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I look over at the others still in the doorway, and they nod.
“Okay, let me go order the pizza, and we can finish up while we wait for it to arrive.” I pat Otis’ shoulder, but his grip around my waist only tightens.
“Finish what?” he asks, one brow raised and a devilish grin spreading across his face.
I smack his arm and push back. Exiting the bathroom, I shake my head and mutter, “Boys. Children. All of them.” A round of howling laughter follows me. Of course, I can’t stop the smile that creeps up, but I manage to contain the laughter bubbling up inside of me.
* * *
Dante and Lucian just finish pushing the sofa into position as the buzz of the downstairs intercom echoes throughout the large room. Otis beats me to the buzzer. “You the delivery man?”
“No, sir, I’m the delivery woman,” a female voice replies with a little extra sass, and I chuckle at the surprised look Otis sports when he looks up at me. “You gonna buzz me in?” she asks when he doesn’t reply.
“Sorry. Come on up,” he says, shaking himself free from his stupor and pushing the button to open the front door.
Three boxes of pizza in hand, we settle in the living room around the coffee table with paper plates and cans of cola. An awkward silence falls over our little group as we each bite into a slice of pizza, all eyes on me. The panicked, nervous energy I felt the first time I met them flutters through my veins, tickling my fight-or-flight instincts.
“Stop staring at me,” I blurt out. “I get it. I wanted to talk, and you’re waiting on me to say something.” I wipe my hands, and they all remain silent as they continue to eat, waiting.
I huff out a breath, toss my napkin into the empty box in the center of the table, and stand. I start to pace the length of the living room. A tingling sensation shoots up and down my arms, and I give them a shake to try to dispel the feeling of ants marching under my skin.
“Look, I’ll be honest with you. I don’t know what this is,” I say, waving my hand through the air to encompass us all. “Someone help me understand what the hell is going on between us because, I have to admit, I’m confused. You’ve each kissed me; hell, Otis kissed me in front of you two,” I point to Lucian and Dante, “yet you weren’t mad about it. These mixed-up signals are stressing me out. One second, I think we’re friends, and the next second you’re jumping me and treating me like I’m more than just a friend.”
I stop mid step and slant my head to the side as I analyze a different feeling welling up inside of me. It’s not panic or anxiety. No, this is a mix of sadness and something else.
“If I’m completely honest with myself, I’ve come to care about all of you, too.” I turn to face them, tears pooling in my eyes. “I don’t think I could pick just one of you to have in my life, but if I don’t, I’ll lose you all, and I couldn’t stand to see any of you with someone else like …”
Dante jumps to his feet and quickly wraps me in his arms. “Stop,” he says firmly. “Just stop right there.” He moves his hands to my shoulders, holding tight and taking a step back so he can look at me. “Not one of us is interested in being with anyone other than you. We aren’t going to make you choose between us. None of us owns you. Would we each like to have you to ourselves? Sure, for a time, like we did the other night. Do we each want to own a piece of you? Yes. Are we willing to share? Obviously, we’ve already done it. Since that first night, we’ve all felt a connection to you, Devin. We had to keep Lucian from tracking down your pretty ass and dragging you back here. We made a promise, though, if you came back on your own, we weren’t letting you get away a second time. So, here we are, and you’re not getting rid of us that easy.”
Lucian stands and takes Dante’s place in front of me. “What he’s trying to say, little lamb, is you’re ours, and we’re yours. We’re not going anywhere.”
Otis joins us, and they circle me again. They each put a hand on me, and my body thrums with a new emotion. One that I’ll keep to myself for now.
Lucian kisses me, just a simple passing press of lips, before he turns me to face Otis and leaves my side to clean up from dinner.
“I’m in this for the long haul, princess. You’re stuck with me,” Otis says, hugging me tight and dropping a kiss on my head. He turns me to face Dante and moves away to assist Lucian.
“Don’t make me cry, Dante,” I whisper, looking up at him through watery eyes.
“Oh, my angel.” He pulls me into his arms again. His embrace is comforting … safe. “You have me, angel. For as long as you’ll keep me, you have me.”
“Now, I know there has to be a story behind this,” Otis calls, and we turn in his direction.
The grin that breaks out on my face when I see what he’s holding up is genuine and exciting. “Oh, there is.”
Devin
“Care to share, little lamb?” Lucian asks, a crooked grin plastered to his face and both brows raised in question.
A chuckle works its way through me as I walk in Otis’ direction. He holds out the deck of UNO cards, wrapped in a pair of red, lacy thongs.
“Oh, how I’ve missed you,” I singsong, taking the wrapped parcel from him and hugging it close. “This deck of trusty UNO cards has seen me through some very hard times and some more, let’s just say, interesting ones during my college years.”
“Explain the panties?” Otis asks, amusement coloring his tone.
“Ahh, yes. Now that’s the best part. You see, this deck isn’t used to play your normal round of UNO. No, with this one, drinks are had, while truths and flesh are revealed.” I hold up the panties to emphasize the word flesh in my statement, and I’m met with a chorus of deep throaty groans.
“Let’s play,” Dante chirps, coming to stand with the three of us.
