She stared at him for several seconds, completely beside herself. The world had truly gone completely bonkers. As she turned to walk away, his hand lingered until it was no longer possible to touch her.
Her legs were shaking. His touch had heated her entire body in the same way Brody’s kiss had moments before. She was confused and turned on and unsure how she was going to finish her shift.
Carter… Dammit. Yes. She’d liked him in high school. She’d always liked him. While she’d been dating Brody, she’d ignored any feelings she might have entertained where Carter was concerned. They were inappropriate. Brody was a great guy. The best. He didn’t deserve for his girlfriend to steal glances at his best friend.
When Brody had suggested she switch men because he was leaving town, his idea had shaken her to the core. She felt a stab in her chest, worrying that he’d known she had feelings for Carter all along. She didn’t want him to think that, even if it were true.
Although his proposition had been ludicrous, her knee-jerk reaction had been partly out of shame. It took years to recognize and rationalize that, and by then it didn’t matter. It would never matter. She would never see either man again. Never mind that the two men she loved most in the world had both been lost to her on the same night. It was for the best. For everyone.
Jade continued working, hurrying around to her tables to make sure everyone had drinks. Mike had announced last call as soon as she stepped away from Carter, so she knew she only had fifteen minutes before the doors would close.
Fifteen long minutes.
She tried to concentrate and ignore the two men watching her work, but every time she glanced their direction, she found two heated gazes on her.
By the time Mike started ushering the customers out the door, she was beyond aroused. She was also bewildered. No matter how many questions came to mind, she had no answers. There was no explanation for the rabbit hole she was sliding down.
Mike caught her as she set her tray at the far end of the bar. He leaned over the bar and spoke in a low voice. “Go. You obviously have something that needs your attention. Someone else can help close.”
Jade met his gaze. The bartender had already left early with a woman with whom he’d been flirting for a year. A woman who’d occupied the same seat Carter was now in. That stool had some kind of superpowers. Last week another couple had sat there heating up the entire bar with their obvious lust.
And before that… Jade narrowed her gaze at Mike. “Don’t you also have someone waiting for you in your office?” Mike had met his new girlfriend, Aria, that night too. She was in his office again now.
He grinned. “I do.” Then he pointed at the door. “Go. Before I change my mind.”
Jade was nervous about leaving with Carter and Brody. Even though she was anxious to hear what they had to say, she was also completely unnerved.
Taking a moment to center herself, she finally made her way to the other end of the bar. “I can leave now.”
Brody smiled.
Carter beamed. The man had more enthusiasm at nearly every turn. He always had. But this situation was awkward at best. She was playing a game in which no one had given her all the rules.
“Did you drive here?”
Carter nodded.
“Are you parked in the lot in back?”
“Yes.”
“’Kay.” She rounded the bar and grabbed her purse from the safe under the counter. And then she took a deep breath and followed the only two men who had ever managed to snag her attention.
Little did they know, after five years, she still had not replaced them. Not even for a night.
Chapter 4
Brody set a palm on her back as they stepped outside, but Carter took her hand. She glanced at one and then the other. Neither looked upset. Both had their attention on her.
She followed them to Carter’s truck, gasping as they approached. “You still have the same truck?”
“Yep.”
Brody groaned. “He’s irrationally attached. It’s kind of creepy.
“Hey, now,” Carter protested as he opened the passenger door, “this truck holds a lot of memories. She runs great. Why would I sell her?”
Jade climbed in and slid across the seat to the center, a spot she’d occupied dozens of times five years ago. The leather felt like home. There was a little more wear and tear, some cracks that hadn’t been there before, but the familiarity took her back in time.
As Brody climbed in beside her and Carter on the other side, a tear slid down her face.
“Shit,” Carter muttered. “You okay? What’s the matter?” He set a hand on her thigh.
Brody reached for her face and lifted her chin with his thumb. “Jade?”
She shook her head. “Just brings back old memories.” She wiped the tear away. “I’m fine.”
Brody slowly smiled. “Does feel like old times, doesn’t it?”
Carter started up the engine, but his hand immediately returned to her thigh.
Brody’s hand slid down to grab hers, and he gripped it, holding it on his lap.
Her heart raced. She couldn’t imagine what was going on here. It felt like an apparition. This could not be happening. Not even in her best dreams.
She tried to remember the dynamic between the three of them five years ago. They’d been close. They’d done a lot of things together. She remembered laughing and joking with Carter, but she didn’t remember him touching her with such familiarity.
No one spoke while Carter drove, and sure enough, he lived close by. Within ten minutes, he pulled into a neighborhood and then a driveway.
“You own a house?” she asked as he stopped the car in the driveway.
“Yeah. To be fair, it was my grandfather’s, but when he passed two years ago, I inherited it. Worked out perfect since I ended up getting a job nearby. So, I kept it. I’m still fixing it up on the weekends. Nearly everything is outdated. The kitchen is that pukey-green color from the early seventies. The siding is almost falling off. Hell, I’m not sure the master bathroom isn’t going to fall through to the basement. But it’s mine. I’ll get there eventually.”
