Page 25 of The Princess

Nash’s door swung open before they could knock, and Taylor tried to see what he was thinking, or feeling, but his expression was carefully neutral.

Damon sat down heavily in a recliner and buried his face in his hands.

Nash leaned against the counter as Taylor stood in the middle of the floor, looking around at Nash’s apartment for the first time. It was tidy and stylish. A blanket like one of those Damon had brought on the picnic was unfolded on the couch. Clearly it got a lot of use. It was also obviously Damon’s.

“Aren’t you two supposed to be on a date?” Nash finally asked.

“We were, but Damon got all ‘this is weird.’ And it’s only weird in his head. I asked if he was like this with you, and here we are.” Taylor dropped down on the sofa and tugged the blanket into his lap.

Nash sat down on the other end of the couch. “Damon, look at me.”

Damon did as he was told and to be honest, if Nash used that tone of voice with Taylor, he’d probably jump to obey too.

“Taylor and I deserve actual relationships with you. We deserve to spend time with you and not have our relationship be about reassuring you that we’re both okay with the arrangement.”

“It’s not like we have secrets from each other, Damon,” Taylor added softly, wanting to soothe some of the sting Damon surely felt from Nash’s no-nonsense approach.

“Hell, we got off together talking about Taylor and that kiss you shared. If that didn’t prove that I was on board with this, then I don’t know what to say.”

Taylor stared at Nash, jaw dropping. “You—you what? Back up. Rewind. Say again?” His heart might have been beating still, but he couldn’t tell because all his blood supply had rushed south and gathered in his dick. He was suddenly glad for the blanket he’d pulled over his lap.

Nash looked at Taylor, equal parts amused and embarrassed. “He didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me?” Taylor wanted to be suaver, smoother and, honestly, hotter and more collected. But he was an idiot who’d lost all ability to speak. “Wait… You two talked about me while you had sex?”

Taylor and Nash locked eyes for a moment. A long moment. It grew into almost awkward proportions, like they both had so much to say but didn’t want to say it, or maybe didn’t know where to start.

It was Damon who broke the silence. “Holy shit. You’re into each other.”

Taylor’s heart ran rabbit-scared fast and his head swam from the sudden flood of happiness because…what if Damon was right? What if Nash was into him as much as he was into Nash? It had been both men who were the subject of Taylor’s most secret dreams. The kind that he didn’t dare tell to anyone. The kind that made him feel like an interloper all of a sudden.

And what if he was wrong, and Taylor was simply something to spice up Nash’s sex life with Damon? A little bit of extra to keep things interesting between them.

“Admit it,” Damon challenged Nash.

They both glanced at Damon, his words snapping them out of their stupor. Damon didn’t appear unhappy. It was quite the opposite, in fact. A surreal sort of joy radiated out from him. He looked like the cat that ate the canary.

Taylor dragged his gaze over to Nash. He felt like he was in a car crash in slow motion, flipping over and over, and he’d either come to a safe stop and be unharmed…or he’d die.

Just when Taylor thought Nash was going to deny Damon’s accusation, he nodded.

“Holy shit.” Taylor exhaled, his nerves equal parts soothed and rumpled from so many things happening at once. He understood now how Damon felt in a way he hadn’t before. Like nothing this good could be real. “Someone pinch me.”

CHAPTER 11

NASH

NASH

“I thought you’d told him?” Nash looked at Damon. He wasn’t guilty or ashamed, just surprised that Damon hadn’t shared with Taylor what happened between them after their first date.

Damon rolled his eyes and leaned back in the chair, suddenly looking far more confident than he had when he’d first shown up. “You said I could, not that I had to. And how exactly do you bring that up? Nice to see you again, you look gorgeous—by the way, Nash and I had mind-blowing sex while we talked about you.” Damon shook his head. “That should’ve been my first clue that you were into him because you were way into that.”

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Taylor said from his end of the couch.

“Neither can Damon, it seems.”

Damon had the decency to stop looking so smug. He rubbed the back of his neck and stared at his lap, then looked back and forth between Nash and Taylor. “I probably owe you both an apology.”

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