“Ah, no. Not yet. One day maybe. Probably. But… yeah. I’m not out.”
My brain is firing with no less than a dozen questions, but the way Blake’s holding his breath suggests he’d rather not have to answer them. Not now.
“Anyway,” he rushes on like he didn’t just render me speechless. “I don’t have a problem knowing you’ve been with him. Does it bother you that you’ve been with both of us?” The smile he sends me is cautious but somehow also coy, almost like he’s testing me.
My stomach might be doing back flips, but I’ll be damned if I tell him that. Calling on my inner flamingo, I give him an equally coy grin. “Nope. All good there.”
“Cool.”
“Yeah, cool.” I force myself to ask the other question I really want the answer to. “I’m guessing the two of you have been together also?”
Blake’s face flushes red. “I mean, he does live in the same house.”
“Convenient.”
“For my situation, yeah. It is,” he agrees softly.
“So, this dinner invitation is…”
“A dinner invitation.” He lifts a nonchalant shoulder.
“And…”
“And—” he somehow gets even redder “—a chance to catch up, or whatever. I’ll text you my address.” Blake spins away before I can say anything else, which leaves me free to freak out minus an audience.
Catch up or whatever.
Does that mean they’re putting me in the friend zone, or could whatever be code for something else. Something we’ve all donebefore—albeit not together, or something as mundane as watching TV with a few beers?
Seeing as how I don’t really know anyone here, I’m grateful for the invitation, if only so I don’t spend the night alone in my room. I just don’t know what to make of it, especially since all our cards are on the table.
I’ve never been friends with someone after I fucked them. That’s mainly because I’ve never fucked anyone outside a relationship, except the two guys who’ve invited me to dinner, which leaves me clueless as to how this night will go. What’s expected of me.
What’s expected of me? How about getting it out of your head that this invite is anything other than trying to make the new guy feel welcome.
We may have all shared beds at one time or another, but that doesn’t inherently mean we’ll do it again. Plus, chances are I could be friends—good friends—with both Blake and Jace. Hooking up with one or the other would leave someone as the third wheel, same as I’d be if those two have something beyond the convenience of living together going on. So, even though my libido hasn’t put Blake or Jace in the friends only category, it needs to get with the program real quick, because I’d rather have these guys as friends than nothing at all.
***
“Glad you made it. Come on in.” Blake moves aside and holds the door open so I can enter the nondescript little bungalow the guys call home, his timid smile the only outward concession it’s a little weird for the three of us to be alone together.
I ditch my chucks in the foyer and step into the living room, twisting my head right to left to take in the space before me. It’s definitely abachelor’s place—no decorations to make it feel homey, like pictures or knick knacks that have been collected over time—but it’s clean. Cozy.
“We’ve got pepperoni or supreme, which do you like?” Jace calls from the kitchen.
“One of each.” I follow the voice and make my way over to a rectangular table with two bench seats. Tiny nicks and scratches mar the dark-stained wood, though they don’t scream neglect, more like well-loved. Like it’s a piece that’s been passed down a few generations.
Jace sets a plate and a beer in front of me with a wink as he and Blake take seats across the table. The three of us dive into the food, which I suspect is a ploy to get me to relax instead of jumping into conversation. It works, considering I’m starving.
Halfway into his second slice, Jace breaks the silence. “What do you think of town so far?”
“It’s got more character than I was expecting,” I say around a mouthful of cheese.
An easy smile spreads across his face. “Yeah, I’d never seen a purple building until I came here. It sounds like it should be ugly but somehow, it’s not.”
“I know right,” I agree. “And Blake introduced me to a few guys in town. They seem nice, although only that guy Deacon strikes me as a biker, so I’m not sure what all we’ll have in common.”
“Beck’s a decent rider although he doesn’t do it much, but you’re right about Lennon. I think the only time he’s even been on two wheels is if he’s hanging on to Axel when they take the Harley for a joyride,” Blake says. “Maybe that’s something we should offer when the park’s done. A beginner’s bike course for adults. I bet most of the guys who don’t already ride would be willing to learn, and they’dprobably prefer to start on a cross-country trail than a downhill one like what we’re building on the mountain.”
