Three to Tango (8 page)

massaged it in quick, light strokes as he plunged into her from behind, settling into

a merciless rhythm. Deeper, harder, each time until his pelvis slammed against her

ass. His balls tightened almost painfully, ready to launch, the urge to come a

grinding need.

Mel"s body tensed, and she tossed her head back, teeth bared. He tightened his

grip on her hair as he growled low in his throat. She was close…so close.

“Come for me, Mel.”

He pounded his cock into her, increasing the pressure of his fingers. Her legs

shook from the tension, and her breath came fast. She froze, and then all hell broke

loose.

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Chloe Cole & L. C. Chase

“Ahh, Alec, yeah,” she cried out, her pussy gripping his dick as she came.

All thoughts of silence fled as his own orgasm slammed through him. Hot

liquid pulsed from his swollen cock, and he shouted, delirious. Intense waves of

pleasure crashed over him, rocking him on his heels. Mel would have none of it, as

she pushed back against him, making sure he stayed deep inside her until he was

drained.

He collapsed over her, pinning her between his body and the countertop, spent.

He knew sex with Melody would be hot, but that was…that was…
Shit
. He

was so screwed now.

If he couldn"t pull the three of them together, he would have to move out.

There would be no way he could go on never having Mel like that again, and there

was no way he"d be the wedge between her and Jace.

No way.

Three to Tango

49

Chapter Seven

Melody awoke Sunday morning to the smell of coffee brewing and bacon frying.

Turkey, no doubt. She lay there for a moment in her air-conditioned cocoon,

brushing away the cobwebs when it hit her.

She had done the nasty with Alec.

Giving herself an air high five, she giggled like a silly teenager, then covered

her face with a pillow and let out a muffled scream. The sex had been so

exhilarating and delicious. She couldn"t wait to tell Jace.

Jace.

Her eyes stung, and she pressed the pillow hard against them, her

exhilaration deflating like a balloon. How could she tell him? It would break his

heart, no matter how cool he tried to play it. But at the same time, it went against

the grain to keep it from him. They told each other everything. When she"d lost her

the scholarship to her first-choice school because she"d defended a friend against

some bullying bitch, Jace had been her rock. When her mom had nearly died of

cancer, he had listened to her cry every day for months. But in spite of her love for

Jace, even though she knew he really had it bad for Alec, she couldn"t walk away.

Because she had it really bad for Alec too. For the first time, she was truly afraid of

what this might do to them all.

Shaking off the sense of foreboding, she tried to focus on starting her day. She

would know the lay of the land soon enough. Tossing the pillow aside, she sat up in

bed, raised her arms high above her head, and began a light stretching routine. Her

muscles warmed quickly as she worked out the morning kinks, ending in the lotus

position.

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Chloe Cole & L. C. Chase

It had been a late night. Even though she had physically been in bed by

midnight, the last time she"d looked at the clock, it had read 2:27 a.m. She had

tossed and turned, unable to stop replaying the encounter with Alec over and over

in her head. And if she was being honest, she had also spent a fair amount of time

thinking about her kiss with Jace.

A shiver ran through her as she thought of those soft, firm lips and clever

tongue. Her nipples stiffened as imagination took flight, memories colliding until

they melded into a sensual collage: Jace"s mouth on hers, drinking in her cries of

delight as Alec took her from behind. Heat pooled to her center, and she closed her

eyes, taking a deep breath.

“You getting up or what?”

Mel"s eyes snapped opened. Jace was standing in the doorway, spatula in

hand.

“Breakfast is almost ready.” He stepped into the room, looking for a clear

pathway to her bed. “Ugh, this place is a nightmare. Why is it that your hamper is

empty, but you have a week"s worth of clothes on the floor right next to it?”

“Sorry, Mom. I promise I"ll pick up after breakfast. They"re all clean anyway. I

was in a hurry getting dressed last night and didn"t have a chance to hang

everything back up.”

Although she managed to keep her tone light, her heart thumped out a techno

beat. Jace was utterly delectable in striped pajamas. Of course, he only had on the

bottoms since she was wearing the top. They shared jammies because Melody

preferred sleeping in a shirt and underwear, and Jace liked sleeping shirtless. The

thought made her feel even worse than she had before. She knew how much Jace

wanted Alec—even though he played it down. Could he really step aside without

ever feeling a niggle of resentment toward her? Would their friendship pay for it?

Their lives were so intertwined; they were like two halves of the same whole. Heads

and tails. Yin and yang. Cookies and milk. Straight and gay, she reminded herself

for the thousandth time.

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51

She swallowed the sudden lump in her throat. “Beat it so I can change.”

“Yes, ma"am.” He picked his way back the door and turned. “Doth milady care

for freshly squeezed orange juice with her vittles?”

She grabbed the nearest throw pillow and launched it at his grinning face. His

reflexes were quick, though, and the pillow bounced off the door he"d managed to

shut in the nick of time.

“So is that a no?” he asked through the door, chuckling.

“It"s a yes. Now don"t talk to me again until I"ve had my coffee.”

Despite the typical playful exchange, her heart sank. It
was
weird between

them. Suddenly, Jace seeing her in only a shirt and underwear was totally different

than before. And most mornings Jace would get into bed with her and spoon her

while they chatted. But not today. The comfort level they had shared for over a

decade had vanished in the wake of that one kiss.

Melody"s stomach clenched, fear and despair again clogging her throat. What if

they could never get it back to the way it used to be?

