“What?”
“Absolutely,” Rus continued. “If you’ve only been kissed by one guy, you have nothing to really compare it to. Now, a sample size of two isn’t much, but it’ll prepare you for the next guy you meet on the devil’s playground.”
They all laughed again, but this time, Rus caught the edge of nervousness in both their voices, working so hard to hide their anxious anticipation.
“Oh, I’m so done with apps.”
“All the same,” Rus said. “It’ll get you that much closer to the perfect kiss.”
Dylan scooted over, sitting up crisscrossed in the process. His left knee brushed against Rus’ leg, rousing a spark of desire in him. How he’d like to taste Dylan next, but he deluded himself into believing this was a moment for Kaiden. It was as much a moment for Rus, an experience, a craving.
The yearning in Dylan’s eyes when they locked onto Kaiden suggested as much held true for him, too.
“Just a reminder that a kiss can be everything or nothing at all,” Dylan said. “Between friends, they decide.”
Rus watched the intensity in both their expressions, the chemistry that sparked in the air between them, the unspoken consent with a simple graze of Kaiden’s fingers over Dylan’s forearm.
It was as if this was the first time these two had truly seen each other. Truly experienced these feelings with each other. The calmness before their lips met seemed friendly and playful, but there was a silent sizzle, a pop in the atmosphere as their mouths pressed.
Their kiss came with a passion Rus hadn’t noticed between them until just this second. The gentle smack of Dylan’s guiding lips, the curious exploration of Kaiden’s tongue. A soft caress as fingers trailed up arms, leaving a wake of excited goosebumps.
It seemed Rus didn’t need to test his curiosities out; he could see where the real passion lay.
“Well, that was certainly something.” Kaiden smirked, eyeing Dylan, then Rus, then the space between the three of them.
An infinite space in Rus’ mind, feeling like an interloper in his own apartment.
“Now, you two have to kiss.” Kaiden gestured between the pair. “Fair is fair.”
“What?” Dylan asked, grinning wide and goofy and adorable.
“Um, this was more of a learning experience,” Rus said, trying not to quash the moment. “Not really a—”
“It’s a kiss off,” Kaiden said.
“A what?” Rus and Dylan asked in unison.
“It’s like arm wrestling, with the strongest person landing on top.”
“Kissing is nothing like arm wrestling,” Rus said.
“Well, damn, then I’m doing it wrong. Guess I have more to learn, so I should probably watch the pros this round.”
Rus was unsure why he resisted the idea of sharing a kiss with Dylan. Maybe it just felt awkward, encroaching on the sparks he’d seen between Kaiden and Dylan, even if the pair had missed them.
“It’s a little like arm wrestling.” Dylan puckered his lips dramatically, seemingly taking nothing seriously in the best way possible. “But the best lips don’t always land on top.”
Rus snickered.
“In fact, sometimes…” Dylan teasingly raised his brows as he leaned in closer to Rus. “They’re best served by—”
Rus rushed in, slapping his lips against Dylan’s, silencing the other man as he tasted every unsaid joke Dylan now kept to himself.
Where Rus moved with a gentle, guiding touch with Kaiden, he now used a more assertive and demanding approach. Dylan didn’t simply submit, following Rus’ lead. Oh no, he practically bucked against Rus as he adjusted himself, moving his lips and body in tandem. Both resisted the urge to collide into one another. To slam into a powerful embrace as they shared this moment. Rus felt the tension in Dylan as he fought as hard to keep the kiss just a kiss, much like Rus did.
When their lips parted, he panted, eyes locked onto Dylan for a moment, yet still instinctively drawn to Kaiden. Somehow, testing his curiosities had worked out perfectly, except for one small problem. He liked them both but worried they might actually like each other.
Chapter Ten
