Page 11 of Their Virgins Secret

It was time to have a relationship. This might not last more than a week, but she would know what it meant to belong to someone.

“We should celebrate,” Burke offered. “I think dancing is in order. ”

Cole groaned. Though he hadn’t been much of a dancer, she’d loved being held in his strong arms when they’d danced on Christmas Eve. He’d sighed and called himself an elephant with two left feet, but being close to him made all the grousing worthwhile.

“How about a movie?” Cole practically pleaded. “Or a show. I’ll go see a show. See, I can compromise. ”

She took a long sip of margarita, wishing she had a tequila shot instead. Liquid courage, she needed it. Instead, she drew in a breath and plowed ahead. “I think we should all go to bed. ”

They both stopped, and in perfect synchronicity, swung their dark heads her way.

“What did you say, sweetheart?” Burke asked.

She licked her suddenly dry lips. “You heard me. ”

“I heard that you want us in bed. ” Cole stared at her like a lion about to pounce on something soft and furry. “All of us. Together. ”

Yep. They just stared in silence, those blue eyes hot, dissecting. Embarrassment swamped her. Had she been wrong about them? Had she let the fantasies in her head color her judgment?

Burke’s eyes narrowed. “You want a ménage, sweetheart? Have you ever had one?”

She shook her head. Oh, she didn’t want to admit more than that. Surely she could fake some experience. She’d seen movies. Mostly R rated, but Jimmy from concierge services had once had a party where some of the guys had gone to the back and watched porn films. She’d sneaked a peek. A long peek.

“Do you understand what you’re asking for?” Cole asked. He’d completely closed his expression off. Burke had relaxed, his sensual expression almost decadent. But Cole sat stiffly, his whole body seeming to shut down.

Jessa fought the tears that threatened. She’d thought they both wanted her. Cole, it appeared, was just being nice. If she couldn’t have them both, she wondered if she shouldn’t just walk away. It would be like accepting half of something. Ever since that first night, she’d viewed them as a single unit. She forced a bright smile on her face, hating the sniffle that came out. She’d gotten herself in this mess. She could get herself out.

“Just kidding. ” She forced a laugh. “Sorry, guys. I’ll stop telling bad jokes, I promise. Let’s just have a nice dinner, then I’ll head back to the hotel since I have to work tonight. ”

“No, you don’t. Eric is working. I saw the schedule. ” Burke raised a dark brow.

She was a horrible liar. She couldn’t hold the sunny pretense anymore, not with humiliation stinging every corner of her body. “Why don’t I just go?”

Grabbing her coat, she stood.

“No,” Burke barked with a ferocious frown. “Jessa, sit back in your seat. We need to talk about this. ”

Slowly, she set her coat aside and eased back into her chair. “There’s nothing to say. If you don’t want—”

Cole snorted, his gaze looking as if it had heated up ten thousand degrees in the last minute, though the rest of his body remained frozen.

But Burke spoke. “Sweetheart, we’re not shocked by the idea. Trust me. We’ve done this a time or two. We prefer to share lovers, but you’re very young. ”

“And very inexperienced. ” A fact that obviously made Cole grit his teeth.

“How would you know that?” Jessa challenged. It was true, but his assumption annoyed her. She fought the urge to get up and walk away—end this whole embarrassing evening. “You don’t know my history. I could have had a bunch of lovers. ”

Both men snorted. Somehow they made it seem elegant.

“Sweetheart, if you’ve had more than a couple, I’ll eat my socks. ” Burke watched her closely, then paled. “You have had a couple, right?”

She took another long swallow, wringing her hands. They could see right through her. No sense in lying now. “Fine. All right. No. ”

Cole clenched his jaw and sent Burke an accusing stare. “I told you the minute we met her that she was a virgin. Goddamn it. ”

Jessa suddenly felt alone. The twins were looking at each other, their eyes speaking while their mouths stayed closed. Sometimes they retreated into a private world where she couldn’t follow.

Moments later, Cole stood, buttoning the jacket of his suit coat. “It’s time for me to leave. She’s too innocent for what I need. I can’t put that on a virgin. Besides, she’s more interested in you. I’ll go back to the hotel. We do have work to do, remember?”

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