Quiver & Burn (Surrender to Them 5)

Rand and I talked about Brylee a lot on our way to and from our Mom’s house the previous day. We were both a little nervous about proposing what we had in mind, but I didn’t see any other way to approach it than with absolute honesty. I almost went to see her after she got home from work the previous night, but I still hadn’t worked up the courage. After another day of dwelling on it, I realized that we needed to act quickly if we were serious about her. I was the one that walked away when she was begging for a kiss, so I couldn’t very well expect her to make the next move. I waited until she passed our door, and then slowly opened it. She paused in her tracks and slowly turned around.

“Hey.” I stepped into the hallway and lifted my hand to wave.

“Waiting on me?” Her eyes narrowed.

“Yes.” I nodded solemnly. “Can I talk to you—actually, Rand and I both want to talk to you if you’re willing.”

“You don’t have to say anything else to me.” She shook her head back and forth. “You said what you needed to say. I get it.”

“We’ve been doing a lot of thinking the last couple of days. Please—I know I upset you the other night. I’d like a chance to talk to you about it.” I pushed the door open.

“Fine.” She nodded and walked towards my apartment.

Brylee’s entire demeanor reflected hesitation. I was a little worried that approaching the subject we wanted to talk to her about was not going to be a good idea if she was already having second thoughts about us. I hoped that wasn’t the case. I hoped her expression was solely because I walked away when we were so close to a kiss. Rand greeted her with a nod and grabbed three beers. Brylee didn’t seem to be in the mood for a drink. She took it, but she didn’t open it. All of that growing attraction I saw in her eyes when we were hanging out had been washed away. We walked into the living room and Brylee chose to sit in one of the chairs, which meant neither one of us could sit next to her.

“If you just asked me to come over so you could scold me about liking the both of you, then save your breath. I’ve had a shitty day at work, and I really just want to go home.” She stared at the beer for a moment and then put the unopened bottle on the table.

“That’s not it.” I shook my head back and forth.

“No, not at all. I promise.” Rand twisted the top off his beer and took a drink.

“We really like you.” I opened my beer and took a sip. “Probably more than we should be considering we just met you, and trust me—this is really complicated, but I just need you to hear us out.”

“Okay…” She nodded and pressed her lips into a thin line. “I’m listening.”

“I made a mistake the other night. I got tangled up in the past and that blinded me to what was right in front of me.” I sighed and took another sip of my beer. “I don’t want that to be how things end.”

“You made it pretty clear, and I’m not going to apologize for liking you both. You’re both great…” She shrugged and reached for her beer. “Maybe I need a drink after all.”

“We shouldn’t have put you in that situation.” Rand exhaled sharply. “I should have just stayed home and let the two of you go to the storage auction alone.”

“I would have probably ended up in the emergency room if you weren’t there.” Brylee took a drink of her beer and chuckled slightly.

There’s a laugh—maybe this isn’t a complete lost cause—yet.

“Yes, and I’m glad Rand was there to catch you.” I nodded quickly. “Regardless of how we ended up here, we’re all adults. We can figure this out together.”

“I do like you guys and I’m not going to lie about that…” She hesitated for a moment and took a drink of her beer. “But it’s probably best if we just admit this is too complicated. I wouldn’t feel right dating either one of you at this point.”

“What about both.” Rand leaned forward and smiled.

“B—both?” Brylee nearly choked on her beer and her eyes practically bulged out of her head.

“I told you that we were both in love with the same girl once.” I leaned forward a little more as well.

“Yes.” Brylee cleared her throat and swallowed hard. “You said it didn’t end well.”

“It didn’t.” Rand shook his head back and forth. “We swore we would never even consider it again, but you’ve made us question that decision.”

“So much so that even though there’s a risk, we want to take it.” I stood and walked over to Brylee. “I’m going to start by doing what I should have done the other night.”

Brylee didn’t respond. She looked at me with a stunned expression on her face. I extended my hand and she slowly took it. Once she was on her feet, she looked at Rand for a moment and then looked back at me. I wasn’t going to hesitate again. I wrapped my arms around her back and pulled her close. My hand moved up behind her neck and I crushed her lips beneath mine. Our lips seared together immediately. There was no hesitation on her part. She might have been confused by what we said, but there was no confusion in that kiss. I kissed her so long that I had to pull back to draw breath and my head was spinning. Her lips begged for more. There was a need in her eyes, and Rand was right there to satisfy it.

“Those lips aren’t going to be lonely for long with two of us to make sure they never get neglected.” Rand pulled Brylee into his arms and started kissing her.

“We’re going to worship your body—show you how amazing you are.” I leaned forward against Brylee’s ear. “You’ll beg for more.”

Brylee looked like she was in shock when Rand’s lips finally pulled away. I wanted another taste—I had to have one. I turned her back towards me and started kissing her with even more ferocity. My hands moved along her body until they were both squeezing her ass. I felt her body melt into our kiss and Rand’s lips were on her neck—teasing and making her whole body sizzle. It had been a long time since I kissed someone and felt that kind of immediate connection—none of those compared to what I felt with Brylee. It was like fate melding with destiny. It felt like I lived my life blind and could finally see. When I pulled back from the second kiss, Brylee’s lips trembled as she tried to speak.