Jade grinned. "That’s great news! I guess my brilliant master plan worked."
"I guess it did." Karl took a step forward, reducing the distance between them to an inch. "Was part of your brilliant master plan getting me to give you my number?"
A chill worked its way down Jade’s spine, and she looked up at Karl. Their connection came back full force. It left her near breathless.
"I've already got your number." Nic's comment sounded as if it were addressed to Jade, but it was aimed at Karl, and she felt Nic squeeze as he pulled her a little closer.
The guys had seemed happy to share earlier. She hoped it wasn't a case of what happens in another dimension stays in another dimension. She didn't want them fighting over her because she was in no position to choose.
And if they wanted her to choose, the dilemma had just become even bigger since she had reunited with Philip. What he wanted of her remained a further mystery.
"No," Jade admitted with a grin. Her voice sounded small and raw. "But it should’ve been. That was an oversight on my part."
"I want you to take it. I want to keep in touch with you even after I go. I don’t want this to be the last time we see each other."
"I don’t want it to be the last time, either," Jade breathed. She tilted her head a little further, leaning toward Karl. She couldn't help it. "I’m having way too much fun giving you a hard time to let you go that easily."
"And I’ll give you a hard time any time you want." Karl grinned.
Sure he would. He was still the same guy underneath.
"And when you don't want the sort of hard time he's offering you, well, you know what I have to give." Nic kissed her cheek.
The gentle contact made her gasp.
"I'm not competing with Nic. Why have one guy when you can have both of us?"
Things happened to Jade's body in response to those words, but it really wasn't the time or the place. Karl’s warm breath gusted across her upper lip.
"So that number?" Jade’s lips brushed Karl’s. The sensation didn’t stop at Jade’s mouth—it tumbled down her throat and dispersed through her stomach, filling her with joy from the inside out. "Give me your phone."
The way their lips moved mimicked slow, teasing kisses.
"If we swap phones, I’ll put mine in for you."
"What else can you put in for me?"
"You are trouble, aren’t you, Jade Lidl?" Karl smiled. "You’re aware of all the things I can put in for you. All that and more."
"Then start with your phone number and go from there."
It should have seemed weird to have such a highly charged conversation with the handsome man standing in front of her when another gorgeous guy had his arm around her. It was, of course, possible that Jade wasn't home but had by-passed life and gone straight to heaven.
No pressure to choose between them and both dudes seemed happy with that.
No wonder Jade wore damp panties.
She freed her phone from her pocket and pressed it into Karl’s hand. She couldn’t shake the overwhelming happiness that the promise stirred in her.
Karl wanted to stay in touch and share her with Nic. Maybe what was between them wasn’t so ephemeral after all.
The half-kiss broke apart. Karl plugged his number into Jade’s phone, then gave it back. Jade took Karl’s phone and did the same.
They didn’t kiss—not in the way Jade wanted them to. The guys didn’t strip her and bring her to orgasm. They didn’t topple into a pile of pine needles to make love.
But this wasn’t the end. It didn’t have to be. They’d stay in touch and meet up again.
And because of that, Jade didn’t mind when they split ways at the construction site with a few heartfelt goodbyes.
Sometimes, Jade learned that day, goodbye didn’t mean goodbye at all.
Chapter Fourteen
The construction crew packed up and left the next day. A local contractor turned up to complete the job of replacing the fencing at the school boundary. Lauren was so overjoyed that she didn’t ask too many questions and Jade easily brushed them off without confessing to any of what actually took place.
Neither of the guys came to see Jade before they left, and Jade wasn’t sure she could blame them. She received several text messages from Nic, but nothing from Karl.
In the heat of the moment, all of them in a strange place and worried they might never get home, they’d said and done things they might not have under normal circumstances.
Karl didn’t text.
Nic didn’t call.
It was like when Philip disappeared out of her life, all over again.
They were adults with a business. Jade was an adult too, but only just. She couldn’t expect them to have anything in common in the real world.
Nevertheless, Jade sat by her phone when she knew there was no chance the men were still in town. The silver coupe had disappeared from the Beaumont Inn parking lot.
Not, of course, that Jade went to check. That would’ve smacked of desperation. She’d passed by the Inn on a whim. Once or twice, or possibly three times.
That was all. Nothing more to it.
The day after the construction crews left, Lauren dragged Jade to the bar to celebrate. By the time they left, Lauren was so drunk, Cana had to nose her back to the edge of the woods so the Spartans—who usually didn’t stray far from the gnarled trees—could come forth to collect her. Jade waved listlessly at them as Lauren laughed and staggered forward.
"Jade!" she called as Zander guided her away. "I love you. You’re the best. I don’t know how you did it, but… but you’re so awesome. I’m so glad you’re my best friend."
"Love you, too, babe," Jade said without much emotion. She crossed her arms over her chest. "We’ll talk again soon, okay?"
"Hell, yeah." Lauren giggled. "I’m coming back so soon."
"Thank you for caring for her, Jade," Greg said before they disappeared through the trees. It was the Spartan's way of saying goodbye.
