her?”
Gabe sighed. “Uh huh.” Not that it made a difference now.
Connor studied him for a few seconds. “You look like shite.”
“Thanks, mate.” Gabe almost laughed.
“Did you find her?”
He poured himself a mug of coffee. “Yeah. She was at the coffee shop on the corner.”
Connor waited until Gabe sat opposite him at the table before asking, “And?”
Gabe shook his head. “And nothing.”
“Nothing?” Connor narrowed his eyes.
“She’s not interested.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Wish I was.” Gabe dropped his hands on the table. Damn, he wished he was.
“Is she involved with anyone?”
“Not anymore. She broke it off this morning.”
“How’d she respond to seeing you again?”
Gabe thought about the answer. “She was surprised at first, but forced herself to make small talk for a few minutes. Then she threw in a couple of sarcastic comments for good measure and walked away.”
Connor stared at him in disbelief. “And you let her go?”
“Fuck, no! I went after her. We spent a little time together.” Memories of the time raced through his mind, the images of her naked and convulsing in pleasure blindsiding him.
“Christ, Carter.” Connor chuckled. “You slept with her.”
Gabe grimaced. “Nah, mate. I didn’t. Wanted to, real bad, but never did.”
“So why the look on your face?”
That was the problem about sleeping with the same woman at the same time as your best friend. You couldn’t hide your sexual exploits from him when he knew you so well. “Things got heated. That’s all.”
“You saying you got T all hot and worked up and nothing came of it?” Connor frowned. “Doesn’t sound like the woman I remember. Doesn’t sound like you either, for that matter.”
Gabe took a mouthful of coffee. How much did he tell Connor? Sure, they’d always shared everything when it came to Tina. That’s how he’d gotten into this screwed-up situation in the first place. But now they’d gone their different paths. Connor had chosen Maddie, and Gabe had chosen Tina. They were no longer partners on a sexual journey. From this point on they both flew solo.
Well, Connor had Maddie. It was just Gabe flying solo.
Still, he needed a friend, and Connor was the one guy he’d trusted his whole life. He’d leave out the details about Tina getting naked, but the rest he could speak to Connor about. “I’m screwed,” he said after another minute’s deliberation. “When it comes to matters of the heart, I am good and fucked.” He slammed his mug on the table. Dark drops of liquids splashed over the sides and onto the wooden surface.
Connor jerked in surprise. “What happened between the two of you?”
“I spoke pretty frankly with her. Told her I left because I loved her.”
“And…?”
“And she told me that four years ago she loved me too. Me and you.”
Connor swore. “Both of us?”
“She thinks of us as a single entity. Two halves of a whole.”
Connor twisted his lips as he digested that bit of information. “Fuck me,” he muttered.
They sat in silence for several moments.
“Think it was the same for all of them?” Gabe asked. “We know Maddie didn’t have that outlook. But what about the others?”
Connor shrugged. “Until Maddie I’d never thought about our threesomes in terms of love. They were fun, sure. And satisfying. But love?” He shook his head. “It was never part of the equation for me. I’d never contemplated a love relationship with three of us.”
Gabe grimaced. “Me neither.” Especially not when it came to Tina. “Maybe I’m naïve, but I don’t think it was a question of love with the others. I think they were in it for the same reasons as we were. Sexual exploration and sexual gratification.”
Connor nodded. “Tina and Maddie are the only two who stand out as acting differently.”
“Maybe we were the ones acting differently with Tina and Maddie?”
“Because we loved them.”
Connor let out a long
Gabe sighed. “Uh huh.” Not that it made a difference now.
Connor studied him for a few seconds. “You look like shite.”
“Thanks, mate.” Gabe almost laughed.
“Did you find her?”
He poured himself a mug of coffee. “Yeah. She was at the coffee shop on the corner.”
Connor waited until Gabe sat opposite him at the table before asking, “And?”
Gabe shook his head. “And nothing.”
“Nothing?” Connor narrowed his eyes.
“She’s not interested.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Wish I was.” Gabe dropped his hands on the table. Damn, he wished he was.
“Is she involved with anyone?”
“Not anymore. She broke it off this morning.”
“How’d she respond to seeing you again?”
Gabe thought about the answer. “She was surprised at first, but forced herself to make small talk for a few minutes. Then she threw in a couple of sarcastic comments for good measure and walked away.”
Connor stared at him in disbelief. “And you let her go?”
“Fuck, no! I went after her. We spent a little time together.” Memories of the time raced through his mind, the images of her naked and convulsing in pleasure blindsiding him.
“Christ, Carter.” Connor chuckled. “You slept with her.”
Gabe grimaced. “Nah, mate. I didn’t. Wanted to, real bad, but never did.”
“So why the look on your face?”
That was the problem about sleeping with the same woman at the same time as your best friend. You couldn’t hide your sexual exploits from him when he knew you so well. “Things got heated. That’s all.”
“You saying you got T all hot and worked up and nothing came of it?” Connor frowned. “Doesn’t sound like the woman I remember. Doesn’t sound like you either, for that matter.”
Gabe took a mouthful of coffee. How much did he tell Connor? Sure, they’d always shared everything when it came to Tina. That’s how he’d gotten into this screwed-up situation in the first place. But now they’d gone their different paths. Connor had chosen Maddie, and Gabe had chosen Tina. They were no longer partners on a sexual journey. From this point on they both flew solo.
Well, Connor had Maddie. It was just Gabe flying solo.
Still, he needed a friend, and Connor was the one guy he’d trusted his whole life. He’d leave out the details about Tina getting naked, but the rest he could speak to Connor about. “I’m screwed,” he said after another minute’s deliberation. “When it comes to matters of the heart, I am good and fucked.” He slammed his mug on the table. Dark drops of liquids splashed over the sides and onto the wooden surface.
Connor jerked in surprise. “What happened between the two of you?”
“I spoke pretty frankly with her. Told her I left because I loved her.”
“And…?”
“And she told me that four years ago she loved me too. Me and you.”
Connor swore. “Both of us?”
“She thinks of us as a single entity. Two halves of a whole.”
Connor twisted his lips as he digested that bit of information. “Fuck me,” he muttered.
They sat in silence for several moments.
“Think it was the same for all of them?” Gabe asked. “We know Maddie didn’t have that outlook. But what about the others?”
Connor shrugged. “Until Maddie I’d never thought about our threesomes in terms of love. They were fun, sure. And satisfying. But love?” He shook his head. “It was never part of the equation for me. I’d never contemplated a love relationship with three of us.”
Gabe grimaced. “Me neither.” Especially not when it came to Tina. “Maybe I’m naïve, but I don’t think it was a question of love with the others. I think they were in it for the same reasons as we were. Sexual exploration and sexual gratification.”
Connor nodded. “Tina and Maddie are the only two who stand out as acting differently.”
“Maybe we were the ones acting differently with Tina and Maddie?”
“Because we loved them.”
Connor let out a long
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