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The guys stared back at me like the question was crazy. Which it probably was.
“Why not what?”
“Why couldn’t you all ask me out?” I repeated. “I mean, you all came over. You all decorated the tree and had dinner with me. You all kissed me. And you all participated in the other stuff, too.”
I could feel myself turning red, despite telling myself not to. I couldn’t help it.
“So what’s stopping the three of you from asking me out?”
Holy SHIT Sloane!
My pulse was pounding again, mostly because I had no idea where all this was coming from. It was just sort of spilling from my lips. Going directly from my heart to my mouth, without passing through my brain to filter anything out.
“You’d actuallywantthat?” asked Brock. “You’d be okay with it?”
“Maybe,” I said, tempering my response. “I mean, you were worried about overwhelming me. I get that. But you’re also making some assumptions, too. For example, how do you even know I’d be overwhelmed?”
“Are you saying you weren’t?”
I thought for a moment, then answered. “Actually, no.”
My ears started ringing, as a rush of new blood flowed through my body. I didn’t know what I was saying, really. Only that, for once in my life, I was saying whatever I honestly wanted to.
“Rather than tell you which one of you ‘won’, why don’t you letmetake you boys out?” I asked, out of the clear blue sky. “That solves the problem of which one of you gets to ‘date’ me. Plus, it also solves another potential problem.”
Valerio’s mouth was open, his face crossed with an almost comical astonishment. But Brock raised a curious eyebrow.
“And that would be?”
“Well,” I said, feeling the butterflies explode in my stomach again. “Let’s put it this way. You guys made me feel really,reallygood last night. And because I hate to be indebted to someone…”
Stepping forward, I moved between them until our bodies were close. Letting my voice go low and seductive, I smiled wickedly.
“… maybe I should be given the chance to return the favor.”
Fourteen
SLOANE
“You sure you can’t come down to the foundry?” I asked. “We can shoot the shit, get all caught up. And you can tell me about your trip.”
On the other end of the phone, my friend yawned. I couldn’t tell if it was real or fake.
“Sloane, I’m exhausted,” said Lynne.
“You wouldn’t even have to do anything,” I cut in. “I just need someone there.”
“I know, but—”
“I’ll load you up on coffee,” I promised. “Really good coffee.”
Lynne chuckled into the phone. I knew her vices. Like any best friend, she knew mine.
“I’ll even tell you about my new…”
What was I about to say? Newguy?It’s not like I could tell her what really happened. She’d never understand.
Or maybe she’d understand, but she’d never look at me the same, ever again.
