by Roma James
“It would pretty much be like that,” I said. “Yeah. Sort of like dating each of us in turn.”
“And you don’t think that’s… I don’t know… a little sexist?”
I cocked my head to the side as I looked at her. “That’s certainly not how I like to think about it, but I’m not going to argue with you if that’s the way you see it.” I held my hands open. “The way I see it, there are three men who are all attracted to you. You are attracted to all three of us, right?”
“Yes, but—”
“Okay,” I continued, cutting her off. If she wanted to walk away from the deal, that was fine. If she wanted to think I was a sexist, that was fine, too. But I was going to get the chance to defend myself, or to at least make my point. “There isn’t any law or rule that you only have to date one person at one time. Single men and women go on dates with different people. There’s nothing scandalous about that. If you had met us all individually, you might go on a date with me one week, Cody the next, and Jaeger the week after that. You wouldn’t necessarily tell each of us that you had been on dates with the other two, but you certainly wouldn’t be expected to commit to any one of us on the first date, either. Does that make sense so far?”
She nodded slowly. “Yes.”
“And does that sound like an accurate description of how dating goes for most people? I’m not on any of those apps, so maybe I’ve got it a little mixed up, but… I’m pretty sure that’s how it goes, yeah?”
“Yes,” she agreed. “That sounds pretty accurate. I wouldn’t be expected to settle down and date one guy exclusively just because we went out to dinner once.”
“Exactly,” I said, smiling. Now we were making progress. “So why should Cody, Jaeger, or I expect you to pick just one of us? You’ve only just met all three of us. But I don’t know how much time we have here, so there’s no reason why we can’t do something that suits our particular arrangement. The only difference really is that we’re all completely open about what’s going on. We don’t want you to choose. And why should you have to? Date all three of us if you want to… but I will warn you that it is a lot to handle. None of us are shy, quiet men. I don’t know for sure that you can keep up.”
The last bit was pretty much a blatant challenge, and it had the result I’d fully anticipated. Her eyes flashed and she tossed her head back, a sly smile spreading across her lips.
“Oh, I can definitely keep up,” she said. “That won’t be a problem at all.” She stopped and regarded me for a moment, as if she were appraising an offer—which, I guess she technically was doing. “Okay, Ty. Everything you’ve said actually makes sense. Maybe that means I’m crazy, but I’m going to at least consider doing things your way.”
“That’s all I wanted,” I said, grinning. “Just give it a try. I think you’re going to find that you like it more than you might have suspected. And if you don’t…” I shrugged. “No harm, no foul. We’ll just go back to the way things have been up to this point.”
“Okay,” she nodded. “O-kay. Yeah, I’ll give it some thought and get back to you.”
I reached out to stroke her cheek again, then leaned in close. “Maybe I can leave you with a little something more to think about…”
I kissed her again, taking my time but also taking her the way I wanted her—urgently, deeply, like she was the only thing I needed, the only thing that mattered.
And then I pulled away, standing up and leaving her staring back at me, her sexy mouth still open as I gave a little wave and opened the door to leave.
“Good night,” I said, finally. “Be sure to give that some thought.”
Chapter 9 - Grace
I stood in the middle of my closet, looking at the racks of clothes hanging there like it was the first time I’d really seen them.
It had been so long since I’d been on an actual date that I couldn’t really remember what I’d worn then.
What had I worn?
A skirt? Slacks?
I shook my head. Whatever it was, it would no doubt be hopelessly outdated by now. It had literally been years since I’d been even halfway serious with a man.
And even though this was just a date—certainly nothing serious yet—I still wanted to make a good impression.
Which was ridiculous, really.
It was Jaeger, after all, and he had seen me in scrubs, in a lab coat, in sweatpants, in jeans… there wasn’t much I could have done to make myself more unattractive if I had tried.
I couldn’t help but laugh to myself at the thought. Even through all of that, he had still looked at me like I was a piece of candy.
They all three had.
So, this would just be the first date of many—well, at least the first of three—and I shouldn’t be stressing so much about what to wear to a steakhouse in Grey Ridge.
Flipping through the hangers, I quickly ruled out most of my outfits as either too boring or too old. I was left with a mix-and-match assortment of four tops, three skirts, and a couple of short summer dresses.
Mental note: Make time for some clothes shopping in the near future.
But maybe it said something about my state of mind that I was stressing about clothes for one of the few times in my entire adult life rather than the fact that I was seriously considering going on three dates with three separate men in the span of a few days.
Three men who were all practically strangers just a week ago, even though I felt like I was getting to know them better and better—particularly after kissing each of them.
Three men who not only all knew I was going on dates with each of them, but who actually encouraged it.
It was honestly mind-blowing. But also… maybe a little liberating?
None of us had to worry about the others finding out. I didn’t have to juggle phone calls or deal with jealousy issues—at least, none that I had seen so far.
It was literally the best parts of dating, with all the tedious, deceptive bits left out.
