Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Once we’re seated at one of the high tables out on the sidewalk, Jace flags down a waitress.

“Can I get all the appetizers?” He peers down at the menu. “And one of those... lavender whatevers for me.”

“The lavender lemon fizz?” she asks, giving Jace a shy smile. He is a snack, and I don’t blame her for getting an eyeful of him—but I bristle a little, too, because he’s here with me .

Jace passes her his menu. “That’s it! Thank you.”

Reluctantly, the waitress glances at me. “And what’ll you have?”

“Just a beer,” I say, because Jace already ordered plenty of food for the both of us. “A plain lager.”

When we’re alone again, Jace tilts his head. “Tonight’s on me, you know. You can get something fancy if you want.”

I shrug. “I like a classic beer. I get wasted too fast if I drink cocktails. They all taste like candy, then I can’t help myself and I have too many.”

Jace barks a laugh. “That’s fair. You have a sweet tooth?”

Oh, boy. “Is the sky blue?”

He glances upward, a grin spreading across his wide mouth. “I mean, it’s kinda blue and kinda purple and a little orange right now,” he says with a wink. “The sunset is pretty.”

I can’t help laughing. “The point is, don’t get me near a bag of Sour Patch Kids.”

“That’s me and Junior Mints.” Jace gives a sincere nod. “I feel you.”

Then I remember jogging by the house on Work Street this morning.

“By the way, where were you guys today?” I ask. “I didn’t see you on my run. Did something happen with that landscaping job?”

“Oh, we were down at the coast. Decided to say ‘fuck it’ for a day and get out of town.” Jace leans back in his chair and spreads his arms, the picture of relaxation. “Got in some swimming and played Frisbee on the beach. Fucking Leon, though. So tall. I hate when he’s not on my team.”

I quirk an eyebrow. “What about the job, though?”

“What about it? It’ll still be there tomorrow.” He swishes his drink and takes a big gulp. “I did have to harass my brothers to get me home in time for our date, though.”

All I can do is gape. They just ditch work whenever they want? I can’t imagine having that kind of freedom.

“Do you have a deadline for getting the job done?” I’m prying, but I can’t help it. I want to know how they run their business—and maybe live vicariously through them. I haven’t taken a vacation day all year because I’m afraid it’ll get me fired.

Again, Jace looks mystified by my question. “It gets done when it gets done.”

“What about your other clients?” I ask. “Don’t you have other jobs lined up?”

He bats a hand in the air. “Oh, sure. We’ll get to them eventually.”

My head is spinning. They’re so laissez-faire about their work, I can’t even comprehend it.

“Besides, we’re out of tubing right now,” he adds. “Gotta wait for the wholesale order to come in before we can finish.”

I can’t imagine waiting until you’re completely out of supplies before ordering more.

“You look like I ran over your cat,” Jace says with a chuckle. “I bet you’re the kind of person who has all their ducks in a row, huh, Tiff?”

“It’s my job,” I say, a little affronted because of how boring it makes me sound. But it’s not just the job. Even at home, I can’t help putting everything where it belongs. I arrange my stuffed animals by color, and make sure my shelves are all alphabetical. “My brain just... likes order, I guess. Keeping everything neat and tidy.”

I don’t know how to explain that I just need things to be right .

Jace leans forward on the table. “Organizing is your kink, huh?” He licks his lips. “I’ll keep that in mind. It just takes some color-coding to turn you on.”

Even though we’re talking about filing systems, it makes me tingle a little between the legs. The last thing I want is to be boring and weird, so I change the subject to what it was like for Jace growing up with three brothers.

“Well, we had to share everything,” he says with a nostalgic huff of air. “Clothes, toys, food. We fought over dumb stuff, like who got to play the Xbox, but for the most part we’re happy to share.” He gets a mischievous glint in his eye.

“Is that...” I swallow before I can continue. “Is that why you and Leon are, um, okay with it?”

“With what?” Jace asks, that playful grin spreading. He wants me to say it out loud.

“With, you know.” I flutter my hands, blushing. “Both of you. Dating me. At the same time.”

“Aw, just dating?” He looks disappointed. “Sounded like you and Leon did a little more than ‘just date’ the other night.”

I still can’t believe he can be so cavalier about this, but it’s also kind of nice having someone who’s in on it—who knows about the wild night I had with Leon, when I don’t even think I could tell my friends.

