by Cole, Chloe
“I-I don’t even know what to say. Jace is gay. He doesn’t want me like that. We’re friends. And you, I didn’t know you were into guys.” Fire lit her eyes, and she sat up straight, her shoulders squared. “Wait, are you fucking with me? Is this a joke to get back at me for the bet? Because if it is, it’s not funny.”
“I wouldn’t joke about something like this, especially after last night. I see the way you and Jace look at each other. You can say it’s friendship all you want, but that kiss last night told another story.” Alec leaned forward and took her trembling hands in his. “You know what the weird part is? Even though I’m crazy about you both, I wasn’t jealous. That’s when I knew I had to at least try. And no, I’m not gay, but if I find a man I’m attracted to, I don’t hide from it. I think love is love, and if you’re lucky enough to find it, you grab on with both hands.” He paused and gave her hands quick a squeeze. “That’s what I’m trying to do. I care about the both of you. A lot. You each fill something in me that makes me a better person.” Even to his own ears he could hear the pleading undertone in his voice, but couldn’t seem to stop himself.
“Did you talk to Jace about this already?” Her flat tone gave him no indication of what she was feeling.
“No. I wanted to talk to you first.”
“Have you thought about the possibility that even if I say yes, he might say no?” Melody dropped her gaze to their clasped hands, the words quiet as she spoke. “Then where will we be?”
Alec put a finger to her chin, urging her to look at him, hoping she would see how serious he was about this, how much he wanted the three of them to be a single unit. “I don’t know. But I do know that I’m willing to risk it.”
“Easy for you to say. I could lose my best friend. Do you know what you’re asking of me here, Alec? Of us?” She gazed at him, confusion and pain clouding her eyes. “Even after spending most of last night wondering what you and I would say to each other today, I can honestly say I never thought it would be this.”
“Mel—”
She held up a hand, and he snapped his mouth shut. “I can’t do this right now. I need some time to digest everything.”
She stood, then went to her bedroom and closed the door behind her.
A wave of nausea roiled in his belly. It was done. Even if he wanted to, it couldn’t be unsaid. There was no turning back now, and there was nothing left for him to do but wait. He had no idea how long Mel would take to decide, but it was already long enough for doubt to toy with his mind. He might have just destroyed the best friendships he’d ever had.
He stood up and ran a hand through his hair, not quite sure what to do next. He turned for the kitchen. A couple of beers ought to quiet the voices that whispered he’d made an irreversible mistake.
Melody threw on a ball cap, laced up her favorite sneakers with shaky hands, then let herself out of the house and started walking. She lost track of time as she walked, turning the situation around and around in her mind. It had taken several miles and several stops, but after a hot-fudge sundae, a soft pretzel, and a hot dog, she’d finally gotten past the initial shock.
At first, it had been a huge blow to her ego. Almost as if Alec had said, You’re not enough for me, Mel. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized it wasn’t that at all. Alec was in love with two people, just like she was. And if she had the chance to be with both of them, she should take it.
Ah, but there was the rub. Jace could say no. And if he said no, it would because he didn’t want her. She didn’t think her heart could handle that type of rejection from him. Not to mention, if Jace said no, then who would Alec choose to be with? What if they both rejected her?
Mel kept pounding the pavement, her brain in overdrive.
She’d spent the better part of an hour thinking of all the things she stood to lose by agreeing with Alec and attempting to get Jace on board. It seemed important that she spend equal time thinking about all the things she stood to gain as well.
First thing: Jace as a lover. And really, even if that were the only thing, wouldn’t it be enough? As much as she always tried to categorize her feelings for Jace as past tense, it was time for some tough self-love and a bit of a reality check.
She was now—as she had always been—madly in love with him. That love had grown out of their unshakable friendship. It had been enough for a long time: to love Jace from a distance. But now they had crossed a line, and damned if she didn’t want to stay on this side of it. Their kiss had lit a sensual fire in her belly that still burned.
