by Dana Delamar
I smiled at Holden and Amber, our host, and then the audience. “Hollywood, Los Angeles, they no longer held any appeal for me, so I went back home to Vermont.”
Amber wrinkled her nose. “I could never live in such a small, boring place again.”
“Jeezum Crow, honey,” I said. “Vermont thanks you.”
Amber smiled, then frowned, as though realizing that what I’d said wasn’t the compliment she’d been anticipating.
The band played the standard rimshot, ba dum tsh, and the audience roared. Someone shouted, “Burn!”
Feeling like a shit for my cattiness, I continued. “A bright star like you needs to be in Los Angeles.”
“Thank you, Riley,” she said. “Don’t you miss all the action, even a little?”
I shook my head. “Not at all.”
“I can’t even imagine going back there.” She mock shuddered. “Everyone is so dull.”
Jimmy winked. “Except the studly sociology professors.”
“Yes,” she said, flashing a quick look at me. “Except them.”
I laughed, amazed by how little I felt toward her. I didn’t dislike her. On the contrary, I could now think back to the early days of our relationship and be grateful for what we’d had. “You gave me my voice, Amber. I’ll never forget that.”
“Speaking of which, Amber’s Fall releases in four days. Any plans?”
Holden kissed Amber’s hand. “We’ll be at Grauman’s Chinese Theater for the premiere.”
“I can’t wait for everyone to see the movie. I’m sure you’re all going to love it,” Amber added.
“What about you, Riley? Will you be at Grauman’s?”
The producers had, of course, wanted me there, but with my agent’s help, we’d convinced the movie studio that I’d done my share with the week-long junket.
“I’m not exactly sure where I’ll be on that day,” I hedged. With some luck and a whole lot of groveling, I hoped to be in Miami tucked in bed with the two loves of my life.
“Interesting,” Jimmy joked, rubbing his palms together. “Would that have anything to do with the people you were seen with at LOOP Nightclub in London?”
I smiled enigmatically.
A section of the audience began to chant, “Love is love.”
Feeling more accepted than I had since first realizing I was bisexual, I tossed my head back and laughed. “Yes, it is.”
“So this is serious?” Jimmy asked.
I rested my chin on my steepled fingers for a moment, considering my answer. How much should I reveal? I hadn’t run this by either Carter or Paige. On the other hand, if I wanted things to work out with them, I had to be honest. I needed the world to know that to me, both my lovers were equal. Even though I’d been with Carter longer, Paige was in no way a third. She was an integral part of our relationship. I just hoped she’d see it that way.
“Carter and I have been together for about four months. We are rock solid. He’s my life. We met Paige last month, and things clicked between us. In a short time, she’s become our everything.”
“So why aren’t they here with you?” Amber asked, her tone more gentle, more honest, than I’d heard it in years.
I opened my arms to encompass the television set, the lights, the cameras, the audience. “This life isn’t easy and it’s not for everyone, and being outed by the London paparazzi was not at all on Paige’s agenda.”
“So she’s debating which she wants more: her privacy, or you and Carter?” Jimmy asked.
“Yep.”
“Think you’ll be able to convince her?” Jimmy asked.
I smirked. “I can be quite persuasive.”
Holden snorted, smiling for the first time. “Damn right. You fucking turned me bi.”
“You, my friend”—I clapped his shoulder—“just needed the right man to bring out your fierce side.”
I sat back as the audience hooted with laughter. What a difference a few hours made. I’d been dreading this interview, dreading seeing Amber and Holden again, fully expecting all the old feelings to rise up and make me miserable. Instead, I was at peace for the first time since the breakup. Truly at peace. All the anger and recriminations, the fears and disappointment were gone. Evaporated like so much water on a hot sidewalk.
The illusion had finally shattered.
Hollywood had been a mirage fueled by sex, drugs, and money. What I had with Paige and Carter? That was real. Now, we needed Paige to understand that Carter and I were strong without her. But with her, we were complete.
