by Marla Monroe
“If we’re lucky, we’ll see some wildlife,” Jasper said.
They quickly cleaned up the breakfast dishes and carried their coffee outside to sit on the deck. It was a little chilly, so Jasper had wound a blanket around her so she wouldn’t get a chill. They sat and sipped coffee in silence. She liked it that they could just be sometimes. Even though she was sitting next to Jasper, she didn’t feel pressured to share some of the time with Phillip. That had bothered her the most about dating two men at one time. How did she divide up her time between them? Fortunately, they took care of it for her, and she didn’t have to even think about it.
“Look, Caro,” Phillip whispered, pointing toward the back left side of the yard.
Caro narrowed her eyes to get a better look and found three bunny rabbits forging around beneath a bush. She smiled and watched as they hopped from one bush to the other nibbling on grass here and there.
After another thirty minutes, Phillip stood and suggested they return inside and watch a movie.
“It’s too cool to stay outside long without bundling up,” he said.
Jasper pulled Caro to her feet and helped her inside where he unwrapped her from the blanket and then popped her lightly on the butt to send her into the living room. She giggled as she headed in that direction.
“How about a comedy?” Phillip asked as she settled on the couch.
“Sounds good to me. Just nothing super silly. Not a fan of movies like Dumb and Dumber, she said.
“Gotcha. Just a good comedy.” Phillip flipped through their stacks of DVDs before he pulled one out and opened it to put the disk into the DVD player.
“Want something to drink?” Jasper asked walking into the living room. “How about a Diet Coke? We’re going to have a beer.”
“That sounds awesome. Thanks,” Caro said. Phillip sat on one side of her with a hand along the back of the couch.
When Jasper returned, he handed off one of the bottles to him and then handed her a glass of Diet Coke before sitting on the other side of her. Caro sipped at the drink and smiled. Ice cold. Just like she liked it.
“Ready for the movie?” Phillip asked, his finger poised over the start button on the remote.
“Yes,” Caro said, leaning back in the curve of his arm. Jasper laid one of his hands on her thigh, and they settled back to watch the movie.
At some point in the movie, they were all curled between each other so that both sides of her were plastered against one of the men. Their warmth kept the chill of the day away as they moved from one movie into the next after a bathroom break. Phillip refreshed their drinks and they were knee-deep into Jumanji with Dewayne Johnson next.
Once the second movie was finished, Caro was exhausted from laughing so hard. She grinned at Phillip, who’d said he wouldn’t laugh through the entire movie. He’d caved and had busted his gut several times.
“Told you that you would laugh. He’s hilarious,” Caro said.
“It wasn’t anything like the last one with Robin Williams,” Jasper said.
“No, it wasn’t, but it was just as good. Different but good,” she said.
“You still up for pizza tonight?” Phillip asked.
“Yeah. Then I need to go home. I have a lot to do tomorrow,” she said.
“We’ll get you home at a decent hour,” Jasper promised.
Caro gathered her things and packed her bag. She hated to go, but she needed to get back to her place to do laundry and general housekeeping. Wednesday night would be there before she knew it.
They drove down the mountain and had pizza, and then the two men walked with her upstairs to her apartment.
“Enjoyed the weekend, babe,” Phillip said. “Really enjoyed spending it with you.”
“Going to miss you in bed between us,” Jasper said. “Felt good waking up to you.”
“I had a great time, too. I’ll miss you guys, but we can text,” Caro said.
“Not the same as in person,” Phillip said.
“I’ll see you guys Friday night, right?
“Absolutely.”
Jasper bent down and kissed her so softly and sweetly that it nearly brought tears to her eyes. Caro kissed him back, but he didn’t deepen the kiss.
“Sweetness, if I kiss you like I want to, we’ll be in your bed in ten seconds flat,” Jasper said, touching his forehead to hers.
“Right now, I wouldn’t mind that happening, but I know it’s not a good idea. I need some me time to do things I need to do to get ready for work next week,” she said.
“Which is why we aren’t pushing you,” Phillip said. “Believe me, we want to push.”
Phillip kissed her just as sweetly but nipped her lower lip before pulling back.
“Now go in and lock up for us, Caro,” Jasper said.
She nodded and walked inside, closing the door behind her. She locked the deadbolt and the bar lock, as well. She heard one of them tap the door before the sound of them walking down the squeaky stairs. Instantly she felt lonely. What was up with that? She’d never felt lonely in her life. She’d always enjoyed her own company and had craved it with her two exes. They’d smothered her to the point she wasn’t sure where she started and they ended.
I’m in love with them and want to be with them all the time. That can’t be healthy, can it?
* * * *
You up yet, precious?
Caro grinned at Jasper’s text. I’m up and doing laundry.
Hate doing laundry. Only do it when there’s nothing clean.
If you did a little every day, you wouldn’t have a ton to do all at one time.
Caro set her phone down and changed over the towels from the washer into the dryer. Her phone dinged, letting her know she had another text. This one was from Phillip though.
Miss you, babe.
I miss you guys, too. Go do laundry.
