Chapter 9: Rayna's Hammock Ruin
The party had bled down to its bones.
Most of the team was gone. The stragglers who remained were the ones who didn't have anywhere better to be—a couple of seniors nursing the last of the beer, one freshman passed out in a lawn chair with his mouth open, Coach pretending not to notice while he stacked paper plates and scraped the grill. The string lights had dimmed to a low amber hum. The music had been cut an hour ago. What was left was quiet, and dark, and the kind of stillness that made secrets feel safe.
Jaz and Nicole had claimed their patch of grass near the fence. Nicole sat between Jaz's legs, back against her chest, Jaz's arms loose around her waist. Their empty bottles sat beside them in the dirt. The air smelled like charcoal and citronella and the faint sweetness of jasmine from somewhere beyond the fence.
The hammock swayed between the oaks.
It had been swaying for a while.
Jaz noticed it first. She nudged Nicole with her chin. Nicole followed her gaze and went very still.
"Holy shit," Nicole breathed.
Rayna was in the middle. Dani was on her left, Priya on her right. They were crammed into that frayed rope nest like it had been built for exactly three people. The hammock creaked with every small movement. The shadows from the oak leaves dappled across their bodies in shifting patterns, hiding and revealing in equal measure.
At first it looked innocent. Just three people talking. Rayna's head was tilted back, laughing at something. Dani's hand was on her knee, casual. Priya was tracing circles on Rayna's shoulder, casual. But the longer Jaz watched, the more she saw the cracks in the performance.
Dani's hand wasn't staying on Rayna's knee. It was drifting upward. Slow. Deliberate.
Priya's circles weren't circles anymore. They were spirals, tightening, moving from shoulder to collarbone to the side of Rayna's neck.
Rayna wasn't laughing anymore.
She had gone quiet. Completely, utterly quiet. Rayna, who never shut up, who narrated her own life like a sports commentator, who filled every silence with noise because she didn't know how to sit inside it—she wasn't saying a word. Her mouth was open. Her eyes were closed. Her hands were gripping the edges of the hammock like she was holding on for dear life.
Jaz knew what that meant.
"That's serious," she murmured.
"What?"
"Rayna. She's not talking."
Nicole tilted her head, watching. "You're right. She hasn't said anything in like five minutes."
"That's how I know."
Dani's fingers found the waistband of Rayna's shorts. Hooked. Pulled.
Rayna's hips lifted, just slightly. An invitation.
Dani looked at Priya over Rayna's body. Priya nodded. Just once.
Dani slid down. The hammock rocked with the movement—a slow, precarious sway that made all three of them adjust. Priya moved up, taking Dani's spot, her hands finding Rayna's wrists. She pinned them above Rayna's head against the hammock's edge.
"What are you—" Rayna started.
"Shh." Priya's voice was soft. Almost sweet. "Let her."
Dani pulled Rayna's shorts down. Just enough. Just to her knees. The shadows swallowed the details, but Jaz could see the shape of it—Dani's head between Rayna's thighs. The way Rayna's body jerked.
"Oh fuck," Nicole whispered.
Jaz tightened her arm around Nicole's waist. Neither of them looked away.
Rayna's mouth fell open. No sound came out. Her chest heaved. Her wrists strained against Priya's grip, but not like she wanted to escape. Like she wanted to feel the restraint. Priya leaned down, lips brushing Rayna's ear, and whatever she said made Rayna's whole body shudder.
Jaz couldn't hear the words from this distance. She didn't need to. She could imagine them.
You look so pretty like this. Falling apart where anyone could see. You like that, don't you? You like being held down while she eats your pussy. You like knowing I'm watching.
Rayna's back arched. Her hips bucked up into Dani's mouth. The hammock swung wildly, creaking, and for a second Jaz thought they were all going to tumble out. But Dani's hands were on Rayna's thighs, holding her steady, holding her open.
Priya kept whispering. Her free hand moved down, fingers tracing Rayna's jaw, her throat, her collarbone. Possessive touches. Marking territory.
Rayna's free hand flew up to her own mouth. She bit down on her fist.
"Smart," Jaz muttered.
"She's gonna wake up the whole neighborhood," Nicole said.
"She's trying not to."
The hammock kept swaying. Dani's head kept moving. Priya kept whispering. And Rayna—loud, brash, impossible Rayna—kept her fist in her mouth and her eyes squeezed shut and came apart in complete silence.
