We Three Christmas

We Three is a polyamorous romance novel that begins when a swinging couple invite a single young woman to join them for some playtime. This excerpt is Christmas time in the story.

excerpt setup: Jess has been working a lot to make money through the holidays. Elena and Eric find her stressed out. Content is PG for some kissing and heavy petting.

“Bar’s closed,” Jess said without looking up from the industrial sink where she was cleaning out the shaker glasses and other implements from her bartending kit.

“I was just hoping to have a drink off the bartender.”

Jess jolted upright and saw Elena leaning on the doorway. “Hey,” she greeted wanly. Elena stepped forward, cupped her cheeks—her hands held glass or Jess would have done the same—and kissed Jess sweetly on the lips.

Jess bit her lip. “I thought you and Eric were gonna leave.”

“We decided to make sure you got home safe.”

Jess dipped her gaze away. “I’m fine.” She lifted her hand to cover the one Elena had put on her cheek. “Thanks.”

“You’re not fine. Something happened earlier tonight, and your sparkle fled. What happened?”

“Just got to thinking,” Jess said. She went back to cleaning her equipment.

“About what?”

“About what I’m doing.”

“You’re working a lot, so I thought the goal is to make some money?” Elena pointed at the kit. “You bought that, an investment.”

“I’m still gonna just be a bartender,” Jess said. “Maybe I should move on.”

“Move on?” Elena pulled back, and Jess wanted to avoid the searching look, but the hand grasping hers was strong. “Jess…” Her voice trailed off as she reached for Jess’s cheek, holding her chin firmly and making her meet her eyes. “Why would you go away now when things are starting to go so well?”

“I don’t want to be a bartender, listening to drunk men’s sob stories, when I feel just as alone as they do,” Jess blurted. Then she covered her face, and to her complete disgust, burst into tears.

“Whoa, whoa. Hold on.” Elena lifted Jess’s hands from the water and laced their fingers together, pulling them up to Jess’s shoulders, where she firmly gripped as she pressed her body into Jess’s. Jess let her push them against the wall, eyes rolling back as she absorbed the addictive feel of Elena’s curves aligned to hers. Elena’s lips kissed her eyelids and then brushed featherlight down Jess’s cheeks to her throat, sucking intermittently between kisses. Jess’s moans grew with the arousal swirling in her belly. Jess’s hands moved uncertainly, both trying to cling to the other woman and pull herself away. After watching them tonight, she felt she had no right to any of it.

Keeping one set of fingers twined with Jess’s, Elena released one hand. “Go on,” she murmured into another claimed kiss.

“El…” Jess’s breath fled as she helplessly pulled Elena tightly against her, lips absorbing the satin feel of Elena’s mouth, hand caressing the solidity of Elena’s body. She gasped, and then Elena’s tongue pushed between her lips. “Oh god,” she breathed, her knees weakening. If not for Elena half holding her up, Jess was sure she would have collapsed on the floor.

They ended up there anyway. Elena slowly guided Jess down the wall, straddling Jess’s hips as her legs splayed before her. Elena cupped Jess’s face and kissed, and kissed, and kissed her again. She guided Jess’s arms around her back and down to cup her ass under the skirt of her dress, before returning her hands to Jess’s face and cradling it tenderly, resuming kissing.

Against her palms, Jess felt the heat of Elena’s center close to her fingers and whimpered. Elena wore garters, her underwear barely a scrap of silk covering her center. Jess’s mouth went dry. She croaked, “Elena.”

Elena parted Jess’s peppermint-striped shirt, tugging the tail out of the holly-green pants. Pinning Jess’s arms beneath her thighs, Elena pushed the top off her shoulders, trapping her arms to her sides as she bared her breasts, heaving in a green bra. Jess started to speak, but Elena’s mouth cut off the sound.

“Jess,” she said when she let her breathe again. Her palm rested over Jess’s pounding heart. “I’m here.”

“Why aren’t you with Eric?” Jess asked.

Elena looked up away from Jess, and Jess heard the door to the kitchen open. She squirmed to see, to get to her feet, freeing her hands from beneath Elena’s body. Elena held her to the floor. “Hey,” Elena said.

“Everything all right in here?” Eric stood over them, concern and worry tugging away his smile. Jess pressed herself into Elena’s chest. Elena hugged her.

“Eric, I…”

“I was a little worried about you… both,” Eric said. He crouched down and rested a palm on Jess’s ankle. “Long night?” he asked, looking directly into Jess’s eyes.

“I…” Jess couldn’t explain.

“Too many long nights, I think,” Elena said. “I think you need a night off.” She brushed the long wisps of hair escaping out of Jess’s braid from her face. “We’ll go out, do something special, the three of us.”

Eric reached out and pulled both Jess and Elena to their feet. “We’re al
l out right now,” he said.

“She’s feeling lonely,” Elena explained.

“Ah, dense male here. Gotcha.” He nuzzled Jess’s throat. Elena pressed against Jess’s back, the three of them making something of a sandwich, with Jess in the middle. Eric kissed Jess and brushed her nose with his; it was something he rarely did, but the gesture immediately made Jess feel lighter. “Tonight’s kind of gone, but do you trust me?”

Elena cupped Jess’s hand against Eric’s chest. Jess looked to her and saw her nod. “Yeah,” she answered him, thinking back to the time he had first approached her to join him and Elena after clubbing. His charm was irresistible.

“Then clean up here. Are you off work tomorrow?” He looked thoughtful when she nodded.  “Okay. Let’s go home. When the sun goes down tomorrow, we will put these fears of yours to rest, Jess.” He wrapped his arm around her back and kissed her temple. She closed her eyes and let her body rest briefly against his.