Still, I have more serious questions.

“But what if something comes up?” I ask, more earnestly. “I don’t want anyone to get jealous or anything. That’s not what I’m interested in.”

Jace doesn’t appear pressed. “Well, if there’s ever a conflict, Leon wins,” he says with a shrug. “That’s just how it works.”

“What? Why?”

“He’s not just the oldest,” Jace explains. “He’s... the leader, really. You have to have someone in charge when you have a pack of—” He cuts himself off.

“A pack of big, burly guys?” I supply, chuckling. He nods.

“Yeah, that.” But Jace looks perturbed, and as our conversation goes on, he gets quieter and more thoughtful. I tell him all about Hannah and Aisling, and how we met during high school. They’re my support network, but they’re also both pretty busy with their lives, so we don’t see each other as much as I’d like. Jace nods and listens, but it’s clear his thoughts are elsewhere.

“What’s wrong?” I finally ask, wondering if I’m being tedious.

“There are just some things I haven’t told you yet.” Jace turns a serious expression on me. “Some important things about us.”

This doesn’t surprise me in the least. There is obviously something very weird about the four brothers.

“Okay,” I say, spreading my arms wide. “What can you say that’s any weirder than ‘please, go ahead and fuck my brother’?”

The corner of his mouth turns up in a tense smile. “I guess we have set a high bar.”

“So what is it?” I ask. “What aren’t you guys telling me?”

“Oh. It’s just that we, uh...” he trails off, not quite looking at me. “We live kind of far out of town! That’s it. And we all live together.”

That’s a bit weird, I guess, but it also seems perfectly fitting for them.

“Makes dating a little more complicated, huh?”

He nods rapidly. “Yes. Exactly. I just thought you should know.” Abruptly he rises from his seat and offers me his hand. “Why don’t we get out of here? There’s a lot more I’d like to do with you tonight.”

My face heats at the suggestion. “Like... what?” I ask, hesitant to assume he means what I’m hoping he means.

“What do you think?” Jace’s big grin returns, and he arches one eyebrow suggestively. Then he leans across the table so only I can hear him. “Leon said your pussy was so tight, he had to hold out. I wonder if you’ll squeeze my dick just as hard.”

Instantly, my whole lower body shudders. They really do share everything, I realize. Even the most personal details possible.

Did Leon tell Quinn and Eli, too? I can’t help but wonder if that was the reason for Eli hiding in the back of the truck, a black cloud over his head. Must be awkward.

Well, Jace has made it clear what he wants, and I know I want it, too. But thinking about taking off my clothes with him, alone ... I feel a little bubble of uncertainty. What I did with Leon was wild, but still intimate. We have a relationship of some kind, that much is clear. Now that I’ve slept with him, going home with Jace almost feels like cheating.

My anxiety must show on my face, because Jace’s smile fades.

“We don’t have to do anything,” he clarifies. “If you don’t want to move that fast. Or if you’re not interested. I understand.”

“No, no. Nothing like that. It’s just...”

“It’s about Leon, isn’t it?”

The last thing I want is for Jace to think he’s not enough, because he is. I want more than anything to get naked with him, but my heart doesn’t know what to do after sharing something so personal with Leon.

“Would he be upset?” I ask finally. “If we... you know?”

Jace blinks, then understanding dawns on him. His grin grows quite wicked.

“Would it make you feel more comfortable if he was here?” he asks, taking out his phone. “I know he’d come in a heartbeat.”

My mouth opens to respond, but I don’t know what to say. I’d liked how Leon commanded me, how his voice guided me from one step to the next so I didn’t have to think. It took all my fear and replaced it with confidence, because I knew I could trust him.

With Leon there, I think he would help me through how tentative I feel. But... both of them at the same time? It’s like the fantasy I had in the shower. Can I let myself have something like this, something so debauched and alluring?

“Okay,” I finally say, my breath hitching. “Please, call him.”

With a nod, Jace taps the phone screen and holds it up to his ear. The person on the other end answers right away.

“Leon? I think Tiff wants you to come over and join us.” He listens for a few seconds. “Yep, mm-hmm. Great.” He glances up at me. “Your place?”

I don’t know if my bed will be big enough, but just the thought makes me tingle all over.

“My place,” I agree.

Jace repeats it into the phone and then says, “See you there, bro.”