Jaz watched it happen. The way Rayna's body tensed. The way her thighs clamped around Dani's head. The way her fist pressed harder against her own teeth. The way she shook, and shook, and then went limp.
Priya released her wrists.
Dani crawled up her body—slow, languid, like a cat who knew exactly how good she looked. She reached Rayna's face and kissed her. Deep. Wet. Jaz could see the glisten on Dani's chin even from here. Could see Rayna's tongue dart out, tasting herself, moaning into Dani's mouth.
"Goddamn," Nicole said.
Jaz laughed. Quiet. Full of something warm.
"I've never been prouder of a plan in my life," she murmured.
Nicole turned her head, kissed Jaz's jaw. "You're a menace."
"I'm a genius."
"Same thing."
They watched as Priya leaned in, gently pulling Dani back by the hair, taking her turn. Her kiss was slower than Dani's. More deliberate. She held Rayna's face in both hands like she was memorizing it. When she pulled away, Rayna looked wrecked. Flushed. Speechless.
Dani laughed—that loud, unapologetic laugh—and settled back against Rayna's side. Priya curled into her other side. The hammock rocked gently. Three bodies tangled in the dark, no one moving, no one speaking.
"I think we broke her," Nicole said.
"She'll recover."
"Will she?"
"Eventually." Jaz pressed a kiss to the side of Nicole's neck. "But she's never gonna be the same."
Nicole laughed. Soft. Real. She twisted in Jaz's arms, turning to face her, and Jaz saw the way the string lights caught her eyes. Gold and amber and something deeper underneath.
"Take me home," Nicole said.
"Now?"
"Now."
Jaz didn't argue.
They stood. Brushed grass off their clothes. Jaz looked over at the hammock one last time—Rayna's face buried in Dani's neck, Priya's hand tangled in Rayna's hair, all three of them still and quiet and perfect. She considered saying something. Considered checking in. Decided against it. Rayna didn't need a witness. She needed this.
They walked to the gate. Coach looked up from his grill-scraping, nodded at them. Didn't ask questions. Jaz nodded back.
The street outside was dark and still. Cicadas sang in the trees. The air was thick and warm.
Nicole's hand found Jaz's. Fingers laced.
"That was fun," Nicole said.
"That was incredible."
"You're gonna be insufferable about this, aren't you?"
"Absolutely."
They walked toward Nicole's apartment, footsteps echoing on the pavement, the party fading behind them like a song ending. And Jaz felt it—the fullness in her chest, the certainty in her bones. Something was shifting. Something was building.
She didn't know what yet. But she was ready for it.
Whatever came next, she was ready.
The next morning arrived in strips of pale gold through Nicole's curtains. Jaz woke first, as always. Nicole was sprawled across her chest, one leg hooked over Jaz's thigh, breath warm and slow against her collarbone.
Mami the cat had claimed the pillow beside them, tail twitching in her sleep.
Jaz didn't move. Didn't want to. The apartment smelled like coffee from the timer Nicole had set and something green—eucalyptus, maybe, from the bundle hanging in the shower. Outside, traffic hummed. A neighbor's dog barked twice and gave up. The world was waking, and Jaz was exactly where she wanted to be.
Her phone buzzed on the nightstand.
Then again.
Then a third time in rapid succession.
Nicole stirred. "Who's dying?"
"Nobody's dying." Jaz reached over, careful not to jostle her. Rayna's name lit up the screen. Three missed calls. Two texts.
Pick up
I'm not playing
Jaz sat up. Nicole groaned, rolled onto her back, threw an arm over her eyes.
"It's Rayna."
"I figured."
"She's called three times."
"Then you better answer before she shows up here." Nicole yawned. "She knows where you sleep."
Jaz hit accept and put it on speaker. "Yo."
"Finally." Rayna's voice crackled through the speaker—hoarse, wired, running on zero sleep and too much adrenaline. "Were you fucking? Did I interrupt you fucking?"
"No."
"Then why didn't you answer?"
"I was sleeping."
"It's almost noon."
"It's ten."
"Same thing." A pause. A breath. "I need to talk to you. Both of you. Is Nicole there?"
Nicole sat up, suddenly alert. She leaned toward the phone. "I'm here."
