Twenty-One

While Nico showered, Stone stood at thestove, finishing up the scrambled eggs while the bacon crisped in the oven.

"I did not know you could cook," Stevie said from behind him. "Your mom always teased that it wasn't safe to eat food you made."

"Yeah. But she's the one who taught me." He glanced back at her. "And I might've picked up a few things while I was workin' on a ranch or two. Nothin' fancy, mind you. But I can scramble some eggs, and I make a mean steak. What about you?"

"I like to cook, but I usually do less fryin'. That's Nico's specialty."

"How long've you two lived together?" Stone tried to play it off as a casual question, but he wasn't sure it came across that way.

"About a year now. I moved in when Niyah and Adam got engaged. They wanted to live together, and I would've been a third wheel. Nico offered to let me rent one of the rooms after Melanie moved out."

"Tell me about her," he said, curious about a woman who'd managed to get Nico to propose to her.

"She … uh…" Stevie sighed. "Melanie was nice enough. I think she loved Nico in her own way."

"Meaning? What? She loved his money?"

"No." Stevie set her mug down. "I think it was more than that, but she was very possessive. Once she came in and took over his life, she did her best to push everyone else out. Includin' Niyah. And if you know his sister, you know she doesn't stand for that. They butted heads a little."

That was interesting. More so, that Nico would've allowed someone to do that. From what he recalled, he'd been close to his sister.

"And the company? What prompted you to start your own company?"

Stevie answered more easily. "My grandpa left me some money when he died. Since I didn't want to work for anyone else, it was my only option, really." She took a sip of coffee. "Nico already had his degree by then. I knew if he could venture out on his own, he could make some real money. He worked for this other company after he graduated college. They were holdin' him back, so it seemed like the right thing to do."

Stone glanced back at her over his shoulder. "So it was his idea?"

She shook her head, smiling. "No. God, no. He argued with me for weeks about it. But I won in the end."

"And you love it?"

"I do," she said, and there wasn't an ounce of insincerity on her face. "I'm my own boss, plus, I get to work with plants. It's all I ever really cared to do."

Admittedly, Stone hadn't known what Stevie's plans were back in the day. She'd been close to graduating high school, but they never discussed what she would do afterward. And then he left.

He plated the eggs and placed them on the island before grabbing the oven mitts to get the bacon out.

Nico strolled in, his hair damp from his shower, just as Stone dumped the bacon onto one plate and set it in front of Stevie. He glanced between them and then headed for the coffee pot.

"If you leave her alone with that, she'll eat every piece," Nico teased, gesturing toward Stevie with his elbow.

"Only because I have to fight you for it," she said, smiling up at him.

Not for the first time, Stone saw the pure adoration on Stevie's face when she looked at Nico. They played it off as though they were merely roommates, but Stone could tell it was more than that. Nico had told him as much, and Stone was almost positive Stevie reciprocated his feelings. They were certainly more than merely friends with benefits.

"Tell me this," Stone prompted. "What would you be doin' right now if you hadn't inherited that money?"

Stevie's left eye squinted—which was fucking adorable—and he could tell she was giving it serious thought as she bit off the end of the bacon strip.

"She'd have a farm full of fruits and vegetables," Nico answered for her, returning to take the stool beside Stevie.

Stone leaned against the counter with his plate, eating while he watched the interaction between them.

"That's not true. I would've ended up doin' exactly what I'm doin' now."

Nico looked at Stone. "Don't let her lie to you. She hates sittin' in the office all day."

"I do not sit in the office all day," she countered with a laugh, and it was clear this was an argument they'd had before. "I get outside as much as you do."

"Maybe." Nico conceded. "But don't deny you'd rather be out there more."

Her eyebrow quirked as she looked at Stone. She shrugged. "I don't know. I love what I do, so does it matter?"

Stone figured there was no better time than the present to discuss the opportunity he was looking at.

"I talked to my aunt and uncle yesterday," he explained. "Lorrie and Curtis."

"I haven't seen them in a while," Stevie said as she continued to eat. "How're they doin'?"

"They're good. I saw 'em back in December when I came back for Christmas."

He realized his error as soon as the words were out of his mouth. Stevie's interest shifted to her food, and she avoided looking at him.

Figuring it was pointless to apologize profusely for something he couldn't change, he forged ahead. "Anyway. Curtis and Lorrie are willin' to give me about four hundred acres to do what I want with."

