“Why did you let me eat so much?” I muttered, dragging my tired feet back along the midway towards the exit. Male chuckles surrounded me and I stuck out my tongue in response. The further we had gotten up the Midway, the fewer rides I would actually attempt. I did enjoy seeing the guys’ excitement. We knew better than to let Max ride with me again, though he happily took his turn sitting with me, people watching or browsing through the shops while we waited on the others. I was just glad his nausea had abated enough that he was able to enjoy the rest of the day at the park and ride the coasters that he wanted to. In an effort to keep myself awake over the last few hours, I had gone a little bit crazy with the food; besides, I hadn’t had fair food since the prior summer. The guys had dug in right alongside me, though I questioned the intelligence of that when they would hop right back onto the coasters. It didn’t seem to bother them, however. We all scarfed down icees and mini corn dogs, pizza and cotton candy, fudge, and caramel apples. Each food choice was highly debated and voted upon between all of us, ensuring we got everyone’s favorites.

“I did warn you not to have that last churro,” Alex reminded me, his amusement clear.

“We went to the petting zoo!” I argued back. “I had to have a churro after that, the cart was right next to it.” More chuckles rained over me and I couldn’t help but grin. My jaw nearly cracked with a yawn as we followed the masses of people to the entrance gates. I swore, realization dawning as I glanced behind us. “Shouldn’t we have checked in before we came here?” I hoped we wouldn’t be stuck driving home tonight, or having to pay for a separate motel.

Alex’s smile was warm and he reached out to gently tug on my hair, the move affectionate enough to have me staring. “We have online check-in. We just have to stop at the desk for our room key, they won’t care about the time.” Well, that was a relief.

“Hold up a second,” Troy called, before ducking into one of the little shops. I was surprised, as Troy didn’t really strike me as a souvenir type. A few minutes later, while I wished desperately for an Advil and beer, Troy appeared, a small bag in hand. He handed it to me with a grin. Confused, I slid the cardboard from the bag, my smile wide as I realized what it was. He had actually stopped in and bought the picture we had taken at the entrance of the park. Everyone’s smiles were bright, and Max was indeed giving Troy and Alex bunny ears.

“I love it.” I pushed up on tiptoe, brushing a kiss across his cheek before looking back down at the photo. I was definitely going to cherish this.

I let myself doze in the car as we headed towards the hotel, and I did my best impression of a zombie as we made our way up towards our room. For all their promise regarding being exhausted at the end of the day, all three were chattering happily, comparing favorite rides and ones that lost their flair. Note to self, start getting out of the house more so that you aren’t comatose by the end of a long day. When Troy opened the room I followed him in, tossing my bag down on the first bed and falling forward face first.

“Bed. Soft. Mine.” I mumbled the words into the bedspread and Max cracked up behind me.

“Well, I assume we aren’t going to move her from this position, so why don’t we check out the other room?” Troy’s voice was laced with humor and I couldn’t stop the grinning, knowing that I was finally cracking through that tough exterior of his. Doors opened and closed and I heard shuffling before the connecting door swung open between the two rooms. “We unlocked the door, Emmie.” I still glowed whenever he called me that. Who would have thought that Troy would have been the first one to come up with a nickname for me, and such a sweet one at that. “If you need anything tonight, just come on in, all right?”

Max bounded through the door, bouncing me repeatedly as he fell onto my bed. “Too much energy.” I attempted a glare, but if his chuckle was anything to go by, I probably looked like a sleepy kitten instead.

“I’ll crash soon,” Max admitted. “The high always takes a bit to wear off.” I turned some, laying on my side to watch him as he ruffled his hair.

“What’s up?” The words were nearly a slur as I half-dozed on the bed. I kicked my shoes off, edging up further so my head was on the pillow. It wouldn’t take much more for me to fall asleep.

“Alex already claimed our shower and he’ll be in there forever. I really want to rinse all this dirt off before I sleep. Is it asking too much to use yours?” He seemed a little sheepish at the request. I blew a raspberry, waving a hand towards the shower.

“Mi Casa and all that jazz,” I murmured, my eyes drifting shut. “I’m too tired for a shower.”

“Thanks.” He hesitated as he bounced up, before pulling the comforter from the other bed and tossing it over me. I cracked an eye open and he smiled. “So you don’t have to climb into the covers. You seem wiped out.” My answering grin was lazy and I let myself drift as I heard him turn the water on.