"Good. Because I need to say this to both of you." Rayna's voice cracked. "Your friends. Nicole. Your fucking friends."
Jaz and Nicole exchanged a look. Nicole's mouth twitched.
"What about them?" Nicole asked.
"You weren't lying." Rayna laughed—a raw, unhinged sound. "You said Dani would eat me alive. You said Priya would make me beg. I thought you were being dramatic. I thought you were hyping them up because they're your people. But you weren't lying. You weren't even close to lying."
Jaz leaned back against the headboard. Let the words wash over her.
"I've never—" Rayna stopped. Started again. "I've never had anyone do that to me. Not like that. Not both of them. Not in a fucking hammock at a team party where anyone could've seen. I blacked out. I think I blacked out. I definitely forgot my own name."
"Did you have fun?" Nicole asked.
"I don't know what I had. I'm still processing." Another pause. "But yeah. Yeah, I had fun."
Jaz grinned. "Told you."
"Shut up." But there was no heat in it. "The problem is—and this is the problem—I like them both. Like, actually like them. Not just 'I want to hook up again' like. I woke up this morning and my first thought was Dani's laugh. My second thought was Priya's hands. I can't stop thinking about either of them. What the fuck is wrong with me?"
"Nothing's wrong with you," Nicole said. "That's the point."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean Dani definitely likes you. She texted me at three in the morning—three in the morning, Rayna—to tell me you were 'even better than she expected.' And Priya doesn't do casual. She doesn't touch people she doesn't want. The fact that she was there, that she stayed, that she held your wrists down while Dani ate you out—that means something."
Rayna went quiet. Jaz could hear her breathing. Could almost hear her thinking.
"So whichever one I choose," Rayna said slowly, "the feeling would be mutual."
"That's exactly what I'm saying."
"But what if I don't want to choose?"
Jaz's eyebrows shot up. Nicole's eyes went wide.
"What?" Nicole asked.
"What if I don't want to choose? What if I want—" Rayna made a frustrated noise. "I don't know. What if I want both? Is that allowed? Is that a thing people do?"
Nicole sat forward. Her voice dropped into that careful, measured tone she used when something mattered. "You're asking about polyamory. Or a throuple. Or whatever word you want to use. And yeah, Rayna. It's a thing. It's a real thing. People do it."
"People do it successfully?"
"People do it successfully. Dani's been in poly relationships before. Priya too. They know how to communicate. They know how to share. And they didn't mind sharing last night, did they?"
Rayna was silent for a long moment. When she spoke again, her voice was smaller. Uncertain.
"No. They didn't."
"So maybe you should ask them."
"Ask them what? 'Hey, I know we just met, but do you two want to be my girlfriends? Both of you? At the same time?'"
"Maybe not that word for word. But yeah. Something like that. Just—be honest. Tell them what you're feeling. Tell them you don't want to choose. See what they say."
Another silence. Longer this time. Jaz imagined Rayna on the other end—sitting on her bed, hair a wreck, replaying every second of last night in her head, trying to figure out if it was real or if she'd dreamed the whole thing.
"I can't believe I'm considering this," Rayna muttered.
"Believe it."
"I have practice tomorrow. How am I supposed to face them at practice?"
"They're not on the team."
"I know that. I mean—how am I supposed to face myself? How am I supposed to look in the mirror and not see someone who just—"
"Someone who just what?" Nicole's voice sharpened. "Someone who had a good time? Someone who's open to something new? There's nothing wrong with that, Rayna. Nothing. Stop punishing yourself for wanting things."
The silence that followed was different. Softer. Jaz could hear Rayna exhale, long and slow.
"Okay," Rayna said finally. "Okay. I'll text them. I'll ask to meet up. I'll—I'll be honest."
"Good."
"But if this blows up in my face, I'm blaming both of you."
"Fair enough," Jaz said.
"Especially you, Jaz. This was your idea."
"It was Nicole's idea to bring them."
"Then I'm blaming both of you." Rayna laughed—lighter now, closer to her usual self. "I gotta go. I need to shower. I need to eat something. I need to figure out what the fuck I'm gonna say."
"You'll figure it out."
"Yeah." A pause. "Hey. Thank you. Both of you. For last night. For this. For—I don't know. Just thank you."
"Anytime," Nicole said.
"Seriously. Anytime."
The line clicked dead.
