Dare to be Three (Dare Menage Series Book 3)

by Jeanne St. James

  “I don’t mind,” Connor said casually, putting the now empty wine bottle back on the table.

  “Damn, that makes you even cuter,” she said, sidling up to Connor and touching his arm. “So open-minded.”

  Paige didn’t miss the lingering brush of her fingers, and neither did Grae, whose muscles tensed.

  Connor gave her another smile, then moved away to sit to Paige’s right.

  “So, do you take turns?”

  “Seriously, Gia, we’re not going to sit here and dissect their sex life,” Gryff said.

  “But I’m curious.”

  “Curiosity killed the cat,” Gryff reminded her.

  Grae lifted a hand, indicating that he would handle the matter. “I understand your curiosity, Gia. It’s to be expected.”

  “So, tell me,” she encouraged.

  “It’s simple. We’re all lovers.”

  Her gaze bounced off each of them, one by one. “At the same time?”

  “Yes.”

  “Damn,” she whispered in amazement, her eyes all lit up. “I’d join in if you weren’t my brother.”

  “But I am, and I don’t even want that image in my head. So, please, sit down, drink your wine, and have some cheese.”

  “Which means the subject is closed,” Gryff clarified to their youngest sister.

  “I know what it means, Gryff. Jeez.” Gia pouted as she took herself and her wine to the seat closest to the fire, curling up into a recliner. “But just one more question…”

  “No,” Grae said loud and firmly.

  Paige sighed in relief. She didn’t realize she had Grae’s hand locked in hers and had been squeezing the shit out of it.

  She relaxed her grip, and he gave her a pained smile.

  Luckily, Connor was laid-back and social enough that he could start a conversation with a rock, so he got the small talk going about what everyone did for a living, as well as all the niceties and blah-blah-blahs like that. Anything to deflect the conversation from their unusual relationship.

  Except, of course, every time Gia could interject, she tried her damnedest to bring the conversation back around to anything that concerned the three of them.

  “So, what… You all live here?” Gia waved an arm around the room.

  Paige was about to correct her, but Grae stopped her by saying, “Yes.” His short answer once again, shutting his youngest, most curious sister down.

  “How did that work out for you last time?” Gayle asked Grae.

  Paige’s ears perked. “Last time?” she asked.

  Grae shot his sister a killer look, which Paige did not miss.

  Gayle held up her palms, saying, “Your life, brother. You deal with it as you wish.”

  Paige would like to know what “last time” meant. A live-in lover or girlfriend?

  Grae was then saved by the bell when the caterer arrived with the dinner he’d ordered.

  When the table was set and the food laid out, they wandered into the formal dining room. A room which Paige thought ended up being a waste in most people’s home except during large family gatherings.

  Grae took the spot at the head of the table after pulling out Paige’s chair for her to his right. With a tilt of his head, he indicated Connor should sit to his left. Gryff settled at the other end of the table across from his brother, his sisters flanking him.

  Paige stared at the spread on the table and was impressed. Though, she didn’t know why. It was Grae. He didn’t seem to do anything half-assed. Everything the caterer brought looked too good to eat, and she was glad she didn’t have to cook. Her skills were passable enough so Connor and she never starved, but that was her limit.

  During dinner, the siblings caught up with each other’s lives and also talked about their parents. Paige had to admit she’d learned more about Grae during the small talk than ever before. Grae hadn’t really mentioned his parents, and once again, Paige hadn’t bothered to pry. Now, with the four G’s—what Paige was mentally calling the brothers and sisters—all together, she learned that they had retired a while ago and moved out to Arizona for the dry, warm climate. They revealed their father had been an inventor and had made some inventions he’d sold for beaucoup bucks, so the kids had never wanted for anything.

  Paige continued to make mental notes, sometimes glancing up at Grae and lifting a brow. He would ignore her and continue the conversation. Paige just knew that he, like Lucy, had a lot of splainin’ to do after tonight’s dinner.

