For several long, slow minutes she tried to grasp what they were saying to her. “And you’re attracted to me? Or is this alcohol driven?”
She had to ask. They had never made this bold an action before. Verbal sexual teasing, all in the form of joking, notwithstanding.
“We both had one glass of wine while cooking and water or juice during dinner. You had one glass of red and seltzer the rest of the meal. You’re just as sober as we are.” Bax’s fingers played with her belt, tugging and twisting the thick piece of terry cloth.
“So, this is really happening?” she asked.
“Yup.” Cliff nipped the skin over her pulse point.
Her heartbeat leaped, and her nipples tightened to stiff points.
“Why now?” she asked, wishing that she could get up and clear her head but also afraid of ruining the moment. Warmth and comfort surrounded her, along with a wave of desire building inside her with what her best friends were doing at the moment. Their hands on her body. Touching her. She couldn’t drag up the energy to move away from them. More than that, she didn’t want to.
“Because we’re impatient and tired of waiting,” Bax dipped his head and kissed a trail up the other side of her neck.
“But your relationship?” The question came out breathy. The words became fog drifting up from her mouth to disappear into the atmosphere above them.
“We’re committed to each other…and to you,” Cliff said. “We’re trying to wear you down. Is it working?”
Her lassitude screeched to a halt and energy jittered up and down her legs and arms. “Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. You’re trying to wear me down for what? Explain!” She lifted her arms and grabbed ahold of first Bax’s hair and then what little she could grasp of Cliff’s and yanked their heads up. “Now!”
Cliff sighed. “Damn. I was hoping you’d just go with it.”
“I don’t even know what this is, guys. We’ve gone from teasing each other to kisses and caresses. Slow down.”
Bax settled back into his seat but didn’t try to dislodge her hold on his hair. “We love you, honey. We have for a long time. But we weren’t sure if you’d want to be with us as more than just friends.”
She released both their tresses and glanced from one man to the other. “What?”
Cliff nodded. “We want to be with you. In a serious, committed relationship. I had hoped Truth or Dare would’ve softened you up, but you smelled so good, and I gave into wanting to kiss you.” He gave her a lopsided smile.
She peeked over at Bax, who nodded at her. “But…” She tried to wrap her head around their confession. She felt as if she’d been dancing on the edge of a cliff and suddenly lost her balance.
“We’re bisexual and in a committed relationship with each other, but it’s not complete without you, with us,” Bax said, his face solemn.
She almost believed him. Almost.
“The sex is amazing, but I can just imagine how mind-blowing it would be with you with us. When you’re with us, our lives are complete. We hate that you’re not with us. That there’s this wall or distance between us. We want to be everything you could ever need and want.”
She could still detect no deception from either Bax or Cliff. This wasn’t a charm offensive they were laying on her to get her in bed. He was serious. She blinked. “I just…”
“Kiss me,” Cliff ordered. “Kiss me and let me show you how it could be.”
She studied Bax’s face once more. Hunger lit up his green eyes. He licked his lips and dragged his teeth over the bottom lip. “Please, babe, I want to watch you kiss him.”
“And you don’t want to kiss me?” She put the question out there to give herself time to think.
Her best friends wanted her. Wanted to have sex with her. Wanted to be in a relationship with her. Out of all the groupies and all the fans and all the people they encountered wherever they went, they wanted to be with her. She tried to accept that, but her brain couldn’t comprehend it completely. Although, a part of her lit up at the thought of experiencing the full force of sexual prowess of Bax and Cliff together.
“Oh, I want to kiss you.” Bax gave her a lecherous grin. “I want to kiss you all over that luscious body of yours. I have this fantasy of eating you out while you make out with Cliff.” He shivered.
Her pussy contracted and her panties dampened.
“His tongue fucking your mouth while my tongue fucks your pussy,” Bax rasped out.
“Fuck,” Cliff groaned. He shifted in his seat.
She glanced down to his lap. A clear erection pushed against his fly. She swallowed. He wanted this. They both did. They want this. With me!
