“With?” she asks, already knowing the answer.
I give her a look.
Her smile widens slowly. “Both of them?”
I press my lips together.
That’s apparently all the confirmation she needs.
“Oh my God,” she breathes, equal parts delighted and stunned. “Janey.”
“I know.”
“You—” she stops, laughs softly, then tries again. “You never do things like this.”
“I’m aware.”
She steps closer, lowering her voice even though we’re alone. “So… was it—”
“Yes.” I grin broadly, memories cascading through me. “Yes. It absolutely was.”
Joelle’s eyes light up. “That good?”
“It was…” I search for words that don’t sound ridiculous. “Different.”
“Different? That doesn’t sound complimentary. Different how?”
I shake my head, laughing quietly under my breath. “I don’t even know how to explain it.”
“That won’t stop me from asking.”
I glance away, then back at her, lowering my voicewithout meaning to.
“It wasn’t only physical,” I admit. “It was the way they—” I stop, trying to find the right words. “The way they were both there. At the same time. Like I didn’t have to choose where to look or how to react. I just…” I trail off, exhaling softly. “Theymademe feel it.”
Joelle watches me carefully now, her expression shifting from playful to thoughtful.
“Yeah,” she says. “I get that.”
I swallow, nodding once.
“And you’re okay?” she asks after a second. “No regrets this morning?”
That should be an easy question.
It isn’t.
I think about the way Mason looked at me. The way Brookes watched. The way my body still feels like it hasn’t fully settled back into itself. It’s going to take more than a couple of hours to heal the wreckage they’ve left behind.
I shake my head slowly. “No,” I say. Then, more honestly, “That’s kind of the problem.”
Her mouth curves again, softer this time. “Because you want more?”
I let out a quiet breath. “That’s not possible.”
She raises an eyebrow.
“I mean, I shouldn’t want more. I can’t,” I correct quickly. “It was one night. That’s all it can be. You know what my folks are like.”
