Trusting Chance [Fate Harbor] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Caitlyn O'Leary

  “Can I take you out to an early dinner tonight?” he asked softly.

  “I might have plans,” she answered just as quietly.

  “Sam?” He watched as she nodded her head.

  “Come over to our house. All three of us can have dinner together.” Chance watched as her brows drew together in confusion. Betty had told him that Josie hadn’t caught on to her hints. She said that Sam had understood within two minutes of his arrival.

  “We’re all friends, and we’re all adults. I would love to cook you dinner. Sam can pick you up, and I’ll have dinner ready by the time you two get to the house. Just don’t get too caught up in any extracurricular activities, Zee, because I want to save that for dessert.” Chance laughed out loud as Josie’s eyes almost popped out of her head.

  “You can’t possibly mean…” Chance watched as her gorgeous brown skin flushed. “I mean, I don’t understand,” she gasped.

  “Oh, Zee! By your stunned reaction, I think you understand me just fine. I am saying, I want you to think of Sam and I having you for dessert.” Josie yanked her hand away from his, and hid it in her lap, but Chance took note of the fact that she didn’t leave the table.

  “What happened last night? Did you and Sam make love?” Chance reached over and traced his hand from her cheek to rest at the rapid pulse in her neck. “You knew I wanted you. We have something special between us. Don’t you want me?” Chance wasn’t playing. He let her see the hurt in his eyes.

  “Oh, Chance, I’ve wanted that, too. I’ve been confused, and then I met Sam…” Her voice trailed away.

  “Please come to dinner tonight.”

  “I don’t know, I don’t know if I can.” Chance saw such confusion on her face, but he also saw that she was tempted.

  “Take some time today to think about this, Zee. Sam and I both care about you, we both want you. Come over to our house this afternoon and let’s see where things lead us.” Chance reached for her hand, and brought it to his lips for a quick kiss, sensing anything more would be too much for her. He got up and waved good-bye to Elise, happy he had left Boston early. Now it was time to go have a heart-to-heart talk with his best friend.

  By the time Sam came to pick her up, Josie had already made up her mind twenty times not to go. However, each time she had reached for the phone, images of both men tumbled through her mind—Sam’s intense green gaze when he was looking at her nude body, and Chance’s devilish grin when he had issued his invitation this morning.

  Josie didn’t even wait for Sam’s knock. As soon as she heard his footsteps, she opened her door and stepped out on the porch. He looked up at her. “You look beautiful, baby.”

  Josie had put on one of her few dresses, and taken time to straighten her curly hair. It now fell to her waist. She knew she was twisting her hands in the straps of her purse, but she couldn’t help it. She was so nervous. Chance had made it clear what he intended for this evening, and the fact that she was on this porch meant she was considering it. What did that make her? Maybe Sam was here to tell her that he was opposed and offended. Oh God, she hadn’t considered that. She whirled around and reached for the doorknob.

  “Whoa, girl,” Sam was behind her, his arms encompassing her waist. “Josie, what’s wrong?” She pulled as hard as she could to get away from him. She couldn’t stand the thought of what he must be thinking of her. Just last night she had had the most wonderful experience of her life in his arms and now she was thinking of betraying him! She had to get away, she just had to. She grabbed the doorknob and tried to wrench herself out of his arms. He firmly kept hold, just moving with her, she could tell that he wasn’t allowing her to injure herself. That was when she finally gave up. She just collapsed in his arms, waiting to see what he would have to say.

  “Are you mad at me?” She sobbed out the question. Oh God, he must hate her.

  She fought against him again, and again he held her, until she quieted, and found herself clinging to his strong arms, sheltered, her back resting against his chest. She felt his chin rest on the top of her head.

  “Baby, I don’t understand, why would I be mad at you?”

  Josie was relieved that she didn’t have to look at him. The night was warm for Washington, and Sam was wearing a short-sleeved black T-shirt. She rubbed her fingers up and down his muscled forearms, enjoying the warm texture, the soft dark hair.