Pleased to have solitude and be able to lick her wounds in private without Lauren sharing her bed, Jade turned back toward the high school to leave. Losing those two construction guys hurt a lot more than Jade had expected.
After what they’d shared she expected something more, but it looked like she was mistaken. If Karl liked her half as much as Jade thought he did, he would’ve at least sent a text. If either of the guys thought much of her, they would have phoned and met up before leaving.
With a very relaxed approach to sex, it might not’ve meant much to them. They were probably busy taking gorgeous blondes to bed for threesomes some place else. Possibly without even knowing their names.
And that idea… well, it continued to stir feelings within Jade that she simply shouldn’t feel. She really shouldn’t want to imagine herself at the center of a three-way relationship, much less actually watch the guys fucking each other. Having a fantasy of watching your guy with another guy… Jade couldn’t even tell Lauren that one. Plus, the small detail that neither of those men were her guy.
As for Nic, if anything, he seemed so much more charming, sweet, and thoughtful, but he didn't need her when he had Karl. The two guys might be nothing more to each other than fuck buddies, but it seemed to Jade that they didn’t need her. They were perfectly able to pick up a new woman any time they wanted.
The rest of the week passed in a daze.
Lauren was back home in the other world. There were no messages from Nic and no word from Karl.
Jade couldn’t bring herself to be the first to reach out. That left her with nothing to do but get back to work on her mind-numbingly boring papers.
On the Saturday before spring break ended, Jade said goodbye to her parents and drove back to Riverside. Before classes started up again, she needed to buy groceries and adjust to life back in her apartment.
The drive was uneventful, and when Jade parked outside her unit, she was ready to go to bed. Adriene, Jade’s roommate, had other plans.
"There you are. How was your spring break?" Adriene asked.
"Pretty bleak," Jade admitted. "You?"
"It was amazing." Adriene grinned. "Brought two different guys back to my hotel room… at the same time. You should’ve been there."
What? Doesn't anyone do it one to one anymore?
"That sounds great." Jade passed from the doorway to the kitchen. Her note had been erased from the whiteboard on the fridge. Adriene had doodled stick women with huge breasts all over it instead. The breasts looked like birds in flight. They could have been birds giving stick people a ride. For a fleeting moment, Jade thought of Brenna with the Corax.
Adriene leaned against the kitchen doorway. "You look miserable. You didn’t even laugh at the flock of boobies I drew for you."
"Sorry. I’ve been driving for the last four hours, and I’m wiped. I need to go to bed." Jade opened the fridge. There were a couple of beers, some sliced cheese, and a container full of white rice. Groceries. Yep. She’d deal with that tomorrow.
"No, I mean…" Adriene hesitated. "You don’t look right, and not just because you’re tired. There’s something going on with your eyes. It’s like they’re not as bright as they used to be."
Jade mustered her best grin and turned to face Adriene in full. "You noticed my eyes? You better watch out, or I might be the next one you take to bed."
Adriene rolled her eyes. "Except for the whole I’m not into chicks thing, that sounds great. Seriously, though. I know when you’re lying to me, Jade. I’m here if you want me to listen, okay? No matter when it is, come sit and talk for a while, all right? We’re psych majors. Who else is better suited to be listening to your problems?"
Jade could think of a few people, but that wasn't happening, and Jade didn’t think she’d see any of them again. Any of them—that included Philip.
From what she could tell, Philip only wanted to impress upon her the need to guard the brooch and to apologize for his abrupt, unexplained absence immediate after their shared pleasures of the flesh. He hadn't said anything about wanting to continue a relationship with her. And why would he? He was an ancient god and way out of her league.
She’d thought about him a lot after she first met him.
If ever there was a guy she instantly clicked with, it was Philip. She didn’t fool herself into hoping for anything serious with him, but she also thought she’d never meet anyone who would stand up to comparison with him, until she met Karl and Nic.
With a reluctant sigh, Jade closed the fridge and pressed her back against the door. It chilled her. "Thanks for the offer. If I’m ever up to it, I’ll be sure to take you up on it."
"All right. Just… feel better, okay? I know it’s not that easy, it’s not like you can just flip a switch and be okay again, but don’t make me worry about you."
"I promise I’m fine," Jade said, even though she didn’t think it was true. "Classes start back on Monday, and I’ll have nothing to worry about at all."
"I guess." Adriene didn’t sound convinced. "I’m catching up on television. You want to come watch some with me?"
"Nah. I’m going to crash. Besides, I’ve still got sources to add to those three papers we’ve got due. I want to get it done before the deadline."
"Ugh. Don’t even remind me." Adriene wrinkled her nose. "I’m trying not to think about it. I’m pretty sure all the psych professors got together and decided to do this on purpose. Must be some social experiment."
"If you figure it out, let me know." Jade winked. She’d never felt so depleted or unlike herself. "I’m going to go finish up."
"Good luck."
It was a relief to break away from the kitchen and lock herself in her own bedroom. Jade had wanted a glass of water before she unpacked, but right now she would rather be alone and thirsty than hydrated and gushing to Adriene. She knew that was irrational.
