Page 114 of From the Ashes

“Well, fuck, it’s like dinneranda show,” Hudson muses quietly.

“I figured it’d be fun, but I didn’t actually know it would be quitethishot,” Jake says in response.

Neither Jake nor Hudson’s eyes leave Dylan and Phoenix the entire time.

When I risk a glance at Knox, his nostrils are flaring like he’s pissed and his pupils are dilated all to hell. I can’t tell if he’s angry or horny. Hell, maybe he’s angry aboutbeinghorny.

Turning my attention back to Phoenix and Dylan, I watch as Phoenix uses his teeth to pick the little cup up by only one side, spilling it on purpose up over Dylan’s abs, chest, and chin before spitting the cup onto the floor of the boat and literally sucking the liquid directly from Dylan’s body as he works his way up to Dyl’s mouth.

Phoenix sends me the cockiest smirk in the world as he leans over and licks Dylan’s lips before biting the lime wedge while it’s still clutched in Dylan’s teeth. The juice runs out of the corners of Dylan’s mouth and Phoenix promptly laps it up.

“Yeeeaaahhh, I’m gonna need to go jack off in the lake. It’s fucking confusing having hot gay friends,” Hudsonmuses.

I briefly think he’s kidding until he actually launches himself over the side of the boat.

“Okay, Knoxy, you’re up. Show us what you got,” Jake says.

Knox has the bottle of tequila in his hands. He’d apparently been taking swigs during our turns to hype himself up for this. In a classichold my beermove, Knox thrusts the bottle at Jake and gets to work.

KNOX

These fucking assholes.I swear to God they’d all go insane if they had to leave me alone for once and not push my buttons. Don’t they see how fucked up this little game of theirs is? They’re all going to end up in one massive orgy—Hud included—while I’m out here in left field all alone. Everyone’s paired up, except me.

My friends are all pretty easy going, and I appreciate their desire to include me…but not in this.

My mouth hasn’t touched someone’s skin intimately since my divorce. The fact that the low thrum of arousal is coursing through me now is all about my loneliness, and that I’ve had far more alcohol than I should’ve. It has nothing to do with it beingDylanmy mouth is about to touch.

But, fuck it. These guys insist on pushing my buttons, so here goes nothing.

These fucking amateurs didn’t even lick his skin before pouring the salt. Horny bastards just dumped salt all over him and maybe got a grain or two.

Wrapping my hand so it covers part of his throat and part of his chin, I turn his head to the side—let him make eye contactwith someone else—as I lick the column of his throat, stopping just below his ear.

Christ, maybe some of their salt spray landed up here because I taste it already.Or maybe that’s his just sweat.I pinch my eyes closed and try to shake the thought.

With his skin wet from my saliva,nowI add the salt.

Keeping my hand in place, I lick again, this time, biting my way up his neck before sucking hard just under his ear. “I hope you’re enjoying yourself,” I growl so only he can hear me.

Dylan moans loudly, and I throw a cocky smirk at Phoenix over my shoulder.

It was the wrong move though, because he looks shell-shocked which calls in to sharp relief the fact that I’m mauling my best buddy’s husband. Adude.Amarrieddude.

The rational part of my lonely, pissed-off brain only sticks around for a second though, because all that salt’s gotten me thirsty.

“Pick your shot up,” I instruct Jake, who gives me a quizzical look, but does what I ask.

I don’t remember any rules about having to stay on Dylan’s left side while doing these ridiculous shots. The only rule I remember is that we can’t use our hands to hold the cups, so to the absolute shock of my friends—and my own stupidly, committed horror—I climb on the seat and straddle Dylan’s thighs.

Jake placed my shot glass just above Dylan’s pubic bone so it’s impossible to miss his erection. Poor guy. How the fuck was he supposed to keep that thing down with everyone licking him and sucking various parts of his body? Although, I didn’t notice it until just now.

A sensation that feels oddly like triumph settles low in my stomach.

Now that I’m here, I take a second to visually trace thelines. Dude has lineseverywhere. I need to step up my gym routine.

Fuck, I’m drunk.

Clasping my hands behind my back, I lean forward, balancing my weight with my ass and my quads as I grip my shot glass, getting throat-punched by Dylan’s dick as I do. As quickly as I can, I sit upright and knock my shot back in one fell swoop before spitting the cup out like Phoenix did.

Hands still clasped, I lean forward again. Dylan’s erection presses dangerously close to my own groin as I slide my chest up his torso, and with no finesse whatsoever, use my entire mouth to pull the lime out of his. Tipping my head back, I bite into the wedge, purposely letting the juice drip onto Dylan.

Spitting the rind over the side of my boat, I then lick the lime juice from his chest before looking at my so-called friends. “Are you fuckers satisfied now?” I grab the playing card with I.O.U. written on it and tear it into a thousand pieces before climbing back onto my raft in the water.

As I’m getting situated, I hear Jake’s voice. “What the actualhellwasthat?”

Trying to discreetly apply pressure to my own swelling dick, I realize the appendage is going to declare a state of emergency if I don’t get laid soon.