Chapter 9
The next day at exactly 1pm, I was surprised to see Cole, not Shane, walk into the book store with a basket in hand. “Can I entice you with a picnic lunch in the park?” He smiled charmingly.
“Um…” I looked for Suzie, who walked to the front at that exact moment.
“Go.” She shooed me out the door.
I turned back to Cole. “Let me clock out.”
“Just go. It’s on me, but I want all the juicy details when you get back.” She winked.
Cole and I laughed in unison. “Ok,” I agreed. I knew she would only push for as much as I was willing to share. Given that we were going to be in public, I didn’t see there being all that much to divulge.
He held the door for me as we left, securing his hand in mine when he released it.
“I figured we’d walk, if you don’t mind,” he said, already strolling towards the park a couple blocks away.
“That sounds good.” I was amazed at how quickly we fell into step with each other. “Where are you from?” I asked as we wandered past the quaint shops that made up our one road stretch of downtown.
“Waconia, Minnesota.”
“Where is that?”
“About thirty miles from the twin cities. Small town, something similar to this, but on the water.”
“What made you guys decide to leave?”
“We wanted more.”
“So why move here instead of back there?”
“Is there a pop quiz after too?” He smirked, chuckling lightly.
I felt my cheeks heat up. “Sorry.”
“We went where the opportunity was.”
“Where did you live before Mount Bluff?”
“Atlanta.”
“What were you guys doing there?”
“Investments.” I looked at him sideways, a brow cocked in disbelief. “We both went to college in Dallas. After that, we moved to New York and worked on Wall Street before heading to Charlotte and then Atlanta. We’re investors first and ranchers second. We’re not afraid of hard work, but are better with the business side of things.”
“What type of investments do you specialize in?”
“Commercial. We made a lot of money on Wall Street, but it was a hard grind. Competition’s tough and every man is for himself. We only made the money we did because Shane and I pooled our clients’ money. We took big risks because if we lost, we lost everything.”
“Did you? Ever lose everything that is.”
He studied me as we entered the park. “Once.”
I nodded, knowing not to pry any further. I smiled, thinking of Shane with his heavy country accent in the middle of New York City. Cole had a bit of a Southern twang, but it wasn’t overpowering. “How is it that you two grew up together, lived in the same places, but sound so different?”
“I was more concerned about blending in while Shane didn’t care.”
“That sounds like him.” I laughed.
He led me to a large oak tree in the center of the park. I watched the children running around on the playground to the right of the grassy field. He watched me, following my eyes to the source of the laughter that carried over to us. My breath caught when a little girl, about seven, ran over towards the swing set. Her long black hair was pulled tightly into a braid down her back. Her slightly chubby cheeks awash in tan with a hint of rose sent a pang through me. I buried the sadness creeping to my surface, determined not to think about the past.
I shook my head and turned back towards Cole, his eyes narrowed as he considered my reaction. He must have seen the longing in my eyes. “You want kids?” He pulled a sheet from the basket and spread it over the ground. I settled down beside him.
“One day. You?”
“My mother bugs me about it every time I call.”
“That’s not an answer.” I pursed my lips as I watched the emotions cross his face. Nothing negative appeared, mainly apprehension, as if he was afraid of being a parent.
“One day.” He began pulling everything one needed for a picnic from the basket. It reminded me of the mothers of multiples who visited the book store. Their purses were massive and contained everything known to man within. “I hope you’re hungry.”
“If I’m not?”
“At least pretend you are so I don’t feel like a pig.” He looked up at me through hooded eyes, mischief in his gleam.
“Okay.” I giggled.
He passed me a sandwich piled high with ham, a bag of chips, a cold soda, and spread a platter of fruits between us. “I have a surprise dessert for later too.”
“Why do I have a feeling that’s your favorite part of the meal?”
“I’m a carnivore at heart, but enjoy the sweet stuff just the same.”
“And Shane?”