  “I’m betraying you.” She felt a soft exhalation of breath at her ear.

  “No, you’re not betraying me. Is that why you’re running? You’re worried about what I would think?” Josie could only nod.

  “Baby, I knew about this plan before we came back to your place last night. I wouldn’t have let things go so far if I wasn’t sure that I would be onboard with all three of us.” Sam placed a kiss at her temple. “But Chance and I want to talk to you. Have you ever considered something like this before?”

  Josie whirled around in his grasp. “Of course not! I’m not sure I’m considering it now, to be absolutely honest,” she bit out. “But it’s either this, or just let you both go, and somehow I can’t seem to do that.” Josie was still amazed at how important these two men had become to her in such a short time, but there it was.

  She watched as a slow Sam-smile broke over his face. “You look beautiful, baby.” He leaned in, and his mouth met hers, and she luxuriated in the feel of his firm lips as they caressed the waiting softness of her mouth. Finally, he lifted his head. “We need to go, before I take you back into your apartment, and I promised Chance I wouldn’t do that.” Josie saw that he was serious, and couldn’t help but smile.

  Once again, he led the way down the stairs, and this time since she was wearing black heels to go with her dress, she was actually somewhat relieved that he would be there if she misstepped. When they got to the parking lot, she saw that he was still driving the Audi.

  “I thought you only got to use that while Chance was out of town,” she teased.

  “Chance wants you to have the most comfortable seats possible,” Sam explained seriously, as he handed her into the passenger seat. He fastened the seat belt around her. It was such a little thing, but it warmed her each time he did it. Josie remembered that Chance had done the same thing for her the first time she had met him as well.

  In the short drive to the house, Sam asked Josie how her day had gone at Sweet Dream. The one highlight of the day was when Mr. Larsden had tried to bribe her to not tell Mrs. Larsden how often he came in and how many bear claws he consumed each week. Josie hadn’t known how to handle the situation. Finally, another customer came in and Elise told Mr. Larsden she would do all the talking if Mrs. Larsden came in with questions. Sam chuckled and explained that the same kind of deal had to be made at Hart’s Diner last year. Apparently, Svenga Larsden thought that her husband sampling food other than her own was the same as sleeping with another woman.

  By the time they got to the house, Josie was feeling much more comfortable. When they went through the front door they were greeted by wonderful smells coming from the kitchen.

  “We’re here!” Sam hollered as he led her toward the back of the house. They found Chance in the dining room. The table was set, and all the food was spread out.

  “Don’t think I wasn’t timing the two of you!” Chance said with a twinkle in his eye. He swooped in and embraced Josie in a huge hug. He held her back, and then bent down for a soft kiss. “I was glad to see it was more or less twenty-two minutes, which tells me that Sam kept it in his pants.” Josie burst out laughing. The man was incorrigible!

  “Let’s sit down and eat some dinner and just get to know one another as friends. Then we can relax in the living room over dessert and maybe—and I stress the word maybe—get to know one another as more than friends. Okay, Zee?” Josie looked up at Chance’s earnest blue eyes and then over at Sam’s steady green eyes, and nodded her head.

  “What’s for dinner? I’m starved.”

  By the time Sam escorted her to the living room, Josie was nerv
ous and in pain. What the hell had she been thinking wearing heels this long? She damn well knew what she had been thinking. She was having dinner and possibly having sex with two of the hottest men she had ever met, and she wanted to look her best, which meant wearing high heels. Each step shot another jolt of pain upward into her spine. She would slip them off as soon as she got on the sofa, but she knew the damage had been done. Soon her back would be in spasm, and she didn’t even have her medication with her.

  It had only been in the last eight years that Josie really ever stopped to take care of herself when the pain got this bad. From the age of fourteen to twenty-six, she’d been forced to fight through the pain, often without a brace, without medication, and just get on with whatever she had to do. Really, she’d gotten soft if she thought about it. Or, another part of her mind piped up, the part that quoted her doctor, you’ll end up doing further damage to your vulnerable vertebrae, if you don’t take care of yourself. Pain is the best indicator that something is wrong. God, Josie hated that voice in her head.

