by Jenesi Ash
He believed her, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted that kind of responsibility. How would he know if he was holding her back for her good or for his?
“You’re not disappointed?” he asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
“I am,” she admitted wryly, “but watching you in a threesome will make me feel better.”
“Whoa!” He stepped away and stared at Mia. Where had that come from? “What are you talking about?”
“I may not be ready,” she said with a pout, “but that doesn’t mean you guys shouldn’t do it.”
He was stunned by her generosity and selflessness. He knew that she had nothing to gain by the offer. “You would be okay with that?”
“I can’t wait to watch you with Jamie and Caleb,” she confessed, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. “But I better warn you,” she dropped her voice to a whisper, “I think Caleb swings both ways.”
Aidan laughed. “No, it’s not Caleb.”
She looked confused, her eyebrows dipping down. “Wait a second. What do you mean by that? If ‘It’s not Caleb,’ and I know it’s not you . . . “ Comprehension dawned on her. “Are you saying Jamie is bisexual?”
Caleb winced. He hadn’t mean to let that slip. If Jamie found out, she was going to kill him.
“She’s not,” Mia said in a weary tone, as if she had to say that a lot. “Yeah, there have been rumors, but people have said so many things about her.”
He didn’t say anything. He wasn’t going to lie to Mia, but he wasn’t going to dig a deeper hole, either. Aidan kept his mouth shut, like he should have done.
“She’s bisexual?” she asked, taking his silence as confirmation. “Why didn’t she tell me? Why didn’t anyone tell me?”
“Because it didn’t matter.” And he had a feeling that Mia was upset over the fact that Jamie didn’t share this information with her.
“Well, yeah. Then.” She motioned to the door. “But we’re . . . when we were kissing . . .”
“I’d better warn you,” he said, cutting her ramblings short. “Caleb is hoping for some girl-on-girl action. Jamie isn’t going to push her luck.”
Mia’s mouth dropped open in surprise. Her eyes were big as a blush seeped up her neck and flooded her face. “But she wants to,” she said softly.
“Do you?” If she did, he would make it happen. If not, he’d tell Caleb not to force the situation. He shouldn’t have tried to make it happen without Mia’s knowledge. He was ashamed for doing that.
“I don’t know. I never thought . . .” She paused. “What are you hoping for?”
Aidan smiled. “I want to watch the two of you together, but I don’t think you’re ready.”
“I don’t know, Aidan,” Mia bit her bottom lip and ducked her head. “This time, you might be wrong.”
Aidan stood on the bungalow’s porch, his mind chaotically whirling. He leaned against the brick column and looked out onto the street. It was easier to look outside than to analyze what was going on inside him.
It was one of those lazy summer days in Clover Bud. Everything was bright and cheerful. Homey. Men and women had specific roles, and they followed the double standards without question.
Aidan sighed and slid his hands in his jeans pockets. He used to think that he was different from those who lived here. He thought he was better. At least evolved.
Turned out he was just like every other guy in Clover Bud. He looked after his own—protected them and provided anything they needed. In return, he felt his word was law.
It was no wonder Jamie was fed up with the men in town. And now he understood why Mia didn’t want to live with him. It didn’t matter that he practically lived in her house. He saw his influence, as well as his stuff, but it wasn’t the same.
He wanted to live with Mia. He had thought it was in his reach once Jamie left. Now he knew that his goal was much further away than he had ever imagined.
All this time he had thought Mia was under Jamie’s thumb, believing in total independence and freedom. Now he realized Mia resisted living with him because he was a jerk. It hadn’t mattered how much he had tried to convince her that doing so was the next step in their relationship. She knew that if she took that next step, she would deal with the double standards in every aspect of her life.
Aidan heard the squeak of the screen door and looked over his shoulder to see Caleb stepping onto the porch. “What are you doing out here?” Caleb asked.
Aidan sighed and returned his attention to the quiet street. “Figuring out that I’m a hypocrite.”
“You needed to come out here to figure it out?” Caleb teased as he stood next to Aidan. “I could have told you.”