“He’d rather eat seconds than dessert.” He bit into his sandwich with gusto. I tore a small corner off of mine and popped it into my mouth.
We gazed lazily out at the scenery. Young kids, mostly toddlers, were chasing each other, carrying on happily on the playground. Mothers gathered at the surrounding benches, chatting away about life I was sure. Across from the playground, a few teenagers were playing a game of basketball on the old court, one slam dunking into a basket without a net. I idly wondered if they were skipping school or not.
Across the street, patrons were entering and leaving local shops and boutiques, bags filling their hands and slowing them down. Employees could be seen dining for lunch through the windows of the local diner, dressed in their finest business attire.
“Tell me about yourself,” Cole interrupted my daydream-like assessment of my surroundings.
“There’s not much to tell.” I ate another bite of my sandwich.
“I don’t believe that for one minute, sweetie.”
I bit my lower lip, shrugging. I didn’t want to think about my past, let alone talk about it. I looked at Cole, studied the sharp angles of his jaw. His five o’clock shadow softened the roughness of his Roman features, heightening his sex appeal.
“Can I ask you a personal question?”
His muscles tensed momentarily as if he was caught off guard. Regardless, he nodded. “Ask me anything you want.”
“Have you and Shane ever… shared a woman before?”
He furrowed his brow, looking down at the final bite of his sandwich. “A couple times.”
“Is this normal for your, uh, kind?” I picked at the crust of my bread, my pulse picking up. I was curious, but didn’t know whether getting these answers helped me trust them in any way other than for honesty.
“No. A few weres have claimed the same woman, but it’s not usually at the same time.”
“How did you… Um, well, I guess what made you decide to share the first girl?”
“The girl Shane was dating wanted a threesome. He trusted me.”
“What happened?”
“I can’t say he’d be happy about me telling you this, but she thought we were better without her in the middle.”
“What do you mean?”
“She pushed for us to do stuff without her.”
“Oh.” I sucked the inside of my cheek between my teeth, considering what he said. I’d never considered the fact that they could be together without me. “Have you two-“
He laughed. “Hell no. He’s my best friend and business partner, nothing more.”
“But, well, you’ve seen him… get there.”
“Even though we’re together with the girl, we’re focused on her, not each other.”
“Oh. I guess that makes sense.”
“Now that you know my naughty history, tell me about yours. How many guys have you dated?” I saw him clench his jaw, clamping his teeth together as if the topic bothered him.
I flushed, looking down at my barely touched sandwich. My stomach twisted in knots when I compared their list of experiences to my empty one. “I, uh, haven’t actually dated anyone.” When I looked up, he had a satisfied grin on his face.
�
�I won’t lie, I’m happy as hell no other man has touched you.” I cringed at his words, closing my eyes to the flashes of memories. I worked to keep my breathing regular. When I felt I had a handle on myself, I opened my eyes. I gasped to find him right in front of me, concerned etched in every feature on his face. I swallowed hard, praying he didn’t press for answers. “Talk to me.” His voice was gentle, soothing. It rolled over me, surrounding me with comfort as he stroked my cheek with the back of his hand. His fingers traveled to the dark circles beneath my eyes.
“I, uh…” I didn’t know what to say. The fact that he even cared tugged at my heart strings, a sliver of him slipping between the cracks of my barrier.
He locked eyes with me, transferring a bit of his strength to me. “How upset would you be if I kissed you?”
“I wouldn’t be,” I breathlessly replied.
“Good.” He leaned in, pressing his lips firmly to mine. His hands slid between the strands of my hair as he pulled me to him, my chest colliding with his. He teased the entrance to my mouth, his tongue sliding along my lips. I parted, granting him admittance. His taste washed over me, a flavor uniquely Cole. He was sweet, slightly robust, yet smooth. I wanted to drink him. His tongue passed over mine as my lips conformed to his, allowing him to set the pace.