“But I’ll settle for you kissing Cliff,” Bax murmured.
“And you’ll really be sated with that?” She doubted it but couldn’t help but express her skepticism. She had always been honest with them to a point but her sexual fantasies about them had always been kept back. She didn’t want to come off as one of those women who prayed this would happen to her. She had accepted that they were in a relationship—a committed one. This confession had blurred the lines of her attraction and relationship with them, bringing the two worlds closer together, maybe even giving her some hope that they could merge.
“Well no, we want you in our bed, but a kiss is a good enough start,” Cliff replied. He brushed back some hair that had fallen into her face.
She licked her lips and noted how Cliff latched onto that movement. She became even more aware of how close both men were to her. No space between them. Their body heat hit her from both sides. Their simple cologne of soap and aftershave swirled around her.
She took a gulp of air.
Bax moved away from her. Cliff mirrored his partner’s actions.
The imprint of their presence lingered on her sides despite the barrier of the robe and thin fabric of her tank top.
“How about this,” Bax offered. “We talk more tomorrow. You don’t have to kiss either of us. All we ask is that you think about it.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. Her feelings raged inside of her. She couldn’t really come to grips with everything going on in her heart at the moment.
“We don’t want to make you uncomfortable, sweetheart. We wanted to be honest with you, but I pushed things a bit.” Cliff gave her one of his patent lopsided smiles.
She returned the smile, albeit a small one. “I…thank you. Night, guys.” She tried to get up but couldn’t move. The damn couch was too comfortable.
Both men stood up, grasped her wrists, and hauled her to her feet.
“Night, honey.” Bax bobbed his head.
She noted the mugs and the cookies. “Wait, what about—”
“That can wait. Besides, I’ve got a bit of work to do.” Bax picked up the tray of drinks.
Worry fluttered in her stomach. Had she ruined things? She trudged up the stairs, her head spinning with all that had happened in the last half an hour.
Her best friends wanted her to be in a relationship with them, she thought while lying in bed. When did she step into the Twilight Zone and what was gonna happen next?
CHAPTER FIVE
Reggie watched Bax move around the kitchen. No tension whatsoever.
Cliff had woken her up with a tray of coffee, cream, and sugar. No weirdness whatsoever.
A small bit of her was relieved by their behavior, but the worry still lingered. It wasn’t that she hadn’t wanted what they offered her. She had. In her wildest moments, she had wished for something like what they’d suggested last night, but she hadn’t thought it possible. Now? She didn’t know whether to pinch herself or run away, change her name, and hide from them to avoid the possible hurt that adding her to their relationship could cause.
“What’s wrong?” Bax asked without turning around. “Look, Cliff and I have rules. We’ve invited people into our relationship before and it didn’t work out for one reason or another. But the main rule is we both have to want to be with the person and love them. We want to be with
you and we both love you. If you’re worried that bringing you in would screw things up, you couldn’t be more wrong.”
“This is all so new to me. It’s crazy. The idea of being with one of you, much less both of you, was a fever dream that I had but never thought would come true. Now you’re offering it to me and I don’t know what to do with myself. But the first and foremost worry is you guys and keeping our friendship intact. I never want to do anything to hurt either of you. Ever.”
She paused to take a sip of her second cup of coffee. This time she’d added peppermint mocha creamer. Pure heaven. The momentary distraction allowed her to push forward.
“You guys have been through a lot in your own lives and watched out for me when my family had trouble or I was having issues with my mother. You were there for me when my father died and through my mother’s re-marriage. You both mean the world to me.” She watched Bax flip a pancake onto the plate and then turn around.
He walked over to her and placed the plate on the counter next to her fork and knife and the bottle of syrup. “I know I speak for Cliff when I say we feel the same about you.”
She nodded slowly, not sure what to say. Her emotions were all tangled up with her desire. She sighed and took another sip from her mug. “Where’s Cliff?” She hadn’t seen him since he’d delivered her first cup of coffee.
