“I was looking for you,” I finally say. His eyes have never left mine. They are pleading now. They are pleading for me to tell him something, but I don’t know him. So I have no idea what that is. He remains silent as my words echo in my head, so I fill in the space with what I want instead. “Can we wait for JD together?”
Ark’s eyes. Dear God. They are filled with so much. “JD might not come back for a while.” And the tone of Ark’s voice explains everything. Fear. His eyes are filled with fear for his best friend.
“Why?” I ask back, my voice softer than his.
Ark takes a long draw of air and then covers his eyes with his hand before he speaks. “JD’s got a drug problem. He kicked it a long time ago, but he’s tempted, ya know?” Ark lifts his hand away from his eyes for a moment to see if I’m getting this. “And the scar.” His eyes dart to the back of my neck and my fingers slip under my hair to touch it automatically. “That scar might be his undoing.”
“I don’t know anything, Ark.”
He smiles a little when I say his name. “They never do, Blue.” He studies my reaction, which might in fact be a blush. Thankfully the light is low. “Do you like the pictures?”
I look up at the monitor and watch them as they flash by. Two or three seconds is not enough time to study them. And I feel like I look a mess in them. I’m wearing that wet and filthy dress from the night before. My bare feet and open legs. It all says… sad.
And I am sad. So I guess it’s accurate. He’s captured me perfectly.
A sad and desperate girl lost in the rain.
“Yes,” I say, still watching the slide show. “I love them.”
“Me too.”
“Can I wait with you?” I ask again. He never answered me and there’s no way I can be alone tonight. I’d rather be with almost anyone than be alone. But—I look over at him. Study his face. He looks hard. His jawline is straight and distinct. The stubble on his face tells me he hasn’t shaved in more than a day. And his eyes… He’s much better than just anyone. “Please,” I add.
“How about I wait with you instead?”
I don’t understand, but then he swings his legs over my head and stands up. I’m pulled to my feet and he takes my hand and leads me back down the hallway to JD’s room. “We can wait for him in here,” Ark says, as we enter.
I don’t argue. I know there’s some sort of struggle going on between them over me, so this must be his answer to keep the peace. He lifts the covers and motions for me to get in. I do. And he walks around to the other side of the bed and takes a seat, leaning over, with his hands over his face.
His back is covered with the same tattoo as JD’s. A huge piece that covers all the skin. Two dragons, wrestling—and yet not fighting. Their bodies make a circle, and it feels a little bit like the yin-yang sign. Dark and light. Good and evil.
There’s a sphere between the two dragon heads and I reach out and touch it, making him shudder. “What’s it mean?” I ask. “The ball in the middle?”
He turns his head a little, so he can look over his shoulder. “Everything, Blue. It’s everything. The world. Life. Dreams. Money. Happiness.”
“Are you two fighting over it?” I don’t know why I assume the dragons are Ark and JD, but I just do.
“No,” he says, lifting his legs and lying back with me. He slips an arm underneath my neck and pulls me into him, a definite plea for intimacy. “No, we’re not fighting, Blue. We’re partners. We’re in it together. There’s a banner that runs along the bottom and JD has the Latin version. ‘Omne trium perfectum.’ Every set of three is perfect.”
“What’s yours say?”
“‘Not everything should come in threes.’”
I laugh. “Could you be more opposite?”
It’s quiet for a while after that. His breathing evens out and matches mine. My eyes close and I’m in the twilight of sleep where my thoughts rush around like a madman’s dream. “No,” he finally answers. “We are the definition of opposite.”
The light flicks on and I open my eyes to find JD staring down at me and Blue. I glance over at the window and see the faint glow of the dawn. The light flicks off and he drags his shirt over his head and kicks off his shoes. “What are you doing?” he asks as he unbuttons his pants and lets them drop to the floor.
“Waiting for you.”
“I’m fine,” he says, climbing into bed on the other side of Blue. “I just needed time to think.” He clasps his hands behind his head and stares at the ceiling.
“You find any answers?”
“No. Just more questions. Did you fuck her?”
“No, JD.”
“Sorry,” he says, never looking at me. “I’m tired.”
Blue’s hand reaches out to him and settles on his chest. I catch a smile on his face and then his hand covers hers and gives it a squeeze. He chances a look over at me and I shrug. I have no clue what we’re doing. I have no idea what this girl is thinking. But she extended her hand to both of us. And she caught us in a time when we both need what she’s offering.
My shrug is enough for JD. For now, anyway. She’s not mine. Not his. She’s ours.
He turns her body to angle her ass into his hips and wraps his arms around her, pulling her close. I go to get up so JD can get whatever it is he wants from her, but she reaches out and grabs my bicep. She gives me a squeeze and when I turn my head, she’s looking straight at me. “Stay,” she says softly. “Please,” she begs when I don’t answer.
JD’s fingers slide down her body. I can feel his movements like they’re hers, that’s how close we are. And I know the moment his fingers slip inside her, because her eyes close and her mouth opens to let a tiny moan escape. It’s so small. Just a breath of air, really.
I watch her face as JD touches her. Not jealous, not exactly. I can touch her too, she’s made this clear. But I’m not sure what I’m feeling.
And then her hand is on the waist of my sweats, pulling them down. My dick is hard and it springs out. Her touch almost kills me, that’s how delicate, and sweet, and sensual it is. She doesn’t pump me hard, like the girls in our videos. She doesn’t get busy with it, like this is a job.