Jaz set the phone down. Turned to Nicole. Nicole was already looking at her—eyes bright, mouth curved, that specific smile she wore when she knew she'd been right about something.
"You're a genius," Jaz said.
"I know."
"You just solved Rayna's entire love life over speakerphone."
"I know."
"You're a miracle worker."
"I know." Nicole shrugged. "It helps that her love life was already half-solved. I just pointed her in a direction."
Jaz leaned over. Kissed her. Soft at first, then deeper. Nicole made a small sound against her mouth—surprise, pleasure, something in between.
"What was that for?" Nicole asked when they broke apart.
"For being you. For being good at this. For caring about Rayna even though you barely know her." Jaz kissed her again. "For being the best thing that's happened to me in a long time."
Nicole's cheeks flushed. She looked down, then back up, that sharp smile still playing at her lips.
"You're trying to get laid."
"I'm always trying to get laid."
"True." Nicole swung her leg over Jaz's hips, straddling her. The sheet fell away. She was still naked from the night before—olive skin, thick thighs, the soft curve of her belly. Jaz's hands found her waist automatically. "But this time, you're gonna earn it."
"How?"
"By telling me exactly how good I am at matchmaking."
Jaz laughed. "That's all?"
"That's all." Nicole leaned down, lips brushing Jaz's ear. "But I want details. Specifics. I want to hear you say it."
Jaz flipped them. Nicole landed on her back with a gasp, hair fanning across the pillow, eyes wide.
"You want specifics?" Jaz asked.
"Yes."
"Okay." Jaz pulled the sheet away completely. Nicole was bare beneath her—every inch. "You want to hear how you saw right through Dani's bullshit and knew she'd be good for Rayna?"
"Yes."
"And how you knew Priya's quiet thing would balance Dani's loud thing?"
"Yes."
"And how you sent those texts last night and made it all happen?"
"Yes."
Jaz kissed her way down Nicole's neck. Collarbone. Sternum. "You're a fucking mastermind. You know that?"
"Keep going."
"You're brilliant. You're perceptive. You're—" Jaz paused at Nicole's chest, tongue circling one nipple. Nicole arched. "—you're so good at reading people it's almost scary."
"Almost?"
"Almost." Jaz sucked the nipple into her mouth. Nicole moaned, fingers threading into Jaz's hair. "But you're not scary. You're soft. You're warm. You're—" She pulled back, blew cold air across the wet skin. Nicole shivered. "—you're the sexiest person I've ever met."
"Flattery."
"Truth."
Jaz moved lower. Past Nicole's ribs. Past her stomach. Past the dark trail of hair that made Jaz's mouth water every single time. She settled between Nicole's thighs, breathing her in—that specific scent, earthy and sweet, the one Jaz would recognize in a crowded room.
"You're already wet," Jaz murmured.
"Shut up."
"You're dripping."
"It's your fault."
"How is it my fault?"
"You exist." Nicole's voice broke. "You exist and you look like that and you say things like—" she gestured vaguely, "—like that."
Jaz laughed. Low. Dark. "Like what?"
"Like I'm the only person in the world."
"You are." Jaz said it without thinking. Without planning. It just came out. And the second it did, she knew it was true. "Right now, in this room, you're the only person in the world."
Nicole's eyes went glassy. Her mouth fell open.
"Jaz—"
"I'm gonna eat you now. Okay?"
"Okay."
"Then I'm gonna fuck you."
"Okay."
"Then I'm gonna make you come so hard you forget your own name."
"Jaz—"
"Okay?"
"Okay. Yes. Fuck. Okay."
Jaz put her mouth on her.
The first taste hit like a punch—all salt and musk and something sweeter underneath. Jaz groaned against Nicole's cunt, low and reverent, and Nicole's hips bucked off the mattress. Jaz pressed her down with one hand, held her steady, and licked.
Slow. Deliberate. From entrance to clit, flat tongue, no rush.
"Fuck," Nicole breathed.
Jaz did it again. Slower. Then faster. Then she circled Nicole's clit with the tip of her tongue—light, teasing, just enough pressure to make Nicole's thighs shake. Two fingers slid inside on the next pass. Nicole gasped.
"Okay?"
"Yes—yes—don't stop—"
Jaz curled her fingers up. Found the spot that made Nicole's back arch. Nicole cried out, hands fisting in the sheets, hips rolling against Jaz's mouth.
