At least I don’t feel like I have to puke anymore.
“You know, I’m the weird one in this town…” Mac starts, making me look at him critically, but he continues, “I’m the one who’s nuts. Living on a boat, keeping to himself, without a wife or kids, the big grump who likes goats too much.”
I smile. “You like goats?”
“You should come to visit my boat one day. I have a lot of goat miniatures and ceramics, but that’s not the point.” Thinking about Mac sitting in his boat with a little goat figurine on his lap makes me smile even more. “The point is, I was always the odd one out. People are nice, nobody bothers me, but everybody thinks that I’m weird, and they let me feel it. With theirnicely meantwords or their glances.”
Guilt rises inside me. Haven’t I thought about him like that too?
That he’s nuts?
Fuck.
“You’re not weird, Mac,” I defend softly, but he laughs.
“Oh, I’m so fucking weird, and so are you.” Hurt zings through me, but he doesn’t let me respond. “And that’s agood thing, Mouse.” He steps away from the wall and moves closer to me, towering over me as he continues, “Being weird doesn’t mean you’re less or not good enough. It just means you’re different from the rest. That you’remore. I think that’s something to be proud of, don’t you?”
I bite my lip. All the years of being called weird and crazy, being left out and left alone, didn’t really make it feel like anything to be proud of.
“The best part of you living the life you want, the way you want, is that it means you may still be weird, but we can all be weird together. Being weird isn’t all that bad if you’re not the only one in the room.”
TWENTY-NINE
It’s past midnight.The last few hours at the restaurant were hectic, and now the deserted parking lot outside underlines the eerie quiet of the night.
I glance outside through a gap in the curtains, then quickly pull them shut.
Nobody’s out there.
Throughout the shift, Tally tried to talk to me, apologizing for her earlier words. I managed a strained smile and told her it was fine. But truthfully, I struggled through those hours. I wanted nothing more than to be here, in my sanctuary, away from prying eyes. Now that I’m alone, I can’t shake the chaos in my mind.
I mull over Tally’s words, Nash’s comments, and what I truly want. I’ve always said I couldn’t choose, thinking they’d ask me to one day. But have I ever considered whether I want to be with all of them? In theory, yes, but reality paints a different picture. It’s not so simple because even if Tally’s words hurt, they rang true.
But if it’s just about what I want, then yes,I want this.I want this so damn much.
I lay down on the bed, watching the fairy lights twinkle, the soft hum of the radio in the background doing nothing to lull me to sleep. Thoughts about all of them are swirling in my head—Saylor’s grin, Nash’s skilled touch, Hunter’s kisses, North’s eyes filled with fire.
I close my eyes, letting out a long breath. I need to relax and be free of some pent-up stress.
My hand starts to wander between my thighs, and my other hand slips under my shirt, cupping my breast.
In my mind, North is holding my chin, telling me to behave while he pushes his thumb into my mouth. Nash is behind me, fingering me while I am stroking both Saylor and Hunter’s cocks, who stand to my left and right.
“Fuck,” I whimper out, my toes curling as my pleasure builds.
Circling my clit, I almost feel all their eyes on me, scanning my body like a caress. I’m so wet, panting, and so close to coming.
“Such a good girl for us,” Fantasy North praises.
“Attagirl,” Nash chimes in from behind me, giving me his cock now, inch by inch.
I moan, tensing up, just as an engine pulls up, and the echo of car doors closing just outside jerks me out of my lusty haze.
Fuck.
I pull my hands out of my clothes and sit up, listening intently. Hunter’s voice floats in, tinged with doubt. “Do you think this is a good idea?”
What’s a good idea?
