Trinity (6 page)

IT’S TEN AFTER SIX, AND I
can’t get out of my car. Of course, Shane and Chase are staying on the north side of town in a huge Winters Travers condo right on the beach. Ick. This situation just gets better and better. As disinclined as I am to step over the threshold of the devil-crafted home, I’m twice as intrigued to get an inside look at how the two of them live and why they’re so eager to invite me into their relationship. I mean, okay, a little sexual shake-up I can understand, but for some reason, when Shane used the word ‘connection,’ I got the impression he meant in more than just a physical way. Which is . . . perplexing.

I finally muster up my nerve and ring the doorbell. To hell with it. Let’s do this.

The door swings open a moment later to Chase in a black polo shirt and dark jeans, holding a bag of marshmallows.

“We were starting to wonder if you were going to stand us up.” He steps aside.

I eye him warily. “It crossed my mind. Why are you holding marshmallows?”

He delivers a panty-melting smile. “You’ll see. Get your ass in here.”

I smell trouble.

I step inside to a large, open room with light wood floors, white window treatments, and pale blue decor. Beachy chic describes it perfectly.

“C’mon. I was just about to light the fire.”

“Fire?” Following him through the house, I take in the gorgeous sunset lighting up the sky, pouring through every room in the house.
Wow
. Chase leads me out to the deck and down the stairs, where we walk straight onto the beach.

“Where’s Shane?” I ask as we stride side by side to a stone fire pit set up on the deserted stretch of sand.

Chase nods at the ocean, and when I look out, I notice a dark figure on a surfboard riding the small waves.

“Don’t know why he bothers?” Chase drops the bag of marshmallows on a blanket next to an array of Tupperware neatly set out. The food causes my curiosity to pique. “The Jersey surf is nothing like the California waves he’s used to.” He rests his hands on his hips and takes a survey of what’s on the blanket.

“Is that where you’re both from? California?” I pry.

He looks over at me with his vigilant brown eyes. So dark and mysterious. “Shane is. I’m from here. Grew up in a small suburban town right outside New York City. You’ll learn all about us tonight.”

“I will?”

“You will. We plan on doing a lot of talking.” He kneels down to light the fire.

“That’s why you two invited me over? To talk?” The disbelief is evident in my voice.

“Yes,” he answers simply. “Isn’t that what you do on a date? Talk? Get to know the other person?” He strikes a long match.

“Yes, but—”

“You thought we just wanted to fuck? There’s more to us than that, pixie.” Chase steals a glance at me as the logs catch fire.

“I didn’t mean . . . What the two of you said in the parking lot . . . I guess I don’t know what to expect. This is all new territory for me,” I self-consciously admit.

“That’s okay. We’ll help you navigate the waters.” Chase stands and extends his hand to me with an inviting smile. After a beat, I take it, and he pulls me close to him. The fire warms my face as he holds me in his arms. “Is a hello kiss asking too much too soon?”

“No.” I lean into him, and our mouths connect with a burst of energy.
Holy fuck.
Our tongues rub and wrestle as Chase tightens his hold and deepens the embrace. It’s a short, pulse-racing torrent that leaves me dizzy once we break apart.

“Mmm . . .” He drops his forehead to mine, still encasing me in his arms. “I can’t wait until it’s me you’re riding, and I get to kiss those lips the entire time.”

“I thought you wanted more than just sex,” I tease.

“Oh, I do. We do. So much more, but that doesn’t mean I can’t anticipate.” He runs his thumb along my lower lip. “Or fantasize about that pretty mouth and all it can do.”

I want to tell him it can do a lot, but I keep the thought to myself. He has me way too curious as to what “more” is and where this night is headed.

With my full attention on Chase, I don’t notice Shane sneak up behind me until the back of my bare neck is pelted with ice-cold droplets. I squeal, jumping in Chase’s arms as Shane shakes his wet, shaggy head right next to us.

“Not cool.” I laugh as I climb Chase’s body in a vain attempt to get away.

“I couldn’t help it.” He grabs my chin, tilts my face, and delivers his own coma-inducing hello kiss. Shane’s lips are cold and taste like salt, but that doesn’t stop me from licking the inside of his mouth like chocolate batter off a spoon.

“Hi,” he purrs.