CARTER
Would Paige even speak to me? Taking a deep breath of the sultry Miami air, I knocked on her door. A quick call to Arianna when I’d touched down had given me Paige’s address, and I’d hailed a cab before I could talk myself into waiting until morning. Yes, it was late. So late, Riley’s interview on The Jimmy Adams Show was close to airtime.
“Who is it?” Paige called through the door, her voice cautious.
Duh, of course. She wasn’t used to social calls this late at night.
“It’s me, Carter.”
“Carter?” Her voice rose uncertainly and I heard the door locks disengaging, then the door swung open.
“Hey, beautiful.” My heart slammed in my chest. Thank God she hadn’t told me to get lost. And Jesus, she looked amazing. Her hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail, and there wasn’t a speck of makeup on her face. She didn’t need it.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“We need to talk.”
“There’s a thing known as the phone.”
She hadn’t made a move to let me in. Fuck. I scrubbed a hand through my hair. “We need to speak in person. So there can be no misunderstandings. No doubts.”
“Can’t you just… let this go?” She sounded so alone, so small. And she looked so lost.
Something inside me snapped. She, like Riley, didn’t get it. Didn’t get how amazing she was. How special.
“No, I can’t let this go. I’m not giving up on you. On us.”
She smiled tightly. “Did Riley send you?”
“I’m here because I damn well want to be here.” I took a breath, trying to slow my pounding heart, to purge the anger from my voice. “I fucked up, Paige. I didn’t tell you how I felt. I couldn’t see past my insecurity about you, about how Riley felt about you. I was jealous.”
“Of me?” She seemed startled, putting a hand on the notch at the base of her throat. “Why?”
“Riley’s been crazy about you since he met you. It took him months to admit that he loved me. You? You stole his heart in less than three weeks.”
She shook her head. “He thinks he loves me.”
A mosquito buzzed in my ear, and when it landed on my neck, I slapped at it. I leaned against the doorjamb. “Do you think we can have the rest of this conversation inside? Where I won’t be eaten alive?”
She nodded. “Yes. Sorry. I’m a little… flustered.” She motioned me inside. “Are you thirsty?”
“Some ice water would be great.”
The TV was on, The Jimmy Adams Show on low volume. She must have been planning to watch the interview. I wheeled my carry-on into the entryway and closed the door.
I took a seat on the sofa while she busied herself in the kitchen. She came back with a glass of water for me and a cup of tea for herself. The air-conditioning made the room pleasantly cool, and the water tasted great, the ice clinking in the glass as I nearly drained it, trying to think of what to say, how to convince her that Riley really loved her.
That I really loved her.
That we belonged together.
That we’d never be happy apart.
I opened my mouth to speak, but stopped when Jimmy announced his next guests—Amber, Holden, and Riley. Huh. Riley hadn’t mentioned that Amber and Holden would be there. My fingers tightened on the glass, already slick with condensation, and I carefully set it on the table. “Could you turn the volume up?” I asked.
Paige had take
n a seat beside me on the couch, but she’d put at least a foot of space between us. Not that I expected any different. In fact, I’d expected her to sit on the armchair, entirely out of reach.
So maybe things weren’t as dire as I’d thought.
But a lot was riding on what happened onscreen. Why hadn’t Riley told me?
Did he still have feelings for Amber? For Holden? Or had he guessed that I’d be upset and hadn’t wanted to deal with it?
Because I was definitely not calm. I glanced at Paige, who’d pulled her knees up to her chest, her eyes glued to the screen, her bottom lip caught between her teeth.
Yeah, she wasn’t all that calm either.
Amber and Holden came out first, the two of them glowing and gorgeous, the rock on Amber’s finger catching the stage lighting and sparkling. And then Riley came out from the opposite side of the stage, looking a bit off-balance, but then he brightened at the roar from the audience, the girls screaming his name almost as loudly as they’d screamed Holden’s.