“Cutting logs for the fireplace. Only thing we didn’t ask the house sitter to do. And don’t change the subject.” He made his way around the island and settled down on a stool next to her. “You slept on it. Tell me the idea doesn’t at least tempt you?”
She cut into her pancake. “Oh it does, trust me. It does. I’m just scared. I’ve finally gotten to a place of stability in my life. I have a job I love, coworkers I adore, and I have you guys. I finally figured out how to balance my family and my personal life. Well, I thought I had. Then I come back home and well…”
Bax chuckled. “Dealing with Bettina can do that to a person. Are you scared about how your sisters and brother will deal with you being a relationship with two men?”
She shook her head. “My personal life is my own. I don’t even offer them advice on their love lives. They have to figure things out for themselves without everyone’s point of view getting in the way. Anyway, I don’t care what anyone thinks. You both are good men, and I love you both.”
Bax grinned. “And we love you too. How about this? We take it slow.”
She shook her head. “No, that can’t be doable. You have to plan your next cooking show, and I have to return to the hospital after New Years. We only have two weeks to figure this out. I don’t want things up in the air. We need this settled, and quickly.”
Bax chuckled. “Cliff said you’d say that. OK, fine. What’s your idea for helping you make up your mind?”
Cliff strode into the kitchen. “Damn it’s cold outside, but I did it. Your sexy, outdoorsy man chopped wood and stacked it so we have enough for our stay here.” He glanced from Bax to Reggie and back again. “Have you been talking about our predicament?”
Neither of them had a chance to respond before the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it,” Bax said. “You two talk.”
Before either of them could object, he left the kitchen.
Cliff picked up a plate of pancakes and came around sat down next to her. “Mind if I sit here?” He waggled his eyebrows at her and she giggled.
“Go ahead. Look, are you really serious about all this?” She wanted to hear it again.
Cliff shook his head. “You can ask us that as many times as you want and every time will be the same. So get used to us saying, yes, we are serious.”
She sighed. “So it isn’t a dream?”
Cliff nudged her in the side. “I could spank you if you want. Just to let you know you’re really awake.”
She laughed. “How could I not have thought you’re attracted to me, with all that teasing and talking of spanking and other things?”
Cliff shrugged. “You just chose not to see it, that’s all. We’ve been hinting for a long time.” He met her gaze and held it. Warmth lit up his eyes despite his imposing stance. “Admit it, part of your hesitation is flashbacks to your childhood and how your parents’ marriage fell apart. You love us so much you don’t want things to go that wrong, and I promise you, it won’t. Did you know Bax and I are in couples therapy?”
She gaped at him. “What? You never told me that!”
He grinned. “Yup. We just started it during his last season. We were fighting a lot. I felt like he didn’t take my sports column seriously, and he didn’t think I cared about his career because I was getting tired of all the time he spent in the studio. Then a friend suggested we see his therapist who does both couples counseling and regular therapy sessions. And the realization came to us that part of our arguing had to do with our frustration at not being honest with you about our feelings for you.”
Reggie settled against the chair back. “Damn. You guys are usually so stubborn. Now, I’m kind of envious of you, having the courage to talk to a shrink about your problems. Maybe they can help me. But what do we do in the meantime?”
“You can start by talking to Dana,” Bax said from behind her.
Her heart leaped into her throat as she wheeled around to see Bax enter the kitchen with Dana trailing after him. Her sister had black streaks staining her cheeks, and tears dribbled down her face.
“What the hell did the witch do now?” Reggie demanded.
CHAPTER SIX
Cliff gripped the armrest. His body shook with tension. He gritted his teeth and fought to keep from saying the wrong thing. Hot waves of anger rolled over him one after the other.
Reggie wrapped an arm around her sister Dana’s shoulders and squeezed her arm. “Take your time and when you’re ready, tell us what happened.” She glanced from Cliff to Bax. Pain filled her eyes.
