Three's A Crowd

by Storm, Zee Shine

  As he hugged me back, I brought my lips close to his ear and whispered, "You're sure though, right?" I didn't want him to agree to this if it caused him too much pain. "You won't change your mind later or be awful to her?"

  He stiffened in my embrace and I winced. Jasper was tough on the outside but sensitive as hell deep down. I knew he tensed up because of my choice of words. It sounded like I was more worried about her than him.

  "I'm sure," he replied tonelessly. "She'll get no trouble from me."

  ~~~

  Chapter 3

  Skye

  "Hey, stranger."

  I jumped as Cole's voice sounded in my ear before turning to face him, sucking in a sharp breath. He was looking and smelling so good this morning, I felt ready to climb him like a tree.

  "Oh, hey," I replied a little breathlessly. He smiled at me, his green eyes twinkling behind those damned glasses. He knew I was hopelessly attracted to him. Maybe even halfway in love.

  "Marco, do you mind if I steal Signorina Madison for a minute?" Cole asked without taking his gaze off me.

  Marco glanced from me to him, grumbled something under his breath in Italian which sounded like how easily girls like me fell prey to smooth talkers like Cole and then he shook his head and walked away.

  Cole grinned at me and I could not help the answering smile on my face. "Sorry about yesterday," he told me in a wry tone. "I was with my boyfriend and he didn't know anything about you until that moment so he freaked out. And so did I."

  My eyes widened at his words. "What?" I managed to choke out.

  His expression turned sober. "Skye, I'm with someone," he explained calmly. "I've been with him for a long time and this...," he gestured between us with one hand, "...this wasn't supposed to happen. But it did and Jasper knows about it and told me it's fine."

  Cole paused to gauge my reaction which was nothing short of shocked and bewildered before letting out a sigh. He hung his head. "I should've known this was a bad idea," he muttered to himself and let out a snort. "What was I thinking?"

  "Cole-"

  He held up a hand. "No. It's fine if you don't want to. It's not fair on you, anyway. I never considered for a moment that you wouldn't want to be with me." He grimaced. "That sounded so arrogant and presumptuous. I'm sorry, Skye. I shouldn't have led you on." Without waiting for my response, Cole began to walk away.

  "Wait," I said quietly.

  He stopped in his tracks and his back stiffened as I walked around to face him once more, studying his torn expression. Those green eyes carried so much gravity. So much pain. It was for me. It hurt him to have to let me go.

  I was stunned because I had no idea Cole felt so deeply about me. He had hidden it so well.

  "Jasper." I tested the name on my tongue. The name of my creeper. The tall, muscular image of him entered my brain and I didn't know what to think of it. "He's...your boyfriend."

  Cole nodded. "We're in love," he said in a husky voice and then cleared his throat. "I know it's confusing and hard to believe but I care about you too. I want you both in my life."

  His confession rocked me. He wanted me. He cared about me. What it must have taken for him to come out and say all this...to his boyfriend. To me. Despite the fact that it was not a conventional scenario. That some people might go berserk at the idea still, no matter how much the modern age intruded upon their values. I admired him for his honesty.

  "Does he...will he...?"

  He seemed to understand my unspoken question because his expression turned dark. "No. Never. You'll be with me. You'll lack for nothing. I will try to keep you as satisfied as possible."

  My cheeks burned at his earnestness. Did he mean satisfied as in sexually or in general? I wanted to ask but now was not the time to flirt. This was serious. He was suggesting a ménage à trois which would not actually be a threesome because Jasper and I wouldn't be involved like that. We would just be sharing Cole.

  "Skye?" Cole moved closer and his hands came up to caress my bare arms. It was the first time he had ever touched me. I realised he could have cheated on his boyfriend with me at work and we would not have known for a long time but he had never tried anything of the sort. He always kept his distance physically.

  I swallowed and looked up at this man whom I could not walk away from for some reason. His pale pink lips parted and I wanted to kiss him so bad. To let him wrap his arms around me and make all the loneliness disappear. Yeah, I wanted Cole Sawyer. I wanted him something bad. But sharing him would be difficult. I had no idea how to go about it.

  "I want to be with you," I told him softly, biting my bottom lip uncertainly. "I just...I'm not sure how..."

  "I am," he interrupted me with a determined look. "I'll take care of it. Just follow my lead. We'll be happy, I promise."

  My heart leapt at the idea. I wanted to believe him so bad. I was twenty three and promises from someone I barely even knew should not sway me when it came to such huge decisions. But I had been alone for so long and here was this amazing guy who was asking me to give him a chance. It would definitely be weird but I didn't want to regret turning him down without even trying first.

  When I moved closer to him until our bodies were touching, his breathing quickened and I smiled a little. "You'll take care of it?" I asked him and his nod was solemn like he was making his wedding vows or something.

  "I'll hold us down, baby," he reassured me, his voice confident and seductive. "I got this."

  For some reason, I believed him. Maybe it was hope or just plain stupidity. But I trusted him to keep his word. That he would make this work for us. He would be the one navigating and leading me through all the uncertainty. I just had to take that step and lean on him.

  Which I did. My eyes closed as I allowed him to wrap his arms around me. He felt so warm and hard. So right.

  Mine.

  "Okay," I whispered, inhaling his clean, masculine scent and feeling more than a little intoxicated.

  His grip on me tightened. "You sure?"

  I nodded into his chest. "I want to try." My hands slipped around his solid waist and I hugged him back, giving him my trust and affection. Needing to believe that this was the real thing. That he won't hurt me.

  Cole let out a long breath as though a weight had lifted off his chest and said, "Thank you. We'll take it slow. You're going to love every minute of it."

  I giggled at that. Nobody loved every minute of being in a relationship. I was not that naive. But I let his words calm my wildly beating heart. He was just cocky by nature and so far, it was not something I found annoying. I could do this. I could learn to be happily in love with a great guy who cared for me. It didn't have to be complicated.

  Then he said those dreaded five words that threw me inside out.

  "Jasper wants to meet you."