He lightly tugged on my strands, angling my head back to deepen his contact. It squished my breasts against him, my nipples pebbling against the hard plains of his chest. My pulse quickened as he took his time exploring me. Heat slowly began to course through me, awakening my senses, making me aware of every dip of his tongue, every feather light touch of his finger along my neck. My breathing became shallow as he overwhelmed me. Recognizing that things were moving fast, he pulled back, leaving a trail of pecks along my jaw. My breath hitched when he ran his tongue along the pulse point on my neck.
I stared lazily at him, my body on fire; a strong desire encasing me. I was trying to rein in my longing, the inane need I had to rip his clothes off of him just to get closer to him. I wanted to be inside him just as much as he wanted to be within me if the bulge in the center of his thighs was anything to go by.
The rest of our time was spent hand feeding each other fruits as we casually conversed. I found myself crossing my ankles and squeezing upwards while he readjusted himself multiple times. Perhaps that kiss should have waited until the end of my lunch hour, though I was grateful for the recovery time before I returned to the store. His surprise dessert was a slice of decadent, seven-layer chocolate cake, which I learned was his favorite. According to him, he didn’t share it with anyone, yet he fork fed me. The frosting was thick, sticking to the roof of my mouth, while the cake portion was moist and fluffy. It was the only thing light about the cake. By the fifth bite, I shook my head rejecting his offer for more. It was delicious, but much too rich to indulge in more of.
I helped him pack up the leftovers. He entwined his fingers with mine, kissing my cheek as we headed back. We arrived right at the one hour mark.
“See you at the same time tomorrow?” he asked as we stood on the sidewalk in front of the store.
I smiled shyly as I nodded, flushing slightly at the intensity in his gaze. The way he took me in gave me goose bumps. A chill ran down my spine when he licked his lips. Bending down towards me, his lips landed softly on mine. He didn’t linger, merely said his good-bye with a gentle kiss that left me breathless.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” He smiled, heading towards his truck. I watched him climb in, setting the basket on the passenger seat. I half-waved as butterflies fluttered about in my stomach. I felt happy, almost giddy at the experience. Cole and Shane made me feel special, cherished.
My giddiness was quickly squashed by the panic that rose like clockwork every day at this time. The second Cole drove away, I pulled out my cell phone to make the call.
Chapter 10
Every day over the next two months either Shane or Cole, and on occasion both of them, spent my entire lunch hour with me. We dined at the local restaurants only a few times, the others enjoying a simple picnic in the park or a sandwich as we walked through town. On my days off, I took up cooking lunch for them since they provided it for me the rest of the time. Slowly I felt myself relaxing with them; I learned to trust them. Fear still plagued me, but little where they were concerned. They did exactly what Shane promised: they took things slow and didn’t push me. They didn’t push, yet somehow they’d wiggled their way into my heart.
I’d had their personalities backwards in the beginning. Cole was the one who typically had me in a fit of laughter, whereas Shane was more passionate, more serious, despite his quirky moments. They complimented each other perfectly, and I was beginning to see how I fit into the mix as well.
Today was my day off, and I’d decided to surprise the guys. It’d been two months since I’d first met them in the bar, and I was going to take them back. I was finally ready to take our relationship to the next step.
Jess agreed to tend to the store today so Suzie could go shopping with me. I was ready for a make-over to go with my new attitude, not to mention the pounds I’d lost. It hadn’t been intentional. My only theory as to why I’d lost thirty pounds was that the guys filled a place that food used to. I was still very hippy and had quite a bit more to drop, but I’d be happy whether I did or didn’t, as long as I was with them.
My phone rang as I threw on a pair of jeans I hadn’t worn in a long while. I did a giddy leap when they were buttoned, getting to my phone on the last ring.
“Hello?”
“I’m outside.”
“I’ll be there in a sec.” I grabbed the picnic basket I’d packed for the guys, my purse and threw on some shoes and headed out. The second I opened Suzie’s car door, she started in on me.
“So, are you going to tell me what the big secret plan is?”