He winks at me as he gets out of his chair, and I follow. Before we can get very far, though, he steals a kiss.

Jace tastes like his stiff cocktail, and his lips are smooth and sturdy. It’s a very different kiss than the ones I shared with Leon. Jace is less of a conqueror and more of a partner, matching my energy and my urgency with his. His hand winds around my back, pulling me in closer as the kiss deepens, and his tongue explores my mouth. It sends a shiver straight down my spine.

Eventually he pulls away. “We’d better go,” he says in my ear as the waitress from earlier eyeballs us. “Are you ready?”

“Yes.” I say it confidently, but I’m not sure if that’s what I feel. I’m about to step into the wild unknown, and who knows what will happen to me there?

Jace hops in my car, and I drive us to my apartment building, my mind whirling. What on earth have I gotten myself into?

When we arrive, he nods at Leon’s motorcycle, which is already parked on the street. “Looks like he beat us.”

Outside my apartment, Leon is leaning on the railing of the stairs, giving both of us a rather knowing smirk. I realize how big he is standing next to Jace—maybe three inches taller, but not built quite as thick. He and Jace exchange fist bumps as a greeting, then Leon turns to me.

“Having a good time?” he asks, reaching out to tuck some of my hair behind my ear.

“I think so,” I say uneasily, because all of this still feels strange. Should I downplay how I feel about Jace to make Leon more comfortable?

Jace gives me a betrayed look. “You think so?” he asks, clearly offended. Shit.

“I mean, yes. I’m... I’m having a great time.” I’m so flustered now that my words are getting all tangled up. I’m just making an ass out of myself. “I just, um...”

Leon takes my hand and rubs it in a soothing motion. “Hey. It’s all right.” He raises my palm to his lips and kisses it, and somehow, that one light kiss is incredibly charged and erotic. “You can say what you think around us. I’m not going to be mad that you’re enjoying your date.” He glances at Jace, who gives an affirmative nod.

“Oh.” I clear my throat. “I’m having an amazing time, actually. Your stories are so funny. And I love how I can just talk to you for hours and the time flies away.”

A wide grin takes over Jace’s sweet face, and Leon gently nudges me toward him. When I close the gap between us, Jace wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me in closer.

“You like talking to me?” he asks, stooping down low. Light dances in his eyes like he’s saying something else. “You think I’m funny?”

I nod quickly. “Yes and yes. Very much so.”

His grin grows even wider. When he kisses me, it’s forceful and sudden, much more than before. He grabs onto my shirt as he pulls me against him, bending me backwards with that kiss. All my nerve endings light up, mesmerized by the places my body touches his. When I raise one hand to his chest, he’s firm under my palm, his muscles solid and hard. I gasp when he nips at my lower lip, then soothes over it with his tongue. I feel like I might simply float away.

Finally, Jace stands up straight and releases me from his arms. When I look over my shoulder at Leon, there’s a smirk tilting up the side of his mouth. I think he liked it.

“Maybe we should go inside,” he says as another car pulls into the apartment parking lot.

I nod quickly and lead the way up the stairs, then unlock the door. Jace’s hand glances over my hip as he passes by me into the living room, but Leon stops in the doorway. His fingers follow the line of my spine down my back to my hips, and then over my ass. I don’t even realize I’m leaning into him until he chuckles, then brushes his lips over my hair. They travel down my temple, then he tugs on my earlobe with his teeth. A shiver rolls through my entire body.

“I’ve been thinking about kissing you again,” he murmurs, just for my ears. “And taking your clothes off again. And being inside you again.” I feel like I’m on fire as he plants his hands on my shoulders and turns me around, giving me a pat on the butt. “Now go see Jace.”

The command immediately settles my nervous stomach, and I obey without question. Leon will guide me through whatever strange things might lie ahead, and I know he’ll make sure I enjoy it.

We go into the living room, where Jace is propped against the back of the couch. His arms open for me, and I fall into them. He touches every part of me as he kisses me, and we’re both panting by the time we separate.

“I need to take your clothes off,” Jace murmurs, inhaling a deep breath like he’s taking a drag of my scent. “Right now.”

Leon already knows the way to my bedroom, and he doesn’t waste a moment leading us to it, Jace and I following with our hands linked.

I can’t believe that I have both of them here, about to get naked with me. I must be the luckiest girl alive.