Quadruple Duty

She looked back at me quizzically. “What?”

“The house,” I said simply. “Briggs. Ryan, even. All of these things will come in due time. There’s no reason to rush them.”

She was still glassy-eyed. I could see the delicate flesh on the side of her neck pulsating, her heart still beating rapidly. But she nodded.

“Okay.”

I smiled at her. “I know you’re a lot like me. The kind of person who has to be constantly moving, your mind always racing, planning, thinking about what you’ll do next.”

Sammara laughed. It came out nervous and adorable. “You just pegged me, actually.”

“I know. And it’s cool. That kind of person gets shit done. It’s probably one of your most awesome traits.”

Dakota slid an arm around her. He pulled her a little closer against him. “One of them, anyway.”

“Just realize,” I went on, “that we’re in it for the long game. We want you Sammara. As a girlfriend, a lover, a partner — as everything. But we also want you to feel comfortable. From this point on, our home is your home. Dig your toes into the carpet. Get grounded. Feel welcome. All that happy stuff. Get it?”

She shuddered head to toe, probably a left over reaction from all the kissing. It was a cute shudder.

“I get it.”

“Not yet you don’t,” I said. “But you will. Which is why we’re going home now, so we can all kick back with some drinks, chill out on the couch…”

She looked back at me with one eyebrow raised.

“And see if your taste in movies doesn’t get you thrown out in the cold on day one,” I winked.

Fourteen

SAMMARA

They were incredibly sweet, Dakota and Kyle. From opening every door for me to helping me delicately in and out of the big Hummer, my two dates were a pair of impeccably-dressed, perfect gentlemen.

Kyle I knew well enough, or at least I figured I did. He was charming as always, yet every sideways glance he threw me was a not-so-subtle reminder that yes, he’d been inside me. It was sexy. Secret. Every look was smoldering, and it made me hot.

As for Dakota, he was the type of guy you met and then five seconds later felt instantly comfortable around. A genuinely fun person with a great sense of humor. Still, beneath that innocent farmboy exterior? I also got the sense of something else. A shadow of determination and power that only came from precision, military training.

Dakota was hard but sweet. Strong on the outside, and tough as nails. But on the inside?

On the inside he was a big, grinning mush.

For the entire night they showered me with attention, asking about me, my life, my business, my childhood. It was like having a really great first date, only there were two men at the table instead of one. Double the conversation, double the handsomeness.

Double everything…

At first the whole thing was a little intimidating. But after a few glasses of wine, and opening up to each other? All that went away. The guys made me feel special and welcome, from drinks to dessert. The ride there and back was filled with casual laughter, flirting, even some more of the amazing kissing they’d shocked me with, right there in the restaurant. I’d never been adverse to PDA’s, but making out with two men at the same table? Well, that apparently tended to draw some looks.

In the end it was like we’d known each other for weeks instead of hours — a very good thing. They went out of their way to make me feel totally safe and comfortable, and even more so once we’d arrived back home.

Home.

Now there was a strange thought. I could imagine living in the mansion for sure — it was my dream house, actually — but the idea of everything happening so fast was a little too much to take in

. I had to keep reminding myself it was just a trial. That all of this was okay and within the scope of my own set of rules — rules I’d specifically laid out to ease any backwards transition. Rules that would allow me to bow out gracefully and go back to my apartment at a moment’s notice, no hard feelings.

That never happened though. We arrived back at the house and dropped seamlessly into the living room, which was filled with a comforting mix of modern and antique. I sat between my two dates on the couch, lounging around, yawning sleepily until just before midnight when I decided to turn in.

“See ya in the morning,” I smiled, bouncing up from the couch and kissing them each on the cheek. They looked a little disappointed, but I wanted to end things sweetly. Plus, I wanted to try out my bed.