  Josie knew that more than likely she had once again compressed one of her disks against a nerve by wearing the heels. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred that had been the problem whenever she had overextended herself at work, or taking care of her sisters. A simple nerve flare-up was enough to cause severe pain. It had only been the one time that she had actually ruptured a disk and surgery was required, over ten years ago. She knew she was nowhere close to that, because she wouldn’t have been able to walk. So she sucked it up and walked cautiously to the sofa, and eased herself into a reclining position, hoping neither man would notice her less-than-smooth movements. As soon as she was seated, she toed off her shoes. Sam took them and put them over near the fireplace, before coming back to sit next to her.

  “Back hurting?” he asked casually.

  Josie looked up at him and gave him the best smile she could. “Oh, no, I feel fine,” she assured him. Just then Chance walked in carrying a tray with mugs of coffee and dessert dishes. She watched as Sam looked up at him sharply.

  “What’s wrong?” Chance asked quickly, as he set down the tray.

  “Josie just lied to me.” Josie felt a shiver run down her back at the dark tone of Sam’s voice, and she jerked her head to look at him, amazed that he had just called her a liar to Chance. Sam looked deadpan serious, then turned back to her. “You did lie, baby. You’re in so much pain I could feel it coming off you in waves as we walked from the dining room.” Sam’s voice sounded like a growl, and he looked really mad. It was beginning to make her angry as well.

  “Is he right, Zee? Are you hurting?” Chance’s trademark smile was gone, as he squatted down in front of her, looking directly into her eyes.

  “Yes, Chance, my back is hurting. But it’s nothing really, it always hurts some,” Josie rushed to assure him.

  “Ask her how long it’s been hurting, Chance.” Josie turned to glare at Sam. When did he become such a tattletale? Chance stroked his hands down the front of her thighs, and she turned her attention back to him. His blue eyes were brimming with concern and worry, and she couldn’t stand it. She reached out and touched his cheek, then frowned, because even that little bit of movement had hurt. Chance gripped her wrist, pulled it back from his face, put it back down into her lap, and turned to Sam.

  “I don’t understand. We had her sitting in the dining room chairs with the soft backs.”

  “It’s not the chairs,” Sam answered, his glance shifting to the fireplace. “I think it’s the damn shoes she was wearing.”

  Chance’s grip on her hand tightened, and Josie looked between the two men. Both of them seemed angry. She couldn’t blame them. She knew the purpose of this evening, and now they thought she was going to let them down. “Look, guys, it’s really not that bad. We can still do things. I’m really fine. This is just a little ache that I get almost every day.” As she looked from one to the other their expressions got even darker, and that just confused her. The confusion, the pain, combined with the build-up of this date was getting to be too much. Suddenly she just wanted to go home, and lick her wounds. She obviously wasn’t cut out for this. She was so sick of not measuring up.

  “Josie, come back to us.” Sam’s curt demand cut through her confusion. She looked over at him, and this time she saw concern as well as anger. “Where did you just go?”

  “Huh?”

  “In your head, you just went to a really bad place. I could see it on your face. Where did you go?” he asked gently. Sam lifted his arm and put it around her, letting it rest as gently as a butterfly on her shoulder, as if he knew any kind of pressure might hurt.

  “I’m just screwing this up, Sam.” Josie was aware of Chance still kneeling in front of her, holding her hand, but Sam seemed to understand her dark places, and it felt like he pulled answers from her, so she spoke to him. “Yeah, I really, really hurt.” She felt one tear drip down her face, and she swallowed so she could continue. “I wanted this to go right, even though I didn’t know where it was going. I care so much for both of you, it really scares me. You both seem to like me, and I don’t know why.” Another tear. “But now I hurt so bad I messed everything up and you just have to take me home.”

  It was at that moment her back clenched in spasm. She gripped Chance’s hand, and gritted her teeth, arching up. It was gone in just a moment, and she was left breathing like a horse that had just run a race. She looked at Chance then back at Sam, the tears falling freely. “Please just take me home,” she begged.

