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“I’ve never told you this,” he says, holding the necklace up so he can put it on me, and I turn my back to him, lifting my hair, “but the very first time I saw you was when you were DJing the opening party at the Hive, freshman year. I shouldn’t have been there, but I sneaked in with a couple of other freshman.”

He fastens the necklace, tracing his fingers down my spine as I let my hair drop and turn back to him, barely breathing.

“I was so in awe of you,” he says, smiling softly. “Your confidence. Your passion. When you showed up to the first swim practice, I couldn’t gather the nerve to speak to you.”

My eyes burn and when Aldo squeezes my hand and Lane presses a kiss to my shoulder, it takes everything I have not to let the tears fall. It’s the most thoughtful gift I’ve ever received and, whether they meant it to be or not, it’s a symbol of what the three of us have together.

“Thank you,” I manage. My fingers touch where the tiny pendants hang, cool against my skin and I know I’m not going to be able to contain the well of emotion much longer.

“Well,” Doug says, huffing a loud sigh, pulling my attention to him. “This makes the bow I have tied around my dick feel highly inappropriate.”

Laughter bursts from my mouth, so loud that the people at the tables next to us turn to stare. He winks at me, and I smile back gratefully, wiping the tears from my eyes. It’s the second time Doug McMann has come to my rescue, and I hope he knows just how thankful I am.

DOUG

The appreciative smile that Joy gives me is almost enough to counter the uncomfortable as fuck moment I just had to witness. Watching Aldo and Masters give her a birthday present that they’d clearly chosen together was painful.

When they first told me they were together as a three, I’d internally rolled my eyes. I couldn’t see how it could possibly work. I’d felt secure in my judgment, because at practice all I’ve seen are small touches between Joy and Aldo and a whole lot of longing from Masters. It looked like shit, and I’ve felt quite smug about the whole thing. Now, seeing it off campus with my own eyes, I’m jealous as fuck. Of course, I’ll die before admitting it.

It’s less than two months since the team night out, when Masters was on the outside. I’d danced and flirted with Joy and Aldo. Kissed Joy with hopes of getting her back in my bed. But then I’d lost my shit, punched Masters, and my world abruptly fell apart. I didn’t expect to come back to Oregon and find that the three of them had shacked up. That day on the beach was a kick in the nuts.

I’m happy for them. Truly.

Besides, I can’t forget I’m on my final warning. Even if I wanted anything more with the people around this table, it’s strictly off limits. I need this job. I need my life here. There’s no way in hell I’m going back to England with my tail between my legs. Fuck that for a game of soldiers.

Luckily there’s wine. Lots of wine, and the food when it arrives, is orgasmic. Any awkwardness from the necklace debacle dissipates and as conversation starts to flow, I make a conscious effort to keep my snark to a minimum.

For some reason, these three tolerate me more than most people and I’m not sure why, but the urge to push them away isn’t as strong as usual. Maybe it’s a proximity thing. I can’t procure my own happiness, so I’ll just bask in the glow of someone else’s and hope that it rubs off a little.

“Va tutto bene con i tuoi pasti?”

I look up at the server through a mouthful of food. It’s like they’re trained to come and ask how your meal is when you can’t do anything other than nod.

“È meraviglioso, grazie,” Aldo says.“Si prega di fare i nostri complimenti allo capocuoco.”

The server beams at us then leaves, and I place my knife and fork down, leaning back and folding my arms across my chest.

“I have a theory,” I say, waiting until Aldo looks at me questioningly. “I think you could say anything in Italian, and it would make my dick hard.”

Aldo chokes on his mouthful of food and Masters snorts. My mouth twitches at the look of horror on Joy’s face, but I didn’t say it loud enough for anyone else to hear. I don’t think.

“I mean,” I continue. “You could say, ‘puppies with yellow ribbons are cuter than kittens with pink mittens’ and it would just sound like sex.”

Joy reaches for her wine glass and takes a long sip. But Masters leans forward, looking between us.

“I’m in,” he says. “Say something like Doug said, and then say something filthy. See if we can tell the difference.”

I smirk at Aldo, knowing that his skin will be burning hot right now. “Go on. For science.”

“You guys are unbelievable,” Joy mutters. “This is anicerestaurant.”

“And you’re not at all interested in this experiment?” I ask, arching an eyebrow.

She glares at me, but there’s no real heat there. After a heartbeat she rolls her eyes. “Okay. Fine. I’m curious. Just don’t talk loud enough for anyone to hear.”

Aldo shakes his head. “I don’t remember agreeing to this.”

“Oh, come on,” Masters says. “I’ll make it worth your while.”

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