Steam rolling over me woke me up and I shifted to see Max leaving the bathroom. He was tiptoeing in an exaggerated manner, apparently attempting not to wake me. “Damn towels are like sandpaper.” He hissed as he aimed for the connecting door with the meager light coming from the bathroom. I couldn’t resist opening my eyes wider, though I knew I shouldn’t. All that golden skin was on display, his lean swimmer’s body beaded in water that darkened his hair to gold and dripped down ridges of hard muscle. “Fuck!” He stumbled, nearly dropping his clothes in the process. I bit back a smile as his towel slipped and I could see the hard, curved muscles of his ass before he righted himself.

“Enjoying the show?” An amused voice spoke up. I drew my gaze up from Max’s ass, over the muscles of his shoulders, to where Troy leaned against the door frame, apparently having watched my analysis of his friend. Max froze, turning to look at where I lay on the bed, my eyes clearly open even in the weak light. Luckily it was too dark for them to see the blush that heated my cheeks and neck.

“Show?” I tried to keep the question casual.

“She likes your ass, Max.” Troy didn’t break his eyes from mine, the small grin playing over his lips.

“Well, it’s only fair.” Max nearly purred, leaning against the opposite frame, his nakedness apparently forgotten as he teased. “We’ve all checked out her ass on a number of occasions, though I have to admit I would have preferred to see her nearly naked from the shower.” I could only gape at the two of them. Was he really saying they’d checked me out? All of them?

Troy chuckled, the sound darkly amused. “She’s cute when she’s speechless like this.” My gape turned to a glare and he threw up his hands in mock surrender. “Max is right though. I guess you’re due a little eye candy after all the times we’ve looked at you.” His eyes on mine, he reached behind his neck, tugging his shirt over his head in a fluid move and exposing all of his hard muscle for me to see. I tried to keep my gaze glued to his but my eyes wandered of their own accord, across the well-defined pecks, the hard biceps, down the tight abdomen ridged with rope after rope of muscle. His shorts hung low on his hips, and I could see his hip bones jutting from the top of the waistband, forming a valley I wished I could explore with my tongue.

Max crossed his legs, angling himself so I could take them both in better. “I don’t know, Troy. Maybe we should drag Alex out of the shower, I’m sure she’d like a peek at him too, I’m not sure we’re enough eye candy for her.” His words were teasing but the tone was husky. I couldn’t tell if he was joking with me, or if this was turning into one of the best dreams I had ever had. Max’s grin was decidedly wicked. “Not a dream, pretty girl, though I like knowing you dream of us.”

Alex suddenly appeared between the two of them, sweatpants hanging loose on his hips, his chest bare as he rubbed at his hair with a towel. I nearly groaned at the sight of all three of them together, half-dressed and full of hard, defined muscle. “What in the world are you two doing?” Alex hissed. “Max, you’re not even dressed.”

“Emmie was enjoying the view,” Troy rumbled, not moving from his relaxed position. Alex turned to look into the room, pressing up against the other two to try and see in the meager light. I saw his eyebrows go up at the sight of me sprawled on the bed, propped up slightly so I could ogle his friends bare chests.

“Well, this is interesting.” Humor laced Alex’s voiced, the tone deepening a bit as he dropped his own towel.

“She apparently thinks it’s a dream,” Max added, still smirking in my direction.

“Not a dream, gorgeous.” Alex considered me for a moment, before pushing past the others to come to sit on the bed. “Real as can be, see?” He grabbed my hand, bringing it to his mouth to brush a light kiss over the back.

“Huh?” Was my all to articulate response. My gaze traveled over the seemingly solid and sexy as hell man currently perched on the bed and then darted toward his friends.

“Is this a joke?” My chest tightened for a moment, worry clear in every line of my face. I chewed my lip, hoping the darkness would help hide the motion, but Alex tsked and pulled my lip free.

“The only one allowed to bite you is one of us,” Troy added, heat simmering in his words.

“I don’t understand,” I admitted, pushing up to a sitting position and tugging my shirt back into place.

“We were going to discuss this with you while we were here,” Alex started, his lips brushing against my hand again before closing over the pulse in my wrist to suck lightly. “You fell asleep before we could talk.”

“Talk?” Great, Em. Real intelligent. Guaranteed, being surrounded by all that hot, bare male flesh would drop most straight women’s I.Q.s into the gutter, so I couldn’t lay too much blame at my doorstep.

