocean blue eyes. His shaggy blond hair needed a trim, as it was partially covering his ears and slipping under the collar of his polo shirt. If she could see further down, she knew she’d see his richly tanned legs covered partly by his dark blue swimming trunks and his bare feet, legs crossed at the ankles as he stood there, keeping her company. She could smell the tang of salt water from the Atlantic Ocean that he wore like a cologne, and she had felt the sand still stuck to his fingers in places. When Caiden wasn’t teaching at the local college, he was riding some wave along the coast. He loved the beach and, because of him, so did she.

She watched his reflection as he leaned toward her, his lips brushing her ear as he spoke. “I’m not incorrigible. I’m horny. It’s been three days since you and I have had any cuddle time. I miss holding you in my arms.”

Her chest fluttered at his words, and she felt her passion wet her panties. She forced herself to take a deep breath before speaking. If she didn’t, she knew her voice would be a raspy whisper. “I miss it, too. But, we agreed. Brandon’s not to know about us. Not yet.”

“I know, I know.” He blew out a frustrated breath, falling back onto the counter. “I don’t understand it, but I agreed to it, and I’ll stick to it. I still don’t think he’d care.”

“Maybe not, but it’d still make things awkward.” She picked up some more dishes, putting them in the sink. “Think about it,” she said, as she continued to wash the dishes, Caiden just standing there, watching her. “He’d always be the third wheel, even in his own home. We’d be cuddling on the couch, and he’d be alone. Don’t you think he’d feel out of place? I just think it would make things uncomfortable. You know how sensitive he is to things like that.”

He looked at her with wide eyes. “Brandon? Sensitive? You do remember how he treated his last girlfriend, right? He s*****d her for burning his breakfast. And if I recall, he didn’t care that he had a girlfriend and I didn’t. He flaunted her in front of me as much as he could.”

She remembered quite well, but she pushed the thoughts out of her mind. She didn’t enjoy thinking of Brandon with another woman. “I just think we should be considerate of his feelings, that’s all.”

Leaning over, he kissed the side of her head. “Such an empathetic heart. That’s why I love you.”

Smiling, she turned, facing him. “I love you, too.” She meant it. Caiden opened her up to the softer side of life, teaching her to appreciate the beauty of the ocean and even a soggy piece of driftwood. Then, Brandon had opened her up to his world, and the two were nothing alike. “I’d love you a little more, if you helped me by drying these dishes.”

Picking up a towel, he laughed. “Your wish is my command.”

“So, our little Susanna is bossing you around now, huh?”

Both of them turned as Brandon walked in, setting his briefcase on the counter. Caiden only laughed. “What can I say? I’m easy that way.” He turned to Susanna and gave her a wink. “You saying you wouldn’t let her boss you around?”

Her stomach twisted in a knot wondering how much Brandon had overheard. She couldn’t believe she was so caught up with her conversation with Caiden that she didn’t hear the front door open. If he heard anything they were talking about, it would not go well for her.

She tried to shift the subject. “I saved you some dinner. It’s in the microwave.” She turned and gave Caiden a smirk. “And our roommate is so easy to boss around.”

Caiden rolled his eyes as he picked a plate out of the drainboard and began drying. “I’m helping because I want to, not because you told me to.”

Brandon walked over and patted Caiden’s shoulder. “Keep telling yourself that. Now, what’s for dinner.”

She watched Brandon in the window’s reflection as he moved to the microwave and retrieved his dinner. He stood a few inches taller than Caiden, with his shiny black shoes and dry-cleaned suit. His obsidian hair was still pristine, even after an eleven-hour day. As he set the plate down on the counter, he shrugged out of his jacket, revealing his thick arms under his seventy-dollar dress shirt. She forced herself to swallow as she remembered the strength in those arms.

She turned her gaze to her own reflection in the window, giving herself a quick once-over to ensure she looked appropriate for Brandon’s return home. He preferred her ash-blond hair brushed, and not a mess, as it draped over her shoulders and down her back, no matter what she was doing. She was to have very little makeup on—foundation and a light red lipstick. He said it made her lips stand out when they wrapped around his c**k. She asked Caiden once how he liked her appearance to be, and in typical Caiden fashion, he told her he would love her if she wore sackcloth and ashes as long as she was with him. She wasn’t sure which expectation she liked better, Brandon’s or Caiden’s. Life was no longer as simple or uncomplicated as it used to be before something as trivial as how she wore her hair even mattered.

Two summers ago, she moved into their apartment thanks to an advertisement on Craigslist. It was simple at first, even though her parents weren’t too happy about her living with two men. It was purely a platonic arrangement. They split the bills into thirds, and everyone had their own room and a portion of the chores. They lived their own lives, cooked their own meals, and cleaned up after themselves. At least, at first. Then, they decided it would be cheaper to plan their meals together, since they were all home at the same time. From there, they planned nights together, and eventually, they gravitated toward working their schedules more as a family, planning activities together than mere roommates. They acted as a unit more and more.

That’s when things became confusing.