Page 257 of The Lies We Play

His eyes hold mine. “I won’t.”

“You might.”

“Then I’ll tell you.”

Halston moves between her thighs, and I shift behind him. Liv’s knees open around him, her eyes fixed on his face as he lines himself up. I watch the way he pauses before entering her, watch the way his control pulls tight as he feels how wet she is for him, how ready, how much she wants.

“Liv?” he asks.

She nods, then catches herself. “Yes. Please.”

He pushes into her slowly.

Her mouth opens.

The sound she makes is small and stunned, and Halston lowers his forehead to hers as if he has to contain himself there, against her skin, or he’ll lose the careful part of him entirely.

I put my mouth to the back of his shoulder and feel him shudder.

“Fuck,” he breathes.

I don’t move yet.

I let him have that first moment with her.

Let Liv’s hands find his back. Let her body take him. Let the two of them look at each other while he sinks deeper, inch by inch, until she wraps around him with a broken little exhale.

Only then do I slick my fingers again and press them to him.

Halston’s body tenses once.

I kiss the back of his neck. “Easy.”

He laughs under his breath, rough and almost gone. “You first.”

I work him open with care, one finger, then two, not rushing because I know him. I know the way he tries to take too much when he thinks giving more will make it easier to keep him. Liv watches over his shoulder, her eyes shining, one hand reaching past him to touch my wrist.

“Creed,” she whispers.

“I know.”

I do.

I know what this is.

Halston inside her. Me behind him. Liv beneath us, not choosing one of us over the other, but letting herself be loved from both sides of the life we built in secret.

When Halston is ready, I slick myself with more lube and line up behind him. My free hand slides to his stomach, feeling the muscles tighten under my palm.

“Still yes?” I ask.

He turns his head enough to look at me.

“Yes.”

I push into him slowly.

Halston’s breath catches.