Page 12 of 4-Ever Theirs (4-Ever 1)

Wow, that was a lot.

“Seriously?” She tried not to squeak, and failed miserably.

Reed nodded. He stared at her with an intensity she’d never seen fully unveiled before. It didn’t frighten her in the least. It was sexy, and alluring. Uh-oh, this was bad. Or awesome…

“Then why didn’t you do anything about it?” She looked at each of them for a few seconds, trying to discern the answer in their carefully blank features. “I’m not an idiot, you know. I heard what that woman said to you at Flesh. And I’ve been thinking… The frittata girl. The reason you wouldn’t tell me which one of you slept with her wasn’t because you were being chivalrous, it was because you all fucked her. Together. Didn’t you?”

“Umm, yeah,” Simon caved. “That was the first time. We were drunk and she sort of looked like you with beer goggles on.”

“Now I’m glad I hit that lucky bitch,” Andi grumbled, not giving a shit if it made her petty.

Reed burst out laughing. It was nice to see him unwind a little. “You’re crazy, you know that?”

“That’s why you love me.” She hadn’t meant it like it sounded. There was no way to take it back, though.

“Yep, it’s one reason.” He huffed out a sardonic sigh. “Andi, don’t you see? We thought it was better to keep this part of us away from you. Your friendship means too much to us to fuck it up with sex.”

“And I’m telling you that I’m not some judgmental cow. It pisses me off that you didn’t trust me enough to show me who you really were.” She would have put her hands on her hips if Cooper wasn’t practically smothering her in his trembling arms. “In fact, your kink turns me on. And I’ve already said that I’m attracted to all of you. Therefore…”

“No.” Reed crossed his arms.

“What’s the problem here?” Andi wondered.

“Other than the fact that you nearly got raped two nights ago?” Reed had definitely not mastered subtlety.

“Yes, other than that.” She cleared her throat. “What some random piece of shit did to me has no bearing on how I feel about you three. I trust you. Completely. That’s sort of the point. I probably won’t be comfortable setting up an online dating profile or taking home some cute guy from a bar for a very long time. So this is it for me. My last chance to try this out in a safe environment before giving it a go for real. I think it will actually help, you know?”

Cooper hugged her tight. Instead of making her feel trapped, his arms surrounded her in protection. It was all the proof she needed for her theory.

“Okay.” Reed groaned. “Two other things. First, I admit it. I’m a selfish bastard. I’ve never been jealous of these guys before when we’ve played around with a woman. I guess because they didn’t matter like you do. I don’t mean that in a dickhead way. I respect every person we’ve ever been with. But it was exclusively about a good time. Something simple. They were onboard. They knew we weren’t looking for more than to rock their world for a single night. With you…I don’t know if I can share without causing permanent harm to one of them.”

“If it’s all the same to you, Andi…” Simon winced. “I like my balls attached.”

She laughed.

“I’m also worried that you’re not ready,” Cooper said softly. “It’s intense, having sex this way. What if it’s more than you can handle?”

“There’s only one way to find out,” she insisted. “Come on, be my outrageous college experiment.”

It hurt her to imply that her interest in them was only skin-deep. But she wasn’t sure they’d go for it any other way.

No, no, that was the old her talking.

She quickly added, “Okay, that’s not really what I mean. Hiding how I felt didn’t work out before and I don’t want to screw up again.”

She swallowed then dug deeper, exposing her vulnerability to them and trusting them not to eviscerate her. Deep down, she knew they never could do that. “Let me be with men I trust and care for. No strangers. Either now, or later, that’s what’s going to happen. I’m curious and turned on. Don’t make me go somewhere else to find out what it’s like to give in to these urges.”

“Andi—” Reed’s mouth pinched at the corners. He still wasn’t convinced.

She drew a deep breath, prepared to persuade him that he wouldn’t be responsible if it turned out she couldn’t handle going from zero to sixty in her race to embrace her sexuality.

“Actually,” Simon spoke up, surprising her with the quickness of his compromise. Had he thought of this before? “We don’t have to throw her straight into the deep end.”

“What do you mean?” Reed asked him.

“Why can’t we each have a night alone with her?” As usual, he seemed to speak without considering the consequences. The most impulsive of their quartet, his instinctive calls were either brilliant or disastrous. No telling which this would be. “Build up her experience, introduce her to what we’re like in bed as individuals. Give her a chance to change her mind if it’s too much. If she can handle each of us separately, then…at the end of the week, we’ll spend our last night together.”

“Sounds like one hell of a graduation present,” Andi whispered, trying not to bawl when she added, “And a perfect way to say goodbye.”

---