“We like you, Em.” Max spoke up from the doorway, his towel dipping dangerously low and making my mouth water. “All of us.”

“We want to take you out. Date you. Get to know each other,” Troy suggested.

“All of you?” The words were more of a stutter than an actual question.

Alex’s tongue laved over the sensitive skin of my wrist as he bit down gently before answering me. “All of us. You’re beautiful, Emily. So funny and smart. We’re all attracted to you. None of us are willing to take a step back for the other. We all want to get to know you more, see what happens. We thought maybe you were interested in all of us, but it’s okay if we were wrong.” He pulled back for a moment, though he didn’t release my hand.

“I mean, of course I am.” This was all so surreal, I had to be dreaming. “You’re all gorgeous. Alex you’re so sweet, Max you’re hilarious, and Troy—”

“I’m the ass.” He interrupted with a snort. I glared at him for the interruption.

“You’re smart and you’re kinder than you give yourself credit for too.” I arched a brow at him as if waiting for him to deny it.

“Kind isn’t exactly what I’m feeling now.” He strode forward, kneeling next to the bed as he stroked a hand down my hair, grasping the back of my neck. This close I could see the ethereal green of his eyes, despite the dim light in the room.

“You’re all okay with this? Sharing like this?” The words were breathy as I fought the urge to lean into the two men next to me, to see how good their hands and mouths could make me feel.

All three men shrugged, the move nearly rehearsed in its synchronization, and I couldn’t help the grin that twitched at my lips.

“We talked about it,” Max admitted. His eyes met mine as he stalked towards me, sliding onto the bed. I held my breath as the towel tugged against the sheets, but it stayed up--much to my dismay.

“You’ve shared a woman before?” The words fell from my lips before I processed them and I froze for a moment. I wasn’t quite sure if I wanted to know the answer to that or not.

“We’ve never dated the same woman.” Max chose his words carefully, but he didn’t look away. “There were a few drunken nights when we were younger that we experimented.” His tone stayed casual, but I could see the hesitance through the tension in his posture.

“You’re not just looking for tonight. You’re talking actual dating?” I hesitated. I wasn’t sure if I wanted tonight, wanted to date, or what my expectations were. My mind was spinning as fast as it had on the Scrambler.

“Actually dating,” Alex confirmed, squeezing my hand gently. “If anything sexual happens, it happens. We’re all okay with that. If you want to pick one of us or none of us, that’s all right too. We all want to take you out though. Spend time with you getting to know you. Court you.” It surprised me that shy Alex was the one putting all of this out there, not stumbling over the idea of group sex or sleeping with the same woman his friends were.

“You’d be dating other people too?” I knew it shouldn’t be an issue, we weren’t at that point yet, but I had no idea what plan they had already arranged. Plus, whether it was fair or not, I was a jealous creature. I had always hated to share, it came from being the youngest.

The three exchanged glances and all shook their heads. “This situation is unique, and not one that would be easy to explain to any potential dates. Our focus at the moment is solely on you and seeing if anything will develop.” Troy stroked the back of my neck, his fingers teasing the hollow behind my ear. “We may not have a physical connection, we may be suited best as friends. We won’t know unless we try, and Emmie, we want to try.” His husky words caused me to shiver and he chuckled.

“It’s your choice, Em,” Max added, his face serious now. “We won’t put you in a position you don’t want to be in. We can all just stay friends. We just wanted to ask you to date us, to try things and see where it led. It’s all in your hands.”

“I’d like to see where things lead.” The admission was slow, my body wound tight as I let the words fall. Jenna had been right, I deserved to at least try and see what would happen if I dated again. I could think of it as a summer fling. If nothing else, I could regain some sense and finally get some of the release I had missed for so many years. Troy growled his response, his mouth closing in on my neck right above his fingers, his tongue playing over the spot. Max’s grin was wide and bright and Alex placed another kiss on my palm.

“Do you want to play with us tonight?” Troy’s voice was a whisper near my ear, but all of them were on edge waiting for the response. “There’s no hurry. We can take things at whatever pace you like. I’ll admit I’ve been dreaming about you since you first spilled that damn cranberry juice all over me.” I chuckled but it caught on a gasp as his mouth returned to my throat.

“You all want…” I trailed off, waving a hand at myself.

“Oh, we want,” Max purred.