“Hi.” I melt.

“That’s all you’re getting tonight. Hope you enjoyed it.”

“Excuse me?” I crease my eyebrows at both of them.

“I told you. Date night.” Chase sets me down in a beach chair.

“What does that have to do with anything?” I question as Shane peels off his wetsuit, and Chase sits beside me.

“We want to get to know all about our adventurous bartender without any distractions.” Shane enlightens me as he dries himself off, and I secretly drool. I didn’t get a good look at either of their bodies last night. Not even close to the bird’s-eye view they got of mine. So I take the opportunity to ogle the gorgeous, shirtless man standing in front of me. Shane’s body frame isn’t as wide as Chase’s, but his muscles are long, lean, and defined with a large, winged tattoo stamped across his chest. Art I wasn’t privy to last night. Once he’s dry, he takes a seat next to me, and I am all at once sandwiched yet again between a narrow wall of holy hotness.

“So now that you have me, what are you planning on doing with me?” Two searing gazes burn a hole straight through my clothes.

“Talk,” Shane answers.

“About?”

“Everything. Anything. You, us.”

“Why?” I ask the million-dollar question.

“Because we have a connection, and Chase and I want to pursue it.”

“Pursue what exactly?”

Chase and Shane share a mysterious look. I’ve noticed they do that, and I’m not sure how I feel about being the odd man out. Two against one are never fair odds.

“A relationship.”

“Like sexual relationship? Have neither of you ever been with a woman before?”

They both burst into hysterics.

“We’ve been with women before,” Chase sets me straight.

“Oh, so I wasn’t your first?” I pretend to pout.

“No, but we both think you’re very special.”

“Special? You’ve known me all of twenty-four hours. How special could I possibly be?”

Shane exhales. “Jenn, I’m just going to lay it all out on the table for you so you can consider what we’re proposing. We understand it’s a lot in a very short amount of time. But Chase and I are firm believers in striking while the iron’s hot and going after what we want.”

“And you want me?”

“Yes, we want you. We want to pursue a romantic relationship with you. The three of us. Together.”

“But you don’t even know me.” I can’t believe what I’m hearing.

“We want to get to know you. And we want you to get to know us. It’s the whole point of tonight. We know we’re compatible sexually. So what’s the harm in seeing if our personalities mesh, too?”

“Because you two already have each other. What do you need me for?” I blink my eyelashes incredulously.

“Jenn.” Chase takes my hand. “Shane and I are committed to each other, that’s true, but we feel like we’re missing something. Like our relationship isn’t whole—”

“Without a woman?” I finish before he can.

Chase nods.

“Have you two ever been in a relationship with a woman? Together, I mean.”

“Yes, briefly we were with someone. She wasn’t right. It ended badly.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” I frown.

“Don’t be. It was for the best. But it did make us realize what we want.”

“Which is?”

“A woman who loves us both and possibly a future.”

Whoa. Talk about laying it all out on the table.

“And you think I can be that woman?”

“We won’t know until we give it a shot. Are you willing to do that? Try?” Shane asks hopefully.

“Like, date? Both of you?”

They both nod, zealously.

“Jennifer . . .” Shane laces his fingers with mine, so now they’re both holding one of my hands. “Do you like being called Jennifer?”

“No, I prefer Jenn,” I tell him honestly.

“Fine, Jenn.” He smiles warmly, and I soften. The power of that fucking mouth. The two of them really are seductive in their own way. “I’m sure you know as well as we do how hard it is to find someone. It’s even harder trying to find a connection with three. But when it happens, it’s like a holy trinity. And we can’t let a chance like this slip through our fingers. There’s something special about you. Chase and I both saw it immediately. And we want to explore it.”

I’m speechless. The only man who ever told me I was special is laying on his deathbed. It was hard for me to believe it when he said it; it’s even harder to believe it when Shane says it. I stare into the fire, dancing red and orange over the dark logs.

I think of last night, and the short time the three of us spent together. Even before the incident in the stairwell, I enjoyed their company. Saw something more than just two handsome faces. That has to mean something, right? But two men? Who work for the devil . . . ? That could be playing with fire. No, more like a stick of dynamite. Doubt runs rampant, but so does intrigue. I could get seriously hurt in this situation, and the only person I’d have to blame is myself.

