Claire yelped when her robe gaped open to show off her breasts, and shoved the two sides together, holding them with her fist.
“After all we did last night, you’re going to hide from us now?” Hunter dished up the eggs onto a plate in front of Mason. Claire noticed there was only one plate and one fork. Were they supposed to share or had Mason already eaten?
Why did the thought of sharing intrigue her so much?
She swallowed, completely at a loss for what to say. “I thought it was a dream. I was going to get coffee and write it down before I lost it.”
One of Mason’s eyebrows rose. “You were going to put us in one of your books?”
Idiot. You weren’t supposed to say that out loud.
“You know about my writing?” She pursed her lips. Not too many people knew what she did. Mostly because she didn’t want people to know. She liked the anonymity. Liked going into a store and seeing her books all while the person next to her had no clue they were standing next to an honest-to-goodness author.
Hunter shrugged and stuck a forkful of eggs in his mouth. “There’s not a whole lot we don’t know about you.”
“And that seems a bit stalkerish.” Claire balked at the eggs Mason held to her lips, but he coaxed her to open and accept his offering by pressing lightly on her lower lip. They were surprisingly good—cheesy and salty. She normally wasn’t the biggest fan of eggs but the boys had done a good job. Mason followed the eggs with a bite of bacon, then leaned in and licked the residual grease off her lips.
“Not stalking, baby. Studying. Talking to Paul, learning what you like now.”
“Why?” She was flabbergasted. Mason rubbed circles on the small of her back.
“We were worried about scaring you off, you know, that the two of us might come on too strong. We thought maybe if we were up to speed, things wouldn’t be quite so awkward.” Hunter scooped up some more eggs and shoveled them into his mouth.
“Awkward as in, ‘Hello, Claire, haven’t seen you in ten years, would really like to blindfold you and make love all night, oh and by the way, Mason and I share everything now, including women’, kind of awkward?”
“Exactly. In those words even.” Mason nibbled on her ear.
“We’re just asking you to give us a chance, Claire.” Hunter’s long fingers wrapped around his mug. They were white from him gripping it so tight. “Date us. Let us see if we can make it work.”
“Date you? I think we’re a bit past dating already, don’t you think?” She squirmed on Mason’s lap, her pussy clenching with the memories of their time in bed. How could she have ever thought that had been a dream? Even her books weren’t that good.
“Besides sex, which by the way is not something I’m willing to give up, sweetheart. But dates. Movies, dinner, musicals. Start this morning by letting us take you downtown to the parade.”
“Parade?” Claire shivered just thinking about it. “It’s friggin’ cold out there.”
“And we have just the thing to warm you up when we get home.” Mason’s smile made Claire’s whole body sizzle.
She may be a wallflower, but who was she to deny herself a chance at something this big?
Life-changing big.
And deep down inside a little voice was screaming at her to take it. It was only her heart she’d have to scrape off the floor if it ended badly.
Chapter Six
The damned wind was bitter against Hunter’s nose, making it run, but he wouldn’t miss being in this space and time with Claire and Mason for the world. The floats rolled by, the bands marched, the balloons drifted. He couldn’t have said what any one of the helium-filled attractions depicted, because the woman between them and the way she smiled in the frosty air held all of his attention.
January first in St. Louis could be down-parka bitter cold, or moderate light-weight jacket weather. It truly was a completely unpredictable place to live.
Hunter couldn’t help himself. He grabbed Claire and held her cheeks so he could kiss her soundly. She melted into him, her arms wrapping around his back, and she angled her head to give him better access. Hunter loved the taste of her cotton-candy-coated mouth—something they could both tell she’d wanted the second she’d seen it offered by one of the roadside snack stands.
Mason intruded by pushing his hands between them. “Sharing is nice.”
Claire laughed and turned her face to Mason, her lips puckered for another kiss. Mason ended their smooch by licking his lips. “Mmm…blueberry.”
Hunter wanted this. Wanted them to be a family, to share more than kisses. His insides warmed at the thought despite the cold.
“Disgusting.”
Hunter turned at the repulsed mutter to his right. The woman eyed them with barely contained disdain and Hunter’s light, happy mood dissolved in an instant. The woman wasn’t looking at him, but at Claire wrapped in Mason’s arms, her lips reddened by both their kisses. He suddenly knew she wasn’t saying Mason and Claire’s embrace was disgusting, but that Claire had kissed them both at practically the same time.
His heart pounded violently. This was exactly what he hadn’t wanted to happen. He hoped to hell Claire didn’t turn in the woman’s direction.
The sound of drums grew closer but Hunter wasn’t into the festivities anymore. As far as he was concerned the parade, and his plans for the future, were over. They’d taken a chance by introducing Claire into their lifestyle, but having people treat her as dirty wasn’t something he was willing to put her through.
Nausea built in his stomach while Claire had no clue anything was wrong.
She clapped her thick-mittened hands and whistled as their alma mater marched by. Hunter barely heard them, so intent on trying to burn the memory of Claire smiling and laughing into his brain.
Damn it.
He swallowed past the thickness in his throat and willed Mason to look his way. His friend didn’t. He too had no clue of the hateful atmosphere around them. The looks and whispers surrounding them.