  Chance stood up, and she was in his arms before she could blink.

  “Baby, do you have your medicine?” Sam asked as he followed Chance down the hall.

  It took a moment for Josie to comprehend the question, and then she shook her head against Chance’s neck. She was having trouble forming words. Really? Really? Were the shoes worth it? She was going to give every pair of heels she owned to Goodwill just as soon as she was through dying, Josie promised herself.

  “She said no, Sam. No medicine. Do you need to go back to her apartment?” Chance asked.

  Josie felt herself being laid down on a soft comforter. It didn’t matter how soft, it hurt.

  “Seriously, just…” She paused to take another deep breath, then another. “Home,” she finished. “Just take me home,” she panted.

  “Are you out of your mind?” Sam snarled.

  “Zee, you’ve got to quit poking the tiger,” Chance said as he leaned over and brushed her hair from her forehead. “Sam is ready to spit nails, you’re not going anywhere. You’re staying here tonight. We’re going to take care of you.”

  “Josie! The last time it was this bad, did you have to go to the hospital?” Sam demanded.

  Josie just stared up at the two men. She really didn’t want to answer the question, but it was Sam’s fierce glare that forced her answer.

  “Yes. I needed a shot,” she admitted.

  “Gee, I can’t imagine anyone overdoing it so badly that they would need a shot,” Chance said sarcastically. Josie cringed at his tone, and her face crumpled. Now he was making fun of her, and she felt bad enough as it was. “Oh, Zee, I’m sorry. I was talking about Sam, not you.” Chance leaned down and kissed her tear-stained lips, one kiss after another, until she finally believed him. When he drew back, she saw Sam standing beside the bed with a syringe.

  “Baby, what my asshole of a friend is trying to tell you, is that I have been known to overdo and bring on my own migraines. He’s had to administer shots to me, when I’ve been too out of it. I checked out your prescriptions at your apartment, and this is just a stronger dosage of the same stuff. I knew we had a lot in common.” Josie was amazed to see the first real smile on Sam’s face since they had gone into the living room. It made her feel good to think he might forgive her.

  “Chance, hold down her arm, I’m worried she might move if she has another spasm while I’m injecting her.” Chance gently applied pressure to her arm, and Sam inserted the needle.

&nb
sp; “Josie, do you need ice and heat next?” Sam asked. She nodded her head, amazed at his level of knowledge. He left the room.

  “So you hate other people’s baking so much, that you’ll put yourself through this level of pain just to get out of eating it, huh?” Chance asked as he waggled his eyebrows at her. Josie smiled at his teasing.

  “I’m so sorry, Chance. I didn’t mean to ruin everything. I really did want to hear what you two wanted to say. I don’t understand how this could possibly work. Hell, I still don’t understand why either of you would be interested in me.” Josie looked away from his intent, crystalline gaze, and took stock of the room she was in. It was lovely. One window had cut glass, and the sun hit it in such a way that it cast rainbows throughout the room. Josie started to count the number of rainbows that seemed to flutter along one of the walls.

  “Josie, are you listening to me?” Chance asked.

  “Here’s the ice pack, I think we need to start with that,” Sam said.

  Chance picked her up, and Sam put the flattened pack of ice underneath her, then Chance gently settled her back down on the bed.

  “How’s that?” Chance asked.

  Josie wiggled just a bit, and realized that Sam must have crushed the ice so that there were no hard cubes sticking into her back. It made her eyes prick with tears that once again he had been so thoughtful.

  “Sam, it’s hurting her.” Chance moved to pick her up again.

  “Stop, I’m fine.” Josie held up her hand.

  “You were starting to cry,” Chance argued.

  “Sam crushed the ice. The pack doesn’t hurt when I’m lying on it.”

  “Of course he did, Zee.” She looked from Chance’s confused gaze to Sam’s embarrassed expression, and smiled.

  “You guys arth taking care of me,” she slurred. Both men chuckled. Sam eased onto bed on the other side of her.