Yeah, Riley was a fucking literary rock star. His dark hair gleamed in the light, his cheeks a little flushed, his eyes bright as he kissed Amber’s cheek and shook Holden’s hand. I studied Riley’s body language, surprised to see him so at ease. He had tensed up a bit when he’d touched them, then he seemed to relax, sprawling back in the chair and giving Jimmy a wide smile, a smile that only grew wider when Jimmy alluded to the infamous breakup that had been in all the gossip rags for weeks.
Riley didn’t miss a fucking beat. He took the bait and ran with it, not giving Jimmy the satisfaction of tripping him up, not even blinking when the audience howled. That smile only grew wider. What the fuck?
I looked at Paige, and she raised both eyebrows, clearly as thrown as I was.
Riley seemed utterly serene. Unruffled. At fucking ease, next to the two people who’d sliced his heart in two and then stomped on it.
Now they were discussing how dull Amber thought Vermont was. And Riley… Riley actually got off a good burn on Amber, then seemed to think better of it. He was even thanking Amber for giving him his voice.
Apparently Jimmy wasn’t entirely happy that the interview was going so smoothly, because he brought up the night at LOOP Nightclub in London.
The night that had cost me my job. And possibly cost Riley and me our relationship with Paige. She tensed beside me, sucking in a breath.
Jimmy had just asked Riley about “the people” who’d been seen with him that night, and the audience started chanting “Love is love.”
Riley smiled again, soaking up the cheers, and then he laughed. He looked so damn happy.
“So this is serious?” Jimmy asked.
Paige and I both leaned forward.
“Carter and I have been together for about four months. We are rock solid. He is my life. We met Paige last month, and things clicked between us. In a short time, she’s become our everything.”
Paige let out a little gasp, and I reached out and touched her leg. She didn’t take my hand, but she didn’t shy away either, letting my hand rest on her knee.
“So why aren’t they here with you?” Amber asked.
Riley opened his arms, gesturing to the lights, the set, the audience. “This life isn’t easy, and it’s not for everyone, and being outed by the London paparazzi was not at all on Paige’s agenda.”
“So she’s debating what she wants more: her privacy, or you and Carter?” Jimmy asked.
“Yep.”
“Think you’ll be able to convince her?” Jimmy asked.
“I can be quite persuasive.”
Holden snorted. “Damn right. You *bleep*ing turned me bi.”
Riley clapped the guy on the shoulder. “You, my friend, just needed the right man to bring out your fierce side.”
That brought the house down, the audience dissolving into cheers and laughter, and the show cut to commercial.
Paige muted the TV and finally touched my hand, giving it a little squeeze before releasing it, then she turned to face me, and I withdrew my hand to my own lap.
“That did not go how I thought it would,” Paige said.
“Me either.”
“He looks… happy.”
I shook my head. “He looks like he’s over Amber and Holden. Like he’s moved on.” I touched Paige’s wrist. “That’s because of us.”
Paige sighed. “I don’t know. Amber is such a knockout. I didn’t look that good at her age. I’ve never looked that good. How could Riley possibly want me after that?”
She really had no idea. Not a fucking clue. And that only made me love her more. I scooted over to Paige and hauled her onto my lap, my cock springing to attention when her hip pressed against it. “You don’t get it, beautiful. You are goddamn amazing.” I brushed a few stray hairs off her flushed cheeks, then drew her face to mine. “And you drive me crazy.” I pressed my lips to hers, then pulled back, cupping her cheeks in my hands. “I love you, Paige. I should’ve said it back in London. I guess I needed Arianna to call me on my bullshit first.”
“Ari? You spoke to her?”
“More like she dropped some truth on us. Especially me.”
I stroked my thumbs along Paige’s cheekbones, her hazel eyes locked on mine, her body trembling in my arms. “You mean it?” she finally asked.
“I do. I love you. As much as I love Riley. You balance us out. You make me laugh. You make me happy. And I can’t imagine giving that up.”
Her eyes welled with tears. “Jesus, Carter. I don’t know what to say.”
