“Answer me.” Quinn was as serious as could be. Not joking or moving. He was as still as a calm ocean, not a feat often seen in him from what Zach had observed. And he wanted that answer.
He shot Quinn a challenge. When backed into a corner, he did what any army man would do. Attack. “Are you attracted to me?” He tossed the words out there with a hitch in his voice.
“I asked first.” Quinn folded his arms over his chest and frowned back with just as much belligerence.
“And?” Zach waited, his eyes never leaving Quinn’s gaze. He wasn’t about to stop staring.
He felt Josie move beside him, but he didn’t turn to see what she was doing. He was too busy staring into the blue of Quinn’s eyes. The blue could challenge the sky and win.
“I asked first.” Quinn’s voice faltered a little. He moved his gaze away from Zach for a second.
Zach didn’t waver, even as Quinn’s bravado began to fade away, nor did he say anything more.
“Shit fuck damn. Okay, yep, I’m attracted to you. Happy now?” Quinn’s words were not furious, and he had a smile, but there was an undercurrent of frustration. Quinn was used to being alpha. He was going to have to learn Zach was in charge. And I think I know the way to show him.
Hold on. You’re not there yet. There’s still a lot to be worked out. Call your cock down.
Which was impossible at this point.
“Your turn.” Quinn tossed out a challenge much like he had earlier. “Time to answer the fucking question.” He arched a brow. The man did use his eyebrows often to get his point across.
Zach took the time to glance at Josie. She was guarded. Gave an appearance of being interested in the scene going on in front of her. She saw his attention and let out a small smile. “Answer him, Zach.”
Not that Zach wanted to. Ah dammit. Zach closed his eyes. His moment of not answering probably told them both everything they wanted to know. Busted. “I am.” Just as Josie was his type with her dark, smoldering Greek heritage, Quinn was his type with his slightly long dirty-blond hair and paleness. With his tightly muscled body. They weren’t exactly what he dreamed about. No one was perfect. But they were pretty close to his ideal.
Now they’d walk away from him. Josie would start, because how could she like someone who was attracted to someone else? Never mind that she is too. Both of them would bolt—because once she did, Quinn would be next. They’d turn their backs with their feelings plain on their faces; he was a freak of nature and should be condemned for it. He’d seen it too many times to count. With him. Reading history, only a few cultures prized anyone different. It was his lot in life to be an oddity. And alone.
Quinn’s smile was victorious. Wondrous. “Now doesn’t it feel good to admit that?”
It did, even with his doubts.
And neither of them had jumped to their feet and run out of the coffee shop. Yet.
And then Quinn did something that felt even better than neither of them leaving. He leaned over to place his mouth on Zach’s.
Quinn smelled of aftershave, and he tasted like mint. His lips were strong and purposeful on Zach’s. They pressed in for deep impact, and they had that effect.
Zach’s cock was hard and straining. He wrapped his arms around Quinn and tried to box him in so the embrace wouldn’t stop.
He forgot about the world and everything else.
Until he heard a strangled sound.
Josie.
Shit.
Chapter Three
Quinn noticed the stunned expressions on their faces and couldn’t help but grin. Not to mention, his cock was heavy, he was horny as all get-out, and the two objects of his affection sat in front of him. It didn’t get better than this. Unless he was in the bedroom.
Who would have guessed the ex-military man who sat brooding at the bar and watched him dance with such blistering and intense countenance would be bi?
Surely not Quinn. Though he’d had some hot and fast run-ins with his hand in the shower hoping the man would be. Or at least gay.
And then Rose had talked to him.
* * * *
She had been drinking at the bar at Temples when Quinn had walked up behind her. She’d turned to face him with a wide grin. Phil, the bartender, was smooching Neo, one of the dancers in Rose’s troupe. That was the first night Quinn had realized they’d gotten together.
“Hello, Quinn. Have a good night?” Rose had beamed at him, smirking as she played the part of a proud mother hen.