“Jenn?” Shane jiggles my hand.

I sweep my head over to look at him. “A
holy
trinity, huh?”

“As hallowed as they come.”

I arch an eyebrow. “Sounds more sanctimonious to me.”

Shane leans in closer. “Baby, if this works out, no one will be worshiped or adored more than you. There will be nothing sanctimonious about it.”

I stare blankly at Shane, trying to figure out how I made such a resounding impression in such a short amount of time. “What do you say? Baptism by fire sound at all appealing?” Flames reflect in his wide hazel eyes, making him more a demon than a deity.

“I say we quit it with the religious references and see where the night goes.”

Both Shane and Chase beam. “Sounds like a plan.” Chase releases my hand, leaning over to pop open a large Tupperware. I spy as he fiddles with a few things before turning back to us. “Dinner.” He hands me a skewer with a small sandwich on the end. “I hope you like pickles. And ham and cheese.” He passes one to Shane, and they both hold their sticks over the fire to roast the sandwiches.

I follow suit. “This is a new way to eat ham and cheese.”

“We do it all the time. Anything we can poke with a stick,” Chase enlightens me lewdly while charring his bread.

I laugh. “Good to know.”

“What else do you want to know?” Shane invites conversation.

I hesitate before asking, but it’s bound to come up, so why prolong it? “What do you do for Ty Winters?”

“Chase is a lawyer. I’m an architect.” Shane answers straightaway.

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, seriously?” Chase interjects. “Shane designed the very condo we live in.”

I glance back at the structure made out of mostly glass. Although I only walked through it briefly, I can’t deny it’s nice. Luxurious even.

“You do nice work.” I reluctantly compliment him. Shane seems to sense my hesitation.

“Thank you.” He accepts my emotionally entangled compliment. My aversion to their employer is going to be a huge hurdle for us. I can see it already. “Go on, fire away. You have us at your disposal.”

I lift the side of my mouth deviously. “You really aren’t going to touch me tonight?” I remove my sandwich from the flame and blow on it provocatively.

“No.” Both Shane and Chase zero in on my mouth as I pick off a piece of melted cheese and suck it off my fingertips.

“Pity . . . mmm, Gruyere.” I’m surprised by the swanky cheese.

“I don’t know what’s turning me on more. Your finger in your mouth, or the fact you knew what kind of cheese that was with one tiny taste.” Chase never removes his attention from my mouth. I smile with my finger still between my lips. “I like to cook. The menu at the Corkscrew is my own creation. All the recipes are mine,” I confess.

“That’s very impressive.” Shane takes my hand. “Because everything we put in our mouth last night was delicious.” He bites the end of my index finger, and I know he’s referring to way more than just food. I chew on my bottom lip as visions of him and Chase cloud my thoughts. Of the way the three of us came together. The way my body ached unlike it ever had before. That same feeling is creeping back. Just being in their presence does inexplicable things. Makes me want to do inexplicable things. To them.

“Stop looking at me like that, Jenn. That’s all you get.” Shane releases my hand.

“Looking at you like what?”

“Like you want a repeat of last night, right here on the beach.”

“Would that be so bad?” I taunt them.

“No,” Chase chimes in. “And it will happen. Just not tonight. But we will have you on this beach and in that water. Sandy, wet, and hoarse from screaming our names.”

I stop myself from whimpering. The image alone has me needing a fresh pair of panties.

“Now what else do you want to know?” Chase presses the conversation forward.

Wanting to avoid coming off desperate and sex-starved, I continue with questions. “How did you two meet?” I sit back in the beach chair and take a small bite of the sandwich. If I can’t devour them, I’ll at least devour my dinner. Food over fucking. That’s a new concept, even for me.

“Ty,” Shane begins.

Of course.

“Chase went to law school with him. He recruited me a few years ago. Wouldn’t take no for an answer. Stubborn bastard. I wasn’t too keen on moving to the East Coast, but I met Chase a few months later, so I chocked it up to fate.” Shane shares an expression of admiration with Chase, and it’s the first time tonight I witness the emotional connection they share. That’s something else I’m going to have to wrap my head around. Sex and its interconnection. Remembering the way they kissed two inches away from me sends tremors of excitement right down my spine. Fuck, I want more. So. Much. More.