"Four hundred?" Nico whistled. "That's a lot of land."

A rapid thump sounded, drawing their attention to the floor. J?ger was sitting, his little tail thumping on the hardwood as he stared up at Nico. Stone didn't think it was the whistle that got his attention, but rather the smell of food.

"You're cute," Nico said casually. "I know. You want the bacon, but you don't need the bacon."

J?ger made a cute little whimper sound.

"Give him a bite," Stevie said, nudging Nico with her elbow.

"He doesn't need people food," Nico countered.

"It's bacon. It's everyone food."

Stone smiled, watching the interaction. He grinned even more when Nico caved, dropping J?ger a small piece of bacon.

"Four hundred's a lot of acres, is it not?" Nico asked him when J?ger was content.

"Dependin' on what you wanna do with it. If you're lookin' to raise cattle, you can get about one head per three acres. If you wanna work the land, it's enough to do pretty much anything."

Stevie waved her fork, not bothering to look up. "He wants to put some bulls out there."

Stone saw the concern in Nico's gaze. It was obvious he was worried about the shift in Stevie's demeanor.

"Actually," Stone said. "I was thinkin' about doin' somethin' else with it."

He set his plate aside and reached for his coffee.

"That's where you come in," he told her, waiting for her to look at him.

Stevie's eyes slowly lifted. "Me?"

"You're right," he continued. "Raisin' champion bulls was my goal at one time. Not necessarily my dream because I never quite nailed down what I wanted to do, but it felt like somethin' I'd be good at."

Stevie's eyebrows dipped low. "Not anymore?"

"I was thinkin' I'd rather farm it."

Her eyebrows popped toward her hairline. "As in what? Corn?"

"We could do that," he agreed. "Right now, we'd probably yield about a hundred bushels per acre."

Stevie looked at Nico, then back to him. "We?"

Stone swallowed hard and met her gaze. "The three of us."

Nico frowned, but he didn't speak.

Stone kept his focus on Stevie. "I heard you talkin' to Byron the other day. You were talkin' about greenhouses."

She waved her hand, but before she could interrupt, he continued.

"I was wonderin' if maybe the three of us could work together to come up with a plan for how to use the land. I'm thinkin' it'll give you enough room to build the greenhouses you want so you can produce whatever you want. Then maybe we could use some of it to open a farmers' market. We make it large enough to allow other vendors to sell their produce."

Her eyebrows were practically at her hairline. "Farmers' market?"

He nodded. "For the town. I hear they're all the rage."

She huffed a laugh, and the noose on his chest relaxed a little.

"I don't know if I'd go that far." She glanced between him and Nico. "But we could do a lot with it. Four hundred acres would be plenty to work with. But if you want to grow corn, we'd have to use quite a bit for that."

The fact that she used the word we gave him hope.

She rambled on, throwing out several ideas. Stone made a mental note of all of them, figuring he could easily work it into a business plan. It wouldn't take much to research the area and develop a market analysis and financial projections.

"You know that'll cost a lot of money," Nico added when Stevie exhaled with a sigh.

"I've got money," Stone noted. "More than I need to get this underway. What I don't have is the know-how. That's where you come in," he told Stevie.

"But I've already got a full-time job."

To Stone's surprise, Nico said, "But we both know this is more along the lines of what you'd rather be doin'."

"That's not true." She was offended. "I happen to love what I do." Her forehead creased as she glared at Stone. "And I don't appreciate you comin' in and tellin' me I don't."

He held up his hands. "That is not at all what I'm doin'. Swear it."

She shoved off the stool. "Coulda fooled me."

"Stevie, wait," he said, setting his coffee mug on the counter.

"No." She planted her hands on her hips and spun to face him. "What gives you the right to come in here thinkin' you know what I want? You don't know me, Stone. You don't know the first thing about me."

"You're right," he admitted, moving closer. "I don't. And I'm not pretendin' to."

When she didn't move back, he took that as a good sign, reaching for her hands.

Lowering his voice, he tried to defuse the situation. "I don't have an agenda, Stevie. Honest to God. This is merely an opportunity, and as soon as my uncle presented it, the only person I could think about was you."

"Too little too late, Stone," she said, tears filling her eyes. "You had your chance. And I've already told you, I—"

Before she could rip his heart out of his chest with her words, Stone pulled her closer, forcing her to look up at him.

