by Lane Hart
“You know what I think?” Ian asks and then rolls on without waiting for my response. “I think you’re scared of getting hurt, and that’s why you keep pushing me toward Gabriel. And it’s also why you won’t even consider giving this three-person relationship thing a real try.”
“Of course I’m scared!” I exclaim while throwing up my arms in defeat. “I really like you, Ian, and I think we could be good together. Gabriel is great too, but I think he could only ever love you. I guess what I’m trying to say is that it sounds like you’re trying to have your cake and eat it too, and that’s not realistic.”
“I’ve always hated that saying,” he grumbles. “You know why? Because you can’t eat cake unless you have a cake in the first fucking place!”
“Then how about this saying – you can’t have it all. I can’t be with two men! If it was so easy to do, there would be a lot more polygamists, don’t you think? Someone will get hurt, Ian, and I don’t want it to be me. I want a family with a husband and babies...”
“Jesus, woman! Just think about it for more than ten seconds. I’m not asking you to decide the rest of your life right now. I’m just asking you to consider being in a relationship with me and Gabriel. That’s it. Yes or no. Take your time, okay?”
“I already know my answer,” I start to tell him, but he’s already walked out the door and slammed it behind him before I can say it again.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Gabriel
“Hey, what’s up, bro?” Abe asks when he opens his front door and sees me standing on the other side. He’s barefoot in his jeans and white tee that has grease stains on it like he’s been tinkering with his bike in the garage.
“Sorry to just drop by like this, but have you got a second?”
“I always have time for my baby brother,” he says. “Come on in. I just need a second to clean up.”
“Actually, could we talk out here?” I ask him. While I love Mercy like a sister, this isn’t a conversation I want to have in front of her.
“Ah, yeah,” he agrees before he comes outside on the porch, pulling the door shut behind him.
I’ve been waiting forever to say this shit to Abe, and I know without a doubt that Ian is right. Now is the time to finally do it. It’s just not easy to find the right words, but I have to start somewhere. “There’s something I need to tell you before you hear it from someone else.”
Frowning under his black beard, Abe asks, “Everything okay? This sounds serious.”
“Everything’s fine, but yeah, I guess it is serious,” I respond before biting the bullet. Closing my eyes so that I don’t have to see the confusion or disgust on his face, I finally blurt out, “I’m bisexual.”
“I know,” Abe instantly responds.
What the fuck? When I open my eyes again, he’s staring at me with an unflinching, steady dark gaze.
“You know what?” I ask, because he couldn’t possibly know about this.
“I know that you’re into dudes.”
“How?” I rear back to ask, stunned not only by his casual response but also that he acts like it’s no big deal that, as he said it, ‘I’m into dudes.’ “What the hell are you talking about, Abe?”
“I found your stash when you were like twelve or thirteen before mom…you know,” he begins to explain. “One day I was looking for old shit to sell to make rent and saw a stack of folded up Jonas Brothers and NSYNC posters and earmarked teen magazines by accident in your closet. Their music wasn’t that good, and I never heard you listen to it, so I just figured you were into them as dudes or whatever.”
“Why didn’t you ever say anything then or before now?” I ask him in confusion. “You acted so…oblivious.”
“I was just waiting for you to tell me when you were ready. Didn’t think it would take this fucking long for you to tell me something so goddamn important.” Thumping his fist against his chest, he says, “That hurts, bro.”
“So you’re upset that I didn’t tell you sooner but not that I’m into dudes?” I ask, using his words.
“Hell yes! I’m a little insulted that you’ve tried to hide it for so long. Did you think I would really care?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I don’t!” he says, crossing his arms over his chest and still looking sad and hurt. “You’re my brother. You could fuck bears for all I care if it makes you happy.”
“Bears?” I repeat with a chuckle.
“Only a bad ass motherfucker would try to fuck a bear. And I happen to think that my brother is a bad ass!”
“Wow. I-I don’t know what to say to that.”
“You’ve got to say something. I’ve been waiting forever for you to come out. Are you and Ian doing the nasty?”
“How did you…”
“I’m not as dumb as I look. I just act like it. But I do want to know what the hell is going on in your life, so start talking. You went to see him in prison, like religiously. I think you saw him more than me these last few months.”
“Yes, Ian and I are…something. Maybe. I really don’t know yet,” I admit. “He’s adamant that he’s not entirely bi and that I’m the first and only man he’s ever wanted.”
“But let me guess – he doesn’t want anyone else to know?”
“Pretty much,” I agree. “Although he did suggest I tell you, so I guess he’s coming around slowly.”
Abe strokes his beard with his fingers a few times while his brow is furrowed in thought. Finally, he asks, “Is Ian gonna have a problem giving up women? Aren’t you worried he would cheat on you or whatever? I mean, if he does, I can maim him for you.”
“That is an issue, but I don’t want you to maim him. Ever,” I reply. “We’re trying to figure it out. Ian and I had a threesome with Peyton’s friend, Quincey,” I admit.
“No shit?” Abe asks, eyebrows lifting in surprise. “Sounds hot.”
“Yeah, it was hot,” I agree. Hot and now extremely complicated.
