Walking across campus, I reached into my bag for my cell and checked the screen. Whew. Just enough time to grab a Frappuccino before my next class. I increased my pace, already anticipating the zing of caffeine hitting my system.

“Emma! Emma!”

I halted and stepped off the crowded sidewalk, wondering if I imagined someone calling my name. A glance in all directions revealed a tall figure jogging toward me, his arm waving in the air. Who is that? He slowed as he approached, and I finally recognized the former editor of the school paper, Jason Hill.

“Hey. What are you doing on campus?”

Out of breath, he bent over, resting his hands on his knees while he inhaled large gulps of air. “Wow, I am more out of shape than I realized,” he said with a laugh.

I eyed his athletic form skeptically. “Or you sprinted all the way across campus?”

“That might be it.” He straightened and flashed me a pleased grin. “It was worth it to catch you, though. Are you in a hurry?”

“I’m on my way to class, but I still have a few minutes.” Goodbye, Frappuccino, I thought glumly. “What’s up? I would think that such an illustrious reporter for the Daily has better things to do on a Friday afternoon than chase me down.”

Jason and I had become friends while working on the paper together, but I hadn’t seen him since he graduated the year before and accepted a coveted position writing for the Las Vegas Daily. From a purely observational standpoint, I had to admit that he looked good. Of course, between his perpetually golden tan, tousled sandy blond hair, and smiling brown eyes that crinkled at the edges, I’d always thought he was attractive.

He pointed to an empty bench nearby. “Let’s sit, and I’ll explain.”

Once we were seated on the bench, he pulled a small packet of papers from his messenger bag and handed it to me. “Dr. Lancaster convinced my boss to offer an externship at the Daily for this semester. I already talked to him about you, and he promised an interview. And I might have mentioned to Dr. Lancaster that you would be the ideal candidate when I dropped the paperwork off in her office a few minutes ago. She agreed, which is no surprise. You know she loves you.”

“Wow, that was nice of you.” I flipped through papers as I tried to gather my thoughts. “I’m just not sure I should apply since I haven’t decided whether I want to work at a newspaper after graduation.”

Jason looked surprised. “Since when?”

I shrugged. “For a while. I like the research and writing, but I don’t have that reporter drive. Hunting down a story is like an obsession for you. For me, it’s merely part of the job.”

“Okay, but not every newspaper reporter is like me. What better way to decide than to work at a paper for a few months?”

“Valid point. What do I need to do?”

“Submit the online application and a resume, preferably today. The selection process is being expedited since the semester already started. The interviews will be next week.”

“Okay, I can do that.” I tucked the papers in my bag and stood. “I better get going.”

“I’ll walk you,” Jason said, falling into step beside me. “Are you busy tonight? We could discuss talking points for your interview over dinner. My treat.”

“Sorry, I have plans.” Technically, I could cancel on Simone, but it was our tradition to go out the first Friday of a new semester. Since this was our last semester, I didn’t want to bail on her.

“Is the boyfriend in town this weekend?” He was obviously referring to Matt, since I’d been dating my ex the entire time I’d known Jason.

“Um, no, we broke up over the summer.”

“Really?” he asked, seeming to perk up at the news. “Does that mean you’re single?”

“No, I’ve started seeing someone recently.” That was the first time I’d had to say it aloud to anyone but Simone, and it felt like a lie. I couldn’t exactly say, I’m dating three men, could I? Clearly, I needed to figure out what to tell people.

“I’m kicking myself right now for not staying in touch with you.”

“Oh yeah, why’s that?” I asked, not sure I wanted to hear his response if his forlorn expression was anything to go by.

“Because then I would have known as soon as you ended things with Matt and immediately started pouring on the charm.”

“How do you know I ended things?”

He snorted. “No guy would be stupid enough to break up with you.”

“Oh.” There were times I’d thought Jason might be a little interested in me, but he’d never acted on it. I didn’t realize he was that interested.

We reached my classroom, and I gave him what I hoped was a grateful smile. “Thanks for letting me know about the externship.”

“No problem. See you later, Emma.”

“Bye.”

As I waited for class to start, I wondered what would have happened if Jason had asked me out a couple of months ago. Most likely, I would have said yes. He was smart, nice, good looking. Still, he was no Cole or Nicholas or Shane, so it wasn’t like I wished he had pursued me instead. If we ended up working together again, I didn’t think any feelings he might have for me would interfere. He was already used to me being unavailable.