She could hear the pride in his voice, and she had no doubt he would accomplish anything he set out to do.
Brody jumped down from his side of the truck and reached for her hand. She slid across the seat and hopped down with his help, like she had so many times before.
There was a difference this time, though. Something was in the air between them. Something she couldn’t put her finger on.
Brody led her to the front door with Carter right behind them. It was Brody who pulled out a set of keys and opened the door as casually as if he were the owner of the house.
Interesting.
She followed Brody inside. He flipped on a light next to the entrance, bathing the room in the dim light of a small lamp. He took her purse from her hands and set it on the couch. “Can I get you something to drink?” he asked.
“A beer would be great.” It might help soothe her nerves. Or perhaps she should have requested a shot of something stronger.
Brody backed into the next room, which she assumed was the kitchen when the lights came on inside.
Carter slid his fingers down her arm and lightly held her hand. “Like I said, it’s still a work in progress, but now that Brody’s here, I’ll have another set of hands to help me pick up the pace.”
Now that Brody’s here? What did that mean?
Brody returned with three beers. He had already opened them and handed one to each of them.
Jade took a long drink, welcoming the smooth taste, hoping it might give her strength. She took a step back and began to wander the room, pretending to be interested in the décor, when really she needed the space to think.
She was staring blankly at the fireplace when a thought occurred to her, and she spun around to find both men standing nervously next to each other on the other side of the room. “Is this some kind of contest?”
“W
hat?” Brody’s brows shot up.
She glanced back and forth between the two men as they fidgeted. “Shit. Why do I get the feeling you two got together and decided you both still wanted me, so you agreed to hunt me down and see who might win the prize?”
There was a moment when the room filled with chilly silence, and then both men rushed forward.
Carter spoke first. “No. God, no. That’s not what this is, Jade. I swear.” He grabbed her free arm gently.
Brody was on her other side. “There is no contest. Not like you’re thinking.” He spun around, running a hand over the top of his head, his back to her.
Carter pulled her closer, wrapping an arm around her waist, settling her back against his front. “Brody,” he urged.
When Brody turned around, he was rubbing his temples with one hand. “You’re confusing her.”
Carter set his chin on her head and squeezed her tighter. “I know. You want to tell her, or you want me to? The sooner one of us speaks, the sooner she will stop being confused.”
Brody’s gaze shifted to meet hers. He swallowed, his hand fisted at his sides.
Jade’s blood suddenly ran a bit cold. No one was competing for her. Of course they weren’t. They weren’t interested in her at all. They wanted to tell her they were together. That’s what this was. How could she be so stupid? They figured out she worked and went to school nearby, and they were afraid of running into her, so they decided they needed to come clean.
All this touching was purely friendly. After all, Carter had touched her in high school too. He’d always been the kind of person who got in her personal space. Maybe not as close as he was right now or had been all evening, but still.
Wait. What about that damn kiss Brody had given her in the hallway at Corked and Tapped? Had he been using her to see if there was still a spark? Jesus. Absolutely nothing made sense.
She spun free, jerking her body several feet away from Carter until she stood between the two men. Both men looked shocked. Or concerned. Or both.
She took another drink of her beer. A long one. And then she set it on the mantel. “I know you want to tell me something, but I have to tell you something first” She twisted her fingers in front of her.
Brody’s brows were drawn together in confusion.
Carter shuffled his feet.
Jade glanced from one man to the other several times. Finally, she settled her attention on Brody. He was the one she’d most violated. “That night… After you broke up with me…”
He took a step closer.
She held up a hand. “Let me finish.” She cleared her throat. “I came back.” She met his gaze again. “I wanted to yell at you. I wanted to tell you no. I wanted to scream at you until you took it all back and didn’t break up with me.”
Brody stopped moving.
A tear slid free. She swiped at it and continued. “I stopped at the sliding glass door when I returned. You were arguing with Carter. I should have come inside. I should have faced both of you. I should have turned and left. There are so many things I should have done, but I didn’t. I stood there, frozen in my spot.” She waited for Brody to realize what she was saying.
Carter spoke first. “You saw us.” His voice was gentle. “You saw us together.”
She shifted her gaze to his. “Yes.” She let her face fall. “I’m so sorry. It was wrong of me to watch.” More tears fell. She let them. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.” She lifted her face again, trying to be brave and get it all out. “I was hurt and angry. Furious. When I realized you two were arguing about me, I wanted to hear what you had to say. I was shocked when you both blatantly discussed Carter being in love with me. I couldn’t breathe. It didn’t make sense. I hadn’t considered that possibility before.” She shook her head. “Or maybe I had in the back of mind and I was lying to myself. Either way, I was stunned.”
“You saw us,” Brody stated, repeating Carter’s assumption.
“I didn’t mean to. I had no idea when you started fighting—I mean, really fighting—that you would suddenly…” Her voice trailed off. She didn’t want to put the rest into words. She stiffened. “I left as soon as you hit the couch. As soon as I realized the breakup wasn’t really about me. I swear, I didn’t see anything else…”
“Oh, baby…” Brody said, “I’m so sorry.”
