“Of course, don’t worry about it.”
“I’m not distracting you from work, am I?”
“I’m never one to complain about distraction. Seriously, don’t worry about it.”
“Okay.” She opened the door and immediately walked into the living room and collapsed on the sofa.
“Sorry, I’m being a bad hostess. Do you want a soda or anything?” she asked. “Or a glass of water?”
“Don’t you worry about me.” He sat down on the couch next to her and wrapped her up in his arms, pulling her into his chest. “You just relax now.”
All of a sudden, Carissa started to sob. “S-s-someone wants to hurt me,” she bawled. “I don’t know who it is, o-o-or why they really hate me so much that they’d vandalize my car.”
“We’ll figure it out,” Del said, stroking his hands up and down her arms, trying to soothe her.
“N-no we won’t. We don’t have any witnesses. It could be anyone.”
“It was probably just some dumb kid. I promise you’re going to be fine.”
“Wh-what if one of Perry’s parents did it?”
“What, because they don’t like your project?”
“Yeah.”
“They’re not the type to resort to vandalism, especially not for something like a thesis project they happened to not like.”
“What if it was because they found out I’ve gotten involved with the two of you?”
“I doubt Perry’s parents even knew you were over last night. It’s not like they send spies out to follow him or something. He has his own place, and they don’t talk every day.”
Carissa took a deep breath. “I’m sure word got around about me kissing you guys at the Boom Boom Room the other night. I know people saw us leave Hester’s together. They’ve probably figured out that something is going on.”
“I still don’t think they’re the kind of people to sneak onto someone else’s property late at night and slash their son’s girlfriend’s tires. They might be hostile toward you and they might not like Perry seeing you, but he’s their son. Besides, they’re more the type to do the passive-aggressive thing, rather than something so overt.”
Carissa giggled. “Fair enough. You’re probably right. I just can’t stop worrying. If Perry’s parents were behind this somehow, it might have serious consequences for whatever this thing is that’s happening between the three of us.”
“I’m sure whoever is doing this would love to throw a little extra tension into our mix, yes. I’m sure it’s not Perry’s parents. I’ve known them since I was a little kid. I vouch for them completely.”
Carissa gave a little smile. “I believe you.”
“Excellent.” He leaned down to kiss her, reveling in the sparks that flew between their lips, despite the morning’s stress.
“Thanks for taking such good care of me, by the way,” Carissa said as she snuggled back into him.
“My pleasure, really. I’m glad I was able to take care of you when you needed support.”
“I have to admit. You never quite struck me as the heroic type.”
“Oh?”
“You’re just so goofy and carefree, you know?”
“Yeah, but I’m also always there to support people when they need it.”
“I can see that now.” Carissa yawned. “Mind if I just doze for a while?”
“No problem.”
“You can put on the TV if you want. It won’t bother me.”
“I’m happy to just lie here.”
“Okay.”
As Del felt Carissa’s heart rate slow and heard her breathing change, he began to relax as well. Yet there was something nagging at the back of his mind that kept him from falling asleep with her—the realization that he had made up his mind about how he felt about her. To his surprise, he loved her as he hadn’t loved anyone before.
Chapter 7
Carissa woke up to the sound of someone knocking on the door.
“I managed to take off work a little early today,” Perry said as Carissa opened the door and let him in. “I wanted to check on you.”
“I’m okay. Del and I got my car to the repair shop, and we basically crashed after that. The shock of this morning, combined with staying up too late last night, really left me drained. Not that I regret the staying up too late part.” She grinned.
“None of us do.”
“Hey, man, could I ask you something?” Del said, trying to conceal the nervousness in his voice.
“Sure, what’s up?”
“Um, I meant in private.”
“Carissa—”
“Believe it or not, I can go hang out in my room for a few minutes while you boys chat. Just come grab me when you’re done. Don’t take too long, either. Maybe we could get a quickie in before anyone else gets home.” She winked and hurried up the stairs.
“So what’s wrong?” Perry asked.
“I think I might be in love with Carissa. No, that’s not true. I am in love with Carissa. I’m in love with someone for the first time in my entire life, and I don’t know what the hell to do about it.”
Perry’s face broke out in a grin. “Del, man, that’s fantastic. I’m so glad to hear you say that. I’ve been hoping for this since the second I met Carissa. I knew right away that she was the woman for me, and I always wanted to be in a ménage marriage with you. I’m thrilled that you love her the way I do.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Who said anything about marriage? I’m freaking out over the simple fact that I love her. The thought of marriage is completely terrifying.”
“Oh, come on. You love her. What could be wrong about getting to be with the love of your life and your best friend every night?”
“I’m not really a commitment kind of guy.”
“Carissa’s different, though. You know that.”
“Obviously. I mean, the fact that I feel anything for her is completely unprecedented. I mean, what’s my next move? What’s my strategy?”
“Generally, when you find that you love someone, you make a point of letting them know.”
“Yeah, but–but what if she doesn’t love me back?”
“That’s a risk we all have to take with every relationship. Sometimes, you get hurt. It’s always worth it, though.”