"Don't say it."

"But it's true."

"Maybe so," he whispered. "But I've told you already, I'll do whatever it takes to make it up to you." Stone looked over at Nico. "And to you, too. Last night…" He looked back at Stevie. "Last night wasn't just sex."

"Maybe not for you, but it was for me," Stevie huffed and tried to pull away, but Stone held on, not letting her get away.

"It wasn't," he said, his tone harder than before. "You can lie and say it was, but we all know better."

"That doesn't mean I want anything from you," she countered hotly.

"I know." And he did. This wasn't going to be easy, but he was willing to put in the work.

Hell, at this point, he was willing to do whatever it took to show them both that the three of them were meant to be together. He felt it in his soul, and he just needed some time so they could feel it, too.

***

Nico wasn't sure what to say, buthe couldn't ignore the sincerity he saw on Stone's face.

He also couldn't ignore the pain that glittered brightly in Stevie's eyes. He knew her well enough to recognize when she was shutting herself off. Stevie wasn't willing to open herself up to the heartache she believed Stone capable of. Who could blame her? The guy had left fifteen years ago and hadn't looked back. They'd both obviously been hurt by that decision, and Stone was looking to make up for it now. Nico respected that.

At the same time, it'd been fifteen years. Stone had been back for less than a month and while Nico didn't think there was a time requirement on relationships, it felt like they were moving fast. One night together … and yeah, Stone was right, it wasn't just sex. But that didn't mean they needed to jump into something as permanent as a business proposal. But he also didn't want to let Stevie pass up an opportunity he knew she would've jumped at if Nico had been the one to suggest it.

"Give me a chance, Stevie." Stone's voice quivered. "That's all I'm askin' for. From both of you. A chance to show you what we had … it was real. It's still real."

Nico was honestly surprised he was being included. Considering what they'd shared all those years ago had been nothing more than one night of intense pleasure, he didn't expect more than that now.

Did he want it? Yeah. More than he was willing to admit.

Last night … with Stone … Nico had felt everything he'd felt back then, only now it was multiplied by a million because he'd honestly thought he'd conjured it all up. That the past decade and a half had been filled with memories he honestly believed he'd simply exaggerated. But he hadn't. It felt right to him. Being with Stone. Being with Stevie. And being with both of them… After years of not finding anything that even remotely came close … that was what made him realize this wasn't something that happened every day.

And fine, maybe they were moving at warp speed. Stone could very well disappear tomorrow. But Nico didn't think that would happen.

He exhaled a hard breath when he realized he'd just mentally run himself in one big fucking circle.

"It was sex," Stevie snapped. "If you think it's more, that's on you. But I—"

Stone silenced her by crushing his mouth to hers.

Nico stared, watching as Stevie instantly surrendered. He wasn't sure she even realized she was doing it, but she stopped fighting him.

"It's not just sex," Stone snarled, his mouth hovering over hers. "Not for me. I've never felt anything like what I feel for you and Nico."

It stunned him that Stone was still including him in this conversation. He wanted to pretend he didn't care, but the truth was, it validated the emotions that had been churning inside him since he realized Stone was back for good.

"Tell me you feel nothin' for me," Stone insisted, his hand sliding to her neck, his thumb pressed under her chin, his big fingers curling around.

Goddamn, the two of them were hot together. Nico was surprised by how much it turned him on to see them like that. Stevie surrendering to Stone. It awakened parts that he'd thought were long dead.

"Hatred," she hissed. "That's what I feel for you."

It was a lie. Nico knew it as soon as the words were out of her mouth. But that was Stevie. She was erecting those walls, trying to keep her heart from getting pummeled. He couldn't blame her, but Nico wanted Stone to knock down those fucking walls. God knows Nico hadn't been able to. And yeah, maybe Stone was right when he said he should tell Stevie how he felt. Until he did, Nico couldn't fault Stevie for pretending there was nothing between them but intense heat.

"You can hate me," Stone told her. "But that won't stop me from lovin' you. And it won't stop me from provin' that deep down, behind all that hatred, you love me, too."

Stevie's mouth opened and closed.

"I don't expect either of you to trust me right now," Stone said. "I just want a chance to prove it. Can you give me that chance, Stevie?"

"I don't know." Her gaze shifted sideways. "Can you?"

Nico realized she was asking him.

