“I have nothing to go back to. You’re the one she prefers.”
“Give me a break! I wish you wouldn’t start that shit again. Of course she’s interested in you too; why do you think she’s having such a hard time dealing with what I said. If it wasn’t true, she would have taken my comments in stride, but instead, India freaked out.”
“Maybe because it isn’t.”
“No. Because it is. I’m one hundred percent certain. I’m not blind to the way she’s been staring at either one of us. You’re a fool if you haven’t noticed it. You’re just pissed because you didn’t get to her first.”
A furious blush of red colored Grant’s cheeks, and Rafe knew his point had hit home. “Goddammit, you could have given her some time to get used to us a little more. Perhaps she might have been more receptive to the possibility of exploring our lifestyle, but you blew it because you couldn’t stop thinking with your cock!” Grant glared, his lips thinning to one angry line.
Rafe rolled his eyes. “It may have been okay for the two of you to continue this pantomime of politeness, but this won’t wash for long. We’re going to have to face the fact that we may be stuck on this island for a long time—if not for the rest of our lives. I, for one, can’t spend the rest of my days with my dick in a sling. I want her, you want her, and she can deny it all she pleases, but India wants us too!”
Grant’s nostrils flared as he crossed his arms. “Tell me, Rafe, do you actually care about her or is she just convenient pussy for you?”
Rafe paused. Would they be having this conversation had India not been the only female survivor on the island? Part of his agreement with Grant about sharing a woman was finding someone they could both love, and who would love them back equally. Angie had shown him that the sex could be good when he shared with his best friend, but it wouldn’t be fulfilling if feelings weren’t involved, and Rafe was long past the point in life where a meaningless fuck was all he wanted from a woman.
“Honestly,” he finally answered, “no. She’s gorgeous, and God knows it’s hard not to stare at her and not be blown away, but it’s much more than that. That’s why I’m so desperate to be with her. When I met her at the airport, I saw a sadness in her eyes and I wanted to banish it. And then we spoke and I wanted to know more about her. I sense in her something special. You know how it is when you meet someone and you feel a certain connection with them?”
Grant nodded slowly. “Sort of like when we met.”
“Exactly like that. The last time I felt such a strong connection with another person was with you. We met, I didn’t think there would ever be someone who cared about me, and whom I could care for in return. You came into my life at a time when I didn’t feel like I was worth shit. We couldn’t have predicted this plane crash, but I feel that India is here for a reason, and I’m not going to lose the possibility of the three of us coming together because of her misguided moral dilemma. You shared that same spark when you met her, didn’t you?”
Grant sighed, uncrossing his arms. “Yes. I knew she’d be special, though I didn’t know fate would kick us in the nuts by throwing the three of us on this island. It’s almost like we were meant to be together. But…” He shook his head. “It doesn’t necessarily mean she’ll get on board with our plans, just because we’re horny.”
“It’s much more than that and you know it.”
“I do know, but that’s what she may think. For all she knows, we could be just a couple of perverts trying to get our rocks off. Hell, before the Angie debacle, I may have been inclined to agree with her.”
Rafe stood up from the uncomfortable sitting position he’d been in. “I see no point in dancing around the issue, and I’m glad she knows the deal.”
Grant stood up as well. “And exactly what should we say to her? India, since we’re all attracted to each other, let’s fuck?”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s crude! These things take finesse. Besides, she’s already suffered enough.”
“And we haven’t? I’m tired of going to sleep wondering where our next meal will come from, not having a hot shower, a proper shave, a pillow to rest beneath my head, a cold beer—you know, the things we once took for granted. I don’t want my only thoughts to be of whether or not I’m going to die on this godforsaken island. The despair and loss of hope could kill a man out here. I want to experience something other than that emotion. I want to feel…”