Page 26 of Mayhem
Her eyes then shifted to Paetyn. He'd opted for khaki pants and a navy blue shirt with slight white contrasts throughout. The shirt sleeves rolled up to his forearms, and a couple of his top buttons were open. He and Cruz wore similar shoes.
Erin mildly wondered if when they went somewhere, or even all four of the men for that matter, because she wouldn't pretend her friends' husband and boyfriend were not attractive, if their goal was to give women heart attacks with the way they looked, the energy they gave off.
Erin's wait didn't last long, Cruz breaking the silence. "Was that a yes, Maly?"
"Yes, but I have more questions. You'll also have to remember that this is new for me. I will sometimes mess up, approach things incorrectly, and get frustrated."
She wanted to be honest with them. Erin wouldn't try to fool herself or them into thinking that she'd know exactly how to handle whatever situation arose between them because she knewthat theywouldn't always be able to fix them like they would in a traditional relationship.
The fact that polyamory was becoming even more significant on the relationship market wasn't lost on Erin. Asshe thought about it since their conversation, she realized that she wasn't against it. She simply had never been presented with it until now, and wasn't that the way it went with all new things in life?They were something unthought of until presented.
"No relationship is perfect, regardless of whether it's traditional or non-traditional,"Paetyn told her. "There's a possibility that we'll all mess up—even Cruz and me—because while we've done this before, we haven't been with you."
"Each time we get into a relationship like this one, it's different because the same way you're learning us, we're learning you too. We'd never approach a new relationship like the last because it doesn't work that way any other time. So, it wouldn't in this situation either,"Cruz supplied.
"Somewhere along the lines, I don't doubt that we'll all learn something about ourselves that we didn't know. But that's what any good relationship is supposed to do: teach you new things. We'll give you all the patience you need and answer any questions you have if they can't be shown instead,"Paetyn stated.
"Because we'd both prefer to show you than to tell you,"Cruz added.
Erin let their words sink in, knowing they were right. She'd told herself something similar when she'd decided that she would give it a try. However, hearing them say it eased the rest of her slight apprehension because there was indeed some. Erin would happily call anyone who claimed they hadn't felt any at all going into a poly relationship like this for the first time a liar.
The fact that they'd said what she needed to hear to alleviate it shouldn't have surprised her. She noticed they had this uncanny ability to say the right thing. A fact that she'd begun seeing more often when she'd first noticed them flirting with her, but it never seemed disingenuous.
"Okay, I can deal with that,"Erin responded.
"Now, I have a question before you ask yours,"Cruz started as he closed the distance between them, his hands going to the button of her pants. "Are you wearing them now?"he questioned with a smirk.
"Cruz,"Paetyn stated, shaking his head. He was sure the other man had every intention of popping the button on Erin's pants to see if she was indeed wearing them.
After the conversation between her and Cruz in Florida, Paetyn decided that he'd replace the pair of panties Cruz ripped. He found it poetic that it be what either started their relationship or kept it from happening, considering the way things had begun moving after the wedding. Paetyn knew they weren't the same, but they were purple, and he and Cruz liked them. He also knew that Erin would appreciate the message regardless of her answer.
"I am wearing them,"Erin responded, taking Cruz's wrist and removing his hands from her pants. "But you don't get to see them,"she finished with a smirk. Paetyn chuckled as Erin released Cruz's wrist.
"You don't want to give me a peek?"Cruz questioned.
"I'll give you more than a peek,"Erin replied, yet another smirk. “Eventually, if you're good."Paetyn watched as Erin took a step back, placing space between her and Cruz. "We should head back inside."
"I thought you had questions,"Cruz stated.
"I do, but we're celebrating our friends tonight. I can ask them another time,"Erin responded before returning inside.
Paetyn knew he wasn't the only one who allowed his eyes to drop and watched the sway of her hips. The difference now was that he could do so without feeling guilty because she was theirs.
He followed Cruz as they went inside, and Chayse and Alijah, who must have arrived with Kieran as they'd been talking, approached them almost immediately. They smiled at the three of them before telling the men they were borrowing Erin for a moment.
Paetyn watched them go, and his heartbeat finally seemed to return to normal. He'd hidden his nervousness when he'd seen her with the gift bag, thinking she'd brought it to return to them. While he'd told himself that if she turned them down, they would accept it and deal with it, he hadn't been so sure he would be able to when he saw her with it.
Once she'd given it to Nik, part of him calmed down, but he couldn't completely relax until he heard her say it. Paetyn was aware that people reused gift bags all the time. Just because she had didn't mean she was telling them yes. It could have simply been that she didn't have another on hand.
"I'm assuming you had the same reaction I did when you saw that bag,"Cruz stated.
"I did,"Paetyn confirmed, his eyes still on Erin as the three women talked to Gale. However, Paetyn knew it wasn't a question because Cruz knew him well enough to knowthat hehad.
"I have to be honest with you, Paet. To hell with what you said about accepting no if she gave it back. Had she, we were going to try again."
Paetyn agreed with Cruz because he'd been thinking the same thing. They'd naturally back off, put a little space between them, andfigure out why she'd told them no. If she was scared or unsure, they could work with that and show her what it was like to be with them. However, if she genuinely didn't want to, then there was nothing they could do about it. Paetyn was glad they didn't have to do that.
After a moment, they went their separate ways and mingled with some other guests. Paetyn spoke to Corey Wexler for a while, and the other man asked him when he was opening his next restaurant. He wished he had an answer for him because it would mean he had at least the plan on the right track. However, he told him he was waiting for things to fall into place.
