Page 50 of Four Times Taken

"So, it's been awhile since we've all hung out. You know, since you pawned my boy off," I started. She twitched her lips to the side and pulled her eyes away from mine. I softened my tone, letting vulnerability take the wheel. "If it has anything to do with you overhearing what we said, I'm sorry."

She cocked her head at me. "What did you say?"

Ah, shit. Did I let something slip? She didn't overhear us? My eyes were off to the side, searching the atoms in the air for answers. "Uh. Nothing," I stuttered, straightening up. "So, if not that, why did you pawn him off?" I asked.

"I... uh... hm... I think that's between him and me, don't you think?" she also stuttered.

Raising my hands, I showed her I didn't mean to hound her. "Look, I'll stay out of your personal business. But we do miss hanging out with you," I confessed, shifting my shoulders uncomfortably. Why did I say that?

"You do?" Her eyes widened, and it might have been the sunlight bouncing off her irises, but I thought they're twinkling. I gulped. The hairs on my skin were alert, and my body buzzed in awareness of her. Was she into me?

Shaking the silly thought from my head, I glanced around for Eric. I knew what he said about sharing her with us like she's a piece of cake or meat or something, and I knew what I said about this being normal for some people, and it is. For some people.

As a bi person, I can't tell you how many poly proposals I've been offered and how many I've partaken in, casually. But that happened with people in the different places I visited, only briefly. I didn't have to worry about them again.

This isn't a casual sort of dynamic. It's playing with fire. While Eric might be all right with the idea of it, I'm not sure he'd be okay with putting it into action. Either way, I wouldn't make a pass at her without his approval. Even if they are broken up.

"Well, I miss hanging out with Mrs. Thornbread, don't I?" I joked, returning my attention to her. "She's much better company than you are."

Her mouth fell open. "I don't know if I should take that as an insult."

I shrugged, and she grinned a little.

"Yeah. Well, I bet she would suit you. She's a woman who doesn't talk back. Guys like that, don't they?" she fired.

"Not all guys," I quipped. Silence stretched between us for a second too long. Her cheeks heated. So did my blood. "Uh... so how did everything work out? With the security cameras?" I grasped for something else, anything else to distract me from my sinful thoughts.

"Good." She nodded, her eyes drifting over my body again. "They work great. See?" She shifted her eyes from me to her pocket, where she pulled out her phone and brought up the footage. Leaning into me to avoid the sun glare, she shielded the phone with her hand. She's showing me footage of her house and all the rooms, but I'm not focusing on any of it. It's already unbearably hot to begin with, and the warmth of her body brushing against me isn't doing me any favors. I backed away.

"I'm glad they're working out," I rasped.

She licked her lips. The brim of her cap prevented me from seeing her eyes, now. I'm grateful for that, because if I could catch her eyes, coupled with that lip bite, there would be no hiding my attraction to her, from her or anyone else for that matter. That's one of our curses, guys. It's not as obvious when a woman is turned on. Well, that's not entirely true. Sometimes, if you're lucky, you can tell by the way their... Don't look at her boobs. Don't you dare look at her boobs, my inner voice screamed as I craned my neck up, up, and away.

"Yeah. Right now, they're just hooked up to my phone, so I mean, they won't do what you got them for." She shrugged. "But at least it'll be extra security for the house. You know if someone breaks in."

That made me tight. "Even if we don't hang out anymore, you could still hook it up to our phones if you want. We wouldn't mind. You'd have extra eyes on you."

"Plus, you'd have control of the cameras," she added.

"What? You don't trust us?" I asked, hiding the disappointment from my voice.

She paused for a beat before nodding. "Yeah. I do." I think her response caught her by surprise too.

"So, why can't we be friends?" I let the question slip.

"Friends?" she repeated, studying me as if she knew something more.

"Yeah. Why not?" I repeated, shaking off the sensation that she's peering into me.

"Well, for one, it would be awkward for Eric, wouldn't it?" She looked toward him, her expression falling as she released a heavy sigh. If she missed him, why was she torturing herself?

"Are you kidding me? He loves you. I'm sure he misses you." I threw her the bone.

"You think?" She shifted, pulling her eyes from the sight of him shuddering as he poured cold water over his head. "He hasn't called, texted or shown up."

"Uh, isn't that what you wanted?" I smiled at her.

Her lips twitched at the corners.

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