back as Clay took one forward. “We decided we could. We talked about it after the game today.”
Shaking her head, she looked at Jace and then Quinn. They both gave her a nod.
“Well, you don’t get to decide that.”
Quinn lifted his hands like he was trying to gentle something wild. “You decide who kisses you, Gem. Of course that’s true. You say no to us—any of us, all of us—then that’s it. None of us thinks otherwise.”
Clay muttered under his breath, but he was close enough that she knew he was reserving the right to take a shot at changing her mind, should the need arise. And had confidence he would succeed.
“Then what are you talking about? What did you decide—while I wasn’t there? What decision did you make for me?”
They were all quiet for a minute. Apparently, Quinn was the spokesman. “Not for you. For us, really.”
She waited, arms crossed under her breasts, all but tapping her foot.
“We’re all interested. We’re all going to make a play for you. It’s going to be up to you to shoot us down.”
“Does it occur to you that I might not be interested”—she used finger quotes—“right now?”
“Sure. It’s your decision entirely.” Quinn said that, but she also heard more muttering from Clay. It had to do with how she should stop kissing them back, if she felt that way.
She turned from Quinn to raise a brow at Clay.
“We’re not girls,” he said bluntly. “We have dicks. You can’t expect us not to try. If you don’t want my tongue in your mouth, if you don’t want my hands on you, you’d better make it damn clear.”
Gemini squelched a wild urge to pull her hair out. “How can I even…”
“You can take all the time you need,” Jace put in. He stepped forward, his quiet intensity clear. “Kiss us, or don’t. Come to our beds, or don’t. One of us, or all of us.” He nodded to his buddies. “If one of these guys gets you in his bed, it’s not going to be enough to keep me from trying. We couldn’t find a way to decide among ourselves, so it’s going to be up to you.”
Gemini almost spoke but stopped herself. She looked at Jace, then at Clay, then Quinn.
She should just say it, straight out. She should say she didn’t want them to kiss her, to touch her. Not one of them. Not all of them. She should…
Hell .
“I’m taking a shower.”
Clay smirked, the ass . “I think that was our suggestion from the get-go.”
He laughed, not the least offended, apparently, by the way she bent her hand behind her back and lifted her middle finger to him as she walked away.
* * * *
The three men liked watching her eat lobster. It took them a while into the excellent meal to start noticing, and it took a bit longer after that for Gemini to realize they had. They all used their fingers to dip the succulent morsels into drawn butter and, after a while, there was total silence every time she took a piece dripping with butter to her mouth. A while after that, the strands of lobster meat in front of her were replenished as the guys sneaked pieces over from their own plates.
She finally caught Jace at it and pushed his loaded fork back to his own plate. With a laugh, she forced them to stop.
She had fun. They were sweet and bright and kept her entertained with stories of their past escapades. They gave each other a hard time frequently, but it was with humor. They were clearly close, bonded friends. They liked to laugh and, even more, it appeared, to make her laugh.
It was sweet as could be to be included with them, a part of their close-knit group. To have them tease her as they did each other, though more gently. And to be the focus of attention, of hot gazes coming from every direction.
Gemini loved it. Like a soothing balm, like a warm, comforting blanket, she savored it, wallowed in it. Her spirit eased. Her wounded heart, her shattered ego mended a little.
Maybe it was wrong, indulging herself in their gentle affection. Surely it was.
While
Shaking her head, she looked at Jace and then Quinn. They both gave her a nod.
“Well, you don’t get to decide that.”
Quinn lifted his hands like he was trying to gentle something wild. “You decide who kisses you, Gem. Of course that’s true. You say no to us—any of us, all of us—then that’s it. None of us thinks otherwise.”
Clay muttered under his breath, but he was close enough that she knew he was reserving the right to take a shot at changing her mind, should the need arise. And had confidence he would succeed.
“Then what are you talking about? What did you decide—while I wasn’t there? What decision did you make for me?”
They were all quiet for a minute. Apparently, Quinn was the spokesman. “Not for you. For us, really.”
She waited, arms crossed under her breasts, all but tapping her foot.
“We’re all interested. We’re all going to make a play for you. It’s going to be up to you to shoot us down.”
“Does it occur to you that I might not be interested”—she used finger quotes—“right now?”
“Sure. It’s your decision entirely.” Quinn said that, but she also heard more muttering from Clay. It had to do with how she should stop kissing them back, if she felt that way.
She turned from Quinn to raise a brow at Clay.
“We’re not girls,” he said bluntly. “We have dicks. You can’t expect us not to try. If you don’t want my tongue in your mouth, if you don’t want my hands on you, you’d better make it damn clear.”
Gemini squelched a wild urge to pull her hair out. “How can I even…”
“You can take all the time you need,” Jace put in. He stepped forward, his quiet intensity clear. “Kiss us, or don’t. Come to our beds, or don’t. One of us, or all of us.” He nodded to his buddies. “If one of these guys gets you in his bed, it’s not going to be enough to keep me from trying. We couldn’t find a way to decide among ourselves, so it’s going to be up to you.”
Gemini almost spoke but stopped herself. She looked at Jace, then at Clay, then Quinn.
She should just say it, straight out. She should say she didn’t want them to kiss her, to touch her. Not one of them. Not all of them. She should…
Hell .
“I’m taking a shower.”
Clay smirked, the ass . “I think that was our suggestion from the get-go.”
He laughed, not the least offended, apparently, by the way she bent her hand behind her back and lifted her middle finger to him as she walked away.
* * * *
The three men liked watching her eat lobster. It took them a while into the excellent meal to start noticing, and it took a bit longer after that for Gemini to realize they had. They all used their fingers to dip the succulent morsels into drawn butter and, after a while, there was total silence every time she took a piece dripping with butter to her mouth. A while after that, the strands of lobster meat in front of her were replenished as the guys sneaked pieces over from their own plates.
She finally caught Jace at it and pushed his loaded fork back to his own plate. With a laugh, she forced them to stop.
She had fun. They were sweet and bright and kept her entertained with stories of their past escapades. They gave each other a hard time frequently, but it was with humor. They were clearly close, bonded friends. They liked to laugh and, even more, it appeared, to make her laugh.
It was sweet as could be to be included with them, a part of their close-knit group. To have them tease her as they did each other, though more gently. And to be the focus of attention, of hot gazes coming from every direction.
Gemini loved it. Like a soothing balm, like a warm, comforting blanket, she savored it, wallowed in it. Her spirit eased. Her wounded heart, her shattered ego mended a little.
Maybe it was wrong, indulging herself in their gentle affection. Surely it was.
While
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