“I’m not so sure about that.”
“You wouldn’t know, because you’ve never tried. I have quite a bit of experience with this sort of thing, though. You’re just going to have to trust me.”
“You already knew you loved her?”
“From the moment I saw her standing on my doorstep.”
“Why haven’t you told her yet?”
“I wanted to wait and see if you were going to fall for her, too. Carissa is the one for me, but I couldn’t imagine settling down with her if you weren’t interested. I had to wait and see how you felt.”
“So you want to tell her.”
“Of course I do. I can’t wait.”
“It’s worth the risk of her not feeling the same way?”
“First of all, after last night, I’m pretty sure she feels the same way. Even if I’m wrong, yeah, it will be worth it.”
“Okay. But no more talk of marriage just yet, okay? I need to take this one step at a time.”
“Fair enough. No talking about marriage until you feel more secure.”
They both turned at the sound of a key turning in the door, and Wendy, Arthur, and George walked in.
“Oh!” Wendy exclaimed, “I was wondering whose car that was parked in the driveway. Is Carissa okay?”
“She’s fine,” Del said. “She’s just upstairs. I spent the day relaxing with her to help her calm down after the chaos of this morning.”
“Thanks for being there for her. I know she was trying to be strong so we could go about our days, but I hated to leave her alone when she was clearly distressed,” Wendy said.
“What are the two of you doing down here, then?” George asked.
Del hesitated for a mome
nt, but finally decided to try being both honest and discreet. “We needed to have a private chat about something.”
George raised his eyebrows. “Oh? Anything we need to be privy to?”
Perry blushed. “Well, technically yes, but we think Carissa should hear about it first.”
“I take it you have feelings for our niece, then. Feelings of a serious nature, perhaps?”
“You could say that, yes,” Del said. “I know it’s very soon, that she’s just getting to know us, but we can’t help it.”
Wendy smiled. “I’d be lying if I said I’d never heard of a whirlwind romance before. We’re just glad that she makes you so happy.”
Perry’s grin matched Wendy’s. “So are we.”
“Well, I think that this news calls for a celebration,” Wendy said. “Arthur, call the Williamses and the Jacobsens. George, call our daughter and figure out why she’s not home yet. I’m going to throw an impromptu dinner party.” She hurried into the kitchen and came back with a chilled bottle of champagne and three flutes and shoved the bundle into Perry’s hands.
“If we’re going to be celebrating your love for our niece, she should probably know about it in advance. Why don’t you tell her in style?”
As they hurried up the stairs, Del realized that he was actually nervous. He was relieved that Wendy had given Perry the glassware, because he could not stop his hands from shaking, even as he knocked on the bedroom door.
“Finally,” Carissa said as she opened the door. “It took you long enough. What were you doing down there?” She glanced at Perry, who was setting the champagne flutes down on her desk. “What on earth do you have champagne for?”
“Th-there’s something we want to tell you,” Del said, silently cursing himself for suddenly having developed a stutter.
“You need champagne to tell it? Seriously, what’s going on?”
“Del, why don’t you go first?” Perry asked, popping the champagne cork with such finesse that it barely made a pop.
Del tried not to glare at Perry. “Oh, I don’t know. I could always wait if you wanted to start.”
“Will the two of you hurry up and just tell me already? You’re driving me crazy.”
Del took a deep breath and took Carissa by the hand. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Perry said. “We both do.”
“I–I know this is sudden,” Del continued, wondering why his usual finesse had abandoned him. “We both know it’s a little irrational to fall so hard so soon. But we both think you’re perfect.”
“We understand that you might not be ready yet,” Perry said. “That’s fine. Take all the time you need. We don’t want to rush you. But we couldn’t wait any longer to let you know how we feel.”
For a moment, Carissa sat completely silent. Finally, she said, “How about you pour me a little champagne?”
Perry and Del glanced at each other, and then Del handed her a glass.
“Is the whole bottle for me, or are you two going to have some as well?”
Del reluctantly filled the other two glasses, terrified that his feelings really were about to go unrequited.
“A toast,” Carissa said, raising her glass. “To the two men I love more than I ever thought possible.”
Perry and Del broke into grins as they clinked their glasses to hers.
“Are the three of you about done up there?” Wendy called up the stairs. “Our guests will be here any minute.”
“Guests? What guests?” Carissa asked.
“Your aunt got wind of our feelings for you,” Del said. “So she’s invited our families over for dinner to celebrate.”
“What?”
“Is that okay?” Perry asked. “I’m sure we can get out of it if—”
“No, no, it’s fine. I’m just…wow, if that’s what Aunt Wendy does because we’re in love, what on earth is she going to do if we get married?”
“So you’d consider marrying us?” Perry asked.
“Of course I would. I mean, this whole thing is moving really fast and I’m not sure that’s what I want just yet, but I’ve already thought of it, and I’m going to keep thinking about it until I make up my mind.”
Perry grinned, and Del broke into a cold sweat.