The tips he’d made would go far in covering some extra bills he’d figured he’d be skipping this month. It was amazing how dollars could add up. “I did.” He was jazzed and couldn’t stay still, as usual. “Thanks for asking me to participate in the revue.” He often said that to Rose. He didn’t want to forget her in his gratitude. It was going to be a good, easy job on top of the evil day job of grocery-store management that paid his rent. With this work, maybe he could eat and have electricity at the same time.
“You’re welcome. I’ve been getting comments about you. Lots of compliments.” She waved a hand. “You have fans, of course, which brings people back in. It’s working out well for both of us.”
“Comments? Wow.” Fans? He hadn’t expected that. Too funny. He liked to dance and had done some musicals in high school but didn’t have any formal training, nor had he danced in any capacity since then. Unlike Neo, who could dance classical as well and who had moves that would make anyone horny. And his actions must make Phil especially so, if the kissing going on behind them was any indication. They didn’t seem to be coming up for air. Lucky bastards.
Not that Quinn would ever find what he’d had before.
“Yes, indeedy, they are talking about you. And I’m sure you’ve noticed you have fans. Those who come every week you’re there and sit up front when you’re performing. Those who take notice of you.”
He made a noncommittal noise as he shifted his weight between his feet. He gazed upon the intense, dark man he’d seen a few times sitting up front when he’d perform. The man seemed to see into his core with that stare. He could burn several layers of Quinn’s skin off with his laser gaze.
Rose must have noticed his interest. “That’s Zach. He went to college with Tucker, Ally, and me.”
“Ah.” So Rose knew the man. He was a gorgeous hunk of meat. Down, boy. You’re seeing a woman, remember? Not exclusively. Not yet. He struggled with wanting both sexes, mainly because so many seemed to have problems with it. Straights tended to think he was gay, and gays dismissed him as gay but not accepting of what he was. And no one wanted him to bat for the other team when he was supposed to be with them, which he could understand and abide by. But that meant all good things must come to an end, because he liked to suck his cock and eat his pussy too. He wasn’t sure how he was ever going to have a relationship. He’d had one that worked for a while with a girl and a guy. That had played out well, even though the guy wasn’t bi, so wasn’t involved with the girl. But eventually sharing problems had popped up, and they’d all gone their separate ways. Maybe it took a total involvement of all three to solve the issues a ménage could cause. But so far Quinn hadn’t found that.
“Yes, he’s bi too. Actually.” Rose took a sip of her drink and seemed cagey, as if she had something to hide. Different from her openness when he’d walked up to her.
“Too?” He studied her and swallowed. “What?” He tried to play her suggestion off as incredible. How had she heard that about him? He tried to be cautious with his sexuality. But he wasn’t anal about it. He figured whoever knew would either accept it or move along, and he didn’t give a fuck about either.
“You’re bi. So I heard. Am I wrong?” She raised her eyebrows in a way that questioned without snark, but with a confidence that said she knew she wasn’t wrong.
“No. I am bi.” He didn’t hide his attractions either. Since she’d already heard and they were discussing it, he wasn’t about to deny what he was. Denial was a problem for so many both
bi and gay. Being different was a social stigma no one wanted.
She nodded, taking another sip. “Maybe you two should talk. He’s had problems since college dealing with it. Maybe you could help each other.”
Quinn could understand why Zach had had trouble. It was hard to straddle the lines. Quinn was no expert at handling his sexual proclivities either.
“You seem to deal with it pretty well.” Rose perused him closely. “I heard you even had a threesome going on for a while.”
He shifted his weight again. He’d been better at hiding his foibles than he’d thought if Rose wasn’t aware he still struggled. “Yep. Just experienced difficulties with the others sharing. I was fine with it.” Maybe too much information, but it was true. Everyone was inundated with the American-dream concept and the idea one had a soul mate. Quinn always wanted to know why there couldn’t be soul mates with an s? Look how many people had found love again after a partner was lost. Why shouldn’t he be able to find it with two at the same time, which was what he needed? The only thing that changed was the timing.
