But still, I didn’t want to rush into things. I didn’t want to fuck up something good, something that had worked for decades so I gripped his hand even tighter.
“Let me think about it okay?” I rasped. “This is new, I need some time to process.”
The dark man jerked his hand away.
“Never mind,” he growled, staring at the floor again, shoulders hunched. “Forget it. Pretend I never said anything.”
I stared at him for a moment. I hadn’t said no, I hadn’t said, “Eew, fuck that, you’re disgusting.” I’d just asked for some time. So taking a deep breath, I reached for his hand again.
“Listen,” I said. “We’re in a weird situation, we both need some time to process what’s going on.”
Mason yanked his hand away again.
“We’re in a fucked-up place yes,” he rasped. “I need a fake fiancee. I need to lie, for crying out loud, in order to keep this place going, and so we’ve kidnapped a woman to marry. But it’s doubly, triply more complicated because at the same time, I’ve got the hots for you,” he said accusingly. “A man,” he growled, shaking his head like this was the worst news in the world. “A fucking man.”
I was silent for a moment. It was true, this was a twisted situation, but hey, we’ve always come out of these things alive. Hell, we’d walked the wilds and come out as CEO and President of a business conglomerate, ducking all sorts of hazards. So why couldn’t we avoid lighting again? Why was this time different?
I leaned back in my chair, fixing him with a cool stare.
“Listen,” I said soothingly. “I didn’t say that this was gonna be easy. But I also don’t think it’s impossible. Yeah, you need to pretend to be engaged for a while. And on top of all that, we have this,” I said, gesturing to the air between us. “There’s something here that needs to be explored, something real with potential. So it’s a lot to juggle, but that’s the story of our lives. We’re always putting out fires, always managing a dozen things at once. It’ll work out, trust me,” I rumbled.
Mason swung his gaze to me once again, burning with fire and arousal.
“Really?” he said, that low voice almost a growl. “You think it’s gonna work out?” he asked dryly. “Why, are you gay, and I never realized it?”
I chuckled. Mason knows me well, but he doesn’t know me that well.
“Not gay,” I tossed off casually. “But maybe bi. You’re not the first male who’s wanted me.”
My best friend’s eyes almost popped out of his sockets then.
“But you never did anything right?” he rasped, that voice hoarse yet devastatingly intent. “You never did anything.”
I shrugged.
“Maybe I fooled around a little, but no, never anything serious. But never say never,” I drawled with a lazy grin his way. “There’s a time for everything, and maybe that time is now. Who knows?”
The shock in my partner’s look was flattering for sure. Because suddenly vistas had opened, a whole new world of possibility. I was telling him that no, his admission wasn’t disgusting, it wasn’t crazy, it wasn’t absolutely impossible. Instead, the opposite was true. I was listening and seriously considering his offer, weighing the options with both my head and heart. The difference now was incorporating feelings, moving from friends to lovers between two alpha males.
And Mason’s eyes grew dark then with shock and appreciation, his gaze eating me up. Because the possibilities were endless. Suddenly what’d seemed like a hopeless situation with no way out, was busting open. He might be able to keep his friend by his side as his lover and closest confidante, all the while navigating an engagement to a woman who was sexy as fuck. Oh yeah, it was a twisted situation … exactly the kind I love best.
CHAPTER FIVE
Katie
I still have no idea what’s going on. I don’t get it. One second, I was a barista at coffee shop downtown, chatting with a handsome customer, and the next I was kidnapped and brought to Mason’s office as a sex slave.
There, I said it. Sex slave. Both Mason and Derek took turns enjoying my body, tasting me down there while I was cuffed to the sofa. If that doesn’t fit the definition of sex slave, then what does?
And I should be outraged. I should be pounding on the doors again, trying to get out, screaming my lungs out until I’m hoarse. But instead, I’m in the en suite to his office, taking a hot shower, enjoying all the amenities. Because as CEO, Mason has a huge attached bathroom, and this place comes with the works. Fragrant soaps, big, fluffy towels, and even heated toilet seats. I know, I tried, and it was really nice.
So I should be furiously scrabbling around his office, trying to find an escape, even if it’s hitting my forehead against the door until I pass out. But instead, I’m standing under a hot spray, luxuriating in the sensations. Because oh yeah, I’m thinking of both men behind me once again, holding me open, tasting my sweet nectar. It was so wrong, but so delicious as well, making me moan involuntarily, my cries ringing out.