She’d spent a little more than a few hours with Karl and Nic, and the intimacy they’d shared had been a product of fear and another dimension. To believe that there would be anything more between them was insane.
Lauren and Brenna had both gotten into relationships with a group of guys, but those men were from other dimensions. Men in this dimension, the earthly mortal world of humankind, didn't do that sort of thing. Just like Adriene, Jade had had a casual threesome and nothing more.
That was the end of it.
Jade was still in school, and likely would be for years to come while she worked her way toward her PhD. She hadn't wanted a relationship. Nothing had changed.
Jade dumped her bags by her door and sank into bed.
The old textbooks she’d been referencing remained stacked on her bedside table, a reminder that there was still more work to do. No matter how emotionally drained she felt, she couldn’t postpone normal life too long while she dreamed about two or three men she would probably never see again.
She should give herself a good talking to.
She knew she’d get over them. There were plenty more gorgeous men out there to work through, and Jade hadn’t wanted commitment.
Her low mood made no logical sense.
But the deeper she thought about how things turned out, the more worried she became. It hurt that Karl and Nic didn’t want anything more serious, but what troubled Jade most of all were the secrets she’d shared with them. It weighed heavily on her mind.
Lauren had told her not to take Karl into the woods, and Jade had gone against Lauren’s wishes and dragged Karl and Nic straight into another dimension.
The construction crews had left the woods, but had the guys' minds?
What if they blew the whistle on the whole secret and brought government officials in to see it for themselves? Or a team of scientists? It wasn’t hard to imagine the woods becoming a quarantined zone while an investigation went on, and Jade could only imagine the things those researchers would do to Lauren if she were to come out into their clutches.
Had she doomed Beaumont?
Had she doomed her best friend?
Jade couldn’t shake her guilt. She’d acted on impulse, and there was a damn good chance it would come back to bite her on the butt. Maybe Karl was right—maybe she did need to act more sensibly and responsibly. But what good was that going to do her now?
Jade emptied her lungs and squeezed her eyes shut. All the regret and guilt would do no good; it would only bring her down. She needed to move forward. There was no use dwelling on what she couldn’t change.
She took her laptop from her bag, turned it on, and opened the first of her papers. It was time to get back to real life.
The dream was over. The fantasy dead.
Her phone buzzed with a message alert.
Jade grabbed it, hoping this time it would be Nic.
It wasn’t.
However, Jade hadn’t expected to hear from Lauren.
We need to talk. Can you speak now?
Chapter Fifteen
Did Lauren know?
What did Lauren know?
How did she know?
For once, Jade didn’t want to call Lauren, but she couldn’t put it off. She’d only spend every moment wondering and worrying about the reason for the text message if she didn’t phone Lauren right away.
And if she delayed, Lauren might go back to her home with the Spartans with no cell connection, and it would be weeks before they spoke. The very fact that she sent Jade this message meant that Lauren was in Beaumont. It might not be so ominous.
Jade had no choice but to call her right back, no matter how guilty she felt for what she’d done. She’d betrayed Lauren and the Spartans, possibly put them in danger. Indeed, it would jeopardize their friendship if Lauren knew.
She clicked on Lauren’s number.
Lauren answered almost i
mmediately. "Hi, Jade." She sounded cheerful.
"Hi, babe. I’m just back in Riverside. Not been here long." She looked at her half-unpacked bag and stuff piled around waiting to be put away.
"Good drive?" Lauren ignored the "babe" comment.
"Yes. Brenna’s car still runs like a dream."
"It’s your car now. You know Brenna doesn’t want it back. You said it yourself; she doesn’t even own clothes anymore."
The ancient Greeks had and a reputation for going naked at any opportunity, for instance, when they did sport or went to war. Lauren had confirmed that the whole attitude towards clothes and nudity was very different in Sparta. Public nudity wasn't taboo, but people did generally cover up. The Corax had more or less dispensed with clothing though. It was impractical when they sprouted wings and turned into birds.
Jade grinned. She didn’t like to over think about what and why she knew about Brenna’s lack of clothes. She’d help dress Brenna and the princes when they showed up in Beaumont on more than one occasion. "They don’t have clothes, and you don’t generally have cellphone access. What brings you back to our world?"
"Ah, well, Brenna is one of them, and that’s good news, so let’s talk about her first."
Jade cringed at the implication that there was bad news to follow.
"I’ve heard that Brenna and the princes are setting a date for the wedding." Lauren sounded genuinely excited about this.
"About damn time. The ravens consider her eccentric. From what I hear, they believe Brenna and the princes are having longest courtship ever." Over time, Brenna had told her a lot about her life in the realm of the ravens, and to Jade, all of that seemed eccentric.
"Well, there wasn’t any reason to delay marriage. They are soulmates, so they’re inevitably bound together for all time. I can understand why the princes wanted to marry quickly." Lauren sounded earnest.
This soulmate phenomenon seemed like such a big deal to everyone else, but honestly, Jade didn’t know what to make of it.
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