Now, I just needed to figure out if I even wanted the externship. Although I’d pretty much decided not to pursue a career in the newspaper biz, I couldn’t deny that the experience would be good for me, not to mention the boost to my resume. Why not give it a try?

* * *

“Are you sure you want to go to Loft25?” I asked Simone as I frowned at the tiny section of my closet designated for dresses. If I continued dating nightclub owners, I desperately needed to invest in more club-appropriate attire.

“I thought you were over your whole avoiding the Ts thing?”

“I am, but I know you love nightlife on the Strip. We can go there instead, if you want.”

“No way. Not only is Loft25 way more chill, we also walk right in the front door and get free drinks and access to the VIP lounge. I’m ruined for all other clubs.”

“It probably doesn’t hurt that Miguel is likely working tonight.” Simone had been text flirting with the Loft25 bartender for weeks now, but she refused to go out with him. Something about making him work for it. I didn’t try to figure out the games Simone played with guys.

She smirked. “No, that doesn’t hurt.”

Finally giving up on wearing a dress, I grabbed a pair of tight black jeans and a silky blue tank that matched the color of my eyes. I tossed them on my bed, then reached for my suede boots and a stack of silver bangles. Good enough.

Simone, not one for modesty, slipped out of the casual outfit she’d worn to dinner and pulled on a hot pink dress that clung to her curves. I’d never seen it before, but that didn’t surprise me. She was a daddy’s girl, which meant almost unlimited access to his credit card. It was something I typically found amusing, but that night I felt a small twinge of jealousy. I could really use a credit card like that to bolster my own wardrobe.

“Are the Ts expecting us?” Simone asked as she put the finishing touches on her long hair while I changed clothes, partially hidden behind my closet door.

“Not exactly. Shane’s in LA for a business meeting with his father, but he assured me that both Nicholas and Cole would be at the club tonight. I thought it would be fun to surprise them.”

She looked doubtful. “Is that wise after the last time we surprised them? If you remember, that didn’t go so well.”

I shrugged before leaning down to zip up my boots. “Things were different then. I was feeling insecure and overreacted.”

“So, if girls are hanging all over Cole again, you’re going to be okay with that?”

My mind flipped through all the photos I’d found online of him surrounded by pretty girls. Not my favorite part of his job. “No, I won’t be okay with it, but I will give him a chance to explain without running away this time.”

“I hope I don’t have to remind you that you said that.”

“Me too,” I muttered. “Let’s go.”

Simone’s phone dinged on the way to the club, and she announced that several of our mutual friends were going to meet us there. Although I was glad I wouldn’t be leaving Simone high and dry while I searched out my boyfriends, I wasn’t exactly prepared for the complication of other people I knew hanging around.

In truth, when it came to my relationships, there were numerous complications that I was aware of, yet been pretty adept at ignoring so far. What to tell my friends and family. How to act in public. Whether I should admit to the torrid foursome at all. Should I publicly claim one of them and try not to get caught with the others? That made it seem like I believed what we were doing was wrong, which felt . . . well, wrong.

Like Simone suspected, we sailed right through the front doors. According to Shane, the necessary staff were shown my photo and told to learn my name so I could always wander wherever I wanted in the club without being stopped. And get free drinks, of course. It was nice, but it also gave me one more reason to feel self-conscious. Who did the Loft25 employees believe I was dating? When they noticed me with all three guys, what would they think? I knew I shouldn’t care, but no one wants to be labeled a tramp.

We went to the main bar first, found Miguel, and downed one shot each. Unfortunately for Simone, Miguel was way too swamped to chat, so we made our way onto the dance floor. Almost immediately, a noticeably muscular guy tried to get between us and latch onto Simone. She shook her head at him and pulled me to her so that we went from dancing together to dancing together. She grinned impishly and I rolled my eyes but went along with it. I wasn’t usually one to go for girl-on-girl action, but it was an effective way to keep guys at bay since they’d typically rather watch than interfere.

The plan worked until a few songs later when I felt large hands slip around my waist from behind. “I can’t decide if I love or hate that every male in here is ogling my girlfriend,” a husky voice growled into my ear.

I removed my arms from around Simone’s neck and relaxed back into a solid chest. Lifting my head, I found Nicholas looking down at me with heated eyes and a half-smile. “Hi there, Cinderella.”

“Hi, Nicholas.”

Turning his gaze to Simone, he said, “Do you mind if I borrow your dance partner?”