  Most of the conversation across the table was between Grae, Gayle, and Gryff, though an occasional question would be lobbed at Paige. Friendly ones from Gryff, more direct ones from Gayle. For the most part, Paige could understand why Gayle wanted to protect her brother from any kind of hurt, but she found herself losing her patience with Grae’s sister.

  Since Gia purposely sat next to Connor, they hardly joined in on the conversation as Gia kept his attention on her. Grae’s youngest sister seemed to be infatuated with him. By now, the woman probably knew more about Australia than Paige did. When he started in on Australian football, Paige just rolled her eyes and figured Gia would eventually become bored to death. Instead, she hung on every word. Paige felt tempted to go over and check Connor for a hard-on. Not over Gia, but his revered sport of football.

  Whatever made him happy. As long as Grae’s sister didn’t cross any boundaries, Paige let him have his fun. Though, she noticed, Grae seemed to be keeping an eye on them more than she was.

  Interesting.

  Did becoming Connor’s first turn Grae more possessive of his male lover?

  Maybe she needed to distract him. Just a bit. She leaned her breasts against his arm as he ate. “Tied up. Spanked. Double teamed,” Paige whispered into Grae’s ear.

  Her words apparently caught Grae off guard, because he croaked, “What?” and his eyes widened for a second.

  “You asked what my deepest, darkest fantasy was,” she murmured, making sure no one else at the table heard her. She enjoyed watching the King of Cool lose his shit. She would have to remember to do it more often. There was nothing wrong with keeping him on his toes, keeping him guessing.

  Grae placed his fork down on his plate carefully and leveled his gaze at her, hesitating a few heartbeats before answering, “I assume all at the same time?”

  Paige lifted a shoulder slightly, her blood furiously rushing through her, and her mind spinning as the fantasy played out in her head.

  He frowned, picked up his napkin, and pretended to wipe his lips. Hiding his mouth behind the cloth, he whispered, “Revealing that right now with my family in the house is just plain rotten, Paige.”

  She laughed, sitting back in her seat. “I know. But it just came to me.”

  “At dinner.”

  “Yep.”

  Grae shook his head.

  “What’s so funny down there?” Grae’s brother asked.

  Heat rushed to Paige’s cheek. Now may not have been the time to admit her fantasy since they couldn’t act upon it this weekend, but she just bet Grae was as hard as a rock under the table. Her hand crept over into his lap. Yep.

  He coughed as she traced her fingers over his length before pulling away.

  “Are you okay, big brother?”

  Grae picked up his wine and took a sip. “Perfectly fine. Thank you. A bit of food went down the wrong pipe.”

  Then the conversation turned to the time when their father had to do the Heimlich maneuver on their aunt during Thanksgiving dinner.

  Paige peeked over at Grae.

  He just stared at her.

  Connor, who must have heard at least part of the conversation kept his head down, concentrating on his food, an eager smile on his face. At least until Gia started asking questions about wallabies and kangaroos like he was some zoologist.

  Is it kinda like sister wives?”

  Paige jumped, narrowly missing the metal refrigerator shelf with her noggin since she’d been leaning in to grab a bottle of water.

  T
he kitchen had been empty when she had wandered in. Where the hell had Gia been hiding?

  Paige straightened, shut the fridge door, and regarded Grae’s youngest sister. Gia was like a dog with a bone. She wasn’t going to let it go anytime soon. “I don’t think sister wives sleep together,” Paige replied, unsure if she should be amused with this obsession or annoyed. Though she imagined it would be highly entertaining to introduce her to Logan, Ty, and Quinn, as well as Ren, Cole, and Eve. The woman’s head would probably explode.

  “I am envious of what you have. This…” Gia waved her hand in the air. “Triangle.”

  “Do you have a significant other?” Paige asked her, leaning against the kitchen island.

  “No, nothing serious.” Gia paced past her to the other side of the kitchen. “I’m not ready to settle down.” Then she spun sharply on her heel to rush up to Paige. “Does my brother have sex with your husband? Is he gay?”

