Chapter 50

50

JJ

The sex last night was incredible. It was mind-blowing. I had no idea I could come that hard, that long, feel this fulfilled. It was more than sex. It was toe-curling, bone-shattering, mind-jarring, perception-bending shagging.

If anyone had told me I'd share a woman with my son, I'd have shot them first, then laughed. Yet, there's no denying the fact that it happened. And it was mind-boggling. But that's not all. It was a means of connecting with my son. For the first time, I understand just how similar we are. It's why we've been at loggerheads for so much of his life. That, and the fact that I was a shitty father. I've never felt closer to him in my life than I do now. Never realized how much I wanted my family around me until she came into my life.

Oh, I denied the effect it had on me, but after last night, it's clear I'm not letting go of her… Not until I've had my fill of her, which isn't going to happen for a long while. And that means more than just fucking her. It means spending time with her, getting to know her, finding out what her likes and dislikes are. It means having a relationship with her. Enjoying her razor-sharp mind, understanding what makes her tick. What she loves to do. What her dreams are. Her aspirations. Her goals. Who and what she is.

As for Isaac, things are so much clearer. He's a lot like me, yes, but he's also his own person. He has his own individuality, his own personality. His own ambitions. He has the right to live his own life. If I were in his shoes, I'd have been pissed off by how I tried to mold him to fit my expectations. I'd have left home and never returned. But Isaac did…

Thanks to her. Because she was there for him when he needed a friend. She didn't allow him to go homeless or hungry. She took care of him and became the responsible one. She ensured he had the time and space to pursue his craft. I owe it to her for bringing my son back into my life. And as if that weren't enough, she became the medium through which I found my son all over again.

"I'm not sure what you mean, JJ." Lena nods her thanks to Isaac who places a mug of coffee in front of her.

I slide off the stool, fill up a plate with food, then slide it across the counter toward her. "Eat first, then I'll tell you."

She glances at the toast, baked beans, eggs, and hash browns.

"How did you know I like my eggs sunny side up?"

I allow my lips to quirk. "Lucky guess?"

"Hmm." She narrows her gaze on me. "And why are you dressed like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like… so casually. I've never seen you in jeans before today," she says in an accusing tone.

"I'm not going into work today."

"You're not?" She blinks. "What are you going to do instead?"

"As I said, I'm going to get to know you better, Lena."

She glances from me to Isaac, who's digging into his own breakfast. "You have nothing to say about this?"

He pauses with his fork halfway to his mouth. "Me? Why would I have something to say about this?"

"Isaac, the three of us just—" She bites down on her lower lip and my cock twitches. "We, you know?—"

"Fucked?" I interject.

Her cheeks pinken. She dips her chin so her hair falls over her face. "Yes, exactly."

"It's not going to happen again," I state.

"Eh?" She whips her head in my direction. "You mean?—"

"It was one time. One night. It won't happen again."

She glances at Isaac. "And you're okay with this?"

Isaac places his fork and knife in his plate, then wipes his mouth with his napkin. "I'm not into pity fucks, Lena."

She pales. "It was more than that, and you know it."

"A goodbye fuck then?"

"That's not fair, Isaac." She grips her mug between her palms. "I didn't want you to feel?—"

"Left out? Lonely? A third wheel?" He smiles gently. "I'm a grown man, Lena. It's time for me to take on my responsibilities and behave like one. What happened last night… I don't regret it, but I also know there's no future for the two of us."

She turns to me. "This is your doing. You're the one who's upset him?—"

"No, I'm not upset. And I take full responsibility for my actions." Isaac reaches over and places his hand on Lena's. "Thanks to you, I have a channel of communication open with my father. I owe you for that, Lena."

I can't take my gaze off of where his fingers are curled around her wrist. Anger thrums at my nerve endings. How dare he touch her? Last night he had his dick inside of her… but that was with my permission. And that was then. A moment in time which has now passed. This is now. When she's mine.

I must make some noise, for Isaac raises his gaze to my face. "Look at him, Lena," he murmurs. "Look at JJ."

Lena turns toward me. She surveys my features and her brow furrows. "Why do you look like you're about to murder someone?"

"He's pissed at me," Isaac explains.

"Eh? And you were just saying the two of you understand each other better now."

"Oh, we do, thanks to you. And now, I understand that he can't bear the fact that I have my hand on you." Isaac pulls back his arm. The tension in my shoulders drains somewhat.

