I shoved a pile of dirty clothes in the closet, then scanned my bedroom for anything out of place. Not that I expected Shane to spend time in there, but he would have to walk through it to get to my bathroom. And he might insist on a tour, I thought with a derisive laugh and a twinge of self-consciousness. My entire apartment could be viewed after taking a few steps in the door. The spacious townhouse he shared with Cole and Nicholas looked like a mansion in comparison.

Why am I so concerned about what Shane thinks? It didn’t bother me when Cole came over. Because I knew he didn’t come from money like Shane and Nicholas?

A knock at the door jarred me from my wandering thoughts, and I hurried over to the mirror to make sure my hair still looked presentable. After smoothing a few wayward strands, I strode to the door and took a deep breath before opening it wide.

When I caught my first glimpse of Shane, I had to lean against the door to keep from swaying. In a crisp, white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and tucked into fitted black trousers, he was somehow sexier than I remembered. His mouth was pleasantly turned up at the edges, tempting me to give him a reason to smile for real.

“You gonna let me in?” he asked with a little too much twinkle in his blue-gray eyes.

I jumped back out of his way and ducked my head to hide the flush that was undoubtedly tinting my cheeks. I needed to get my act together, and fast. Where was the confident Emma who flirted with strangers at Loft25? Who dated and then confronted them in spectacular fashion? And where was the Emma who threw all caution to the wind and asked three frustratingly enticing men for a relationship so daring that most people would label it deviant? That Emma desperately needed to make a freaking appearance.

After closing the door, I followed Shane into the kitchen, where he was already unpacking takeout from familiar containers.

“You got Mario’s?”

“Is that okay? Cole told me it’s your favorite.” My hearted melted a little at his statement. If they cared enough to discuss my restaurant preferences, maybe I hadn’t already been replaced by snow bunnies after all.

“More than okay.” I grabbed plates from the cabinet and set them on the counter in front of him.

“Prosciutto and arugula pizza or rigatoni Bolognese?”

I loved the pizza but had never tried the Bolognese. “How about a little bit of both?”

“Good choice. I’ll have the same.”

Once we were seated around my tiny, two-person table, I picked at my food and struggled to find something to say. The silence stretched on until Shane leaned over and gave me a peck on the lips.

“Relax, Emma. It’s only dinner.”

This time, all the color drained from my face instead of rushing to my cheeks. Was it that obvious I was completely out of my depth? Clearly, my internal pep talk came too late.

“Sorry.” I paused, trying to find a way to explain how I was feeling. “It’s just, I haven’t seen any of you since New Year’s Eve . . .” My words got stuck in my throat. How could I come right out and say that I was terrified they’d changed their minds? And, deep down, I was even a little terrified they hadn’t?

“Don’t apologize. I get it. How are classes going?”

Relieved he let me off the hook and changed the subject, I jumped into a description of the classes I was taking and what I expected from the semester. By the time I stopped to take a breath, I realized that Shane had finished his food and was watching me with an amused expression on his face.

I quickly ate the rest of my pizza and gave him a sheepish grin. “Sorry, I guess I got carried away.”

He stood and cleared the table. “Stop apologizing. I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want to know.”

“Except you were probably expecting a ‘my classes are fine’ response instead of a lengthy narrative on everything that happened my first few days,” I retorted as I put the leftovers away. He’d purchased more than enough food for four people, so I would be eating well for the rest of the week.

Shane approached slowly until he had me backed up against the refrigerator, his hands resting on either side of my head. “I happen to think it’s cute that you like school.”

“You do?” I breathed, my senses overwhelmed by his nearness and spicy scent.

“Mmhmm,” he murmured as he began peppering kisses over my jaw. “And I think it’s pretty damn cute that you spelled my name out of magnets on your refrigerator.”

Instinctively, I moved my head away from him while keeping my body in front of the offensive letter magnets. Freaking Simone. She bought them for me last year, mostly to give her an excuse to make obscene words. I’d thought it was entertaining at the time. Now, not so much, especially since I’d spelled out Shane, Cole, and Nic, then moved the unused letters out of the way. At least they were painted gold instead of primary colors. If there was anything to be thankful for, that was it. Well, and the fact that I didn’t have a heart magnet.

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.” I tried to subtly scatter the letters with my back, but I didn’t fool Shane if his full-blown smirk was anything to go by. Why had I thought it was so important to remove the bra and panties from the floor in my bedroom when I could have been checking the kitchen for way more embarrassing items?

“Is that so? Maybe we should take a look so you can prove me wrong.”

I pushed his chest, and it didn’t budge. Dang, he must work out a lot. “Or, we could go into the living room. It’s much more comfortable.” I batted my eyelashes, hoping I looked enticing.

“Who am I to stop you from getting comfortable?” His suggestive tone made my pulse spike, and I followed him like a puppy, my tongue lolling in anticipation.

Yet, in the back of my mind, I knew I should take things slower than I wanted. It was too easy to let lust take over when I was with any of the three. I needed to get to know each of them better and adjust to being in an actual relationship with them. The sex was something I was certainly looking forward to, but I didn’t want to jump into it too soon.