The more I thought about it, the more I wondered why more people didn’t approach dating the same way.
Finally, I just chose one of the summer dresses—a flowing white one with a cute sunflower print. Not too low-cut. Not too short. But not too boring, either. It was certainly more revealing than anything else I’d worn around any of the guys, so that had to count for something, right?
A few minutes later, I was dressed and double-checking—and second-guessing—myself in the mirror. My hair was down, but should I wear it up? It was a summer sort of outfit, after all.
But no. This was dinner.
Hair down, but straight. That would be good enough.
It would all be good enough for tonight, honestly.
Maybe.
Hopefully.
Ready or not, this date was happening in about twenty minutes.
It only took one look at Jaeger’s face to realize I had spent all that time worrying for nothing.
Not because he didn’t look good, though.
Of the three men, Jaeger was the one who looked the most like he could have been a model at one of those trendy stores with black and white posters of half-naked pretty boys on the walls.
Except he wasn’t quite that kind of guy, either.
A little darker.
A little rougher.
But still hot as hell in his painted-on jeans and button-down shirt.
Still, as sexy as he looked tonight, it was the way his eyes drank in my entire body when I answered the door that put nearly all of my doubts to rest.
It was the same way he was still looking at me thirty minutes later as we sat across the table from each other.
“Have I told you how good you look tonight?” he asked.
I waited a beat for the added bit of sarcasm that I was used to getting from him, but it never came. Just a simple, seemingly honest compliment. And even though he had said that same thing more than once tonight, I still didn’t quite know how to take it.
“You mentioned it once or t
wice,” I answered, smiling and hoping that the heat I could feel rising in my cheeks looked more sexy than self-conscious. “But I still enjoy hearing it. You look…” I paused, taking a moment to appreciate the fine view in front of me. “You look really good, too. Really good.”
The cocky smile I’d been missing spread across his face. “You think so? I think we look pretty damn good together—your yellow dress and my blue shirt. Just saying…”
I laughed. I couldn’t argue with him, though. There had been more than a few people turn to look when we walked through the doors, and even now I could see the occasional woman turn to check him out.
He probably could have had any of them if he had wanted.
But he hadn’t even given them a second glance. I was actually more than a little surprised, given his habit of simultaneously flirting and being a smart-ass. It was hard to believe that he might only be acting that way with me.
Still, I was the only one in the room he was paying any attention to.
“This place has really good steak,” I said, glancing down at the menu when I belatedly realized I’d been staring right back at him. “I don’t come here very often, but every time I have, I’ve been pretty impressed.”
“Good,” he said, still grinning, still staring right at me. “I enjoy a good steak.”
I caught my breath and looked down again—hopefully before he could see me blush this time. Why did everything that came out of his mouth sound so sexy, but so dirty at the same time?
And why did it never fail to turn me on?
“I’m not even sure what I want yet, but I was thinking about maybe a salad?” I swallowed hard, feeling his eyes still on me even though I hadn’t looked back up to know for sure. “Or maybe the, um, chicken? Or a steak. The steak is good…”
He reached for my hand, bringing it to the middle of the table before covering it with his. “You said that already.”
“I-I did?” I looked back up to meet his stare. His eyes were dark brown, almost black, but there was a heat inside them that made them seem alive.
He nodded. “You did. But you don’t need to be nervous. I don’t put out on the first date.”
I blinked.
Then I laughed.
Then I laughed harder, a full, loud belly laugh that was definitely not appropriate for the first thirty minutes of a first date.
“I thought that might get you to loosen up a little.” He leaned in to brush his lips across my fingers before releasing my hand and sitting back in his chair with a smirk. “I mean, I might be willing to make an exception to that rule for you, but…”
I shook my head, still getting myself together after my outburst of laughter. I had to admit that I really did feel a lot less tense, though.
Just like I had to admit that even though he’d been joking—or mostly joking, at least—I still felt an electric jolt shoot straight through my body when his lips touched my skin.
“I get the feeling you break a lot of rules,” I said, finally.
“Maybe I do,” he replied, his grin growing even wider. “The question is—can I get you to break some of yours?”
This time I didn’t look away as the heat flooded my cheeks. “You already have.”
My date with Jaeger was still fresh in my mind two days later when Cody picked me up for our date, and I had to keep reminding myself not to try and compare the two.
Not only were both men so completely different that it wouldn’t have been fair to either of them, but the whole date was different.
Jaeger and I had gone out to have dinner in a nice, quiet restaurant. We had taken my car since I had straightened my hair and was wearing a dress that I didn’t want to have blow up over my head on the way there.
Today, though, I was riding on the back of Cody’s bike in a t-shirt and jeans, and we were on our way to the high school baseball game.
There were only so many things to do in Grey Ridge, and a girl can only go out for steak so many times in a week, so I felt like it would be fun to change things up a little for my second date.