His first instinct was to side with her because he knew that was what Stevie wanted. She wasn't asking him to be honest. She was seeking validation for her pain. But Nico knew her better than anyone else. He knew she would latch onto that and use it to shield herself for as long as she could. Nico wasn't willing to let her shut herself off from him anymore. They'd been doing this dance for a year, and he knew they could keep right on going at this pace for another and another. But they didn't have to. This was a chance for them to get it all out in the open, to admit what they were pretending didn't exist.

"Yes," he said, getting to his feet. "I'm willin' to let this play out. See where it goes."

Her eyes widened as he neared.

He moved to stand behind her, leaning down so he could speak directly in her ear. "And I think you are, too."

"No."

"Are you sure about that?"

There was a brief pause before she said, "What part of no don't you get?"

"The part that's a lie," Nico told her, feeling her resolve weaken as he stood there.

"Then the joke's on you," she hissed, attempting to pull away from Stone.

Nico stepped closer, pinning her between them. "We can make you admit it, Stevie. Is that what you want?"

She shivered, and it was followed by a huff that didn't have as much conviction as before.

"Make me, then," she snapped.

"You asked for it. Remember that." Nico slipped his hands underneath her sweatshirt, sliding higher so he could cup her breasts.

"I didn't ask for shit."

He breathed against her ear. "Your mouth says one thing, but your body's sayin' somethin' else."

Stevie whimpered, leaning into him. Nico knew without a doubt that this was what Stevie needed. She wanted them to fight her. She wanted them to prove her wrong.

And for the first time in his life, he was willing to do exactly that. Fight for what he wanted. And Stevie and Stone were the only two things he'd ever truly wanted. Now that he had a chance to have them, he wasn't about to pass that up. Not without a fight.

***

Stevie didn't know how they'd gotten here.

One minute, they were having breakfast; the next, she was crushed between Nico and Stone.

Although she didn't want to admit it, she'd never felt more alive than right now. Here, with both of them. And yes, she was filled with too many emotions to count. Hate. Lust. Love. The last one was what she had a problem with because if she allowed herself to love Stone again, she was going to end up getting hurt.

But if Nico was willing, would she be hurting him by fighting this? His presence made it bearable. He had the ability to settle the chaos. She trusted him implicitly.

Worst case, if Stone disappeared again, she would have Nico, right? He'd told her he loved her. Yes, it had been in the heat of the moment, and he hadn't mentioned it since, but surely there'd been a fraction of truth to it. Then again, Stone had tossed out the sentiment more than once since he showed up on their doorstep last night, so she wasn't convinced it meant the same to them as it did to her.

And yet, she was entertaining his proposal.

Stone's thumb brushed along her jaw, his hand still firmly around her neck. He wasn't applying pressure, merely holding her, but it was so erotic. No one had touched her like that but him.

Nico jerked the cups of her bra down, freeing her breasts, surprising her by the roughness of his touch. It sent sparks skating across her skin.

"Oh, God." She moaned, leaning into him as he plucked her nipples.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Stone watching, his gaze boring into her. Pure lust radiated from every pore, and she found herself desperate to soak it up. It pissed her off that he still had that much power over her. At the same time, it made her feel alive.

Before she realized what was happening, Nico pulled her sweatshirt over her head, but her arms were still in the sleeves. He grabbed the fabric, twisting it so that her arms were pinned behind her. She had nowhere to go. Stone was in front, Nico behind.

She tried to pull away, but they held her tighter.

Stevie gasped when Stone dropped to his knees and took her breast in his mouth. The heated suction dragged a moan from her. Her body betrayed her as she thrust her chest forward, silently urging Stone for more.

Nico bent down, his mouth near her ear. "This is what you want, Stevie. It's what you've always wanted."

"No," she argued, watching as Stone licked and sucked her nipple.

She gasped again when Nico cupped the back of Stone's head while he feasted on her breast. That simple touch ignited a firestorm in her veins.

It was true. The three of them were combustible together. She'd known it since that night. She'd fantasized about it for so long. Even after she gave up hope that Stone would come back, she'd imagined what it would be like if the three of them were together again. She'd tried to replace Stone with other men, but she'd always come back to this very scenario because, while she hated to admit it, Stone was irreplaceable. So was Nico.

"I've waited years to see him do that," Nico whispered in her ear. "To watch him feast on you."

She inhaled sharply when Stone bit her nipple before moving to the other one.