Chapter 5
Jade was shaking now, tears falling, hands twisting.
Brody grabbed her and pulled her against his chest. His hand wove into her ponytail, dislodging it entirely. He kissed the top of her head.
In a moment, she felt Carter’s heat at her back, and then his hands were on her hips. “Have you been beating yourself up over this for five years?”
She nodded against Brody’s chest and turned her head to the side, flattening her cheek to his pecs so she could speak. “It all made more sense to me after I left. I was depressed and alone and confused, but I also understood why you wanted to break up. And I made a decision to never face either of you again.”
Carter’s hand smoothed up her back. “Babe, that makes me feel awful. I should have tried harder to find you. I should have been there for you.”
She inched away from Brody and eased out from between them. Touching them was more than she could handle. She wrapped her arms around her center and stepped out of their reach again.
Carter continued. “I was confused too. I was hurting. My best friend in the world left for boot camp, and my second best friend changed her number and wouldn’t see me. I went into my own shell eventually and forced myself to move on with my life.”
“You must have been pissed at me,” she murmured.
He shook his head. “No. I totally understood. It was too awkward. Brody asked the impossible of you. I had tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn’t listen to me.”
Brody rolled his eyes at Carter and then met her gaze. “Because I could see he loved you too. I was an idiot, unwilling to acknowledge everything that was right in front of my face.”
Carter reached for Brody and set a hand on his shoulder. “Stop it. Enough beating yourself up. We were young. We didn’t understand our feelings for each other or for Jade. It was confusing.”
Jade glanced back and forth between them while they stared into each other’s eyes. They loved each other. That was obvious.
Brody nodded. His voice was calm when he replied. “I get that now. You know I do.”
Carter sighed and looked hard at Brody. “There was no way I could suddenly fill your shoes with your girlfriend while you went to the other side of the world and fought in a war. The idea was crazy from the get-go. I couldn’t do that to you, man. I would not.” He glanced at Jade. “Nor to you.”
Jade recalled her previous theory. “So, you didn’t hunt me down and bring me here tonight so I could choose between the two of you. You brought me here so you could tell me the two of you are together. You wanted to tell me yourselves.”
She glanced around the room, remembering how Brody had unlocked the front door and wandered through the place like it was his own. It was. He lived here too.
Both men’s eyes were wide with shock, though she couldn’t understand why. How hard was it to admit what they obviously contacted her to tell her?
She didn’t hesitate before she continued. “It’s fine. I understand. I’m a modern girl. I don’t care who’s sleeping with whom.” She backed up, needing space, needing to get out of here as fast as possible. The two men she’d loved for all these years were actually not into her at all. It was going to take a moment for that to soak in, so she could find a way to let them go.
She rushed toward the couch where her purse sat, but before she could get there, an arm wrapped around her from behind and drew her back. Brody’s this time. He was strong, but she tugged at him. “Let me go. I’ll get an Uber. I need to go.”
He held her tighter, his lips coming to her ear. “You’ve misunderstood, baby. Listen to me.”
She gave up the struggle since it
was doing her no good.
Carter stepped in front of her and lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze.
She jerked her head around to face Brody. “You kissed me.”
He smiled and kissed her neck, nibbling a path to her ear. “Yeah, I did. How do you reconcile that with your assessment?” His hand slid up to caress the underside of her breast. Intentionally.
She sucked in a breath, her body shaking with need, an arousal that had been building all evening. Did he understand how he was confusing her?
Carter caught her chin again and tipped her face back. “Jade, we’re not a couple. You have it all wrong. Let us explain.”
Her eyes shot wide. “Please don’t toy with me. You obviously live here together. If you didn’t bring me here to choose between the two of you, then nothing else makes sense except that you’re together.”
“We are,” Carter agreed. “There’s no reason to lie about that. We’ve spent every leave Brody has had together for five years. Every time he was in town, we found a way to make it work. It took some time to admit our attraction and speak out loud about it, but we got there.”
She tried to look away, but Carter stopped her.
Brody’s fingers were still stroking her breast. Her nipple had hardened while Carter spoke nonsense. Why were they teasing her like this?
Carter stepped closer. “We tried to make it work between us. Alone, I mean. Just the two of us. When Brody got out of the service a few months ago, he moved in here and we tried. Lord knows we tried. But something was missing.”
Brody spoke again softly. “He’s right. We danced around the truth for years, but now that I’m home for good and not just for a week, we had to face the truth.”
“Which is?” she asked breathlessly.
Brody kissed her neck. “We’re both still in love with you too.”
She sucked in a breath. Her knees went weak. “Wait.” She twisted her head again to face Brody. “You’re out of the service?”
“Yeah. I served one tour. It was enough. I wanted to come home and start school and reconnect with the people I left behind. I’m hoping you’ll be one of those people.”
Jade (Corked and Tapped Book 4) Page 3