Page 62 of Mine to Share

My eyes rolled to the ceiling as I took a sip of my ice-cold beer. “Lame,” I muttered into the thin layer of foam.

“Fuck off. If I have a beer, you’ll need a few people to drag my unconscious ass out of here. I’m running on fumes, remember?”

“So, back to the earlier conversation of you quitting. What would you do if you weren’t doing this?” On instinct, I scanned the bar, looking for anything suspicious. A few stares darted away when I caught them eyeing Slade. “Fuck, how do you get used to this? Everyone staring and watching you like you’re some kind of zoo animal?”

He lifted a massive shoulder in a half shrug. “Been that way for a long time, though I think most of the looks in here are from people I work with who are shocked I’m actually out.”

Drumming my fingers on the bar, I studied him from the corner of my eye. “I think she’d miss you.” His head snapped my way, and the plastic bottle in his hand crinkled beneath his tightening grip. “She likes you.” I sipped the cold liquid, giving myself a moment before continuing, knowing my next words would either pique his curiosity or send him running. Or he could kill me. But the reward was worth the risk. “Actually, she likes the idea of both of us.”

His eyes flared for half a second before his normal scowl fell into place. “Meaning what, exactly?”

“Listen, I’ll tell you what I see, what I’ve seen the last few days. She wants more with you but thinks you see her as just a colleague, a friend. Which, what the actual fuck was that about the other night?”

“She said it first,” he grumbled.

“Anyway,” I snapped, “I don’t like the idea of her being alone when I leave. And we all know I will. She needs someone to lean on to help her get out of that brilliant head of hers. Someone who can share the burden of fucking living and doing what we do.”

“And you’re what, asking me to be that guy?” He scoffed. “Not likely.” Shoving the water bottles out of the way, he gestured for the bartender. “Whiskey. Neat. Top shelf.”

The corner of my lips quirked once the bartender slid Slade’s drink into his waiting hand. “I agree with you, though, on one thing.”

“I’m afraid to ask,” he muttered, spinning the highball glass on the bar, staring into the dark liquid.

“One man in her life won’t be enough.”

He huffed. “She told you about her parents, then.” My brows rose along my forehead. “Taking that as a no.” If I wasn’t mistaken, he took a bit of joy in the fact that he knew something about her that I didn’t. “They’re poly. She didn’t tell me much, but that’s the gist. That’s where I thought you were going with the ‘one man not being enough’ talk.”

“That makes sense. No wonder she’s okay with being attracted to both of us at the same time.”

The sip of whiskey he’d just taken nearly spewed from his lips. A massive, tattooed hand slapped across his lips and swiped away a few drops as he coughed. “What the fuck did you just say?”

“Have you ever done it?”

“Done what?”

“Multiple partners.” I paused, knowing I needed to tread carefully. My hope was high that the strange situation I’d found myself in could fill the void since Tallon and Remy became a couple. But getting Slade on board would take some delicate finagling.

“Does being with three women at one time count?” he said, shooting me a look. “Though, based on the context of this odd-as-fuck conversation, I’m assuming that kind of orgy isn’t what you’re talking about.”

“And…?” I rotated a hand in the air, asking for more detail. “Did you like it?”

“What the fuck is this about?”

“Just answer the fucking question. I’m curious.”

He sighed and rubbed a hand along his jaw as it worked back and forth. Then he scooted his stool away, giving him room to angle toward me.

“Who wouldn’t?” Though the lack of emotion in his tone said it all. “But I wouldn’t say I’d do it again. Too much fucking work.”

I smiled. “All I’m saying is be open to the idea, because she is. And so am I.”

“You’re open to the idea of us three… together.”

Lifting a shoulder, I took a long drink, letting the bartender pass by to keep our conversation from being overheard. “I’ve done it a few times. Always with the same guy, different women, but yeah, I enjoyed it. But I’m talking about less of the physical, more on the relationship.”

“Say I consider the idea, forgetting all the reasons I shouldn’t be with her. What’s the upside for you in all this?”

“She gets the support she needs, and I won’t hate myself when I have to leave. Listen,” I sighed. Clearly, it would take more than this conversation for him to see the benefits of what I was suggesting. “All I’m saying is think about it. Between you and me, while I’m here and when I’m back in Dallas, we could offer her the type of relationship she deserves. We each bring something different to the table for her.”

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