A group of girls in coat-covered tutus and tights on a passing float threw candy and necklaces in the air, and with a giggle Claire reached down at the same moment a girl of about four did. A girl whose mother happened to be Ms. Disgusting. Before Hunter could stop her, Claire spoke.
“Would you like this?” She handed the child the plastic purple beads. The little girl nodded vigorously, a huge grin on her face, and took the gift.
“Missy.” Her mother’s scolding tone made the girl jump. “Give that back.”
Claire gasped and Mason’s face screwed up in confusion.
“It’s all right. She can have it.” Claire smiled again and started to stand, oblivious to the scorn.
“No, she can’t.” The woman seized her child, scooping her up into her arms and scampering her away as if the three of them had the plague.
Claire’s mouth dropped open. Mason grasped her hand and Hunter felt like shit. If the mother had been a man, Hunter would have punched him for treating Claire that way. He did, however, envision his fist leaving a mark on her upturned nose. That was the only compensation he got as he watched her huff away.
Claire’s gaze, strangely enough, was centered on the child, as if she hadn’t been affected whatsoever by the snub. Instead her expression seemed wistful.
On the other hand, Mason’s posture was more like Hunter’s. A muscle in his jaw ticked and his nostrils flared.
“Well. That was awkward. Guess she didn’t like her kid taking candy from a stranger, even if it wasn’t candy, huh?”
Mason cleared his throat and glanced at Hunter, his look saying he felt the same way Hunter did. How on earth could they subject her to this kind of prejudice on a daily basis?
Hunter choked back a curse and decided to switch subjects. Claire was having a good time at a parade she’d never been to. He didn’t want to ruin it for her even if a part of him had died inside.
Mason beat him to it, handing Claire his hot chocolate. “Do you want kids, Claire?”
Hunter hoped the chocolate warmed Claire’s insides all while wondering if he’d ever feel warm again without her in their lives.
She shrugged and took a sip of the chocolate. “I think so. You guys?”
“Absolutely.” Mason licked a bit of cream from her upper lip, acting as if nothing were wrong. Perhaps if Hunter held back, if he didn’t touch her again with the people around, they’d get through the morning without any more incidents.
Mason took his drink back and sipped from the same spot she had.
Would Hunter be able to remain standing in the background so it looked like Mason and Claire were the couple and Hunter a tagalong? It fucking tore at his guts to even think about doing such a thing.
The parade neared the end and the crowd began thinning. Hunter took in everyone, trying to find any hint of dislike on people’s faces. He didn’t see any. No one stared, no one pointed and more importantly, no one glared as if they were committing a sin by being together in public.
Still, he never, ever wanted to see Claire hurt or insulted. How could he and Mason continue to try and worm their way into her life?
He shook the thoughts off for the time being. He couldn’t do a damn thing about the situation with half of St. Louis in attendance.
“Ready?” Hunter grasped her elbow and led her toward where their car was parked.
“Yep. This was fun. I’ve never come down here for a parade. Lived here my whole life and haven’t seen one yet. We always stayed in and watched the Rose Bowl instead.”
They walked slowly, admiring the downtown buildings lined with leftover snowdrifts from a few days ago. The sound of the bands playing could still be heard on the crisp wind. Mason took Claire’s hand in his and Hunter couldn’t resist taking the other. This no-public-displays-of-affection stance sucked. They’d have to work something out later but for right now, fuck anyone who took offense. They were done here anyway.
“Does this make you nervous?” He hoped to hell not.
“No. Should it?”
“Most people would see our relationship as an abomination.” Hunter squeezed her hand and slowed his pace to accommodate her shorter legs. He wanted to throw up, but he hoped, despite his renewed thoughts about the future and the possibility they may not get to stay together, that she didn’t see them that way.
“Most people shouldn’t stick their noses where they don’t belong.”
Mason laughed, a hollow sound that dug the knife deeper in Hunter’s stomach. Hunter faked a smile. At least she’d said she didn’t feel uncomfortable being seen with them this way. Still didn’t mean he could go through with it. Saying something and believing something were two different things. People lied about things every day.
“So what do we do now?” Claire bounced like a kid as Hunter opened the door to his SUV and helped her into the front seat. Mason got into the back and sat in the middle where he could lean forward and be a part of their conversation.
“Now? Now we play.” Mason blew on his hands to warm them, a smile behind his fingers. He looked over her head to Hunter, and Hunter sucked in a breath.
Mason was right. Now they played. For probably the last time.
Rip his heart out and stomp on it because no way could he allow Claire to be hurt by his and Mason’s wants. Sleeping with a woman in the privacy of her home was a complete one-eighty to taking it public. He’d hoped to hell no one would care how they lived their lives. Apparently some people did.
And they had to put Claire first.
The drive back to Claire’s seemed to take forever. All of them were quiet and nothing could take Mason’s mind off what waited ahead. He envisioned the taste of her skin, the way she enveloped his cock in her mouth, the way she gripped him in her pussy.
And then he wanted to punch something.