“Be my guest,” she replied with a bright smile before finally giving in and dancing with the brute still vying for her attention.

Nicholas spun me around and brushed away a few strands of hair that had fallen in my face. “Two weeks was too long to go without seeing you.”

I licked my lips. “I totally agree.”

His eyes followed the movement, then he took my cue and lowered his head. His lips felt so soft and warm and perfect, I didn’t care that we were standing in the middle of the dance floor kissing. At his club.

Reluctantly, I withdrew my mouth from his. Okay, maybe I cared a little bit.

Seeming to sense my unease, he angled his head toward the patio. “Want to go outside?”

“Absolutely.”

I let Simone know where I was heading, relieved to see that the rest of the girls had arrived. Which meant they’d already seen me with Nicholas, something I would worry about later. I waved but didn’t stop to chat, letting Nicholas steer me to the door.

When we stepped onto the patio, I drank in the fresh air and comparative quiet, as I always did when entering the oasis after the cacophony of indoors. Since it was a nice evening for January, there were more people than I expected, and we couldn’t take our usual “spots” at the bar. We ordered drinks before wandering through the crowd until we found one empty chair in a relatively private area.

Nicholas sat, then pulled me onto his lap and angled my body so that we could still look at each other. He ran a finger over a bare shoulder and down my arm, causing a shiver. “Are you cold?”

I snuggled deeper into his chest. “Nope.”

“Did you have a good first week of classes?”

“I did.” Not wanting to overshare like I did with Shane, I gave him a short overview of my week. “How about you? Were things crazy here?”

“Very,” he said on a sigh. “I can’t decide if the vacation was worth all the extra work it caused.”

“Gosh, being an adult is so hard,” I teased.

Nicholas placed a hand over my thighs. “If you don’t stop squirming, something else is going to be hard.”

I stilled, having not realized that I’d been wiggling on his lap. “Sorry, the arm of this chair is digging into my back.”

He moved his arm so that it cushioned my lower back, and I settled into his chest once again.

“Are you feeling better about things?” he asked hesitantly.

His pale green eyes watched me with such intensity that I suddenly felt too close to him, and I let my focus stray to his ridiculously thick blond hair. I ran fingers through it, reveling in the feel of the soft strands parting beneath my touch.

“I knew Shane would tell you and Cole everything I said.”

“I don’t know that he told us everything, but yeah, he explained why you didn’t exactly welcome us home with open arms.”

“Okay,” I whispered, content to continue playing with his hair.

“Does that bother you? That we discuss you?”

I dropped my fingers and met his gaze. “Honestly, I’m not sure. It makes sense that the three of you would talk about me. I mean, technically you are sharing me.”

Nicholas chuckled. “But?”

“It makes me kind of uncomfortable. Like I have to analyze everything I say to you because I know that you might run home and repeat it to the others. Not that I want to hide anything. More that I don’t want my relationship with you to be influenced by things I say and do while I’m with them and vice versa. And now I’m rambling.”

“No, I understand where you’re coming from. I think the three of us are overcomplicating things right now because we don’t exactly know how to do this. Supposedly, open communication is a good thing, so we decided to start there.”

I couldn’t help but smile at that. Dear Snarky would approve.

“I get it. I think it’s sweet that you’re trying, and I appreciate it.”

“Sweet?” Nicholas repeated with mock horror. “How dare you?” He tickled my sides, and I was laughing and squirming so much that he groaned and switched to kissing me instead.

After a few minutes of what could only be described as “not appropriate anywhere near the workplace kisses,” he released me and gently lifted my body off his lap before standing.

“I shouldn’t have started something like that while at work, even if it is a club.”

“Sorry,” I replied, my tone making it clear I wasn’t sorry at all. “I should probably get back to Simone, anyway. Do you happen to know if Cole is in the VIP section tonight?”

“He left already. Not sure what’s up, but he said he was going home and to bed. I think this week has been too crazy even for him.”

“Oh, okay. I guess I’ll see him Sunday, then.”

“He’ll be upset that he missed you.”

“You could give him a kiss for me,” I suggested with a wicked grin.

Nicholas glared. “Not gonna happen.”

“Well, you can’t blame a girl for a naughty fantasy or two. Something to think about when she’s in bed . . . alone.”

He smacked me on the ass. “Get out of here before I drag you to my lair.”

“Ooooh. Another naughty—”

“Go!”

“Night, Nic,” I tossed over my shoulder, grinning all the way back into the club.