“Drive and I’ll talk,” I said, squeezing everything on my lap. Buckling up with a lap full is a hard task to say the least.
“So…” she prompted as she drove off.
“So, I think I’m ready to take things to the next step with the guys.”
“I knew it!” she squealed.
“Yea, yea.” I rolled my eyes.
“Honey, I’ve told you more than once that you’ve changed for the better since you met those two. You’re always smiling, you’ve lost weight. Do you still have the nightmares?”
I stared out the window trying to keep the memories at bay. “Yeah.” My voice was low.
“Well, at least they chase away your demons during the day.”
“I agree. They both make me happy. They’re two different men, yet they fit me so well. It’s hard to explain.”
“Don’t worry about explainin’ it to me. I’m just glad you finally found two men to be with.”
“Yeah, well, not everyone agrees with that. It’s a sin to be with more than one to some people in this town.”
“Oh please! They’re just jealous. They wish they had two of their own, or a better husband period. You just do you, honey. Don’t pay no mind to people.”
“Speaking of a better one, how are things with you and Jim?”
“I hate to admit it, but they’re going better than I thought they could. I think you and Jess were right. He balances me, keeps me grounded, when he’s not driving me up the wall.”
“You love every minute of it.” I smiled.
“Ok, so I do. And God, the sex is hot!” she groaned. I laughed.
“You know, this whole time you’ve been worrying about me being happy, but you weren’t so happy yourself.”
“Maybe.” She shrugged. We turned on the dirt road leading down to the ranch.
“Ok, all you have to do is ring the doorbell. They’ll be expecting me, so don’t be shocked if they answer shirtless. I think they’ve been secretly trying to tease me into bed with them.”
“You mean you haven’t-?” Her brows went up in shock.
I shook my head. “No. I’d be lying if I said I was
n’t afraid to, but that’s part of the plan for tonight. I put a note in the basket asking them to meet me at the bar tonight at eight. I already talked to Joe and he agreed to put me on for karaoke at 8:15 p.m.. I’m singing an extra special song to them. Hopefully I don’t totally choke and ruin it, but that’s why we’re going out today. I want to do a whole make-over, get all dolled up, so even if I do mess up, they’ll be too distracted by my sexy dress to notice.”
“Oh my god. Thank you Jesus, I finally rubbed off on you. About time you took the reins. Atta girl!” She pulled to the side of the house so the guys couldn’t see me. “Ooh! I’m so excited. They’re going to die!” she squealed.
I chuckled. “Just take the basket.”
Two minutes later she returned with a huge grin on her face. “Well?” I was anxious to hear their reaction. “What’d they say?”
“Cole asked what you were up to. Don’t worry, I didn’t say anything. I just shrugged it off.”
“What about Shane?”
“He actually didn’t say anything. He read the note and nodded.”
“Sounds like him.” I shook my head. I was hoping for a bit more from him, but wasn’t surprised.
“And girl, they are sexy as sin without a shirt. I have Jim, but I was droolin’. Sorry.” She didn’t look the least bit sorry.
“I’m not offended. Every woman in town can look, as long as they don’t touch.”
Chapter 11
“This is the one,” I said, gazing at my reflection in the mirror. I didn’t recognize myself.
“It’s perfect,” Suzie cooed, coming behind me to study my image in the mirror.
The sparkly plum, sleeveless number was figure hugging and fell to my knees; it wasn’t something I typically went for. The deep ‘V’ at the neck went below my breasts to expose the upper part of my stomach. Thankfully it hid my scars, which even Suzie hadn’t seen. It was all part of the past that haunted me; the main reason I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror every day.
The dress had a built in corset that pulled me in at the waist, creating the illusion of larger breasts, though the downside was my hips looked just as large. But I didn’t mind. Shane and Cole were always touching my hips. They said they couldn’t get enough of my womanly curves. Because of their constant reassurance, I’d come to embrace them. They were one of the most prominent features that made me a woman, that made me soft instead of hard like them.
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