This wasn’t fair of them. Even if Claire hadn’t seen the brush-off the woman had given them, he and Hunter sure the hell had, and just as he was sure Hunter was feeling the pinch, he was too. He tried hard not to let either of them know he’d seen it. The whole thing made him sick to his stomach. Why hadn’t it bothered him with other women? Because they hadn’t taken those women out in public? Because they weren’t as special as Claire?
As much as he wanted to be with Claire, above all else he wanted her to be happy. She might pretend society’s views didn’t bother her but at some point they would.
“So. This is awkward, huh? All of us sitting here thinking of only one thing as if we didn’t get enough of each other last night?” Claire sounded as nonchalant as if they were talking about the weather.
“We didn’t.” Hunter’s growl made Claire jump. She slapped his shoulder. “What?” he asked, as if offended. “I don’t think Mason or I will ever get enough of you.”
“Here, here.” Mason lifted his hand to receive a backward knuckle bump from Hunter. Even if they were both feeling shut down inside, he didn’t think they were ready to end things quite yet. And the enthusiasm of hearing her say she was thinking about last night was enough to bowl over the wariness of their future.
“Sheesh. Excited much?”
“Hell yes. We were as excited as hell when we realized you were the Claire Paul constantly talked about.”
Mason clasped the back of her neck and caressed her nape. “Paul talked about you all the time, his best friend from the apartment one floor down, the smut writer whose books made him so hot he couldn’t read them without his boyfriend nearby. One day he mentioned your name and both of us started paying more attention. We dragged your last name out of him and had him tell us how you were doing. He told us every time you sold a book or got stuck with a plot.”
“He told us about your dates,” Hunter grumbled.
“What dates? I’ve only been on like three. And those were probably with Paul and his friends.”
“They involved a man, didn’t they?” Hunter’s hands fisted on the wheel.
Claire consoled him with a pat on the shoulder. “Jealous?”
“Yes.”
“Then you should have acted sooner, goob.”
“Did you just call me a goob?”
“Yes I did. I remember you two being shy in high school, keeping together, doing your own thing. I wanted so badly even then for one of you to ask me out, but you never did.”
“Ah, sweetheart.” Hunter grabbed her hand and held it on his thigh. “When you said we were shy you were right. And too damn involved in computers. Facing rejection wasn’t something we were prepared to go through back then.”
Mason tipped Claire’s face back so she could see his. “We aren’t too keen on facing it now, I might add.” Which made what they had to do suck all the more.
“But why now, after all these years, after you’ve changed so much, when you could have any woman in the world, would you still choose me?” Claire’s words crushed Mason. She had a legitimate right to ask them that, but it hurt all the same that she didn’t feel worthy of their attention just because they’d changed their appearance.
They’d both loved her back then, something neither had really realized of the other until later when they’d started sharing their women. Had they subconsciously wanted their female partners to be her? Had they done so much physique-wise in hopes of one day catching her eye?
In hindsight, yes. He had to think that was the reason he’d changed.
“We did it for you, baby.”
Her eyes widened. “For me.”
“Yep.” Hunter brought her hand to his lips for a kiss. “If you saw us now as the dorks we’d been back then…well, we thought you’d only be interested in being friends.”
She laughed. “You say that as if being friends is the worst thing in the world.”
“It is when the woman you want between you every night only wants you to be friends.” Mason pulled her ponytail, forcing her head back so he could kiss her. She opened to him like their kissing was the most natural thing in the world, making his hopes rise that she’d give their relation
ship a shot no matter the unconventionality.
Damn it. All of his thoughts were consumed with keeping her and now they were faced with letting her go.
Fuck.
When he finally released her, she took a moment to catch her breath. “Didn’t I just mention wanting you to ask me out? Why would you think I’d need you to change now if I wanted you the way you were back then?”
“We didn’t know you wanted us then.” Mason brushed her bangs from her forehead, a tingle of that hope rising again.
“Right. Because I hardly spoke to you. That would have been waaay embarrassing. I would have made a fool of myself.”
“Never.” Hunter took his eyes off the road to glance in her direction.
The silence returned. Mason realized how close they were to her place. He hadn’t been paying any attention to the drive, only making Claire understand their feelings. Now, as they pulled into the apartment complex, the only thing on his mind was getting her naked again. They’d think about later, well, later.
Hunter found a parking spot, and Mason opened Claire’s door and helped her out. He prayed she was anticipating the same thing he was. As soon as they were inside and had the door to her apartment closed he backed her up against the wall, hating the bulkiness of their coats separating them.
“Time for warming up,” he murmured against her lips.
Chapter Seven
Claire needed less clothes between them. Her body was so revved, practically vibrating, she wondered how her skin had stayed intact instead of sloughing right off. Being trapped in the car with them, hearing how much they’d done for her, she’d wanted to cry. Stupid idiots. They didn’t need to change for her.
“I was going to go blonde.” Having blurted something so inane in a heated moment, she cringed.
Mason pulled back.
“Like hell.” Hunter tangled his fist in her hair. “I saw that on your list and crossed it off. No blonde.”
“My list?” Her mouth gaped. “You read my resolutions?” She tried to remember what she’d written on there.
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