Tell me you love me. That’s all you have to do.
But she didn’t quite believe yet. Tears slid down her cheeks, and I kissed them away, licking the salt from my lips. “We have all the time in the world, Paige. There’s no pressure for you to say or do anything you don’t want to.”
I kissed her lips again, and she kissed me back this time, her mouth opening beneath mine, a sigh of satisfaction leaving her and making my cock swell painfully against her hip.
I pulled back, breathing hard. “I want you, beautiful.” I shifted my hips, letting my cock rub against her, so she couldn’t mistake what I was saying.
“Should we do this?” she whispered.
“Riley and I have had sex before and after we met you. This isn’t any different. And he knows I came to see you.”
“You don’t think he’ll be upset?”
I kissed the tip of her nose. “He told me once that for this to work, we all need to develop relationships with each other. We all need to bond as pairs, in addition to being together, or there will always be some distance. And that distance can breed insecurity. And jealousy.”
Paige nodded. “That makes sense.” She leaned forward and slipped her arms around my neck. “So I get to have my wicked way with you?”
I smiled. “I thought you’d never ask.”
She kissed me again so sweetly, her breasts crushed against my chest, her luscious hips and ass rubbing against my straining cock.
So she hadn’t said she loved me. Or Riley. Yet.
But she was thinking about the future, a future with the two of us. And that was good enough for now.
I let her control the kiss, let her set the pace, and kept my need to possess her in check. Tonight was all about Paige. About showing her how much she was loved.
I hadn’t slept with a woman on my own, no Riley in the picture, since my divorce two years ago. The blow job Paige had given me in the maze didn’t really count, since that had been a one-way interaction. Tonight was about the both of us. Two people, showing their love for each other.
Paige slipped her hands inside my button-down, her fingers grazing my collarbones as she kissed me. I unbuttoned my shirt to the waist, pulling it loose from my jeans, baring myself for her pleasure.
She smiled at me and kissed one of my nipples, tweaking the other with her delicate fingers.
Jesus, she was gorgeous. So soft and yielding in my arms, her skin like silk as I kissed down her neck, eating
up her moans like they were my last meal.
Riley was right; I hadn’t let myself really bond with her yet, not in the way I should have, largely because sex for us had always been about the trio, never only the two of us. Somehow I’d managed to keep Paige at a slight remove, even as she’d burrowed under my skin and into my heart.
But now that I was here, now that she was moaning for me alone, responding to my touch, looking into my eyes, smiling and letting down her hair for me, and only me, something had changed, was changing.
She’s mine.
And I’m hers.
Her hands fell to my belt buckle, and I put my own over them. “Not so fast,” I murmured. “Let me make you feel good, Paige.”
I hooked my thumbs in the waistband of her yoga pants and started to tug them over her hips.
She placed her hands over mine. “You know, it’s been a hot day, and I feel like my shower was a long time ago.”
I grinned. “And I’ve been flying. Got a bathtub big enough for two?”
She shrugged. “I think you’ll take up most of it.”
“Well, then, you’ll have to sit on my lap.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” she asked, her fingers caressing the bulge in my jeans.
“You already know the answer.”
She rose, and I followed her into a good-sized bathroom. She leaned over to start the tub and pour in some bath beads, and I stepped behind her, grinding my swollen cock against her perfect ass. She pressed back into me, and I pulled off her pants and underwear, leaving her in a loose T-shirt, which she quickly shed, to reveal no bra underneath. Her nipples pebbled under my gaze, and I quickly shed the rest of my clothes.
“You’d better get in first,” she said.
I stepped into the hot, frothy water, the contrast in temperature making me hiss with pleasure. I sat down and offered her a hand to steady her as she stepped in, careful to avoid trampling my balls.
I spread my knees, and she nestled between them, settling back against my chest. I folded my arms around her and kissed her neck. My cock was pressing against the top of her ass crack, and I had the crazy urge to touch her there, to take her there, but I wasn’t sure how she’d react.