So, instead of cuddling up next to Shane like I’d intended, I sat at the other end of the couch and stretched my legs out. I dipped my toes under his thighs to keep them warm and clung to a pillow like a lifeline.

“How was the powder the last couple of days?” I’d texted with Shane and the others while they were gone, with a few FaceTime sessions thrown in.

“Look at you, using powder like you’re a pro. We’re going to make a skier out of you yet.”

“Just because I figured out that you rarely use the word snow in snow skiing doesn’t mean I’ll ever be a skier.”

“You already would be if you’d agreed to go along. It would have been a hell of a lot more fun with you there.”

“Yes, because you’d have so much fun babysitting me on the bunny slopes.”

Shane lifted my legs and moved to the middle cushion, then draped them over his lap. “Actually, I would have. There’s nothing better than watching a baby skier fall on her ass over and over.”

I punched him lightly on the shoulder, and he laughed, his mouth almost reaching smile level. “Hey, I could be a natural. You don’t know.”

“You’re right, I don’t know . . . because you didn’t come with us.” He gently stroked the underside of my knee, and I felt the heat of his touch even through the denim. “You never did give me a good reason why you refused.”

“I had to get ready for classes. You know that.”

The stroking came to a halt, and he gave me a hard look. “For an entire week? We offered to fly you back early.”

“Fine,” I grumbled, caving under the weight of his gaze. “It seemed too soon after everything that went down on New Year’s Eve. I thought it best to give you all time to make sure this is what you want.”

His fingers resumed their path along the underside of my leg. “Is that why you’ve been avoiding us? You’re afraid we changed our minds?”

I shrugged, already feeling way too exposed.

“Would it make you feel better to know that we talked about you? A lot.”

“Um, it depends on what you said.”

“For one, we talked about how we’re all in this.”

“Really?” The relief in my voice was obvious, but I didn’t even care.

“Yes.”

“What else did you talk about?”

His hands slipped to the top of my thighs. “That we’re not going to fight over time with you. We want to make it easy for you.”

“Oh.” My breath hitched as a hand traveled up to my waist, landing just under my breasts. It felt amazing, but my thoughts jumbled, and pleasure shifted to doubt as I realized there was something I needed to get off my chest. Figuratively and literally.

I pushed his hand back down to my waist and straightened my spine. “Shane, there’s something I need to say, and since you, Cole, and Nicholas obviously like discussing me, I’m hoping you’ll pass this on to them.” Saying this once would be bad enough. “I don’t want to keep holding the bet against you three, but I’m also not going to jump into bed with any of you.” My gaze darted around the room before finally falling back on him. “I need to find a way to trust you first.”

Even while dating three men, I refused to let my standards fall. I had always associated sex with affection and respect, and I considered trust to be at the core of both.

“Okay,” he agreed without hesitation.

I studied his face for signs of annoyance or frustration, but I found none. Was he genuinely all right with me putting a temporary moratorium on sex? And was it wrong to find his easy acceptance disappointing?

“I do have a question, though.”

Relieved, I nodded for him to continue. He squeezed my hips, and I balled my fists to keep from reaching out to him. Something about suggesting he slow things down had only increased my awareness of every inch of my body in contact with his.

“Am I still allowed to touch you?” His voiced deepened to a rasp. “Kiss you?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” He pulled me onto his lap, and before I had a chance to react, his mouth was on mine. I got lost in the moment, no longer worried about things going too far. Speaking the words aloud had given me the resolve I needed to stand my ground.

After a few minutes of, albeit hot, kissing, he drew away. “I should probably go. You have homework, and I need to get a few things done at the club.”

“Okay,” I said, reluctant to let him go. “When will I see you again?”

“Do you want to come over Sunday afternoon? The four of us can hang out together.”

Shane watched me closely, so I immediately nodded, although I didn’t feel quite ready to spend time with all of them again. “Looking forward to it.”

Lifting me off his lap, he snickered. “Sure you are, babe.”

I walked him to the door and initiated a kiss goodbye. Even though I didn’t want things to progress too quickly, it wouldn’t hurt to ensure he was thinking about me when he left. Considering his groan when I stepped away, I was fairly certain I’d succeeded.

“Good night, sexy Shane.”

For the first time all night, his mouth widened into an actual smile, and I was once again struck by how boyish it was. On most guys, it would be cute. On Shane, it was ridiculously attractive and endearing.

“Good night . . .” He shook his head. “Wow, I’m so stunned that you finally gave in, I have nothing. Night, Emma.”

After watching him walk down the stairs and to his car, I retreated to my bedroom and plopped on my bed. My date with Shane hadn’t gone like I expected; I’d assumed there would be less talking and more making out. Certainly, I exposed more of my insecurities than I’d intended. Maybe it was better that I put it out there rather than kept it bottled up? Either way, knowing he would go home and share our conversation with Cole and Nicholas left me feeling oddly apprehensive.

Would I ever grow accustomed to dating three men? I sincerely doubted it.