“Sounds complicated.” Donovan grunted. “But at least you won’t be working directly for the ice queen anymore. That’s probably better than a promotion.”
“You seem to know a lot about Ms. Stone.” I tilted my head to the side.
“Yeah.” He nodded and his eyes kind of spaced out for a minute. “It’s a long story, but she really did a number on my sister.”
“Oh!” I blinked in surprise. “Your sister used to work at Livingston Capital?”
“Yeah.” He grunted again. “It didn’t end well.”
I guess I really am one of the lucky ones.
Kincaid
Marissa was just as amazing as I remembered from our first date, and she seemed to be even more amazing with the confidence that came with her promotion. She told us that we were part of the reason for it. Her boss was impressed that she stepped up to spend so much money on me when the initial budget didn’t call for it, and that led to her getting the job of her dreams. I was having a hard time ignoring the signs that were right in front of my eyes. Something was drawing me towards Marissa, almost like some slap upside the head from fate itself. Fate just wasn’t kind enough to let me have her all to myself, because Donovan was sitting next to me with just as much interest in the beautiful brunette as I had.
“This place is a lot of fun.” Marissa looked around the bar. “It’s so rowdy! I’m used to places where you have to talk quietly, and the music is bland.”
“You
didn’t go out much in college?” Donovan raised an eyebrow. “This place is normally crawling with college kids on the weekend.”
“No, my weekends were usually spent in quiet reflection over a textbook.” Marissa looked down at the table. “Did that make me sound like a nerd? I was kind of a nerd.”
“Trust me, I figured that out as soon as you started talking about crunching numbers and analyzing shit.” I chuckled and grinned. “There’s nothing wrong with having your priorities in order.”
“Will you dance with me?” Marissa looked up as the jukebox started playing a new song. “I haven’t danced in years.”
“Which one are you asking?” Donovan looked at Marissa.
“Both of you.” Marissa stood and grabbed our hands.
And then we were dancing—like it wasn’t strange for one girl to be dancing with two guys. Luckily, Marissa didn’t spend any time hitting the dance floor between her study sessions and she was just as awkward as me. Donovan had a few moves and he whisked her around the floor a couple of times while I tried not to look like an idiot. That wasn’t an easy endeavor. Two left feet would have been a blessing because that would have at least given me an excuse. The first song ended, and a slower song picked up. Marissa put her hand on her shoulder and leaned close. Donovan stepped behind her and put his hands on her hips. The three of us swayed with the slower music, and I tried to make sense of everything—even as it was unfolding in front of my eyes.
Maybe she does like us both—maybe Donovan isn’t as crazy as I thought.
The complications of a relationship that involved three people would have filled a page, but in that moment, I was just thinking about the woman pressed against me. Her curves were so fucking tempting. Her lips were begging for a kiss, and I just couldn’t resist them. She looked up at me when the second song ended, and I just did what felt natural—I kissed her. I pulled her into my arms and crushed her pouty lips beneath mine. There was no hesitation on her part and the passion resonating from me was immediately returned. I pushed my tongue into her mouth and heard a light moan as the kiss turned from soft to ravaging. There was no doubt in my mind that she enjoyed it. When I pulled away, she was gasping for air and stumbled back into Donovan. He kept her from falling, then he turned her around and kissed her with a ferocity that matched mine.
Don’t react—don’t lose your head.
It took everything inside me not to let the alpha tendencies buried in my soul rage against my best friend. I quelled the beast and kept my composure. I wanted Marissa to push him away—to turn back towards me and say that she was mine. That wasn’t what happened. She melted into his kiss and I saw her knees almost buckle against Donovan. My kiss made her stumble—his made her knees weak. There was no way that I was going to be able to have her all to myself. She was already falling for us both. When Donovan’s lips finally parted from hers, she took a step back from both of us with a shocked expression on her face. Mine probably had the same reaction. Donovan just grinned. It was exactly what he wanted from the start, and I knew he wasn’t going to hesitate to make sure the night didn’t end with just a kiss.
“I guess it’s safe to say you like both of us.” Donovan took a step forward and took her hand.
“Yeah.” She blinked a couple of times and swallowed hard. “Is that okay?”
“It’s okay with me.” Donovan turned his head in my direction. “Kincaid?”
Now I’m on the fucking spot.
“I’m willing to go with it and see where this leads us.” I nodded and quelled my alpha tendencies again.
We went back to the table and sat down. My head was spinning. I didn’t really know what to say. I was caught off guard by the entire situation. Donovan was going to pull me down the polyamorous path whether I wanted to go down it or not. I was simply entranced by the beautiful brunette, and I liked her a lot more than I realized. Two dates and I was already smitten? That was not a good sign. She would have me wrapped around her finger before we finished our beer. My phone started buzzing in my pocket and I was going to ignore it, but Donovan’s started buzzing too. If they were buzzing at the same time, it was probably an emergency call—possibly one that was going to pull us away from the date. Donovan was the first one to get his phone out of his pocket and I saw his jaw clench.
“It’s a fire and not just any fire.” He shook his head angrily.
“Fireball?” I knew the answer to that question before the words left my mouth.
“Yeah. He already called a radio station to brag about it.” He nodded and turned to Marissa. “I’m sorry, but we really have to go.”