What does laundry have to do with anything?
Caro laughed. If you do a little laundry every day, you won’t have so much to do when you run out of clothes.
You’ve been talking to Jasper this morning, haven’t you?
Yep.
He’s fussing about how much laundry there is. I guess I have you to thank for it being laundry day instead of a relax day. Phillip’s text had two frowny faces at the end of it.
Caro just laughed and put another small load of clothes in the washing machine before turning it on. She didn’t mind housework as long as she didn’t put it off for a few weeks. Then it was a drudge. Today, she would dust and vacuum, and tomorrow she’d mop the floors. Having such a small apartment meant that there wasn’t a lot to do as far as cleaning went.
She settled on the love seat with her e-reader and scrolled through her available books to find one that struck her fancy. She got up a few times to change over the washing and to fold clothes, but the rest of the day she spent vegging and reading. Despite enjoying herself, she found herself missing the guys.
How had she gotten so attached to them in such a short amount of time?
It’s been nearly three months of seeing them every weekend at the bar. Now I’m going out on dates with them. What did I expect to happen?
Honestly, she thought either they or she would get tired of each other. She hadn’t believed that she’d come to crave their attention like she did.
They were perfect though. They weren’t overbearing or demanding. They didn’t try to tell her what to do all the time or criticize her clothes or her hair. They hadn’t fussed when she’d told them that she needed to go home Sunday. They’d only said they would miss her. And they texted her but didn’t blow up her phone with them.
What am I going to do with them? I love them and want to spend more time with them. What if they don’t feel the same way about me? And there are two of them. Two!
Caro sighed and put away her e-reader. She needed to make a grocery list and make a trip to the store the next day. She was almost out of a few things and wanted to stock up. She grabbed a pencil and pad and made h
“Hello?”
Silence.
“Hello?”
She could hear breathing in the background but nothing else.
“If you’re not going to say anything, then I’m hanging up.”
Nothing. She hit end and tossed her cell on the counter next to her list. It was time for bed. She put away the dishes she’d washed earlier and carried her phone into the bedroom where she undressed and climbed into bed. Her dreams were a mix of old and new with her guys staring in the majority of them. Unfortunately, so did her exes.
Chapter Twelve
“Hey, Caro. How were your days off?” Jill asked.
“Great. I didn’t want to come back,” she admitted.
“No one wants to go back to work at the end of their days off. If they do, they’re sick in the head,” Jill said.
“True.”
“So, did you spend any time with your guys?” she asked.
“Yeah, we hung out Sunday and watched movies and then ate pizza. Was great,” she said.
“And the sex?”
“Jill.” Caro felt the heat of her blush crawl up her neck.
“You did. I knew you’d cave. I mean, two hunky men, how could you possibly resist for long? Right?”
“I’m not talking,” Caro said, though she couldn’t help the smile that she knew was plastered all over her face.
“Come on, girlfriend. I need details,” Jill said.
“Nope. I don’t kiss and tell.”
“That’s for men only. Women always kiss and tell. So, what was it like with two men at one time?”
“Jill. Really.” Caro sighed and looked around to see if anyone was paying any attention to them. “It was amazing. I mean, two sets of mouths and hands all focused on me? It was awesome. I came three times. I was exhausted by the time I finally got home on Sunday night.”
“Three times? Holy crap. I’m sure you were tired after three orgasms. Where they all at one time or spread out over the weekend?” Jill asked.
“All at one time. We didn’t do anything Saturday night. I got too drunk, and they weren’t going to do anything while I was inebriated,” Caro said.
“Now that’s something. I can’t say there are many men who wouldn’t have taken advantage of that to get in your pants. They’re keepers, Caro. You better hold on to them tight,” Jill said.
“I plan on it. I really like them, Jill. It’s a little scary.”
“Sounds like you love them. Love is always scary.”
“Yeah. It is.”
“Need a beer down here, Caro,” Martin, a fixture at the bar, held up his empty mug.
“Coming, Martin.” She grinned at Jill and walked down to refill Martin’s beer.
She’d thought of nothing else over the last few days except Phillip and Jasper. She knew it was too soon to hope that they felt anything like what she was feeling, but she couldn’t help it. She loved them and wanted to spend more time with them. She needed to get a handle on it if she wasn’t going to scare them away.
Here she’d always kept men at arm’s length to make sure she didn’t ever end up wrapped up by a man like she’d been with her exes, and now she was wanting to do the wrapping. It didn’t make sense.
When has love ever made sense? Maybe I didn’t really love them like I love Phillip and Jasper.
Caro thought about that the rest of the night as she filled drink orders and tended to the men who sat at the bar. Around closing time, someone walked in and took a stool at the end of the bar. She called down that they were closing only to look up and stare directly into her last ex’s face.
Charles grinned at her and smiled before nodding and walking back out of the bar. Icy tendrils flowed down her spine like a vine winding its way up a pole. She couldn’t move or even breathe for several long seconds. When her breath finally came out, she pulled in a gasp and fell against the back of the bar, rattling the glasses there.
