Over the next three nights, the three of them ate dinner together. Balancing their schedules proved easier than Annie anticipated. Despite them all working long hours and juggling multiple rush projects, they all made sure to be together at night. If you wanted something bad enough, if it was important enough, you found a way to make it work—or at least you tried.
They talked and laughed, and Dave shared Jasper stories. She loved those and the easy comfort that wound around them. In fact, she enjoyed every second of their evenings together, except for the awkward fifteen minutes right before Dave left for the night to return to his fancy hotel room.
That time brought a strange dance and series of half hugs. The whole not-talking-about-the-obvious-issue gave her a headache. She vowed to put an end to the misery tonight.
Attraction snapped between them but questions still lingered. She wanted answers…and a night that didn’t include staring at the ceiling wondering what it would be like to take the next step.
On the fourth night, she waited until Dave and Jasper loaded the dishwasher. When they started the nightly ritual of stalling as they walked Dave to the door, she sat down on the couch and glanced up at them. No more dodging.
“I’m just going to say it.” She debated softening the delivery but decided they’d passed that point. They were talking about having sex, starting a relationship together—all three of them—so being delicate struck her as silly. “When there are three people, one is frequently left out. I don’t want that to be me.”
Jasper snorted as he sat down next to her and slipped his arm along the back of the couch. “Me, either.”
“Oh, please. You’re both fine. We all know it’s going to be me.” Dave stood in front of them, still in his dress pants and shirt since he came straight from the office. He’d abandoned the jacket but looked as if he could go right back to work if needed. “I’m the extra. The fling.”
The laughter bubbled out of Annie before she could stop it. “Fling?”
“I’m serious.” Dave balanced on the arm of the chair across from them. “All reports are that you two are doing great together and have sex all the time and—”
“I let him sleep now and then.” Annie tried to interject some humor. They needed to have this conversation without the constant whip of tension.
Dave sighed at her but looked more amused at her interruption than upset. “My point is you guys enjoy sex, right?”
She didn’t see any reason to lie. “Definitely.”
“Right.” Dave hesitated for a second before continuing, as if weighing his words. “I don’t want to be the ‘thing’ you try, like some sort of human sex toy.”
Silence shot through the room. It only lasted a second but it was tough to miss.
Jasper whistled. “Wow.”
After a few beats of quiet, Dave shook his head. “You’re both assholes. You know what I’m talking about.”
Annie knew a very real concern lurked under their conversation—panic. She recognized the sensation and had tried to ignore the waves of it that crashed over her during the last few weeks, so she took pity on Dave.
Enough talk. Not touching, and just pretending they weren’t debating climbing into bed and into their lives together, made her twitchy. Since the men weren’t moving this forward, she did.
“Let’s try this.” She got up and went over to Dave. Stood close enough to see his chest lift with each breath. She motioned to him to move. “Stand up.”
He frowned at her. “Why?”
She almost rolled her eyes. These men made having sex way more complicated than it needed to be. “Don’t be scared.”
Dave held up a finger as he rose. “For the record, I’m wary.”
“Typical lawyer. Always arguing.” She was done with that, too. “Kiss me.”
As she drew closer, his eyes widened. He tried to step away but rammed the back of his legs into the chair and swore under his breath.
“Are you sure?” The shock vibrated in Dave’s voice as he looked from her to Jasper. “Are you?”
But Jasper was Jasper, and he never lost his cool. He didn’t even fidget on the couch. “Do you want to?”
“Hell, yes.”
Jasper laughed at Dave’s quick response. “Then listen to the woman.”
“Fine.” Dave skipped the silence and hesitation this time. His hands went to her waist and his head dipped.
She expected a quick kiss, sweet and simple. A peck. But that didn’t happen. His mouth covered hers and the air rushed out of her lungs. The kiss blinded her, whipped her around and left her panting.
When he lifted his head again her lips still tingled. She touched her fingertip to them and tasted him there.
“Well?” Jasper asked.
The corner of Dave’s mouth lifted as his hands dropped from her waist. “It didn’t suck.”
“Now who’s the asshole?” Annie fought not to laugh at the amusement in their voices as she looked at Jasper. “Come here.”
Dave tried to move around the chair and out of the way. She grabbed him to keep him in place. “What’s happening?” he asked.
He could not be this clueless. Annie started to wonder if she was going to have to do everything to get this relationship started.
“A test. We can’t pretend you two don’t have feelings for each other.” She didn’t want to. Worries and insecurities still pummeled her, but the idea of seeing them together had become her nightly fantasy.
Jasper stepped around the coffee table and stood at Dave’s side. With an easy familiarity that came with knowing each other for years, Jasper reached out and put his hand on the back of Dave’s neck. They moved in unison and their mouths met.
Lips crossed over lips. Strong muscles slid over each other as they pulled their bodies close together. When Dave licked his tongue over Jasper’s lower lip, Annie could not look away. She didn’t want to. If anything, she wanted more.
“Well that still works,” Dave said as he pulled back.
Jasper lifted his head and stared at Dave. Then he looked at her. “You okay?”
The jealousy she expected never came. A very different sensation moved through. Something warm and searching.
She put a hand on each of their chests. Let her fingers trail over firm muscles to lean stomachs. They were fit and hard. Jasper was a bit bulkier, but both had her wanting to explore.
Jasper exhaled as his hand covered hers. “We need to stop here.”
“You two are killing me. Please be kidding.”
His hand cupped her cheek for just a second before he backed away. Not far, but enough to put a bit of air between their bodies. “Once we take this step, once we have sex, we can’t go back. Whatever anger and resentment and confusion we have is going to be magnified.”
“He’s saying we need to talk this out more.” Dave sounded as grumbly as she felt.
She groaned. “I hate when he’s sensible.”
Dave nodded. “Very annoying.”
“You two clearly get along fine,” Jasper said as he moved back to the couch, but stayed standing.
“Because we both love you.” She said it because she knew it was true.
She knew that Dave didn’t come to town planning to wreck their relationship. He loved Jasper and was attracted to her, and if his frown was any indication, he was as confused and revved up and wary as they were to jump in further.
“I don’t want to mess up what we have.” The intensity in Jasper’s eyes spoke to how genuine his words were. Then he looked at Dave. “And I don’t want to lose you again. But I don’t know if we can have everything.”
“How will we know without trying?” That was the question that pulled at her, nagged her, and didn’t let her sleep.
Dave pivoted around the chair and scooped his suit jacket off the table where he threw it when he came in. “We’re smart people. We’ll know.”
He sounded so sure. Annie couldn’t help but love that. “He’s adorable.”
Jasper came up behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist. “And he’s really sexy in that tie.”
“Okay, that’s enough.” Dave slipped his jacket back on. “I’m leaving before I strip you both naked.”
Anxiety rushed over her. She felt the icy fingers of panic in her stomach at the thought of him going home alone. Again. “You don’t have to go.”
But Dave’s smile reassured her. He walked over to them with a confidence that soothed her unease.
“I do because if I don’t, I’ll be all over you.” Dave leaned in and kissed Jasper. This one was quick and sure. “And you.” Dave kissed her then, sweet and lingering. The type of kiss that had her wanting to beg him to stay.
“You’re irresistible.” She meant it.
He grabbed the keys out of his pocket. “Good. My plan is working.”
“What plan?” Jasper asked.
“The one where you two figure out you can’t live without me.”