And then there was Alec. Sweet, gorgeous, sexy Alec, who made her heart pound with a new and wild love. She’d had one delectable taste and didn’t want to give him up.
So what if she really could have them both? Wouldn’t she be a lucky girl?
When Mel walked back into the house, Alec was on the couch watching an old black-and-white movie. He muted it when she stepped into the living room.
“Hey.” His tone was tentative.
“Okay.”
He sat up straight on the edge of the cushion, his expression hopeful. “Okay?”
“Yeah, okay. Let’s do it. Let’s try to convince Jace.”
“Seriously?”
Melody smiled. “Seriously.”
Alec jumped up and pulled her into his arms. He pressed his mouth to hers in the sweetest, most reverent kiss. Everything in her wanted to melt into his warmth, but she steeled herself and stepped out of his arms.
“Let me finish. I know Jace, and I know how his mind works. This is something new and different. It doesn’t follow the master plan he has set out for himself, so we’re going to have to handle this very carefully.”
Mel looked into Alec’s warm green eyes, then looked away. Until this was settled, she needed a clear head. “I think we actually have a shot of convincing him, but you have to do exactly as I tell you.”
“Good morning, gorgeous,” Melody said as she stumbled into the kitchen. Jace was standing at the stove with his back to her in a pair of loose-fitting sweatpants, snug tank top, and bare feet. The boy was always barefoot.
“Good morning, doll,” he said over his shoulder.
She was struck by a sudden overwhelming urge to stride right over and kiss him—not chaste like friends, like they used to do, but full-on, like lovers. Like the kiss they’d shared this past weekend. If he said no to their proposition, she didn’t know how she’d go back to the way things were after that kiss. But a life without Jace in it was unimaginable, so she’d just have to learn to deal with it.
God, I hope he says yes.
Between work and planning, it had taken two days to figure out how exactly they were going to broach the subject with him. In the end, Alec had agreed that they stood a better chance of Jace accepting the idea if it came from Alec first.
Since they’d made the decision, Melody’s confidence had grown. Maybe it wasn’t romantic yet, but she knew Jace loved her in his own way. They wouldn’t have been so close for so long if not. She also knew by the way Jace looked at Alec, watched him when he thought no one was looking, that he loved him too. He would see this was the perfect situation. But now that the day was finally here, doubts began to wiggle their way in. What if she was gambling the only thing, the only person, she couldn’t possibly function without? Was it really worth it?
Melody pushed confusion and worries away with force, then cleared her throat. “I hope you’re not making a gourmet breakfast for me today.” She poured a cup of morning thunder, then sat at the table. “I’m just going to grab a Pop-Tart and run.”
Jace spun around with eyes wide, mouth forming a perfect O, one a hand over his chest and the other holding the spatula out like a weapon. “Blasphemy!” He gasped in mock horror. “There’d better not be anything of the sort in my kitchen, Hellz.”
Melody laughed, then, feigning innocence, laid on her haughty Southern belle tone. “Why, sir, I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”
He turned back
to his task chuckling, and she relaxed a little. It felt good to banter with him again. The last couple of days had felt strained. That kiss had changed their dynamic on some fundamental level. Maybe the tension between them had more to do with him liking the kiss than anything else.
In search of a distraction, her gaze slid around the kitchen and landed on the counter. The counter Alec had bent her over as he pounded into her from behind and bit at her nape, his hot breath in her ear short-circuiting her brain. Heat skimmed over her skin at the memory, beelining to her abdomen. She shifted in her chair and squeezed her thighs tight together as she stifled a moan. She would never look at that countertop the same again.
“Melody?” Jace’s voice cut into her thoughts. She looked up into his beautiful blue eyes and saw concern in their depths. “Are you okay?”
“What? Of course.” She slapped what she hoped was a carefree smile on her face, then took a sip of coffee, retreating from his far too observant gaze.
“You zoned out for a minute there.”
“I’m all good,” she said lightly. “Just daydreaming.”
