Page 84 of Match Point

Tristan: How about 8:00 in the evening?

Me: That’s perfect. I’ll get us a bottle of wine.

Tristan: Make it a six pack of lager and you’ve got a deal ;-)

Tristan: Oh, and I’ve got a proposition for you. Something I think you’ll be keen on.

Me: Intriguing.

The next twenty-four hours passed by slower than a toddler’s second serve. I cleaned my condo, then stocked the fridge with beer and stronger alcohol since Gabriel and I had cleaned out my liquor cabinet.

Gabriel. That was a topic I would need to discuss with Tristan. I wouldn’t make the same mistake as before; I needed to be totally honest with him. Full disclosure. The same with Dominic, too, if he and I were still a thing. Thinking about the American player caused a twisting pain in my stomach. I missed him every bit as much as I missed Tristan. He lived less than an hour away from me but I hadn’t seen or spoken to him since Wimbledon. The urge to text him was powerful.

He said he needs space. So I’m giving him space.

It was crazy to think about. A month ago, I was juggling both Dominic and Tristan. Now I had added athirdlover into my life. And it was another tennis player who was rivals with the others.

Was there something wrong with me? Most women spent their entire lives searching forthe one. And here I was juggling three men, unable to choose between them.

As the hours ticked down to Tristan’s arrival, my nervousness grew. He was fine with me dating him and Dominic at the same time, but would he feel the same way about Gabriel? I was never one to lean on alcohol as a crutch, but I decided to open a bottle of wine to settle my nerves. After a glass and a half, I started to relax.

The doorbell rang, and I almost knocked my glass over. My heart raced as I tried not to sprint to the door, walking slowly—but fast enough that he wouldn’t wait long. I smoothed out my sun dress and threw open the door. There he was, Tristan Carfrae, standing tall on my porch with a huge smile on his face.

“Missed that face, love,” he said.

“I know it’s only been a few weeks, but it feels like forever.” I stepped forward, prepared to throw myself into his arms…

And then Dominic deGrom stepped out from the side of the porch.

41

Miranda

I wasn’t mentally—or emotionally—prepared to have Dominic standing in front of me. The last time I’d seen him, it wasbad. And the silence since then had me wondering if we were through.

But there he was, wearing jeans and a snug-fitting New York Jets T-shirt over his muscular frame. He gave me half a smile as if he were just as surprised to see me.

“Hi, Miranda.”

“Uh oh,” I said, looking between the two of them. “This is bad, isn’t it?”

“It’s not bad,” Tristan said. “Can we come inside?”

I held the door open to let them in. I didn’t believe him. Whatever was happening here, it was bad. They were probably going to make me choose between them. How could I possibly do that? Both men wereincrediblein different ways. Not to mention I now had Gabriel in the mix.

I picked up my glass of wine and finished it in one long gulp. “I bought beer, like you asked. It might not be enough for three of us, but…”

When I turned around, Dominic was standing very close to me. He took a step forward, pushing me against the wall and then kissing me roughly. The taste of his lips, a sensation I hadn’t felt in almost a month, banished all other thoughts from my mind.

When the kiss finally ended and he turned aside, I was out of breath. But I didn’t have any time to recover because Tristan took his place, crushing his lips against mine and shoving me up against the wall with his body. A moan escaped my lips at the roughness of his desire, powerful after our time apart.

“What… is this about?” I asked when I finally had a chance to catch my breath.

“We wanted to show you,” Dominic said.

“Show me what?”

“That we can share you,” Tristan replied. “That we’re not jealous of each other.”

---