“I don’t want Mia in a threesome, but she suggested I participate instead.”
Caleb nodded. Either Jamie had already told him, or nothing shocked the man. “That sounds like Mia,” Caleb said. “Are you thinking about it?”
Aidan was, and he wasn’t proud of it. He felt damn guilty. Aidan knew he should have refused the offer and instantly purge it from his memory. How could he tell Mia she wasn’t ready and then turn around and jump into a threesome?
“Mia is all about sharing right now,” Caleb said as if he could read Aidan’s mind. “She wants to give everyone their fantasies and doesn’t expect anything in return. Right now your fantasy is the ménage à trois. She knows this, and she doesn’t want to stand in your way.”
“But I stood in her way,” Aidan admitted. It sounded worse when he said it out loud.
“I’m sure you have your reasons,” Caleb said as he looked out in the yard.
“She’s not ready for a threesome,” Aidan explained. But was she? What if it had more to do with him? Maybe he wasn’t ready for her to be in a threesome.
“You’re probably right,” Caleb said. “You would know better than me.”
That was true. Aidan had been with Mia for a year and had guided her through her sensual awakening. Now her curiosity and appetite were stronger than ever. He wanted to give her every opportunity, but only if she was ready.
Oh, who was he kidding? Mia was ready now. He knew it, and worse, she knew it, too. He couldn’t abuse his power over Mia.
“I think I’m going for the threesome,” Aidan said. He would do it first and have Mia watch. If it wasn’t to her taste, then they had risked nothing. If she was eager, then she would be primed for her turn.
Caleb nodded. “Why?”
The question surprised him. “To show Mia what it’s all about.”
Caleb glanced at him. “If you say so.”
Aidan didn’t like Caleb’s tone. “Why do you think I’m doing it?” Aidan asked.
“Because you can.”
Aidan bristled at the accurate assessment. “I’m trying to make this a weekend to remember for Mia. I want it to be the time of her life.”
“And yours,” Caleb added.
“And mine,” he admitted. Was that a crime?
Probably, since he was fulfilling his fantasies while saying it was for Mia. The very thing he’d accused her of doing. There was probably a spot in hell reserved for him because of this.
“Are you in or not?” Caleb finally asked.
“I’m in,” Aidan announced. His nerves were jittery. “How are we going to do it?”
“Do you need step-by-step instructions?”
Aidan didn’t find that funny. “Caleb, this is Jamie we’re talking about. You don’t think she has a strategy?”
Caleb turned and looked at the bungalow’s front door. “Shit. You’re right.”
“And knowing her, she’ll try to get some male-on-male action.” That was one boundary he didn’t want to explore, although he had no problems imagining Mia with Jamie. Aidan gave a deep sigh. It was yet another example of his hypocrisy.
“I got it.” Caleb splayed his arms out like a magician revealing a trick. “We use the element of surprise.”
Aidan waited for more details, but it soon became obvious that Caleb
had given him the full plan. “That’s it? I think we need something more.”
“Do you have a plan?”
“Does ‘follow our instincts’ count?”
Caleb clapped his hand on Aidan’s back. “Now you’re talking.”
FOURTEEN
“What are they saying?” Mia asked.
“Hush,” Jamie said as she lifted the lace curtain and looked out the window. “I can’t hear a word.”
She saw Aidan and Caleb standing on the porch. Their heads were down as they talked quietly. It didn’t look like Caleb was giving a pep talk. If anything, it looked like they were in a huddle making a game plan.
“I think Aidan is going to go for it,” Mia confided in her. “Just give him some time.”
“Of course he’s going to go for it. He’s a guy,” Jamie said, rolling her eyes. It was a matter of fact, but when? Unfortunately, they were running out of time. “I’m pissed that he’s not going to let you go for it.”
“It’s okay, Jamie.”
“How can it be okay?” It was just another sign of Mia’s inexperience if she couldn’t understand what she was missing. “You may never have this chance again.”
Mia shrugged and leaned back on the sofa. “I’m not worried about that.”