  Paige considered Gia for a moment, before slowly and carefully saying, “He’s not gay.” And since the woman liked to play twenty questions, it was time to turn the tables. “Do you have any knowledge of this previous relationship Gayle almost let slip?”

  Gia bounced on her toes, a sign that her mind must be spinning a million miles a minute, and then she leaned calmly against the counter across from Paige. It was like someone had thrown a switch. “No. But I’ve been kinda out of the loop while away at college. So, it might have happened then.”

  “You’re not giving away any family secrets, are you?” Grae interrupted, his eyes narrowing as he entered the room. His gaze jumped from Gia to Paige and back.

  “If only I knew some to tell,” Gia responded, pouting. “I’m always the last to know. It sucks being the baby.”

  “You’re saying that our parents didn’t spoil you since you were the baby.”

  She shrugged.

  Paige swore Grae rolled his eyes. Impossible. He didn’t do things like that.

  Gia’s face lit up as if a light bulb suddenly turned on. “Since you’re going to go sleep with my brother, can I borrow your husband?”

  Paige’s jaw dropped. If it weren’t scraping the floor, she would be surprised. Did this woman have no boundaries? And all of this came out of her mouth sounding so innocent. Like it was normal to just ask another woman to have sex with her husband.

  “Gia, you don’t borrow someone’s husband.”

  “Unless you’re swingers,” Paige murmured, finally picking her jaw off the floor.

  Grae shot her a look which seemed to say, “You’re not helping.”

  “Isn’t that what you’re doing when you have sex with him?” Gia asked her brother.

  “We’re not…swingers. We’re in a relationship,” Grae clarified.

  With the questions Gia asked, as well as her mannerisms, Paige guessed that she had to be twenty-three or twenty-four years old at the most. Even though she had graduated from college, she acted like a woman a lot younger. But what Gia asked got Paige thinking.

  What if Connor wanted to have sex with Gia? Would she let him? Did she feel any jealousy at all with the attention Gia gave Connor all evening?

  Paige enjoyed having sex with another man and didn’t expect any jealousy from her own husband. Should he expect the same from her?

  “Even if Connor agreed, Paige would have to,” Grae continued, causing Gia to shoot Paige a hopeful look. “And even if Paige agreed, I would have to. And sorry, dear sister, I don’t. So, go to bed.”

  Gia gave him a big, fake pout. “You know I’m going to be up all night thinking about what you three are doing in that over-sized bed of yours.”

  “I can tell you right now, so you’ll be able to get your beauty rest. We’re going to be sleeping.”

  Well, this was news to Paige, but it made sense with his family in the house.

  “Why? Are you guys really loud?”

  Grae’s sister didn’t seem to have a filter, and the question just hit her in a way that Paige couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Goodnight, Gia,” Grae said firmly, leaving no room for his sister to believe the conversation was anything but over. He grabbed Paige’s arm and steered her out of the room.

  “So, are we really going to sleep?” she asked, a little disappointed.

  “No.”

  “You think we can be quiet?” If so, he had more confidence in this possibility than she did.

  “That’s what gags were made for.”

  Paige smiled up at him as they approached the stairs. “I like how you think.”

  You sure this is what you want?” Gayle asked.

  Grae glanced at his sister and then back over at Paige and Connor splashing around in the deep end of the pool. He had turned the heater on, and they had decided to brave the water. Gia decided not to get in, instead lounging in the sun. She wore some expensive looking bikini and designer sunglasses, and always seemed to pose when Connor happened to look her way.

  Gryff poked fun at her every time she took a selfie, making what Grae’s brother called duck lips. He’d borrowed a pair of swim trunks and sat at the edge of the pool, swinging his legs in the water while watching Paige and Connor’s antics, a smile on his face.

  The couple kept drawing everyone’s attention. How could they not when every time Connor would dunk his wife, Paige would squeal, laugh, and jump on his back, pretending to beat him up.

  Paige wore a little bikini too, and Grae noticed Gryff’s gaze kept landing on Paige’s nipples which were clearly hard beneath the wet fabric.

