Double Dare(25)

My breath whooshed out with relief. Thank god, I was gonna get my day in the sunlight, the two of them weren’t going to move to the next level on their own.

But I didn’t want to give in right away, I wanted to play with her a bit.

“Why do you say that?” I drawled, shooting her a smile. “You think something’s off between me and him?”

Katie bit her lip again, looking between the two huge male forms, now humming with energy.

“I feel something between you guys,” she repeated again, brown eyes wide yet determined. “There’s something there.”

Mason raised his eyebrows at her.

“So? Derek and I have known each other for a long time, baby girl, we’ve been in business together for twenty years. There’s a lot of history honey. Maybe we’re actually both trying to get your attention. Maybe this mofo is jealous of me,” he remarked, jerking his chin my way, “and wants you to himself.”

But Katie couldn’t be deterred. Because she was no dumb female, popping out babies without a brain. The brunette was perceptive, intuitive, with an ability to catch every subtle nuance. Despite the fact that Mason and I had only just discovered our feelings for each other, the brunette had caught on immediately. She knew she wasn’t the only target in the room. There were three of us, with deep-seated hunger boiling hotly underneath.

“No,” she said again, her voice tremulous yet strong. “It’s not business, and it’s not me either. Well, it is me, but only sort of. There’s something between the two of you, and only you. What’s going on? If I had to put my finger on it, I’d say it’s passion.”

There, the word was out, and it was perfect. It wasn’t lust, although that was certainly part of the equation. And it wasn’t quite love either, although I know that I’m head over heels in love with Mason. It was passion, the new, just-discovered flame of feeling that burned between us, growing so hot that it pulled our female like a moth towards flame, consuming her as well.

So I took a deep breath, heart racing furiously. Shit, this was getting out of control. We had a farce on our hands, a fake engagement with a fake fiancée. But there were very real goals too. Because Mason, Katie and I were developing some real feelings, a true connection because of the very situation we were in. The situation was confounding, confusing, and yet the swirl of activity, the deep conversation was inevitably pulling us into the whirlpool.

And taking a deep breath, I plunged headfirst into the churning waters.

“Yeah, so Mason and I are thinking about starting up. Is that a problem? Does it surprise you?”

My partner started on the chair, big form jerking involuntarily. Dark slashes grazed Mace’s cheekbones as he fought to look normal. But there was no point in hiding, no point in ducking behind the obvious because the three of us were about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime, and might as well go for it. Might as well put it all out there before this woman who was changing our lives.

And she didn’t let me down. Looking between the two of us, the brunette bit her lip again.

“It surprises me, yes,” she admitted softly. “I never thought two alpha males like you would, you know, be into each other as well.”

My eyebrow quirked.

“Why not?”

“Why not?” she repeated. “Well, I guess both of you are so alpha, I figured you’d be into women only. I never thought males like you would be looking to date other males.”

I shot her a questioning look.

“Who said we dated other males?”

Katie was flummoxed for once, her chest rising and falling quickly, generous curves sheathed in that tempting dress.

“I just thought,” she stammered. “I just thought that maybe you guys dated other men.”

I shook my head.

“Not me. You, Mason?”

The dark man shot me a look but shook his head.

“Naw,” he grunted. “I don’t date men.”

This time it was Katie who looked perplexed.

“So, what you’re saying is that you’ve never been with men before?”

I grinned right back at her.

“That’s right, girlie. I’ve done everything alphas do, I’ve been with dozens of women, one, two, or three at a time. It’s easy, especially when you’ve got the power that we do. But men? It’s new territory for me. For both of us,” I corrected, shooting a meaningful look Mason’s way. The dark man jerked his head in agreement, big body still tense, air crackling.

“So you’re saying,” Katie repeated again, “that this is new to you. Two men and a woman. Or two men, just the two of you? I’m sorry, my head’s all muddled from everything that’s happened.”