“Caro? You okay?” Mike, one of the regulars, stood and leaned over the bar. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m okay. Lost my breath for a second. Probably just tired.” She hurried to wipe down the bar as most of the patrons were filing out now.
“You sure? You’re white as a sheet, honey.”
“I’m fine. Like I said, probably just tired. Thanks, though.”
Mike didn’t look like he believed her, but he turned up his beer and drained it before waving and following the stragglers out. She rushed through her clean-up routine and was ready and waiting when Curly gathered them up to walk them out to their cars. Caro was relieved that she didn’t see Charles standing by her car but was still afraid he’d be somewhere around. She asked Curly to walk her to her car door for a change.
“Something wrong?” he asked.
“Just felt spooked tonight for some reason. Thanks, Curly.”
He waved her off as she reversed from the parking spot and turned toward her apartment. She kept glancing in her rearview mirror to be sure no one was following her. She took several different routes just to be safe and then pulled down the long drive and parked to one side of the garage at last. She looked around but didn’t see anyone lurking near her apartment stairs. She had to believe she was safe.
Caro grabbed her purse and had her keys spread out between her fingers in case Charles was hiding somewhere and came at her from the darkness. She raced from her car up the stairs to her door. She nearly dropped the keys before she finally got the right one in the lock and was able to open her door. She slammed it shut and threw the locks before leaning back against the door breathing as if the hounds from hell had descended on her.
What was Charles doing there? How had he found her and why would he even want to find her? Caro couldn’t stop her throat from closing down as panic washed over her like a tsunami of slimy snails.
Charles had been the last man she’d been with in St. Louis. He’d grown so demanding and jealous that she’d finally had enough and told him it was over. He’d informed her that it wasn’t over until he said it was over. Though he’d never hit her, he had bullied her and threatened her on more than one occasion. She’d worried that one day he’d snap, and then she’d be in a worse situation.
One day she left as if going to work and circled back around after he’d left and packed her stuff and drove off. She’d never expected to see him again. Now he was here. What was she going to do? What did he want with her? Surely, he didn’t think she’d go back with him.
Caro thought about her men. She knew they would want to know everything, but what if they decided to take matters into their own hands? Charles was dangerous. She didn’t want either Phillip or Jasper to get hurt and especially didn’t want them to do something that might land them in jail. Charles was the kind of man who’d press charges if he thought he had a case.
Caro decided not to say anything to them unless Charles showed up again. Maybe it was just a coincidence that he’d been there. But deep down she knew that wasn’t true. She’d been feeling as if someone was watching her for several weeks now, and then there was the incident of the Diet Coke someone had bought for her. Charles hated that she drank them and had forbidden her to keep them in the house.
She shivered and then shoved the love seat in front of the door before barricading herself in the bedroom. She double-checked that the window was locked before she took a shower and climbed into bed. Sleep didn’t come until after four that morning. Until then, she relived the two years she’d been with Charles and how he’d made her hate him in the end.
* * * *
Caro couldn’t help but be relieved when Phillip and Jasper showed up at their usual end of the bar at nine Friday night. Though she hadn’t seen Charles again since Wednesday night, she was still spooked. She smiled broadly at the two men as she made her way in their direction.
“Hey, beautiful. Having a good night?” Jasper asked.
“Yeah. It’s great to see you two again,” she said.
“Miss us?” Phillip asked.
“Yeah. Did you miss me?”
“You bet. Phillip wanted to come last night, but I talked him out of it. Don’t want to smother you,” Jasper said.
“Thanks, guys. I’m glad you’re here tonight. How has work been going?” she asked as she set two bottles of beer in front of them.
“I’m moving along on the fantasy game I’m working on,” Jasper said.
“I’ve hit a snag in my program that’s aggravating me, but I’ll work it out. How are you doing?” Phillip asked.
“Good. We’ve been busy tonight but earlier in the week wasn’t all that busy. I think the colder weather keeps people in during the week. Hopefully that won’t be the case on weekends. Need those tips to come in,” she joked.
“I don’t think you have to worry. The weekend crowd will always come out,” Phillip assured her.
Caro hurried down the bar to fill a drink order for one of the waitresses, and then Jill walked up with her order, and Caro was busy for some time before she was able to tend to her bar crowd. By the time she’d made it back to where the men sat, they’d nearly finished their beer.
“Another?” she asked.
“Yeah, sweetness. Kind of thirsty tonight,” Jasper said.
She popped the tops off two more beers and set them down. Someone walked up next to Phillip. She looked up and nearly swallowed her tongue.
“Hey, Caro. I’ll have a Bud Light,” Charles said.
She fumbled with the bottle opener before setting the opened Bud on the bar top.
“What are you doing here, Charles?” she finally managed to get out.
“Having a drink just like everyone else,” he said.
“I mean what are you doing here in this town?” she hissed out.
“Took some time off work to see the country. Funny how I showed up here where you are, isn’t it?” he asked.
“Babe? Is everything okay?” Phillip asked, staring between her and Charles.
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