  Grae’s fingers curled into fists, and he blew out a breath. This was his brother, he reminded himself.

  “Is it?” Gayle said, waving a hand in front of his face.

  “Sorry?” he asked, realizing he was distracted.

  “I asked if this is really what you want. Gia and Gryff don’t know the whole story, but I do, Grae. The relationship with Joshua and Marla wrecked you.”

  “I survived, Gayle. I’m fine.” His eyes drifted back to the pool. Now in the shallow end, Paige had her arms around Connor’s neck and her legs wrapped around his waist as they kissed. Connor’s hands were firmly planted on his wife’s ass.

  “Yes, now you’re fine. But back then—“

  “Drop it, Gayle,” he warned, cutting her off. He tore his gaze away from the pool. “Do you want a drink?”

  “No. I want you to talk to me.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it, dear sister of mine,” he said, frowning. He hoped she would get the hint and drop the subject.

  “All weekend I’ve noticed that they tell each other they love one another. They call each other honey and baby. And you’re just Grae.”

  “I hadn’t noticed.” Of course he had, but he wasn’t going to admit this to his sister.

  “Do they even know about your previous…” She waved a well-manicured hand in the air. “Thing?”

  “Thing?”

  “Your love triangle.”

  Grae sighed, sat back in his chair, and crossed his ankles. He wanted to correct her and say it wasn’t a triangle. But in the end, it had become one.

  “Don’t you want a normal relationship?”

  His sister was pushing it. “What’s normal to you isn’t necessarily normal to me.”

  “Apparently.”

  He gave her a look. “The only one here that has a problem with it is you.”

  “I just don’t get it… Why do you need to be with two people? One of them being a man.”

  “You don’t have to, Gayle. You don’t have to understand my relationship with Paige and Connor.”

  She sighed, the frustration clear.

  “Why don’t you go swimming?” he suggested, trying to change the subject.

  Gayle gaped at him in horror. “Do you know how much I paid for this hair?”

  “Fine. Don’t go swimming.”

  Paige screamed when Connor picked her up and threw her into the deep end. He dove in quickly after her and came up laughing. Paige surfaced, sp
uttering and cursing at him.

  Even Gryff laughed loudly.

  Paige pretended to be angry, and Connor yelled, “Aw, baby. You know I love you!”

  “Do they call you that? Do they tell you that?”

  Anger bubbled up enough for him to snap, “Gayle, give it a rest.”

  “I love you, big brother. I don’t want to see you get hurt again.”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  “I hope so.”

  Grae hoped so too.

  Chapter 10

  Grae stood at the kitchen sink and gazed out of the window onto the back patio. Connor sat in one of those green plastic Adirondack chairs with Paige in his lap. Their foreheads were pinned together, and their laughter surrounded them.

  A sharp twinge had him grimacing. He rubbed at his chest in an attempt to relieve the pain.

  Grae had been watching Connor play with Paige’s fingers for the last few minutes. Kissing them, intertwining his with hers, comparing hand sizes, and spinning her wedding ring.

  It was the ring that bothered Grae the most since it symbolized the two of them belonging to each other for infinity. But if he were honest with himself, it was the whole scene before him causing the ache. He wasn’t one to fear much, but watching the two of them together scared him. It brought back the memories of his last failed threesome.

  Grae was the one who had suggested the idea to his then live-in girlfriend. At first, she was reluctant, but after meeting Joshua, she had quickly agreed. Maybe that should have given him a clue. It worked out well…until it didn’t. No rules had been established, leaving the relationship more organic. Grae had remained in his home with his girlfriend, while Joshua continued to live in his own condo. But they got together often.

  Then suddenly, Grae’s bed was more empty than not.

  When he least expected it, he became the third wheel. The afterthought.

  One day, he came home to an empty house. Her closets had been emptied, her personal belongings gone. His girlfriend of three years had moved out and into Joshua’s place.

  He couldn’t go through that again.

  He couldn’t let it get that far. He couldn’t let himself show that type of weakness again.