Everything in Cliff screamed for him to get up and go to Dana, hug her, and assure her that everything would be OK. She was family, and no one did anything to hurt a member of his family. Not even Bettina Samson-Cardoza.
Dana let out a sob. “It’s over. Tim and I broke up. Mom is furious.” Dana buried her head in the crook of Reggie’s neck. Her body quaked. Muffled sniffles filled the air.
Reggie rubbed Dana’s back. “It’s OK. It’ll be OK.” She focused on Cliff and mouthed out, “Get her a glass of water and some tissues.”
Cliff nodded and rose to his feet. He left the room with as calm a stride as he could muster. The reprieve helped him get his emotions under control.
Bax joined him. He placed a hand on his lower back. “You OK?”
Cliff shook his head and took a deep inhale. “No. I’m not. This is bringing back flashbacks to my mom and dad and all their fights.” Cliff turned his head away. For a moment his vision blurred. A single tear slipped down his cheek. He dashed it away with a harsh swipe. “Fuck, maybe we should’ve kidnapped Reggie. Much easier.” He let out a shaky laugh. “How are you doing?”
Bax pressed a gentle kiss to Cliff’s jaw. “I’m OK. I promise. I called Gram, and she’s already hitting the bottle. Mom showed up with her new boyfriend and my baby sister is pregnant again. I swear the birds and the bees talk was just a suggestion to her.”
Cliff shook his head. “You know she loves children, and her husband is a great guy. You’re just pissed that you have to go to the toy store again with all the last minute crazies. Good luck, buddy.” Cliff slapped Bax on the back. He went to the shelf over the sink and grabbed a glass. He filled it up with water from the fridge and rejoined Reggie and Dana. He handed the cup to Reggie.
“Here, drink this,” Reggie handed the glass to Dana, who took a gulp.
“Thanks.” Dana licked her lips and held the glass between her hands. “I just…I don’t understand. Why would he propose now of all times? He knows I want to finish law school first. Do you think mom got to him and convinced him that he needed to pop the question right away?” Dana gazed at her
sister with confusion and fear. “Did she give him some kind of ultimatum?”
“Maybe. Or maybe he just wanted to ask, thinking it could be the right time. All of us are together, after all.” Reggie smoothed her sister’s hair down. “I mean, last year I couldn’t visit. You had the flu the year before, and then mother and Antonio decided to celebrate the holidays in Sydney, Australia with Antonio’s family.” Reggie rolled her eyes.
Dana giggled. “Yeah. I guess.” She sniffled. “I just don’t understand. Besides, I told him I didn’t want him asking with all the family together. I wanted it intimate, small, meaningful.” She leaned back against the pillows on the sofa. “What am I going to do? Mom is freaking out, and Tim is packing to leave.”
“Why is Mom freaking out? She should be more concerned about your state of mind than Tim’s.” Reggie glanced up to Bax and Cliff. She looked from one to the other and shook her head. What the fuck? she mouthed to them.
Cliff couldn’t, for the life of him, give her an explanation for her mother’s actions. He didn’t speak for Bettina Samson-Cardoza. Never had.
The doorbell rang. Cliff placed a hand on Bax’s knee and stood up. “I’ll get it. You guys stay here.”
He went to the entryway and looked through the peephole. Speak of the demoness… Bettina Samson-Cardoza stood on their porch, dressed in designer duds and three-inch heels, makeup flawless, and hair styled to Aquanet perfection.
She rang the bell again. “I know you can see me, whichever man you are. Let me in. Now.”
Cliff gritted his teeth, unlocked the door and opened it, but not enough to give her entrance. He pasted a smile he didn’t feel onto his face. “Mrs. Samson-Cardoza, how can I help you today?”
“You can stop smiling at me like a demented clown and let me see my daughters. Now.” She pushed him back, hard enough to rock him on his heels.
Cliff had never believed in laying hands on a woman before, but he was pretty sure Reggie’s mother was neither human nor a real woman. She was more like a wraith come to herald hell on Earth. He still refused to put a finger on her.
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