Jamie looked away from the window. “You don’t want to do it?”
“I don’t need to do it,” Mia clarified.
“Yes, you do,” Jamie insisted. “Today or tomorrow. This weekend is finding out what you need.”
“And I’m finding out more and more that I need Aidan,” Mia said with a happy sigh.
“Oh, God.” The dreamy look on her friend’s face was going to make her ill. Of all the things Mia could learn this weekend, that was her big epiphany? “You’re worse off than I thought.”
Mia gave her a sidelong glance. “Did you think I was going to have such a fabulous time with Caleb during the swap that I would wonder what else was out there for me? You thought I would dump Aidan after this weekend, didn’t you?”
Busted! It was true that Jamie hoped Mia would find someone else—someone who didn’t have double standards or who didn’t sexually dominate her friend. But, as much as she didn’t like those things about Aidan, he wasn’t a bad guy. Mia could have done a lot worse.
“No . . . not exactly,” Jamie said, trying not to look sheepish. Maybe Caleb was right that she shouldn’t interfere in Mia’s business.
She thought Mia would realize she didn’t have to hang on to her first lover. Jamie didn’t think Mia would cling to Aidan stronger than before.
“You don’t have to worry about me anymore.”
“Because Aidan is there to protect you?” Jamie didn’t know how she felt having him usurp her role as protector. She guessed he was the best man around to take on the job.
“There is that,” Mia agreed. “But this weekend I’m learning how to ask for what I want.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Jamie said with feeling. So what if it took this long for Mia? The girl had always been a late bloomer.
“Now we just need to figure out what you want.”
Jamie frowned and looked at Mia. “What are you talking about? I know what I want: out of Clover Bud as fast as I can.”
“Why now?”
“I saved up enough money.” That didn’t sound like a good reason. “And I feel claustrophobic in this town. I need to get out, and it’s as good a time as any.”
“But you’ve been acting like it’s urgent to move right away. Are you sure there’s not another reason?”
That was one question Jamie didn’t want to answer. She looked out the window and saw Aidan and Caleb heading back into the house. She let the curtain fall. “They’re coming.”
“So?” Mia asked with a laugh as she watched Jamie rush over to the sofa.
She leaped over Mia and plopped down on the cushion next to her. “Act natural,” she ordered as she scrambled to an upright position.
Mia raised an eyebrow. “I am.”
Caleb opened the front door, letting the scorching heat of the summer day billow in. Aidan walked into the living room, and he waited until Caleb had closed and locked the door. They both approached Mia and Jamie. Jamie saw their determined, almost grim expressions.
Where the hell had she gone wrong? Her plan to introduce the idea of a ménage à trois should have worked. She really hadn’t expected any resistance to the idea. Now the whole weekend was ruined.
“What’s up, guys?” Mia asked, breaking the tense silence.
“We want a threesome,” Aidan said, “with Jamie.”
Jamie couldn’t hide her surprise. Aidan had agreed to the ménage à trois? How had Caleb managed that?
She recalled how they had their heads together while talking on the porch. Jamie’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. What else did they want? Did Aidan have some stipulations? She didn’t care as long as she could get Mia into the fun.
“Why not Mia instead of me?” she asked.
“Don’t start, Jamie,” Mia said quietly.
Jamie had to. She’d started this for Mia. The idea of a ménage à trois was for Mia to compare Aidan and Caleb. Of course, Jamie couldn’t tell that to the guys.
But Mia was worried about the fact that she couldn’t tell which guy she’d had sex with in the bathroom. Personally, Jamie didn’t see that as a problem, but Mia was really concerned.
So was this how Mia could study Aidan’s and Caleb’s techniques? By watching them in a threesome? That might help, but Jamie didn’t think so. She was all for hands-on learning.
“I suggest you do it right here,” Mia said, as she rose from the sofa.
Here? In the living room? Jamie glanced at the carpet on the floor and shivered, knowing she was going to suffer rug burns.
