“Care to go another round?” Tommy’s flirty voice drew Ken’s attention. He had scooped a finger under the hem at the side of Trisha’s top and was tugging playfully. Upper arms tight to her sides, Trisha wrapped her forearms around her torso, protecting her nearly exposed breasts while placing both hands over her thighs to prevent the shirt from pulling up and showing her mons.
“Perv,” she chided, her voice sultry and a smile on her lips. Ken’s heart sunk. Damn it! She wants him. Doesn’t she? The walls seemed to close in on him as his blood pressure shot through the ceiling. As if in slow motion, every interaction between his best friend and Trisha seemed exaggerated for his benefit. The vein in Ken’s neck pulsed up into his ears, and a lump hung dryly in his throat. Unable to speak, he clenched his jaw. He could hardly even breathe.
Tommy smiled, his pupils dilating as Trisha touched his chest with one hand while shielding her pussy with the other. The undershirt inched upward, showing off a great deal of her hip. Tommy moved closer, leaving his face only an inch away from hers. His lips brushed her shoulder.
Swallowing down the revulsion stilling his tongue, Ken gritted his teeth. “Fuck you, Tommy.” He extended his arm, sloshing a short burst of beer at his friend.
“Agh! What the fuck, Ken?” Tommy jerked back, likely thinking he was avoiding a punch. Ken’s ears rung. His hands trembled and his breath fell in heavy pants. What am I feeling? Jealousy? Anger? I’m sure I’ve felt those things before, but this...I’ve never experienced anything like it. I want to kill Tommy, yet, at the same time, I don’t want to hurt him. I want Trisha, but I don’t want Tommy to disappear. I don’t want to have to choose between my best friend and the woman I love. Fuck! My stomach hurts. Why is Tommy pretending to be confused? He knows exactly why I’m pissed off, probably better than I do.Trisha’s expression is more troublesome. Is she angry or surprised?
“Ken?”
No! He shook his head. He couldn’t explain his actions, nor could he listen to her tell him it was okay for Tommy to come on to her.
“Fuck this!” Ken jumped to his feet. “I’m out.” He dashed into his room, slamming the door behind him.
Chapter Five
6:15 p.m.
“WHAT happened?” Trisha looked to Tommy for help. His face blushed to a mild shade of crimson. He and Ken were hiding something from her. She arched an eyebrow, tilting her head so her gaze locked with his. Just what was bubbling under the surface? “Did something happen before I got here?”
The color of Tommy’s face deepened to scarlet, and he averted his eyes, staring instead at the cards stacked on the table in front of him. “Wha-? What do you mean? What could have happened? Ha, ha, ha.”
Curiouser and curiouser... He can’t play anything off with such a fake laugh. Something was up. “Did you two have a fight?” She made a second attempt to catch Tommy’s gaze, but he kept his baby blues pointed toward the table.
“Thomas?” She used his given name to let him know she wouldn’t let this go.
He shrugged. “I’m still conscious, right? So, obviously not.” He punctuated his answer with another nervous laugh.
Why is he lying? “We should go talk to him.” She touched Tommy’s shoulder without applying any pressure.
“I’ll go. Ken’s probably a little jealous. He’ll be embarrassed if you go too.” Tommy stood, putting Trisha at eye-level with his jutting cock bulging beneath his last stitch of clothing. A tingling stirred between her legs and she swallowed hard. The palpable urge to reach out and paw at him ranked second to her worry over Ken.
Wait, did he say jealous? “Jealous? Why?” In one quick motion, Trisha’s gaze washed over Tommy’s muscular limbs before scooting upward across his cock and toned abs. Then she brought her attention to his face.
Tommy’s hair swayed to the side as he put his weight on his right leg and tilted his head forward. He forced an embarrassed smile, the corners of his mouth stretching sideways instead of up. “Don’t you know?” With her heart creeping into her throat, Trisha couldn’t speak so she shook her head. Tommy sighed in a nearly inaudible tone. “For someone so insightful when it comes to other people, you’re pretty clueless when it comes to stuff about you.”
Huh? What kind of answer was that? Trisha’s nervous stomach reacted to all the beer she had poured down her gullet. She grimaced as she placed a palm on her tummy, applying light pressure in an attempt to settle the cola and pop rocks sensation brewing there. “Tommy?” She lifted her chin to examine his facial expression.
“We’ll talk after I get Ken.” Tommy turned to leave before making his way into his own room, leaving her to sit on pins and needles.
Is Tommy saying Ken likes me, or that he likes me? Can I hope for both? Her heart palpated so fast, she felt scared. Grabbing the remote control, she turned the television back on, hoping an update on Fran would distract her. The mighty bitch was dumping a whole lot of water on their little coastal town while her fierce winds swayed trees, taking the limbs out as if she were flicking matchsticks. After dithering in the ocean for most of the day, she now stood on their doorstep, ready to make land and bear down on them. Trisha wrapped her arms around her upper body, grasping her shoulders as she swayed back and
