The Ruckus

I hoped she would truly be able to forgive us, which made me more determined than ever to get her help with our movie since that was the surest, most logical way to see her again.

As long as she stayed, we had another chance to prove that we were serious. And as long as that chance remained, I would keep hoping for something more.

Chapter Eleven

Jasmine Bailey

Axel and Micah.

Micah and Axel.

I’d known them for most of my life, and they’d been best friends the entire time, which was why it shouldn’t have surprised me to learn that they both thought it was a great idea to share me between them.

Even I had to admit that it made a lot of sense on paper.

In theory.

For one night, fine. But more than that? In practice? Seeing each other day to day and dividing what little time I had between the two of them—without one of us getting jealous or feeling left out when that time inevitably got split unevenly?

Yeah, in practice, it had the potential to get very messy.

Not only that, but so many other factors stood in the way of any relationship we might have—even a professional one.

If I couldn’t find the time to help them with their movie, how on earth would we make a romantic relationship work?

That wasn’t to say I couldn’t picture it. For a possibility that had never even crossed my mind up until a few hours ago, it had occupied all of my thoughts since then.

Fantasizing about how hot it might be and actually taking steps to make it happen were two very different things.

“I want to put that dress on again,” I said, sort of abruptly after we’d all fallen into a warm, comfortable silence there on the sofa. “And then I want y’all to give me an actual tour of this place.”

Was I shamelessly trying to change the subject to something we could all agree on?

Yes.

Did I feel bad knowing they would absolutely, enthusiastically drop everything to show me around once I’d asked?

Not even a little bit.

I was genuinely interested in the studio and the movie they wanted to make. I’d been involved behind the scenes on several movies and T.V. shows over the past couple of years, but only with costume design and wardrobe fittings.

I’d never had a front-row seat to witness the whole process of bringing a movie to life, and I definitely wasn’t going to squander the opportunity to dig into all the granular details as long as Axel and Micah were willing to share. If we only had a couple of days to be together, I wanted those days to be fulfilling on every level—emotionally, physically, and professionally.

“You want to see everything here?” Axel looked surprised but enthusiastic. “There honestly isn’t a ton to see, but hell yeah, we’ll show you around.” He popped up from the sofa and walked over to grab the long johns he’d been wearing earlier. “We’ll show you around right this minute if you want.”

“Yeah, for sure,” Micah nodded, also in his long johns. “Careful, though,” he winked. “You might change your mind after you see everything we’re planning to do and decide you want to stay after all.”

“It isn’t a matter of what I want to do,” I sighed, even though I hadn’t totally refuted what he’d said. “It’s more a matter of what’s practical and possible. But all that aside, I love what y’all are doing here. This whole place is like catnip to me.”

I didn’t want to give the two of them any false impressions. I still planned on returning to L.A. after Chrissy’s wedding, and I still hadn’t been sold on the long-distance thing between the three of us, either.

But God... so much yummy catnip everywhere I looked. And that didn’t even include counting the two deliciously muscled, half-naked men standing right in front of me.

“I’ll probably need help with that zipper again,” I said as I wrapped the blanket around myself and walked over to where the discarded costume lay on the floor in a heap. “No sexy distractions this time, though...”

They both snickered as I faked a stern look. I was pretty sure they would have been just as enthusiastic for another round of the sexy stuff if I hadn’t insisted on a guided tour of the studio, but it wasn’t like we had anywhere to go anytime soon. We still had plenty of time for more sex.

And I planned on taking advantage of that time, too.

Once I was back in the dress and completely zipped up, I walked over to a full-length mirror in the corner. “Oh, God.” I couldn’t even pretend not to laugh. “I look like a brothel madam.” I raised a brow as they both came to stand on either side of me. “And y’all look... too tempting.”