"Come to gloat, lover boy?" I asked in a muffled voice.
"I've been looking for you," he told me in his gravelly, Gerard Butler one.
I managed to roll my eyes. "I haven't spoken to your boyfriend. I haven't touched him or gone near him. I haven't done anything. Please leave me alone."
There was a moment's pause.
"Skye? Look at me."
Slowly, I raised my head and did as he asked. Jasper's eyes roamed my face, probably taking in the dark circles, untidy hair and lack of make-up.
"What?"
He licked his lips and shrugged. "I wonder what he sees in you," he had the audacity to say and it made me burn inside with indignation. Motherfucker.
"Same thing you probably saw that day when I was in my bikini on the rooftop," I shot back with a glint in my eye. "You looked like somebody glued your eyes to my body. I wonder what Cole would say if he knew about that."
Jasper straightened and his gaze lowered to the tabletop. Mateo brought out his order, gave us both a curious look, remembered to wink at me and then walked off to attend to another customer.
"I need to talk to you," Jasper said, leaning back in his chair and pinning me with a serious look, arrogance emanating from his posture.
I leaned back in my own chair and crossed my legs, swinging the one on top casually. "Please be quick. I have things to do."
He gave me a once-over and raised an eyebrow. "Clearly. You look really busy."
I lifted my middle finger and showed him exactly what I thought of his opinion and he smirked.
"You need to come back."
I froze at his words and my eyes went wide with shock. "Huh?"
He ran a hand through his hair. "Cole. He's miserable and I can't stand it. I need you to fix it."
Despite the shock his words gave me, I felt a twinge of pain inside at the thought of Cole's misery and my every instinct screamed at me to find him and kiss him till he smiled at me again. My face crumpled with emotion and Jasper's mouth tightened as he watched me.
"I can't believe you two became so smitten with each other without even doing anything in the space of two weeks," he grated, curling his long fingers around his latte. "Fucked if I understand that but damn it, I can't watch him like this. He pretends he's all right but he isn't reading any goddamned books even though I got him new releases by his favourite authors which he had been anticipating for months. He quit taking new projects and left his current job and he's started drinking and-"
"Cole doesn't drink," I blurted out.
Jasper scowled at me. "I know that," he snapped at me. "I'm worried about him. He isn't moving on."
I swallowed hard. "So you want me to take care of that," I stated in a low voice. "And how long before you ask me to fuck off again when you can't take the fact that your boyfriend has strong feelings for someone else? When you realise you aren't the centre of his universe anymore? You claim to love him but I won't keep repeating this cycle and hurting him over and over-."
"Stop," he ordered and then downed his coffee in one shot. Fucking savage. "I'm willing to try this time. I didn't know he was this crazy about you." Jasper grimaced as if it pained him to admit that. "Skye. Just come back....please."
I gave him a surprised look and then inclined my head so that my right ear was exposed to him. "I'm sorry, what was that?"
His eyes narrowed and I was pretty sure he was gritting his teeth. "Fuck-"
"Wrong word."
A loud exhale left him. Pushing back his chair, he stood up, holding out his hand to me. "Please. Come home with me. I love him too much to stand by and watch him get fucked up every day. This is my fault because I went back on my word and I need to make it right."
His earnestness got to me. His love for Cole was unquestionable. I pursed my lips and smirked at him, needing to taunt him a little. "This is less about Cole and more about appeasing that guilty conscience, isn't it? It's not letting you sleep at night."
"Skye," he growled in warning and I threw up my hands and stood up then eyed his hand skeptically.
"I'm not touching that," I quipped like a smart-ass and Jasper curled his lips in distaste before burying his hands in his pockets.
"Let's go," he snapped but I held my ground.
"Just one thing, Wells," I said firmly, holding his gaze. "You might be used to people following your commands but I'm not putting up with that shit. I'm not yours to order around. Got it? If you need me to do something, ask nicely."
His dark eyes raked over my body again. I didn't know how many times he had done that since we met. It was like he hated it but he could not help it either. I didn't hate it though. It gave me a thrill because I got the feeling he wanted to do so much more to punish me for my attitude but he just could not, due to obvious reasons.
I smirked at him again, satisfied with my conclusions and he huffed out another impatient breath. "You got it," he agreed mildly and my smile stretched at his compliance.
I was really going to enjoy this.
~~~
Chapter 10
Cole
"Skye, have you seen my glasses?"
Skye looked up from her painting, scrunched up her beautiful face in thought and then looked around her messy room.
"Um..."
I grinned. "Never mind. I'll use my spare ones today. Could you please look for them when you get a chance?"
She nodded. "Yup. Don't worry. Have a great day at work."
