She was woken up by the sound of them arguing.
Opening her eyes, Sapphire stared up at the polished wood ceiling. For a few seconds, she just sat there gathering her bearings. Oh yeah, she was on their boat. That answered the steady swaying question in the back of her mind. Cautiously she sat up, the covers around her falling to her waist, revealing her nudity. Recalling their lovemaking from earlier, Sapphire expected to be in a much grimier and stickier state but was pleased to find not only that her skin was clean, but she even smelled pretty good too. Did they bathe her? Looking over to her left, she peered through the bathroom door left ajar and felt the lingering humid air.
The deep sound of voices clashing brought her attention back to the present. Grabbing her discarded beach cover-up from the end of the bed, she pulled it on and went up the stairs leading to the deck.
With each step, she heard Joel's and Hayden's voices grow louder and louder.
"You damn near choked her to death," Hayden growled.
Stepping onto the deck, she stopped by the helm's station and watched as both men sat on opposite sides of the cushioned flooring. It was nighttime. Around them, the bay was quiet and void of lights. Above them, the sky was nearly black as the gentle sounds of water lapping against the boat filled the silent night air. With their backs to the wall, both men glared at one another.
"I wasn't trying to. And she wouldn’t have choked. You think I didn't know what-"
"I think she fucking passed out because someone had his cock rammed down her fucking throat." Hayden snapped, his tone like a clap of thunder.
Joel looked away, a mask of guilt on his face.
Deciding to intervene, Sapphire stepped through the open glass doors. "I kind of like it," she admitted. Heat crept up her neck and face at the admission.
Jerking up at the sight of her, each man stood up, but she ignored them. Holding her sheer cover-up together, she knelt on the cushions. Sapphire laid down, taking her exact same position from earlier. Sitting back down on either side of her, both men turned toward her.
"I'm sorry, Sapphire," Joel began, his normally bright eyes dark with contrition.
"It's fine. Besides, I said I liked it," she said softly.
Hayden scowled at Joel before turning his gaze back to her. "Yeah, but your voice is hoarse, and you were practically unconscious."
Sitting up, Sapphire turned and pinned Hayden with a stare. "He didn't do anything I didn't like or want, and you know that because you were watching."
Hayden shifted against the cushions and averted his eyes out to the empty bay around them. Reaching forward, she grabbed both of their hands and tugged them down with her until they lay on either side of her.
High above them, the stars winked and glittered amongst the sea of black, and she wondered what they looked like to them. Was their boat the only light on the black sea, resembling one glittering star?
A comfortable silence settled around them, and she felt the tension ease out of the two men. Still, with their hands in hers, she lifted them both to her chest and sighed as they snaked them around her chest and waist holding her tight between them.
Turning her head to the side, she looked at Hayden. "Why did you decide to be okay with…with Joel being with me too?" she watched his brows furrow and rushed to clarify. "I guess the question is for both of you," she added, turning to look at Joel as well. "Why are you ok with our arrangement?"
Neither man said anything. She could see them weighing and considering the question.
"Because I love you, and I guess I care for him too." Hayden quickly grumbled the last part. "And I could see what was happening between us, and I realized if I didn't learn to accept it, I would lose not only you, but I would lose someone who has been family to me for years."
"Aww, man, I love you too," Joel said teasingly, reaching over her to grab Hayden's arm.
"Get the fuck off!" Hayden barked, swatting Joel's hand off of him.
Sapphire laughed and grabbed Joel's hand, placing it back on her stomach. Possessively his fingers splayed against her, and she felt his beard tickle her neck as he nuzzled into the crook of it.
"I couldn't have said it better myself. It may sound simple and maybe even a little unbelievable, but I think we both knew you wanted both of us, and you weren't going to risk being the cause of us losing our friendship. So, to me, that meant losing you altogether. Why not have you and have our friendship? Why not have it all?"
Sapphire held her breath as the sudden sting of tears. Shaking her head, she pushed them away and ran her fingers through Joel's hair while her other hand found Hayden's. "You're so brave and bold. I love the way you think. You both just walk into the room, knowing things are going to go your way or else. I want to be more like that."
She felt Hayden turn into her, lining his big body along with hers. "Baby, what the hell are you talking about? Out of the three of us, you're the real gangster." Both men had the nerve to laugh at that. "You scare the shit out of people. And talk about bold, you traveled to Holter, a town you think is shit, by the way, to live in an old motel while trying to survive. That's fucking ballsy."
"I don't scare people," she argued weakly. "I'm telling you, I just have a serious resting face."
Joel kissed her cheek. "It's so cute and mean I can't fucking stand it." He placed another kiss on her jaw and another on her neck just as Hayden's hand slipped underneath her cover-up and cupped her sex.
She shivered at his deep groan of appreciation and tilted her neck for Joel. Basking in their touch, she sighed as they stoked the heat to her body once again.