"You like that?"
"Yes—"
"You like my fingers in your cunt?"
"Yes—fuck—Jaz—"
"You want me to make you come?"
"If you stop I'll kill you—"
Jaz laughed against her. The vibration made Nicole jerk. Jaz kept going—fingers pumping, tongue working, pressure building. Nicole's breathing went ragged. Her thighs clamped around Jaz's head. Her whole body tensed.
"Close," she choked out. "I'm close—"
"Come."
"No—wait—I want—"
"What?"
"I want you inside me. I want—" Nicole grabbed Jaz's wrist, pulled her fingers out. "I want your cock. Please."
Jaz looked up. Nicole was a mess—flushed, sweaty, eyes wild.
"You're sure?"
"I'm sure. I want you to fuck me. Now."
Jaz didn't need to be told twice.
She wiped her mouth, climbed up the bed, grabbed the harness from the nightstand drawer. Nicole watched her buckle it on—that specific hunger in her eyes, the one that made Jaz feel ten feet tall.
"Ready?"
"Fuck me."
Jaz pushed inside.
Nicole's back bowed. Her mouth opened. No sound came out—just breath, hot and urgent. Jaz paused, let her adjust, watching Nicole's face for the shift from pain to pleasure.
"Okay?"
"More."
Jaz pulled out. Pushed back in. Slow. Deep.
"More."
She gave her more.
The rhythm built—steady, punishing, exactly what Nicole needed. The bed frame knocked against the wall. The headboard rattled. Nicole's hands found Jaz's ass, pulling her deeper, harder, faster.
"Harder."
"You're gonna feel this tomorrow."
"Good."
Jaz slammed into her. Once. Twice. Three times. Nicole's mouth fell open. Her eyes rolled back.
"You like that?"
"Yes—"
"You like being fucked like this?"
"Yes—fuck—yes—"
"You want to come on my cock?"
"Yes—please—"
"Then come."
Nicole shattered.
Her body convulsed. Her nails dug into Jaz's skin. A broken sound tore from her throat—half scream, half sob. Jaz fucked her through it, didn't stop, kept going until Nicole's hands pushed weakly at her chest.
"Too much," Nicole gasped. "Too much—"
Jaz stopped. Pulled out. Collapsed beside her.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Just breathing. Just the ceiling. Just the sun climbing higher and the cat jumping off the bed in disgust.
"Holy shit," Nicole finally said.
"Yeah."
"You're gonna kill me one of these days."
"Probably." Jaz turned her head, kissed Nicole's shoulder. "But what a way to go."
Nicole laughed—weak, breathless. She rolled onto her side, facing Jaz. Her eyes were soft. Her mouth was swollen. Her hair was everywhere.
"I love you," she said.
The words hung in the air. Simple. Unadorned. Just there.
Jaz's heart stopped. Started again. Beat harder.
"What?"
"I love you." Nicole didn't look away. "I know it's early. I know we haven't—I know this is new. But I love you. I've been loving you for weeks. I just didn't know how to say it."
Jaz reached out. Touched Nicole's face. Traced the line of her jaw.
"I love you too."
Nicole's eyes widened. "Really?"
"Really. I've been trying to figure out how to tell you. I didn't want to scare you off."
"You're the one who's scared."
"Terrified." Jaz smiled. "But not of this. Not of you."
Nicole kissed her. Slow. Tender. The kind of kiss that said everything words couldn't.
When they pulled apart, Jaz's phone buzzed again. Rayna. A single text.
They said yes. Both of them. We're meeting for coffee tomorrow. I owe you everything.
Jaz laughed. Showed the phone to Nicole. Nicole read it, grinned, and threw her head back.
"The student becomes the master," Nicole said.
"Shut up."
"I'm serious. You just orchestrated a whole polycule from scratch."
"I didn't orchestrate anything. You did."
"We did." Nicole laced her fingers through Jaz's. "Together."
Jaz squeezed her hand. Looked at her—really looked. The woman who'd walked into her class and changed everything. The woman who saw through her game and stayed anyway.
The woman she loved.
"Together," Jaz repeated.
Outside, the sun climbed higher. The city woke up around them. Somewhere across town, Rayna was probably already texting Dani and Priya, trying to figure out what to wear to coffee.
Jaz didn't need to worry about that.
She had everything she needed right here.