Page 50 of Falling for Them

“Unless you’re putting a ring on it, that’s exactly how it is and exactly how Ryker will see it when he finds out. And hewillfind out, you know that, right?”

I cringed and gave a grateful nod as the waiter set down another glass for me. “The only way he’ll find out is if she tells him, and she won’t.”

“And what about Ethan? Libby will tell him, and I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he doesn’t really like you.”

Jesus, what did Ethan do, talk about hating my guts all day at the office? This was another layer of complication with Ethan working for Ryker and my brother.

Luckily, the waiter returned to take our orders so that I could have a minute. There was really no good way to get around telling my brother everything.

“He knows because he was there too.”

Luca coughed as he swallowed a drink. “What?!”

“He’s in love with Libby, and I really like her. We both were in her room and it just… happened.”

“Who exactly were you with?” he asked carefully.

“Libby. Ethan would rather lick the bottom of his shoe than touch me… and besides, I’m not into that.” Even as I said it, I knew it was a lie. I’d always thought men were attractive but had only explored my bisexuality over the last year. Unfortunately, in both instances I’d been intoxicated.

“I know that you and Ethan went upstairs at the Christmas party.” Luca dropped that tidbit so casually that it made my head spin. Even more surprising was that he hadn’t given me shit about it or mentioned it.

“Nothing happened. I didn’t even know about it until yesterday.” I still wasn’t completely comfortable acknowledging my attraction to men, even to myself.

“Maybe you should try not getting shit-faced before hooking up with a man. Seems to always land you in some sticky situations… and not in the good way.” He was most definitely referring to the yacht incident which had cost me millions of dollars to resolve.

Yet, there I was again, putting myself in another situation with a couple. Libby and Ethan hadn’t declared anything, but it was only a matter of time. This wasn’t the same thing, though;it couldn’t be. They wouldn’t purposely record us with the intention of blackmailing.

“Leo?” Luca’s concerned voice snapped me out of my quickly spiraling thoughts.

“What do you suggest I do? Ask them on a date?”

“Why not? You certainly shouldn’t keep pursuing only Libby if she’s involved with Ethan.” He shook his head in disbelief. “But dude… you slept with Ryker’s sister? I can’t protect you from him.”

“I know.” I put my head in my hands. “I’m a fuck-up.”

“You’re not a fuck-up. Everyone in their twenties makes bad decisions sometimes. Hell, I’m in my thirties, and I still make them occasionally.”

I snorted and dropped my hands from my face. “Yeah, but your bad decisions don’t typically involve sleeping with the wrong people.”

Luca winced. “Fair point. But seriously, beating yourself up about it isn’t going to solve anything. What you need to do now is figure out what you want and how to move forward.”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “I don’t even know where to start trying to date them both, especially Ethan. It’s like trying to make cannoli.”

“Don’t bring cannoli into this.” Luca leaned back in his seat. “It doesn’t have to be complicated… ask them both out.”

I blinked at him. “Ask them out? It’s not that simple. How did you, Garrett, and Ryker come to the conclusion you wanted to share a woman?”

“I don’t like the term share; we don’t divide her up. The feelings grew with time… completely different than your situation. I think you need to show them you’re serious about pursuing something with both of them. Woo them.”

“But what if-”

Luca held up a hand, cutting me off. “No ‘what-ifs.’ You’re overthinking this. They’re already interested enough to sleep with you, right? So, build on that. Show them the Leo I know—the thoughtful, caring guy behind all that bravado.”

I felt a tiny glimmer of hope. Maybe he was right. Maybe I was making this more complicated than it needed to be.

“My biggest piece of advice? Communication is important. Like, ridiculously important. You need to be upfront about your intentions, your feelings, and what you want from them.”

I nodded slowly, absorbing his words. “You’re right. Running away this morning probably wasn’t the best move.”

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