“Oh-kay…” Jace paused for a moment and then much to her relief, turned back to his breakfast prep, letting it go. “Well, where are you running off to anyway?”
“I’m not running off just yet,” she said. “You didn’t think I was serious about skipping out on one of your gourmet specialties, did you?”
“Better not, baby doll.”
“I am taking off soon, though. Gotta go down to San Diego for a volleyball tourney. I won’t be back until tomorrow night.”
“I don’t remember you having any games this week.” Jace turned and placed a plate of fresh-cut oranges on the table, then went back to the stove.
“My team doesn’t, but USD needs a spare, and you know I’ve got the best spike in the state.”
“Modest much?” he teased.
Alec stumbled in wearing nothing but low-slung shorts, bed head, and bare feet. What was it with these guys and their bare feet? And why were they making her heart stutter in her chest and her whole body run hotter than a Texas summer day lately? It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen them before. Who knew she’d develop a foot fetish?
“Hey,” he said, voice gruff and so damn sexy.
“Morning, sunshine,” Jace sang as he turned around with two steaming plates in his hands and placed them on the table. “Sit.”
“Damn, that smells good.” Alec dropped into his chair. When Jace turned back to the stove to fix his own plate, Alec looked over at her and winked. Tonight was the night. Hopefully, if all went well with him and Jace, the three of them could sit down tomorrow night and set their new living arrangement into motion. And then Melody could act on all those crazy images in her head of the three of them together. If he said yes…
Pressure on Melody’s knee distracted her from the worrisome thoughts. She looked up and met Alec’s eyes. He mouthed, It’ll be okay, then gave her knee another squeeze. She nodded and smiled.
She dug into fluffy eggs scrambled with smoked salmon, avocado, and tomatoes and almost creamed her panties right there. “Oh my God, Jace.” She moaned and rolled her eyes. “You’ve done it again.”
He watched her through hooded eyes as he reached for his glass of juice and tilted his head. “Thank you, my dear.”
“Ditto,” Alec said.
They ate in silence, and when Alec’s plate was spotless, he leaned back in his chair with a mischievous expression on his face.
“So Jace,” Alec said nonchalantly, “I gotta work for a while today, but since the girl’s away, the boys should play. What do you say? Up for a little man action tonight?”
The mouthful of juice Jace had just taken did an about-face and exited his nose in a glistening orange shower.
Melody tried to hold back her laugh, but then she made the mistake of looking over at Alec, and they both burst out in hysterics.
Point to Alec.
He had to be joking around, Jace thought as he hooked his heel over the barré and leaned into his knee, stretching his hamstring. Alec was straight, and even though Jace had been picking up some contradictory vibes lately, he still couldn’t believe his roommate had meant the comment the way he’d taken it. But if he did, well… Jace smiled. After tonight Alec would be his lover, and Mellz would be his laundry wench.
Mel.
He couldn’t stop thinking about the kiss they’d shared on Roomie Night and how her lips had felt against his. More confusing was why he kept thinking about it. He didn’t do girls. Granted, Mellz didn’t classify with the rest of the female population, but still.
“Hey, Jace.” Mel walked a few feet into the studio, gym bag over her shoulder. “I’m outta here. The kitchen is all cleaned up.”
“Thanks, honey,” he said. “Show ’em how a real woman spikes.”
“You know it.”
Mel stood there looking at him with a contemplative expression on her face for a long moment. She bit down on one side of her lower lip. Jace dropped his leg back to the floor and turned to fully face her, hating to think that she might feel unsure around him. That kiss, which neither of them should still be thinking about, wasn’t meant to be any more than it was. A dare.
So why didn’t that explanation sit well with him?
Mel released her lip, rolled her shoulders back, hitched her chin up, and walked toward him looking confident and determined.