I stepped over some clothes strewn on the floor. Yeah. My new girlfriend was a slob and I found it adorable. It had been a hell of a week when she had disappeared from my life but she had come back for me.
It was almost a fortnight now since she had brought me back to life by showing up on my doorstep for the second time and just several days ago I had asked her to move in because it was really hard to juggle work, one existing relationship with Jasper who had a crazy schedule and my new relationship with Skye who also had weird hours and lived too far away.
This was a trial period but so far, it had worked out fine. We were happy. There were no hold ups. I was able to give both Jasper and Skye my attention without worrying that I was neglecting either of them.
I captured her soft, pink lips in a kiss and it was our only point of contact because she was covered in paint and I was already dressed for work.
She giggled when I drew back and gave me a beautiful smile. "See you at dinner. I only have a two-hour session with my new client today."
Nodding slightly, I dipped my finger in some blue paint and smeared it on her nose playfully.
"Love you, baby," I told her and left without waiting for her to say it back. It was too soon, I knew that. But I was all in and I didn't care about hiding it. I had almost lost her once.
Life was good.
~~~
Skye
I gazed at the doorway for a long while after Cole left with what I was sure was a goofy smile on my face. Damn. I loved that guy too. One of these days, I will let him know that but for now, I was enjoying the courtship process. Yes, I had moved in but it was more due to convenience than commitment. He was juggling two serious relationships and a full time job so I had decided to meet him halfway.
We had not had sex yet despite plenty of kissing and touching and grinding but last night, we had come pretty close. I grew hot when I remembered our crazy make-out session when I had removed his glasses and tossed it somewhere in my clothes pile before mounting him fully dressed and dry humping him. His body felt so good. Every time. We had had to stop when Jasper had gotten out of the shower because the door was wide open and Cole hadn't wanted him to see us.
Speaking of the devil, a tall figure darkened my doorway with a toothbrush in his hand, wearing that permanent scowl on his face. He glanced around the room and speared me with a dirty look.
"You planning to clean this shit up anytime soon?" he asked gruffly. Gerard Butler voice. It was more evident when he woke up in the mornings.
I raised my chin def
iantly. "I'm paying you rent. You don't get a say in how I choose to decorate unless it contributes to property damage."
I had insisted on the rent part even though they both owned this apartment. No way was I going to live for free and put up with this guy's taunts about me accepting handouts. He stood there for longer than necessary and his eyes drifted to my thighs exposed by the tiny sleep shorts I was wearing and remained there. I didn't try to cover myself. I had admitted long ago that I liked his eyes on me even if I didn't like him.
When he had looked his fill, he met my gaze again and asked, "Has he fucked you yet?"
His question didn't shock me. He was blunt like that and I didn't really care as long as he gave me no trouble. So far, he had stayed out of my way except for a few sneering looks and childish insults here and there when Cole wasn't around. But he let us have our time together. Usually, he disappeared in the shower or in his darkroom which I came to know was attached to the office. Sometimes, he even went out to give Cole and I some alone time.
I tried to extend them the same courtesy. Somehow, it was working out. Cole was so happy and it was like his mood affected us all in a positive way.
"Why don't you just ask your boyfriend?" I replied airily going back to my painting of a ship being tossed around in a stormy sea. Inspired by a Frozen rewatch last night.
He made a sound of disgust or contempt. I was not sure which but knowing him, it was definitely one or the other.
"We have much better things to do than talk about you," he goaded me.
I looked skywards and shook my head. Something was up with him today. He seemed to be determined to get on my nerves.
"You mean you wish you didn't have to listen when Cole wouldn't stop gushing about me." I touched a brush covered with grey paint to the canvas.
"Bitch," he muttered and walked away.
"Asshole," I said in pretty much the same tone and then yelled, "Hey, could you be quick in there coz I have to get ready for work soon?"
"Are you paying the electricity bill as well because hot water isn't free, you know?" he yelled back and I let out a sound of frustration before throwing down the brush. Son of a bitch.
~~~
Chapter 11
Skye
I sat flipping through Vogue Italia while Jasper and Cole discussed where to go for dinner that evening. It was Friday and they both wanted to get out of the house. Since it was their date night, I would probably curl up with a book and wine as soon as they finished deciding and left me alone.
Cole said something under his breath which made Jasper glance at me. I regarded them both suspiciously.
"I don't mind." Jasper shrugged and Cole asked him if he was sure at least twice before turning to me.
"Skye, you want to join us?" Cole asked me. "We'll probably go clubbing later. It'll be fun."
I blinked at him, realising that was what their discussion had been about. Whether I could join them and turn their Friday night date into a threesome. And Cole appeared so hopeful, again eager to please. I hated that he always felt like he had to sell something to me instead of believing that his presence alone made any place or event special for me.