  ~~~

  "Aren't you nervous?"

  "Nope."

  "How come?" My eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Wait. Have you guys done this sort of thing before?"

  He frowned. "What? No!" He paused and then added, "Um...not like this."

  My expression grew incredulous. "Like what then?"

  He hedged, loosening his work tie and switching lanes as the stereo in his car hummed. "It doesn't matter."

  I sat back and folded my arms, pinning him with a death stare.

  Cole glanced over at me and panicked a little. I wanted to laugh but kept my face impassive. We had not even been on our first date and already he was scared of me. I had that much power over him.

  "It was just a few times. Pretty random. One night stands," he explained quietly and glanced at me to watch for my reaction.

  "Men or women?" I questioned.

  "Women. I don't really notice other guys anymore. Jasper is..." A smile curved his lips and a look of adoration crept over his face. I wondered if he was even aware. "He's enough for me in that area."

  "You mean when you need dick?" I asked blatantly.

  "Jesus, Skye." He laughed. "It's a little more
than that."

  I felt jealous. Which was surprising. That guy had been in his life for so long and they were in love. It did not stop Cole from wanting to be with me though. I needed to deal. He had promised me he would give this relationship his best shot.

  "He really doesn't have a problem with me?" I asked skeptically. I would. Have a problem with it if I had been in a long-term relationship with someone and he suddenly told me he wanted to be with another person as well. This was beyond weird.

  Cole turned into a side street in Barona and weaved through the heavy evening traffic like a pro. "Skye. There are two things you should know about Jasper Wells," he stated in a matter-of-fact voice. "He never goes back on his word. And he would do anything for my happiness."

  I almost let out a snort. Jealousy sparked within me again. Cole sounded so much in love with his boyfriend. So in awe of him. So proud of their bond. I kind of hated that Jasper had met him first. That he had him first.

  Then Cole's warm, heavy hand was on mine on the console and he squeezed. That was all it took to make me melt.

  "Relax, baby," he murmured and my heart jumped inside my chest at the sexy, possessive way he called me 'baby'. I loved it and I never wanted him to stop.

  "I'm the only one he likes to bite," my future lover told me about his current one while watching the road and caressing the back of my hand with his thumb.

  I actually found myself wanting to growl at that and for a moment, I knew exactly how Jasper must have felt when he caught Cole staring at me in the cafe yesterday.