Alec bounded up the stairs two at a time. Ever after a four-mile run, he was

wired, thrumming with energy. Strange how in just a day"s time, his entire world

had turned upside down. Granted, he"d had a great life before yesterday. But now

his eyes were opened to the possibility that he could literally have everything he"d

ever wanted. It both thrilled and terrified him because, in order to make it happen,

he needed to risk his newfound closeness with Mel
and
his friendship with Jace.

The door burst open just as he reached for the knob, and Jace came crashing

through, almost smashing into him.

Jace reared back with a hand over his heart, a foot short of him. “You scared

the shit out of me.”

Alec smiled. “Sorry, I"ll try not to come up the stairs again.”

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Chloe Cole & L. C. Chase

“Wise ass. I gotta run. There"s an egg-white-and-spinach omelet for you on the

counter. I"m off to meet my sister and the kidlets at the zoo. I"ll be back around

dinnertime.” He leveled Alec with a killer grin, then jogged down the steps like he

didn"t have a care in the world.

Alec kept his eyes trained on Jace, taking one last look at what he stood to lose

by opening this can of worms. When he was out of sight, Alec stepped into the living

room and closed the door behind him.

Time to talk to Mel.

He"d promised himself the second he had time alone with her he would bite the

bullet and come out with it. He just hadn"t thought it would be so soon.

“Forget something?” Mel called from the kitchen.

She walked in a second later and gave him a nervous smile. “Oh, hey. I

thought you were Jace.”

They stared at each other for a long, tense moment, and Alec"s brain stuttered.

Even in her comfy clothes with her hair tangled around her face, she was so sexy.

He ached to touch her.

“Mel, about last night…” He paused, trying to get his thoughts back on track.

Mel"s face fell, and she blinked rapidly before turning her attention to some

nonexistent lint on her yoga pants. “No, no. I understand. Heat of the moment and

all. It"s all good. We"re totally cool.”

Alec moved to stand in front of her before she could turn away, and put a hand

under her chin, urging her to meet his eyes. Hers were suspiciously shiny, and he

cursed himself for being so insensitive. He should have thought about what that

sounded like to her—the opening line of a textbook blow-off. “Really? Because I

thought we were a little more than cool. Last night was unbelievable. In fact, it was

probably the best eleven minutes of my life.”

Mel laughed and laid her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around

her and realized that she was trembling. “You scared me. I thought—”

Three to Tango

53

“Sorry. I was just trying to put into words how great it was, but I botched it. I

want to talk to you about something, though, okay?”

“Sure.”

Mel sat on the couch, and he sat across from her on the ottoman. She stared at

him, still looking wary.

Despite the fact he"d spent his entire run thinking about what to say and

trying to anticipate all of her possible reactions, now that she was sitting there in

front of him, his mind was a total blank.

Spit it out. No matter how you say it, it’s not going to get any easier.

“I know about your bet with Jace,” he blurted.
Smooth. Very smooth.

Mel flinched, and her face paled.

Words tumbled from her mouth in a rush. “He told you? I swear it isn"t what

you think. We both really lo—like you. This isn"t just some game.”

Relief washed over him, and he realized just how important it had been for

him to hear her say that.

“No, he didn"t tell me. I overheard you guys talking. And I know it"s not a

game. Man, I"m really fucking this up, huh? I"m not mad at either one of you. In

fact, it"s just the opposite.”

He said a silent prayer and laid it on her. “I like you both too. A lot.”

She stared back at him through narrowed eyes, nonplussed.

“I want to be with both of you. And I want you to be with both of us. Do you

know what I"m saying, Mel? I want us to be exclusive. The three of us.”

His words hung heavy between them, their weight almost crushing him,

constricting his lungs until he could barely breathe.

She shook her head almost imperceptibly, but he saw it and braced himself.

“I-I don"t even know what to say. Jace is gay. He doesn"t want me like that.

We"re friends. And you, I didn"t know you were into guys.” Fire lit her eyes, and she

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Chloe Cole & L. C. Chase

sat up straight, her shoulders squared. “Wait, are you fucking with me? Is this a

joke to get back at me for the bet? Because if it is, it"s not funny.”

“I wouldn"t joke about something like this, especially after last night. I see the

way you and Jace look at each other. You can say it"s friendship all you want, but

that kiss last night told another story.” Alec leaned forward and took her trembling

hands in his. “You know what the weird part is? Even though I"m crazy about you

both, I wasn"t jealous. That"s when I knew I had to at least try. And no, I"m not gay,

but if I find a man I"m attracted to, I don"t hide from it. I think love is love, and if

you"re lucky enough to find it, you grab on with both hands.” He paused and gave

her hands quick a squeeze. “That"s what I"m trying to do. I care about the both of

you. A lot. You each fill something in me that makes me a better person.” Even to

his own ears he could hear the pleading undertone in his voice, but couldn"t seem to

stop himself.

“Did you talk to Jace about this already?” Her flat tone gave him no indication

of what she was feeling.

“No. I wanted to talk to you first.”

“Have you thought about the possibility that even if I say yes, he might say

no?” Melody dropped her gaze to their clasped hands, the words quiet as she spoke.

“Then where will we be?”

Alec put a finger to her chin, urging her to look at him, hoping she would see

how serious he was about this, how much he wanted the three of them to be a single

unit. “I don"t know. But I do know that I"m willing to risk it.”

“Easy for you to say. I could lose my best friend. Do you know what you"re

asking of me here, Alec? Of us?” She gazed at him, confusion and pain clouding her

eyes. “Even after spending most of last night wondering what you and I would say

to each other today, I can honestly say I never thought it would be this.”