She swallowed hard, then confessed, “I’ve always been captivated by you both. And I didn’t want one of you over the other—I was equally hot for both of you that day. I’m the one who initiated the sex. So it wouldn’t surprise me if you thought I was—”
“Don’t,” he murmured. His head lowered and his lips tangled with hers, softly, seductively. Then he told her, “Tristan and I wouldn’t change a single thing about Paris. He did, however, say after he’d been on the phone with you just recently that he’d asked you how you felt about Fallon’s situation with Dev and Morgan.”
She gave a small nod. “I really haven’t put a lot of thought into how it all works. Dev and Morgan are pure alphas, yet they share the same woman. It seems like a lot of emotions would get twisted up.”
“It’s not a competition. Tristan and I learned that with you.”
“I’d never been with two men,” she told him. “Not before and certainly not after that night. I trusted you both—I don’t think I would ever be that willing with anyone else. I knew, while it was a bit scandalous, it was safe. Because it was you and Tristan.” She paused, wondering how smart it was to continue this discussion when she clearly hadn’t sorted it all out in her mind.
“You’ve always been a fantasy, Liv,” Nate said, making his own confession. “For me, for Tristan. Unattainable in so many ways.”
“That’s not true,” she insisted, her heart constricting. “Fantasies are ethereal entities that exist in your imagination. I’m standing right in front of you, Nate. Very much flesh and blood. And that type of spontaneous combustion we just experienced . . . that’s what Paris was all about. It was unrelenting desire that couldn’t be ignored.” The epiphany came to a screeching halt when she said, “The only problem was that, as always, we immediately went our separate ways.”
A tinge of pain made her realize that she’d spent a hell of a lot of time saying goodbye to two people who’d meant so much to her from the first days she’d met them.
“That’s always been inescapable, sweetheart.”
She did not miss the torment in his voice.
So maybe she was a fantasy. Because she didn’t possess the ability to stay in one place for long. Except . . . that was all about to change.
Liv perked up considerably. She said, “You know, there might actually be an opportunity for us all to see each other more frequently.”
“Tristan and I have batted that around ourselves.” Nate’s expression turned contemplative as he added, “Is that really something you want?”
Liv wasn’t sure it was sensible to do any wishful thinking, but she had to admit, “I miss you guys. The phone is a shitty substitute for in-person get-togethers.”
“Agreed.” He kissed her. Leisurely and languidly at first, until Liv was melting into him and all reasonable thought drifted away.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and he held her tight as he deepened the kiss, his tongue delving into her mouth to tease hers and set her pulse pounding. She easily got lost in the moment. Felt his erection swell. Knew there was so much more to explore than anything she’d fully allowed herself to consider. Because in the past, there had been no real, viable solution to her friendship with Nate and Tristan.
But as Nate’s kiss went on and on and her entire body liquefied—and memories of their ménage flashed through her brain—Liv suspecte
d she’d reached the point where she should honestly assess her feelings for these two men. And face the fact that perhaps she’d whittled down her band choices to the New York–based ones for a reason. One that had subconsciously simmered, but which now bubbled to the surface.
When she finally pulled away from Nate, she was breathless and lightheaded. Tingling from head to toe.
He grinned cockily. “Nice to see I can steal your breath.”
“You did more than that. I’m wet again.”
He groaned. “I’m more than happy to do something about that . . . again.”
Liv’s blood flowed a bit quicker, warmer. She reached for the button on his jeans just as the chime out front rang.
“Shit,” she mumbled and jumped back. “That’s Vanessa. She opens the store during the week.”
“Bad timing for us.”
“Actually, I have to get a move on,” she hesitantly said. “Still so much to do, starting with getting these boxes over to the bakery. They’re delivering the bubbles with the cake.”
“I can handle that for you,” Nate said as he slipped into his shirt.
She smiled at him. “So helpful.” Then she called out, “Hey, Ness, I’m in the back—don’t be startled.”
“Did you find what you needed?” her friend asked as she rounded the corner. And abruptly drew up short. “Oh! Hi there.”
Vanessa’s cheeks flushed at the sight of Nate. Not a surprise to Liv. He was certainly her idea of a masterpiece and she suspected every other woman on the planet who had the good fortune to meet him felt the same.