"This makes no sense." She pushes her mug of coffee aside, then locks her fingers together. "Last night, you didn't protest when I sat on his lap and called you over. Last night, you told him to show me how the Kane men could take care of me. Last night, you invited him to fuck me?—"

"And that's the difference. I allowed it last night. It was at my behest that things happened the way they did. I approved of the two of us fucking you together. I let you take him into your body. I knew exactly what was going to happen and I let it, knowing it would heal the three of us. Make no mistake, Lena. It took place because I permitted it."

"Oh yeah?" Her voice turns casual. "It's because you gave me permission that I let him fuck me?"

"Of course."

She firms her lips. "It was your idea that the threesome take place?"

He hesitates. "You suggested it, you were up for it, but rest assured, I allowed it to happen. I gave it my blessing. I knew it was best for all of us."

Isaac clears his throat. "Umm, JJ, I don't think?—"

Lena raises a hand. "No, no, let him get this off his chest." She turns to me. "You were saying?"

My heart thuds in my chest. My senses tingle. What am I doing? Why am I trying to, once again, insist that I'm the one in control? Things have gone far beyond that. Truthfully, nothing prepared me for what happened last night or how I feel in the aftermath. It's destroyed my composure, my balance, my sense of place in the world, even. The only thing I'm sure of is that she's mine. And I need to figure out how to convince her of that.

"All I'm saying is that it was a one-time thing. It's not going to happen again. You slept with him because I allowed it, and now we're moving on, all three of us."

She turns to Isaac. "Clearly, you're fine with this."

Why is she asking him that question? What does it matter what Isaac thinks anyway? Maybe it wasn't a pity fuck, but it was close. She didn't want him to feel left out. It's why she went over to him and sat on his lap in the sauna. It's what started the entire sequence of events. And no, I don't regret it. But I'm also not going to let it happen again.

Isaac meets my gaze, then nods. "I am."

She stares between us. "So, the two of you spoke and concluded that fucking the same woman helped to somehow heal whatever rift was between the two of you, is that it?"

"It wasn't any woman. It was you." I reach over to touch her, but she shrugs off my hand.

"I must have some magic pussy if your decades-old grouse with each other melted away after sex with me."

"Not just your pussy, but also your arse," I retort.

"Excuse me, what did you say?" She gasps.

"You heard me." I look between her eyes. "None of us regrets what happened. Indeed, it's helped us bury some ghosts from the past and move on."

"Maybe that's what the two of you decided, but what about me? What about what I think?"

"What is it you're thinking, Lena?" Isaac asks.

"Whatever it is you're going to say, let me just clarify that what happened last night is not going to happen again. Ever," I snap.

She shoves off the barstool. "And you're not even going to discuss why you've arrived at that conclusion?"

"Why should I?"

"See?" She stabs a finger in my chest. "This is the problem. You're way too autocratic. You make a decision and think everyone else has to fall in line. You're so set in your ways, it's infuriating."

"Not as much as you imply, considering I was an equal participant in what happened last night," I shoot back.

She huffs, "That's probably because you were curious about a threesome, is all."

"I've had threesomes before, and what we had was more than that. It changed things for me and Isaac, and it was all thanks to you."

"Will you stop saying that, please? I didn't do anything."

"You were generous and open with yourself. You saw how upset I was, and you couldn't just walk away." Isaac, too, slides off his stool. "You also wanted to show JJ how important he was to you. You wanted to be the bridge between the both of us."

"Literally," she mutters under her breath.

"We're very thankful for the role you played, but we don't need you to do it again." I reach for her again, and this time, she steps back.

"And what about me? What about what I want?"

I frown. "Are you saying you want to sleep with both of us? Is that why you're upset?"

"I'm upset because the two of you discussed things and came to a decision while I wasn't around. I'm upset because you think it was you who gave me permission to share my body with the both of you. I'm upset because" —she turns on Isaac— "once more, you're allowing someone else to make decisions for you."

"Only because JJ is right." Isaac drags his fingers through his hair. "What happened last night was a one-off. It can never happen again. You were never mine to begin with. And seeing how JJ is with you, how he looks at you like you're the only woman he's ever set eyes on, convinced me that I'm not the man for you."

"How big of you to say that." She folds her arms around her waist.

"What I don't get is what's gotten you so riled up. Don't you agree with our decision?" I growl.

"I… I don't know."

Isaac shuffles his feet.

I stiffen. My guts clench. What is she trying to say? Surely not. It can't be. "Are you disagreeing with us, Lena? Is that what this is about? Because I'm not letting that happen. You're mine, Lena. And I'm not going to share you again with anyone else."