“We’ll need something sturdier than that sofa,” Caleb said. “Like a straight-back chair.”
“Of course,” Mia said. “There’s no way all three of you will fit on this. Stay here.”
“Where are you going?” Jamie asked. Mia was going to watch, wasn’t she?
“I’m getting one of the kitchen chairs.”
“One second,” Jamie said to the men as she followed Mia into the kitchen. She was trying to think of a way to include her friend, but how was she going to succeed when Mia was quite happy to stay in the shadows?
“Mia, this is great that Aidan agreed. Now we have to find a way for you and me to switch roles.”
Mia gave Jamie a curious look. “Are you having second thoughts about a threesome?”
“Of course not.”
“I’m not doing it.”
Jamie huffed with annoyance. “Why are you giving up?”
“I’m not,” Mia said. “You need to be patient.”
“Fine.” She’d wait until Aidan was far gone, on the verge of an orgasm, and she’d have Mia join them.
“Don’t try to include me in,” Mia warned, “especially when everything gets hot and heavy.”
Jamie’s eyes widened. “How did you know what I was thinking?”
Mia chuckled. “You’re very easy to read.”
God, she hoped not. Jamie tried to keep her expression blank and act as if Mia’s words hadn’t struck fear in her. She said nothing as she watched Mia hoist the chair and walk back to the living room.
Jamie knew she should be excited about taking part in a threesome. They didn’t happen as often in her life as she would like.
But having Mia watch on the sidelines was going to be a problem.
Jamie slowly returned to the living room, not sure what to do. She wanted to do this—who could refuse two hot guys at the same time—but for once, she didn’t have a strategy.
Mia placed the chair in the center of the carpet just as Caleb walked in the room from the other doorway. She didn’t know exactly what Aidan and Caleb had in mind. Wouldn’t it be easier for everyone if they lay down on the floor? In her opinion, it would offer lots of space to maneuver and little chance of falling. Sh
e guessed it went to show how little she knew about group sex.
Her lack of knowledge had never bothered her before. She was curious, but she would have to be patient. Watching Jamie in a threesome was enough for now. It had to be.
She walked back to the sofa and sat down just when Aidan blocked Jamie’s entrance into the living room. Mia tucked her legs underneath her, enjoying.
Aidan reached for Jamie, holding her upper arms and turning her slightly so that Mia could see everything he would do to her. Caleb stood behind Jamie, his hands on her hips.
Aidan lowered his head and claimed Jamie’s lips. By her muffled squeal, Mia knew he was grinding his mouth against hers. Mia pressed her lips together, imagining what it was like. She grinned when Jamie grasped Aidan’s face with both hands and deepened the kiss.
Caleb glided his hands over Jamie’s shoulders. He curled his fingers along her throat and jaw, gently pulling her away from Aidan. Jamie turned her head and kissed Caleb.
Aidan’s hands slid up and down Jamie’s waist. His touch was rough, drawing a gasp from Jamie. He covered her breasts with his hands and squeezed. His fingers looked large against Jamie’s voluptuous curves.
Jamie arched back, thrusting her breasts deeper into Aidan’s hands as she continued to kiss Caleb. She gasped against Caleb’s mouth when Aidan thrust one hand down her shirt, stretching the camisole top to feel her naked breasts.
Jamie moaned and pulled her lips away from Caleb. But Caleb captured her mouth and continued the long, wet kiss. Aidan grasped Jamie’s chin, and his hands bumped against Caleb’s. He turned her face toward him and kissed Jamie again, erasing the taste and feel of Caleb.
Mia’s breath hitched in her throat as she watched the men fighting over Jamie. Would they compete over her own attention like this? Or would they try to prove which one was the better lover?
But it was more than sharing a woman. Caleb and Aidan were fighting for domination, for control.
From the looks of it, Jamie liked it. And why shouldn’t she? Mia wondered. Because, really, Jamie was the one who was in control of these two men.
Aidan was the first to pull away, much to Mia’s surprise. “Take off her shirt,” he ordered Caleb. “I’ll take off her shorts.”