"Didn't we agree Friday night was for you two?" I questioned curiously.
Cole shrugged. "We did but Jasper doesn't mind. What do you say?"
I lifted my chin and studied Jasper's profile while he pretended not to be interested in the conversation, faking nonchalance. Hmm. The guy was up to something. Probably wanted to make sure I had a hellish evening for catching his boyfriend's eye in the first place. Far be it from me to back down from a challenge.
"Okay. I'll go get dressed," I said, hopping down from the kitchen stool.
The restaurant we went to was classy and situated near a canal in Navigli district. There were indoor and outdoor seating areas and we settled for an outdoor table since it was a nice night; warm and peaceful despite the rambunctious laughter and noise that surrounded us from Italians all around. Milan was known for its nightlife and I loved the hustle and bustle of it all. It was my normal.
I had put on my favourite wine-coloured dinner dress for this with a modest neckline but very tiny skirt and paired it with black sandals, leaving my hair open. I was pretty sure Cole was still sporting the erection he had gotten from my appearance when I showed up in the living room before we left. Jasper had been honking the car outside so we never got a chance to have a moment before heading out the door.
The waiter brought over the wine while I checked out the view from our table. You could see twinkling night lights from houses and boats lining the canal and I loved it. My artist's brain was already working overtime wondering whether I would be up all night capturing this on canvas.
The delightful sound of wine being poured in a glass captured my attention and I watched as Jasper filled his wineglass with some expensive stuff before moving to pour soda water for Cole who was engrossed in his phone.
Then Jasper shifted the wine bottle as far away from me as possible and my mouth fell open slightly at his immaturity level because he had deliberately left my glass empty. Giving me an uncaring look, he picked up his drink and I could only shake my head at him while mouthing, 'Thanks a lot, asshole.'
His response was to shrug so I reached for the wine bottle but Cole grabbed it before I could and proceeded to pour me my drink even though his attention was still mostly on his phone.
The look on Jasper's face made me want to snicker. His glass was poised midway to his mouth as he tried to figure out how Cole knew he had slighted me.
But I was touched. Absolutely touched. Cole Sawyer was a diamond in the rough. How the fuck did he end up with a jerk like Jasper?
Thanking my boyfriend, I drank some of the wine with a smug look towards the blond guy sitting opposite me and he rolled his eyes at me. But I could tell he was bugged about how he did not get the upper hand.
"I'm sorry but that was kind of important. I have to be at a jobsite really early tomorrow, guys," Cole informed us as he pocketed his phone.
"What time?" Jasper asked with a frown.
"Sixish."
"What? Who’s the client?"
"Someone who's an extremely early riser," Cole answered with a grin. "Don't worry. It just means I can't stay out late tonight."
Jasper nodded with that frown still present on his forehead. "Sometimes I think you're going to turn into one of those workaholics we used to make fun of."
Cole let out a laugh. "What? I'm not a workaholic. I have fun all the time. You're the one who needs to loosen up, Jasper."
"Hear ye, hear ye," I threw in my two cents worth which made Cole snicker in amusement and caused Jasper's frown to deepen.
I braced myself for some snarky comment, fully realising that this was supposed to be their night out and I was only here because Cole had not wanted to leave me behind but surprisingly, Jasper said nothing and we proceeded to place our orders.
I had a feeling he did not want to ruin the evening so he was playing nice for his boyfriend's sake. I could live with that.
"How'd you guys meet, anyway?" I asked out of genuine interest while we dug into our food a while later which consisted of fried chicken, roasted tomato salad and pasta.
"Photo shoot," Cole answered as he took a bite of his salad. "I did some modeling in my final year of uni to pay for stuff."
"Oh, wow. I can totally picture you now. Younger. Just as hot. Extremely cheeky."
He flashed me a boyish grin. "Jasper hated my attitude back then. I wouldn't get serious when he was taking pictures and I messed around on purpose because I loved pissing him off."
I laughed and then bit my lip as the image of Jasper being angry filled my head. I could understand the thrill. Jasper's anger was something else. I sometimes pushed his buttons just to see how he would react because it both excited and scared me.
My eyes went to Jasper's face involuntarily and I found him watching Cole with a fondness that was unmistakable. And something else. Like
desire. It made me burn with curiosity. I actually did use my headphones whenever these two started fooling around at night when they thought I was asleep.
Given the lack of sex I had been having despite my boyfriend's sexiness being off the charts, I thought it would be best to lay off the audio porn. I was afraid that I might start to like the sound of Jasper fucking way too much and that could become problematic since I could only sleep with one of them and I still needed to close the deal on that one.
Three's A Crowd Page 6