She stopped mere inches from him, her clear blue eyes flashing. She reached a hand up to the back of his neck, pulled his head to hers, and kissed him. There was nothing tentative about it. She slanted her lips over his, soft and warm and hungry, and when his own lips parted in shock, she dived in, her tongue luring his into an erotic dance, telling him that yes, she remembered their kiss, and it wasn’t just a dare. And damn if he didn’t feel a rush of joy in his chest at the thought. Then she broke it off abruptly and stood back with her trademark “watch out, world—Hellody Melody’s in the house” smile.
“Later, twinkle toes,” she chirped, as if she hadn’t just kissed him like the world was about to end. “You’ve got thirty hours alone with Alec. Make the most of it.”
She turned on her heel and, without a look back, left him standing in the middle of his studio, dumbfounded, lightheaded, and…stiff.
Not only had Mellz just given him a wide-open court to seduce Alec, she’d stirred a desire in him he’d never before experienced. A desire he suddenly wanted to fully explore.
He shook his head, turned back to the barré, and met his own confused eyes in the mirrored wall. “Some gay man you are,” he told his reflection. “Kissing girls…and liking it. The gay police are going to revoke your membership.”
Knowing his reflection wouldn’t ease his confusion, Jace concentrated on dancing, letting movement and music settle his thoughts and clear his mind. He had one chance to seduce Alec, and he needed to make the most of it. He would think about the Melody situation tomorrow.
Alec stepped through the front door, and his first thought was that he’d somehow walked into the wrong house. Other than a low light in the kitchen, the only illumination came from candles on the coffee table. Instrumental music he didn’t recognize played quietly, and mouthwatering smells had his stomach singing along.
Even if he and Mel hadn’t already agreed to his seducing Jace, he would have succumbed to his roommate’s ploy like a bee to honey. Alec couldn’t help the low chuckle that escaped his mouth. Jace would be shocked to know he didn’t have to go to all the trouble.
Deciding to have a little fun with the situation, Alec turned his smile upside down and called out Jace’s name.
Jace sauntered into the living room and blasted him with a laser-beam grin. Alec’s brain short-circuited when the blood that kept it functioning fled south.
Jace’s dark blond hair was stylishly spiked, and a diamond stud in each earlobe flashed in the light. He wore a long-sleeved, dark peach V-neck shirt that looked painted on his body and made his vivid
blue eyes pop. Stonewashed jeans with silver and red piping on the pockets hugged his long, lean dancer’s legs. They were strategically threadbare at his thighs and crotch, which made Alec’s groin tighten. He was barefoot with a silver ring on the index toe of his left foot, and damn if that wasn’t the sexiest thing Alec had ever laid eyes on.
The man looked like a fucking rock star.
Alec pulled in a deep breath, holding it for a three-count before releasing. Let the games begin.
“Damn, Jace, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you had a date tonight. I’ll just shower quick and take off.”
“What? No, wait. This—”
“Smells amazing in here,” Alec cut him off. “I wonder if I should be jealous.” He flashed a confused-looking Jace one of his stun-them-with-dimples smiles and winked, hustling past his roommate before he could respond. Alec fought back the laughter that bubbled up from the bottom of his belly until he had the rushing water of the shower for cover.
Back in his room, Alec stuck his legs into a pair of old Levi’s and pulled a snug-fitting, dark blue T-shirt over his head. The sleeves rested just short of the thickest point in his biceps. Flattering, if he did say so himself. He ran his fingers through damp hair, letting the strands settle where they wanted. When he turned to leave, Jace was standing in the doorway with a glass of white wine in each hand. He lifted one toward Alec.
“I don’t have a date tonight,” Jace said, voice low, gaze not leaving Alec’s as he took the proffered glass.
“So what’s with the den of love?”
“While the girl’s away, the boys should play.” Jace mimicked Alec’s comment from breakfast, then shrugged. “Figured just because Mel isn’t here doesn’t mean we can’t have a nice dinner together.”
Alec regarded him for a long moment. His body already on high alert in his roommate’s presence, his groin thrummed in anticipation. At this rate a gentle breeze from the ocean would send him over the edge.