“Quit dawdling!” Wendy called up. “Don’t forget to bring the rest of that champagne. We can serve it with the cocktails.”
Carissa turned to Perry. “Are you sure your parents are going to be okay with this?”
“Honestly, I’m not. That’s their problem, though. I love you, and if they love me, they’re just going to accept the fact that you’re a really important part of my life now.”
* * * *
The Jacobsens had already arrived as Carissa, Del, and Perry trooped downstairs.
“Del!” Elizabeth Jacobsen said. “We had no idea that you’d be here! Wendy just said that she had a surprise for us. Do you know what this is about?”
“If I told you, then it wouldn’t be a surprise, now would it?”
“So you’re partially behind this little scheme of hers, I see.”
“You’ll just have to wait and find out.”
The jovial mood tensed slightly when Camilla, Anthony, and Donald walked through the door. Carissa and Perry both stiffened, and even the easygoing Iris was on her guard. Fortunately, Wendy was a perfect hostess and greeted her guests as though nothing was out of the ordinary.
“Thank you again for coming on such short notice,” she said. “I’m so happy you could join us tonight.”
“It’s our pleasure, really, though I don’t know how you managed to get dinner for all of us together on such short notice.”
Wendy smiled. “I have my secrets. Now, let me get drinks for everybody.” She busied herself, making sure everyone had a glass of champagne.
“Are we celebrating something?” Donald asked, looking slightly nervous.
“I don’t keep secrets well, do I?”
“So what’s going on exactly?” Anthony’s eyes narrowed on Carissa, and she felt droplets of sweat starting to form on her skin.
Del took the lead. “This evening, Perry and I told Carissa we loved her. We know it’s soon, that he and I have only known her for about a week. She’s very special to us, though, and we’re looking forward to seeing what happens as we spend the rest of the summer together.”
“And?” Anthony raised his eyebrows.
“That’s it, Dad,” Perry said. “I know it’s a little unusual to make a huge pronouncement over falling in love, but Carissa is extremely special to both of us, and we wanted to let all of you know that.”
“So you’re not getting married?”
“We’re not planning on it at the moment. The thought has crossed all of our minds, of course. Still, we’re moving pretty fast already and don’t see any sense in rushing even faster.”
“Thank goodness.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Perry snapped.
“Well, dinner’s done,” Wendy said, jumping in, apparently to try to salvage the increasingly tense situation. “Shall we go sit down?”
Carissa watched as most of the guests departed for the main dining room, her stomach sinking as Perry placed his hand on her shoulder and whispered “Please stay” in her ear.
“My parents and I will be along in just a second,” Perry said. As he turned to his family, Carissa’s stomach tightened even further. The icy look he cast on his parents only added to the tension in the room.
Carissa already felt humiliated. She didn’t want to stick around to see the verbal altercation. She also didn’t want to run away in fear. Instead, she took Perry’s hand, letting his warmth give her a sense of security.
“What is it, son?” Camilla asked.
“I will not have you humiliate Carissa, nor will I have you degrade my relationship with her ever again. I know you are not a fan of her thesis project, but she is an intelligent woman, and she has a right to pursue the work that interests her. Furthermore, I
love her.”
“You might change your mind,” Donald said. “There are lots of women out there.”
“Only Carissa makes me feel the way I feel right now. Look, you don’t have to like her research. You have to respect the fact that I love her, and that Del loves her, and that the three of us are serious enough about each other to tell you all.”
Camilla sighed. “You have a point. I suppose that if you care for Carissa so much, we should be more open to accepting her. The three of us raised you well, and we should realize that if you trust someone, they’re probably worth it. I’m sorry, Carissa. Can we start over?”
“Of course,” Carissa said.
“I’m sorry, too,” said Donald. “You do seem like a fine woman. I appreciate your bravery in sticking by my son even in the face of resistance from us.”
“You do seem pretty special,” Anthony said. “I look forward to all of us turning over a new leaf.”
“We really should be getting to the table now,” Camilla said, taking her husbands by the arm. “Wendy always has such delicious food, and I’d hate to keep everyone else waiting.”
To Carissa’s surprise, dinner ran smoothly. Del’s family was even excited to learn about her thesis project, and Perry’s parents seemed to genuinely accept her presence in their son’s life. The best part was that she was seated between Perry and Del, and they subtly teased her all the way through the meal. Taking care to keep their families from noticing, the men alternated running their fingers down her forearms, around her back, and along her thighs. Each caress sent chills along her skin and made her cunt start to heat up.
As dinner progressed into dessert and coffee, they both had the audacity to slide their hands up her skirt, and she could feel traces of her wetness as they slid their fingertips away, spreading her juices along her skin. She could barely concentrate on her gelato and was half certain she’d half to sneak off to the bathroom and masturbate in order to make it through the evening with grace.
Finally, the Williamses and the Jacobsens got up to go.
“Your place or his?” Carissa whispered in Perry’s ear as they waved at the cars driving off into the night.
Jordan, Olivia - A Bride for Two Studs [Male Order, Texas] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 8