“Maybe you need to find the right guy. And, of course, the right girl. Ones who learned their kindergarten rules well about sharing.” She tipped her glass to him. “Oh, here comes Carl. I better get back to being Devyn. I didn’t realize it had gotten so late.” She blew a kiss at him. “Good luck.”
* * * *
And now here Quinn sat with two people who might fit the bill he’d been hunting for.
“Josie, I’m sorry.” Zach deflated. He rubbed a hand over his face. “I never meant for things to turn out this way.”
What the fuck was he talking about? Quinn moved around in his seat, getting comfortable. Why the apology? For kissing Quinn? If Josie had been more upset, he might have been inclined to apologize too, but considering she’d called them there because she liked them both and now seemed hot and bothered, he wasn’t too concerned.
She shook her head. “It’s okay, Zach. I wasn’t disgusted by seeing you kiss Quinn, if that’s what’s frazzling you.”
The way Zach’s face pinched up, it said that was exactly what he’d worried about. So that explained the apology. Yep, he’d been having issues accepting himself. Might take some convincing this could work. He probably had those ideas of the American dream cemented in his head even more than Quinn did. That was okay. If Quinn found Zach worth it, he’d use a jackhammer to blow those ideals out.
Quinn took Jos’s hand and rubbed her fingers between his. “It turned you on, didn’t it?” He’d seen her face. He knew even if she didn’t or if she tried to deny what she’d been feeling.
“Yeah. No. I don’t know.” She turned a soft shade of pink. Hard to tell with her skin, unless she really reddened like earlier, but he sat close enough to her that he could see it. “Quinn.” She sounded like an old schoolmarm when she said his name, and he was the dunce who’d gotten in trouble. Needed to nip that idea, as it wasn’t kind to his libido. Unless maybe she wore a schoolgirl outfit to teach…
“Look, we need this out and everything up-front. We need to know where we all stand. And you were turned-on. Ain’t no shame in admitting that. If I saw you and him kissing, I’d be hard as hell.” Even the idea made him erect.
She shook her head at him as though he were an errant puppy and she was trying to discipline him. “Thought hell was hot, not hard?”
For some reason he kept seeing her in a teaching position. Must be thinking of the song about the hot teacher. “Whatever.” He set her hand on the table. He needed his so he could move around and use them when he talked as he wanted to. “So here’s the thing. You two want to beat around the bush. I’m a more direct kind of guy. Can I sum up? Because we have time.” He laughed a little.
They both turned to him with gazes that said they thought he’d gone over the edge.
“Never mind. It’s a take on a quote in The Princess Bride.” They still blinked blankly at him. He put a movie night on his agenda. Everyone needed to see that film. He loved movies. He considered himself an amateur film buff. “Can I put some things out there so we can see if we’re on the same page? I’ll toss them out, and whatever sticks, fine.” He sat forward.
“Yeah.” Josie leaned back, seemingly in deep thought. It was going to take some finagling to get her into this relationship the way Quinn wanted her. But he could already see her resolve wavering. That was good.
“Sure.” Zach didn’t sound convinced. An act of God would be required to get him into the relationship. And even then he’d bitch, bitch, bitch the entire time.
Sure he’s worth all that?
He looked the body up and down. Stared into the intelligent eyes. Getting to know him was first on the agenda, but he did think Zach would be worth it. Time would tell on that.
“Okay. Josie likes us both.” He blew a kiss to her, and after a minute, she returned in kind. That was a good sign. “She wants to keep dating us because she can’t choose between us and be intimate with us both in good conscience.” He couldn’t wait for that. God help him, but that would serve to get rid of some blue balls.
Will you be happy? Let’s see, having a man and a woman at the same time? Yep, that would make him happy, even if the two dicks never touched tits at the same time. He’d never done a woman with another man before. Had to say he was curious, but he didn’t know if Josie would ever get to that point. The arrangement would work for him. Would it work for Zach?
“So far, so good. At least my part, anyway.” She glanced around maybe to see who was listening in.
He lowered his voice to accommodate her worries. “Zach is bi. I’m bi. I think he’s a hottie. He thinks I’m a hottie. We both think you’re a babe.”