“Dalton and I used to share chicks back in the day. Don’t tell Mercy!” he adds with a whisper.
“Your secret is safe with me,” I tell him with a grin.
“And yours is safe with me. Always. You can tell me anything, and I’ll be there for you, bro.”
“I appreciate that more than you know,” I tell him before I throw my arms around him and he returns my back-slapping hug.
I can’t believe my brother already knew and doesn’t seem freaked out about my unique sexuality. Now I wish I would’ve had the guts to tell him sooner. It caused a big chasm to form between us over the years while I tried to hide who I am from him for fear that I would lose him. Which was stupid. I should’ve known after everything my brother did for me growing up that he would never turn his back on me.
My phone dings in my pocket, ending the moment, but I don’t mind when I let go of Abe to pull my phone out and see that it’s from Ian.
“Bro, your face. You’ve got it so bad for him,” Abe says when he notices.
“Yeah, I do,” I admit as I read the message. “And it looks like I better hit the road. There’s someone else I need to go see…”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Quincey
I’ve only been sitting in the coffee shop near the Emerald Isle strip for a few minutes when I hear a motorcycle rumbling down the road. Gabriel pulls into the mostly empty parking lot and climbs off his bike in his jeans and leather cut before removing his helmet and running his fingers through his dark hair.
It’s no surprise that he could turn a straight man bisexual with his pretty face and muscular body that I’ve seen every inch of. Gabriel’s gorgeous, nice, and an amazing artist, but I don’t think he could ever share Ian with anyone, which is what I know this meet up of his is about. He can’t possibly agree with Ian’s plan that would only end up with him hating me.
Still, I agreed to have coffee with him and hear him out.
As soon as he walks into the little shop, causing the bell over the door to ding, he glanc
es around and immediately spots me sitting by the back corner window. I wave at him in greeting as he comes over and takes a seat in the chair across from me.
“Hey,” he says with a smile, eyeing my cleavage in my snug, yellow dress for a second before his eyes return to mine.
“Hey.”
“So I guess you know why I’m here.”
“Yeah, I do,” I agree. “Is it so you can tell Ian you tried even though you think he’s nuts too?”
“No,” he responds as the smile slips off his face.
“Come on, Gabriel! You don’t have to lie to me.”
“I’m not lying. And yeah, I know it’s unconventional, but that doesn’t mean it won’t work.”
“Trust me, you would be happier without me in the picture,” I tell him.
Resting his forearms on the table to lean closer to me, he says softly, “That day with you and Ian in the shop was incredible. I’ve never felt that way with a woman before and then with Ian…I could barely walk afterward. In a good way.”
“That was just sex, Gabriel,” I whisper as I look around to make sure no one is close enough to overhear us. “And yes, it was good, but like I told Ian, I want more.”
“I do too,” he says. “I’ve always wanted at least two kids, maybe three. My own kids. And that’s not something I could ever have with just Ian. I know that, and I could let go of that dream if I had to, but I don’t think I do.”
My jaw drops open when I realize what he’s inferring. “You want me to be your surrogate?” I gasp in disbelief.
“No, I want you to be more than that. I want you to consider being their mother and Ian to be their father too. Kids need a mother. A good one. I know that better than anyone. Neither Ian nor I had one around growing up. Mine was physically there but not emotionally before she overdosed. And his, she walked out on him and his dad when he was still a baby.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know that,” I tell him.
“I have no clue who my father is. He’s not the same man as Abe’s I don’t think,” Gabriel goes on to say. “Ian’s father beat the shit out of him and knocked up his teenage girlfriend.”
“Oh my god. That’s why he assaulted him?”
“Yeah. That was Ian’s first felony conviction,” he replies. “So, neither of us know what a healthy relationship looks like from the inside. I’m starting to see it from the outside with Abe and Mercy, Chase and Sasha, Torin and Lexi. All the guys have found women who are good wives and will be good mothers. They’re lucky, because it’s not easy to find that with someone you love, you know?”
“Yeah,” I agree. “But it sounds impossible for three people to have. Someone will get hurt. I don’t want it to be me, and I don’t want it to be you either because I know how much you love Ian.”
“Ian doesn’t trust people easily. How could he after he was abandoned by his mother and betrayed by the only two people he had in his life when he was still a teenager? I know he’s scared of getting hurt again. I think that’s why he wants to try this relationship with me and you. Not because he’s hiding his bisexuality, but because it gives him better odds of having someone finally stick around and be there for him. And after all Ian’s been through, he deserves to be loved by more than one person in this lifetime.”
When my eyes water and overflow after that heartwarming speech, I have to grab a napkin out of the dispenser to blot my eyes. “I think you could love Ian enough for an army, Gabriel. He doesn’t need me.”
“No, he doesn’t need you. We do, though. We need you, Quincey. Ian has his sights set on you. You’re the only woman he wants. He won’t ever give up on you. And I’ll never be enough for him in bed, no matter how hard I try. But I can’t be angry at him for that. He doesn’t know it, but he won’t be enough for me if he’s not able to give me the family I want. With you, though, both of us could maybe have it all.”