  Well, at least we would have something to bond over.

  ~~~

  Chapter 4

  Skye

  "Holy Mother of God," I breathed out in awe.

  "I know right?"

  Shaking my head because I felt like I was in some kind of trance, I made my way over to Cole's humongous bookshelf lining one wall of the living room in his apartment.

  The guy had everything. Every favourite fantasy author of mine. All the books. Special editions.

  "Wow," I murmured, running my fingers over the spines. "Do you spend all your savings on buying books or something?"

  I usually just borrowed from the library or bought ebooks which were cheaper.

  "They're mostly gifts," he answered, coming over to stand beside me. I did not miss the fondness in his voice.

  Jasper sounded like the perfect boyfriend so far. I wondered if he had a flaw.

  "Awesome. You're very lucky."

  He shrugged and smiled before leading me away from the books. I threw those babies a regretful look over my shoulder.

  'Later', I mouthed and turned to catch Cole smirking at me.

  "Yes. Later," he agreed. "I didn't bring you here to read, you know."

  Rounding the kitchen counter, he got started on making me an iced mocha, which he already knew was my favourite drink.

  "You like the place?" he asked me as he took stuff out of the cabinets.

  The apartment was all polished wood, consisted of neutral colour schemes and minimal furniture. Two bedrooms, one bathroom with a laundry area next to it and a living room and kitchen along with a home office. It was average sized and quite cosy. I loved their front yard too. There were some wild orchids but mostly ferns. Nothing too flowery.

  "It's great," I said amicably, watching him walk around the kitchen in his tight trousers and navy blue untucked shirt with the tie still hanging around his neck.

  He looked so sexy, I just wanted to walk up to him and kiss him. Maybe I should kiss him. He had shown me around, we had talked about what we liked and disliked some more plus I knew his family history and he knew mine.

  I was ready to dive into this relationship with an enthusiasm I did not know I possessed.

  "Let me help." I started to rise because I felt that would be a good excuse to get closer to Cole physically but he stopped me immediately.

  "No. Please. Just relax and I'll serve you. This is your first time here." He spoke like a well-mannered and chivalrous guy and the vixen in me just wanted to exploit him.

  His movements were kind of methodical but I noticed the urgency in them as well. The need to please because he kept glancing at me to make sure I was comfortable and asked if there was anything else I needed. Hmm.

  "Cole?"

  "Yeah?" He placed the iced mocha in front of me and looked at me expectantly.

  I gazed into his kind eyes and reached out to place my hand over his. "You've become so important to me in such a short time. I care about you a lot and I think you're a great guy."

  He frowned at me. "Are you breaking up with me already?" he quipped.

  I shook my head. "I just want you to know I'm not running away at the first sign of trouble, okay? I'm going to give this my best as well. You don't need to worry."

  He sucked in his lower lip and regarded me curiously for several seconds. "You realise this is not a conventional relationship, right? We might face hurdles normal couples don't. I don't want either of you to feel left out or anything. Especially you because Jasper already knows he's got me."

  I let out a sigh. "If it gets too hard, I will tell you. But just so you know, it takes a lot for me to give up. I haven't met a guy like you before and I don't have any intention of letting you go anytime soon."

  His entire face lit up and he turned his hand palm up to give mine a squeeze. "I really am a lucky bastard," he said with a wink.

  I looked at his mouth. Just kiss me already. He must have realised what I wanted because he leaned forward and touched his lips to mine. It was a slow burn. The way he moved his lips over mine and sucked on my bottom one before tasting me with his tongue. I opened my mouth for him and we explored the new, sensational feelings that came with kissing somebody you've been fantasizing about for a long time. It was breathtaking. Heady. It took a lot for me to stay put in my seat.

  "You taste good," he whispered against my lips. "Better than I imagined."

  I think my limbs turned into jelly at his words. Bed. Now, my hormones screamed insistently.

  The soft moan that escaped me made Cole's green eyes twinkle like twin jewels.

  "We'll get there. Don't worry," he promised. "Taking it slow, remember?"

  God, the guy was so in tune with me. I had heard of people being on the same wavelength and extremely compatible but this was just too amazing for words.

  His phone pinged with a text then and he drew away to check it. A frown marred his forehead and he let out a breath before excusing himself to make a call. I sipped on my coffee, my ears picking up on the low murmur of his voice. He sounded pissed and returned to the kitchen after a couple of minutes with a definite angry scowl.

  "What's wrong?" I asked hesitantly.

  He shook his head and tapped on his phone again. "He's running late. I'm sorry. I know I said I'll introduce you guys tonight but something's come up."

  I shrugged it off. I wasn't really that eager to meet Jasper anyway even if he did happen to be a significant figure in this trio of ours. This last minute change only meant more time with the man who was driving me crazier by the minute. In an absolutely delicious way.

  "No problem," I replied and watched as he dialled some local pizza place and ordered take-out for us.

  He placed his phone on the counter, shot me a gorgeous smile and asked, "You ready for our first date?"

  ~~~

  Cole

  "Just so you know, I can sit through anything except chick flicks," I told Skye as she sat beside me in front of the TV minutes later, watching as I browsed through the selections on Netflix.

  She gave me a sidelong glance. "I hate chick flicks," was her response.

  That pleased me. "What kind of movies do you like?"

  "Porn," was her immediate response and the remote almost slipped from my fingers.

  "What?"

  Skye laughed. A light, soft sound filled with humour. "I'm kidding. I don't watch porn. Just play something with a lot of action scenes in it."

&
nbsp; "300," I murmured in a low voice as I considered the movie.

  "Oh, yes. It's one of my favourites. Gerard Butler is so yummy."

  My lips curled in distaste. "He's like seventy years old."

  She gave me a disgusted look of her own. "He's in his fifties. And I like his movies. Just play it."