Cody being the laid-back, easy-going guy that he was, of course didn’t mind when I suggested baseball for our time together.
“I guess I didn’t realize you were a sports fan,” he said, once we had made it to the field.
He took my hand and helped me up onto the bleachers, letting me walk ahead to choose a seat before sitting down next to me.
“Depends on the sport, I suppose,” I said, shrugging. “I mean, it’s only high school, but the kids here really get into it, and I love seeing their determination when they’re out there working as a team.”
Cody nodded thoughtfully and looked out over the baseball diamond. “Did you play sports in school?”
I laughed. “Not unless you count helping all of my friends with their homework and studying my butt off for scholarships as a sport.”
He turned to look at me, quietly studying my face for a moment before he replied. “I think you probably made the better choice. And scholarships are competitive, so… yeah, I’d say that counts.”
I smiled and reached over to take his hand, loving the way he instantly entwined his fingers with mine. Everything about him was just so steady and stable, relaxing and nice.
Cody was the kind of guy I could see myself curling up on the couch with on a Saturday afternoon, just doing whatever we felt like—or nothing at all—and both of us being perfectly content.
“How about you?” I asked. “Any sports?”
“Football,” he shrugged. “But I never took it very seriously. And I only played in high school. By the time I got to college, I was too busy trying to keep my grades up to spend time throwing a ball around.”
“Sounds like we both made the right decisions,” I said, quietly, looking down as he rubbed his thumb back and forth over the top of my hand.
The way he was looking at me made the butterflies that had been sort of playing around in my stomach spring into action.
Being around Cody made me feel safe and warm, but there was more to him than just that nice, quiet, guy-next-door thing. There was heat in his eyes, and a certainty in his voice no matter what he was talking about.
He wasn’t intimidating—okay, so his huge muscles probably would be intimidating if I were on his bad side—but sitting next to him made me feel protected, made me feel cared for.
It was sexy in a whole other way than what I’d experienced with Jaeger.
When he leaned in closer, I didn’t hesitate for a second to meet him halfway, letting him kiss me sweetly, his lips surprisingly soft and tender.
While Jaeger made me think of danger, Cody was the epitome of security.
Being with them—especially one after the other—was like night and day, and, so far, they were both making me want more.
Jenny stood in the doorway of my office without saying anything, a knowing smile on her face.
I waited a few moments, trying to finish some paperwork before my curiosity made me set it aside with a sigh. “What did I do?” I asked, finally.
“Hm? Oh, nothing,” she said, still smiling.
“Come on, Jenny. I know that look.” Now I was smiling, too, though. We knew each other way too well. Most days, we probably could have communicated solely with looks like the ones we were exchanging now.
“I just couldn’t help but notice how… peppy… you seem this week.” She shrugged, feigning innocence. “And I couldn’t help but wonder what had caused this sudden mood change in my best friend, since we normally don’t keep any secrets from each other…”
She was right. We normally didn’t keep anything from each other, secret or otherwise. Still… this was different.
Not that I was ashamed or embarrassed by the fact that I was dating all three of the guys who were currently outside building a kennel for free, but I also wasn’t so naive to think that anyone else would understand the reasoning behind it.
Even Jenny would probably be shocked, and she’d been around fo
r every single questionable decision I’d ever made.
Except I hadn’t really questioned this decision, had I?
I’d been too happy to bother second-guessing any of it. But she was still looking at me and expecting some kind of answer, so I would have to come up with something to satisfy her curiosity.
“I think the guys just bring a certain energy to work with them,” I said, finally. “You’ve obviously noticed it, too, or you wouldn’t be standing here smiling.”
She laughed and raised an eyebrow. “I’ve noticed the energy you’ve been bringing to work, and it’s an awful lot like the energy of someone who is enjoying themselves after work is done. Not that there’s anything wrong with that,” she added, quickly. “I think you deserve some fun in your life. I’m just dying to know which one it is.”
I rolled my eyes. “What makes you think it’s one of them?”
“Oh, come on. Who else would it be?” She leaned back in the doorway, looking both ways down the corridor. “And I notice you didn’t deny it.”
Now it was my turn to laugh. “You are awfully persistent today.”
I was doing my best to dodge her question so I didn’t have to lie. She had let me get away with it so far, but I could tell from her expression that she knew the game I was playing.
“Fine,” she sighed. “Don’t tell me, then. But don’t think that means I won’t keep asking, because you know I will.”
“I know you will,” I nodded, picking up the paper I’d tossed aside a few moments before. “But do me a favor and ask again after lunch, because I’ve still got a lot of paperwork to get through between now and then.”
She sighed again, more dramatically this time.
At least she didn’t argue. I was going to go ahead and consider that a win.
Hopefully my artful dodging would put her off for long enough that I’d at least get to go on a date with each man before deciding if it was something I could continue with. It would be pointless to tell her all the details only to turn around and decide it wasn’t going to work out for me after all.