Page 63 of Slow Ride

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Jordan rinsed the dishes and put them in one of the side-by-side gleaming stainless dishwashers.He focused on taking long, deep breaths while his hands performed the mindless task.Had that really just happened?

He felt like he’d cracked open a part of him he’d never shared with anyone before, not even Wren—either lately or back in the day.Despite what Kason feared, they were making progress.All of them.And he was dying for more.

Would Kason be ready to take the next step with them tonight?

He hoped so, but he wouldn’t push.He’d wait for Kason to expose himself to the possibilities the future held, as Jordan had finally been ready to do tonight.

After washing and drying his hands, he folded the hand towel that had more in common with his fluffy bath towels than the thin dollar-store rags hanging off the door handle of the stove in his own apartment, and tried not to be intimidated by everything Kason had.It clearly wasn’t enough to keep him content.

Jordan could give him that—through pleasure, companionship, and physical and emotional intimacy.Wren could, too.They had things to share that were valuable if not costly.

As he turned and headed back to the man and woman he’d like to call his lovers by morning, he saw that Wren had already gotten a head start on things.

Jordan nearly tripped over his own feet as he realized she and Kason were making out right there at the tip of the monolithic dining room table.They didn’t spring apart or even stop as he approached.Thank God.They weren’t ashamed of what they were doing or embarrassed to let him witness the mutual passion they shared.

He stood between their chairs and put a hand on the back of each of their heads, craving the connection.He couldn’t wait a minute longer to be naked with them and absorbing even more of their positive energy.

Kason looked up at him and grinned.“Hey.”

“Take us somewhere with a big, soft bed.”Jordan waited until he had both Kason and Wren’s full attention before he added, “I don’t want our first time together to be on the dining room floor.”

Fortunately, neither of them disagreed with his assessment of where the night was heading.

“Come with me.”Kason stood and held out his hands.They each took one.

“I plan to,” Wren said with a naughty smile that made Jordan’s heart stutter.

Kason laughed, the sound as melodic as one of his songs, then practically dragged them through the great room to the back door.A sprawling deck waited on the other side, giving them access to a view of Lake Logan in the moonlight that would have enthralled Jordan at any other time.

“It’s too cold out there.And not any comfier than the floor over there.”Jordan balked, pulling them to a stop.

“Trust me,” Kason said.“This way.”

He held the door for them, then resumed leading them along the wide wooden planks to a spot where a suspension bridge branched off and extended into the woods.They’d only gone about fifty feet when Jordan realized that the endless line of trees wasn’t exactly as it seemed.

One of them, the one with the thickest truck, was surrounded by two octagonal platforms encased in glass, forming a transparent, two-story tree house.Woah.

“The first floor is my recording studio.Up top is where I usually sleep.”He looked at them somewhat sheepishly and said, “I get lonely in the big house by myself, so I mostly leave it for guests or Van, Kyra, and the rest of the band, who stay here when we’re recording or preparing a new show.This is where I come to recharge.This is my happy place.”

“What a fucking place, Kason.”Wren sounded as awed as Jordan was.

“And we’re about to fill it with a lot more incredible memories for you,” Jordan promised.

They went inside and up an open-backed staircase that curved around the outside of the tree trunk, which was at the heart of the space.Jordan let his fingertips trail over the rough bark as they ascended together into Kason’s bedroom.

It got even better as they rose.Flaming foliage surrounded them, stars burned in the sky overhead.Off to one side, a waterfall churned and cascaded down the mountain toward the placid lake in the background.

Wren and Jordan were struck speechless as they took it in.

Kason came up behind them and put one arm around each of their waists.“It was this—okay, and the indoor pool—that sold me on the house.”

“You’ll have to show us that tomorrow,” Wren said.“Because I’m not leaving here until then at least.”

She turned to face Kason and the rest of the room, where a gigantic bed with an open canopy occupied the majority of the floor.Gauzy blue fabric draped over the wooden frame lent it a romantic feel without blocking the view of the universe hanging above them.A clever half-wall made a convenient spot for a kitchenette and obscured what was probably a toilet and sink.Best of all, a jetted tub had been sunk into the floor so that it resembled one of the natural pools that formed at one of the plateaus in the waterfall beyond.Out on the porch, a hammock swung in the breeze.

If this were Jordan’s home, he’d never leave.

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