“Take a shower,” Alex offered. “Clear your head. See if you still think the same way when you’re not half asleep and we’ve just dropped a bombshell on you. If you’re interested, we’ll be waiting.” He indicated their room, gesturing for the other two to release me and back off to give me time to think. “If you only want one or two of us, just call for us. If you just want to go back to sleep, that’s perfectly fine too. We’ll wish you sweet dreams and we’ll see you in the morning.”

All three sauntered to the connecting door. Alex’s smile was soft as he blew me a kiss, Max winked at me, and Troy smirked before closing the connecting door behind them. I blew out a large breath, pinching myself hard. Yep, that had definitely just happened. I glanced at the clock, seeing it was a little after one in the morning. Screw it. I needed to call Jenna.

I grabbed my cell and scrambled for the bathroom, turning the water on to let it run. I dialed the phone, letting it ring and roll to voicemail before I dialed again. “Die.” My sister’s groggy voice echoed over the line.

“Jenna, it’s important!” I hissed, trying not to talk too loudly but needing to be heard over the spray of the water.

“Are you hurt?” Jenna’s voice was slightly clearer.

“No, no, I’m fine,” I reassured her.

“Then die twice. Why the hell are you waking me up at…” She groaned as she apparently checked the clock. “One in the fucking morning?”

“I have three half-naked men in my bedroom.” I spat the words out.

“Well, well, well.” That had gotten her attention. “Is there a reason they’re half naked rather than all naked?”

“They all want to date me. At the same time.” I rushed to explain everything. “They want to see if we have chemistry and if we click, and they don’t want to wait until one relationship is finished. If the last few minutes is any indication, they all want to share my bed tonight. Together.”

“Lucky girl.” My sister chuckled, her yawn echoing down the phone line. “So why the hell are you on the phone with me instead of letting those three gorgeous men pull your v card?”

I scowled. “I’ve got three kids, I don’t have a v-card.”

Jenna scoffed. “It’s been how many years since you’ve had sex? You may as well have a v-card.”

“They let me have space to clear my head, shower, whatever. They said I could have all of them or some of them or none, it was totally my call.”

“Good guys.” Jenna’s voice was approving. “If they’re leaving it in your hands, then what do you want to do?” I stayed silent, unsure. Telling my sister that I wanted to lick every inch of all three men and see how many times I could get off in a single night seemed a little like TMI. Jenna chuckled. “If you hadn’t wanted them you would have said it and would have been asking the best way to let them down easy and keep the friendship.” I hated how intuitive she was sometimes. “My guess is you want to jump all three of them and you’re second-guessing yourself.”

“I’ve never slept with anyone but Ian,” I admitted. “Let alone slept with a group. I have no idea how this works. I’m not twenty anymore!”

Jenna giggled. “I’m older than you and my last three-way was far more recent than twenty. Granted, I’ve never tried a four-way, but the logistics can’t be that different.” I could hear the glee in her voice. “Look, just like they aren’t going to pressure you, I’m not going to. Think about it for a few minutes. Take that shower they suggested, you think better when you shower anyhow.” I nodded agreement at that, beginning to strip as she talked. “It may be weird to sleep with just one of them tonight, so if that’s your choice just be ready for it. Or you can wait until you’re back and you have one on one time to try them each out. Sex is like riding a bike, you pick it back up eventually.”

I snorted. “Yeah, but the number of times you fall or crash into trees before you pick it up sucks.” Jenna just sighed.

“Take the shower. Have fun. Be safe.” She yawned again and I could hear her shifting around. “You deserve some fun in whatever capacity you want it. Love ya, Em.” The phone clicked as she hung up.

I stepped into the shower, letting it beat down on me, the hot water no match for my tight muscles. Could I really do this? Have sex with all three of them tonight? Would it be better to wait until I got to know them more, went on a few dates, maybe even picked one of them to have an ongoing relationship with? Then again, it’s not like this chance came around often. I had three men who looked like they belonged on a Pinterest eye candy board asking to bring me more pleasure than I’d ever known. Most women would think I was nuts if I turned that down.

I took my time washing, enjoying the scent of the mint soap provided by the hotel, letting it wake me more and clear my head. I turned off the water with a click, wrapping myself in the towel and wincing. I could see what Max had meant about sandpaper. I padded from the bathroom and perched on the end of the bed, drying my hair before it fell into a knotted mess and considering the connecting door. It was the choice of a lifetime, so what was I going to choose?