“I can’t be a hottie?” Josie poked out her lip in a fake pout that accentuated her full lips.
He wanted to take that lip in his mouth and bite it. Only he wasn’t finished here. “No, only guys can be hotties. Girls are babes.” He showed her a wide smile. Then he eyed Zach, who sat watching them with some trepidation. “Relax, I don’t bite. Unless you’re into that stuff. Then I might make an exception.”
Nothing.
Too quiet.
“That right so far, Army Man?” He met Zach’s gaze full-on and dared him to answer. This military man would eventually have a need to go alpha on him. Least Quinn could do was give it back tenfold to make it happen.
Zach nodded. He was still not using his words. Maybe he hadn’t learned all he needed to know from kindergarten, so knowing how to share might be in jeopardy. But if he was going to be with Quinn, he was going to have to learn how to talk, or he’d never get in any communication. But that was a lesson for another day.
“So, babe, when you were telling me about dating some other guy, before I knew it was this dude, I was thinking how great it would be if the anonymous guy was okay with dating both of us. Would solve a lot of problems. And that was before I knew it was Army Man.” He glanced back toward Josie. “How would you feel if he and I were to date?” This was the easy question.
She didn’t answer right away. Which made Quinn both feel glad because she was considering it and tap his foot nervously because she might say no. “I’d be dating both of you? And you two would be dating each other? Just making sure I understand the logistics of what you’re proposing.”
For now. Who knew what might happen later? It might lead to a jumble of arms and legs and other good things to think about. But for right now, it would be separate but equal, which his other relationship had never had. Maybe that would help fix the issues. “Ayup. That’s the way I see it.”
Again, she seemed to contemplate her answer before she spoke. This wasn’t a woman who jumped into anything. He’d known that before but was seeing it in action here. Which made her talking to them all the more wonderful. It meant she had thought about her options and hadn’t gone off half-cocked. “I don’t have a problem with that, I guess.”
Quinn looked to Zach. “You okay with that arrangement?” He willed the
man not to give in to any questions.
But, of course, Zach had to muddy things up. “Are you sure about this?” Zach turned to Josie. “You’re one hundred percent positive you can accept this? It’s unorthodox dating.”
“Course she isn’t totally convinced, numbnuts.” Quinn sent his gaze to heaven. What was the man thinking? Josie had agreed to give them what they both wanted. A woman and a man at the same time, just not in the same relationship. It was something a bi dreamed of. And Zach was trying to ruin it.
They both turned their attention on him, and neither gave happy vibes about his comment. Was it the nickname? Or were they pursuing explanations? He went with the latter.
“We haven’t tried it yet. She won’t know until she tries it.” Stating the obvious was for pussies, and apparently, Quinn had become one. “The only way to know for sure is to proceed.”
“I think I can be—happy.” She gripped the sides of her chair a little tighter. “I mean, like Quinn said, I don’t know. But I think that could work. I hadn’t known how to pick between you, and this way I wouldn’t have to. And you can both be bi, with a woman and a man.” She blew out a breath. “It could solve a lot of problems.”
And create some more.
Zach spoke up. “I was thinking along those lines. But something a little different.” Quinn had wondered if Zach had that in mind. He had a feeling Zach wanted to take this a step further.
“Which means you don’t get off easily either, though, cupcake.” He was on a roll with teasing names. He’d have to find ones that made them react more strongly. So far they weren’t even shooting him dirty looks, save for the one, and he wasn’t even sure it was about the name.
“What do you mean?” Now she gawked at him confused. “I don’t get off easily? About what?”
Zach remained quiet after his outburst. He was going to take a lot of reeling in. Good thing that Quinn knew how to fish. And he had a big dick. That always worked to get someone in the door.
“That won’t be the end of it if Zach has his way. That’s just the beginning to us, I think. There’s more. A lot more. But we’ll start out that way and go as slow as you need.” Which wouldn’t be slow at all if Quinn had his way.
Dear Rose 3: Winter's Risk Page 4