“I understand what you’re saying. I’m just not sure that could ever realistically work.”
“Maybe it’s the only way it works for us three. Just…give us a chance. That’s all I’m asking for. We can even agree to no sex for six months or-or a year until we see if the three of us work as friends first.”
“I just, I don’t know,” I tell him. “I need time to think all this through.”
“Fine,” Gabriel says. “And I want you to reconsider about coming to work for me. The grand opening is Friday, and I think we could be a good team. I even called and got a referral from Clint Keller, your last employer.”
“Oh my god,” I gasp in shock. “You talked to Clint!”
“Yeah. He said you were a great assistant, never took time off and always knew what he needed before he asked for it.”
“Really?” I ask. “Did he say anything else about the breakup?”
Grinning, Gabriel goes on to tell me, “He said that you were beautiful, sexy, and impossible to resist, which is how he ended up dating you for a year before you broke his heart and he stupidly let you go.”
“He said that?”
“He did,” he answers with a nod.
“I found an engagement ring in his sock drawer and freaked out,” I explain to him. “He was sweet and cute and smart but so…boring. There wasn’t any passion, and I couldn’t imagine spending my life with someone who didn’t ever really excite me.”
Reaching across the table, Gabriel runs his fingertip up my forearm to the sleeve of my dress. “Ian and I aren’t boring. And even you and I had plenty of passion.”
Cold chills run up my arm, making me shiver. Gabriel is right. When we had sex, it was explosive. Not to mention how good I felt with Ian. Both men are gorgeous in their own way – Gabriel with his dark, mysterious look; Ian with his beautiful, blue eyes and a body that was made to do bad things. And I can’t deny that I would love to see the two of them together. It would be a hot fantasy come true.
“Fine,” Gabe says when he pulls his hand away. “I didn’t expect you to say yes right away, but promise me you’ll think about it all? Working for me and more?”
I have to clear my throat before I can respond. “Yes, I’ll think about it,” I agree.
“Okay,” he agrees with a nod before he pushes his chair back and stands from the table. “Oh, I almost forgot,” Gabriel says as he reaches into the inside pocket of his cut and pulls out a square sheet of paper. He unfolds it and then lays it down on the table in front of me. “I drew this for you last night. I know you don’t have any tats and it may not be your thing, but I could just see this one climbing up your ribs and ending along the side of your breast.”
The image on the page consists of three green vines of purple, blue, and yellow irises all intertwined. They’re like a beautiful watercolor painting that should be hanging in an art gallery somewhere.
“It’s beautiful,” I tell Gabriel; but when I look up from the page, he’s already gone. I want to ask him if the tattoo has a special meaning, but out the window I see him climbing on his bike and pulling off before I can even get to my feet.
Wanting to know if there is some special universal meaning for the irises, I grab my phone from my purse. A quick internet search tells me that Iris was a messenger to the Gods and the goddess of rainbows. And as for the flowers, purple irises represent royalty – the Savage Kings, I would guess. Blue irises symbolize faith and hope. And the yellow ones — well, they’re a symbol of…passion.
While I had never really considered having anything permanent tattooed on my body, I know without a doubt that I want this exact design inked on my side, right this very second. It’s too gorgeous not to be seen and admired, preferably by two amazing men.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Ian
It’s been five days since I’ve seen Quincey and told her to think about my offer; four days since Gabriel promised to talk to her. And while I keep checking my phone, there’s not a single text message or call from her, so I guess she’s made her decision.
At least I’ve had work to keep me busy. Coop
er has been spending day and night showing me the ropes on managing a busy club. The Avalon dancers were all getting antsy too, waiting for the new club to open, so the Kings agreed to allow them to start making house calls for bachelor parties and special events.
I’m just glad the prospect has been going along with them and playing the role of bodyguard so that I don’t have to. I have enough to do with organizing their schedules and payments and shit.
On Friday night, I finally get caught up, although even if I wasn’t, I would take time off for the grand opening of the new Savage Ink.
I haven’t seen Gabriel in days because he’s been helping Krista and Jesse, our two new tattoo artists, get settled in and putting the final touches on the studio’s interior for tonight’s party.
There are dozens of Harleys lined up in the Savage Ink parking lot by the time I get there, guys from nearby charters coming out to show their support. I still can’t believe no one told me about the bombings while I was in prison. It’s my own damn fault for not asking, but I can’t imagine how hard the past few months have been on Gabriel losing his home and his business that meant everything to him. Hell, even I was devastated seeing the place where I helped him start his tattoo career levelled, so I know it’s been tough on Gabe.
I head inside the glass double doors, jerking my chin in greeting at the bikers I pass as I move through the crowd and closer to the tattoo chairs. Of course, that’s where I find Gabriel. He’s gloved up and concentrating on the man’s arm in front of him as he works with a smile lighting up his too pretty face. I don’t want to bother him while he’s busy, so I glance around to see where I can find a drink. I have to blink hard several times when I spot a curly-haired waitress holding up a tray full of tiny colorful shot glasses. She looks like Quincey, but that can’t be her. Why would she be here tonight working as a server?