"You want our hands on you," Nico continued.

"Yes," she said, although she didn't mean for the word to come out.

"Only us."

"Yes." Even as she admitted it, she tried to fight them. It was part of the game, and she knew they understood that.

Nico pinned her arms tighter, his mouth sliding along her jaw, lower. He sucked on her neck while Stone bit her nipple.

She fought some more, loving the way they held her more firmly. It was their dominance that she craved. It made her burn hot.

Stone's mouth released her, and she tried to squirm away again. She thought for a second he was going to relent because he shifted away. But he was only reaching for the stool, dragging it closer. He shoved it toward Nico.

Then Stone was roughly jerking her leggings down, her panties with them. When she was naked from the waist down, he reached for the front clasp of her bra, unhooking it and letting it flap open.

She wasn't sure what they were doing, but then Nico pulled her backward onto the stool. He still had her arms shackled behind her, but he kept her from falling by using his body.

"Oh, shit!" she cried when Stone's big hands pushed under her knees, lifting her legs, spreading them wide. He buried his face between her legs, licking her from entrance to clit again and again.

She was going to come. Not only from the sheer ecstasy of Stone's wicked tongue but the way Nico was keeping her pinned in place. They had complete control of her body. The only thing she could do was endure.

"Fuck, that's pretty," Nico rasped, his chest against her upper back. "His mouth on your cunt."

God, she loved when Nico talked dirty.

"You're gonna come on his face, aren't you, Stevie?"

She whimpered, trying to hold back the release that was barreling down on her. She didn't want to give them the satisfaction. But refraining was futile. She wanted this more than she'd wanted anything in a long damn time.

"That's it, girl," Nico urged. "Come for us."

Us.

She loved that word. She loved the vivid images it painted in her mind. The two of them with her always.

"Oh, God!" Stevie screamed when Stone wrapped his lips around her clit and flicked it ruthlessly with his tongue. She came in a heated rush, her body vibrating. If it hadn't been for Nico behind her, she would've crashed to the floor. But he was there, holding her.

She gasped for air, panting like she'd run a mile, her limbs like noodles.

"My turn," Nico stated.

"Wait," she mumbled, but they ignored her as they traded places, working together to keep her where she was, sitting on the stool, her legs spread wide, arms shackled.

Then Nico was between her legs, his mouth working her until she was nearly in tears from the overwhelming pleasure. She was too sensitive, but he knew just what to do to keep the pain at bay.

Stevie writhed and moaned, leaning into Stone, grateful he was there to hold her up while Nico fucked her with his tongue.

Nico lifted his head, meeting her gaze. He pinched her clit between his forefinger and thumb, gently applying pressure. Enough that she saw stars.

He teased her entrance with one thick finger.

"Will you agree to give this a chance?" Stone asked, his voice rasping from behind her.

"I don't know," she admitted, crying out when Nico applied a little more pressure on her clit.

"Agree, and Nico'll make you come again."

Stevie held Nico's stare. "Please."

"Agree," Nico insisted.

"I can't."

He pushed one finger inside her. Slowly. Delicately.

"Fuck me," she demanded, grinding her teeth together.

"Agree," he repeated.

"I can't."

"Yes, you can," Stone insisted, his hand sliding over her chest, his other hand still banding her hands behind her back. He pinched her nipple. "Just agree, Stevie. And we'll give you everything you need."

Nico gently fucked her with his finger. It wasn't enough. She needed more. She was so close.

"Nico…"

"Agree, darlin'," he said, his eyes hot.

She didn't want to. Yes, she wanted it more than anything, but she was terrified this was going to backfire in her face. If she gave in…

Stone's beard scraped along her cheek as he leaned down. "Give us this, baby. Give us a chance."

She knew he was referring to the three of them as the us in that statement, and it caused her heart to pinch.

"Okay." She nodded. "I will."

"You will what?" Nico asked, pushing his finger in deep, curling it just right.

"Oh, God." She clamped her teeth closed as the pleasure intensified. "I'll … oh, fuck … I'll give us a chance."

They'd clearly been waiting for that because Nico began fucking her with two fingers as he leaned down and sucked her clit. Stone stood tall, crushing her arms between them so he could use his hands to pinch and pluck her nipples.

It took mere seconds before Stevie detonated. She came with a violent scream, her body shattering into a million pieces.