Jason looked right back at him, meeting his stare without uttering a word, jaw tight, eyes beginning to spark, and I flushed furiously. Oh my god, this was definitely taking on the feel of a two males sparring for a female, staring each other down before engaging in battle, locking horns and goring one another before going in for the kill. Holy shit, was this really happening?
But something switched in Jason then, and he relaxed, sitting back, his big form casual.
"That's right," he drawled, one arm slung across the back of the booth behind me in a possessive manner. "We're here to talk about Katy, my favorite subject."
And I blushed once more because it was getting downright embarrassing. I couldn't just let them talk about me like I was a piece of property.
"Listen, before this gets too far, can I remind you two that I'm right here? There's no need to chat like I can't hear," I scolded. "We've been through a lot in the last two days, and I was very much a part of it both times, so I'd appreciate it if you could address your comments to me and not each other."
And both men looked surprised.
"Of course honey," ground out Brent. "We respect you, that's no problem."
"Wouldn't have it any other way," agreed Jason.
And I took a deep breath, smiling at them, but not too friendly. I was in charge here and wanted to make sure they knew who was the lady boss.
"Okay, well since we have that settled, why don't we talk about sharing then," I began. It sounded like we were in a kindergarten class learning the basics, but heck, you've got to start at step one, right? In uncharted territory, you can't exactly go straight to Park Place without passing Go first. So I took a deep breath, collecting my thoughts, but that damned waitress came back, purring and cooing like a cat.
"Hi again fellas," she simpered, cocking out one hip saucily. "Ready to order?"
And it was like I wasn't even there, the woman didn't acknowledge me at all. Seriously, today was fucking frustrating. I just wanted to get to the meat of the conversation but everything was getting in the way, one hurdle after another, and my ears began to steam. But fortunately the men could sense my irritation and deferred to me.
"The lady goes first," rumbled Jason, eyebrow quirked.
And I turned to the older lady with a bright look on my face.
"Grilled cheese with a side of fries please," I said, overly friendly, even a little plasticky.
Both men nodded.
"Grilled cheese has a lot of calories," grunted Brent approvingly. "Make mine a grilled cheese too, but throw in an all-beef patty and some extra bacon."
And Jason was just as hungry.
"Yeah, I'll take a grilled as well," he added. "With meat and cheese but no bread, animal-style."
And I just shook my head. Really, we were all getting grilled cheese sandwiches, like one happy family?
Jason smirked at me, throwing in a kicker.
"Plus extra fries for everyone," he announced to the waitress, "Yeah, we'll need some fries."
And I sighed as the waitress nodded and sauntered away, hips swinging.
"Really?" I asked dryly. "Extra fries? You know they serve them by the bucket here."
But Jason nodded emphatically.
"That's right, and I want to see you eat every one," he replied, "every single one, finger lickin' good so that your sweet body puts on some serious poundage."
I rolled my eyes. Back to the weight thing again? It was so hard to have a conversation with these guys, we kept getting derailed by talk of my curves. But I wasn't going to give up, so I ignored his comment and fixed them both with a stare.
"Like I said," I began, "we're here to discuss sharing. I want to work out something with both of you guys, find a way to compromise."
The word "compromise" made both their brows draw, like it was the nastiest word ever. But to their credit, neither man said anything. Instead Brent said neutrally, "And what did you have in mind?"
That gave me momentary pause because truthfully, I didn't have a solution. Everything had happened so fast, so quickly, my pussy and ass cherries lost within twenty-four hours of each other, that there had been no time to digest the situation yet. So I fumbled, trying to cover, making something up on the fly that sounded okay.
"Um, how about Monday, Wednesday, Fridays I'm with Brent, and Tuesdays and Thursdays I'm with Jason?" I blurted, looking between both men. That wasn't too bad, was it? Sounded reasonable to me.
But neither man looked happy.
"What the fuck, I only get two days when he gets three? What the fuck?" growled Jason, glaring at Brent again.
And Brent was just as dissatisfied.
"Three days a week isn't enough honey," he stated. "I need you more than that. What am I supposed to do otherwise? Go to strip clubs? Hire someone? I need you more, no way is that enough."
I colored, nonplussed. Shit, I hadn't thought the two men would be so demanding, that they'd need me the way they were making out. I hemmed and hawed a bit, my mind racing furiously.
"Well," I said slowly, biting my lip. "At least we agree we want to share, right? That's the important thing, that we're in this together."
And both men were silent for a moment.
"I guess so," grunted Jason. "I mean, what choice do I have?"
Brent shot Jason a hard look, but pretty much felt the same way, he just tried to phrase it nicer.
"What he's saying, honey, is that we both want you. We're two domineering, arrogant males who are used to getting our way, but we're in a bind here because the woman we both love can't choose between us, she's not gonna pick one over the other. Isn't that right Katy? We can't get you to choose one of us, make a selection?"
And my heart beat rapidly. Because I'd heard the word "love" in there and although it'd been over in half a second, the syllable rang in my ears, vibrated through body, my breathing suddenly shallow, head light.
"I don't want to seem selfish," I began, trying to calm my racing heart. "I mean, I'm not totally sure what's going on, we just started this yesterday and it's been like a runaway train, losing my pussy and ass cherries within twenty four hours," I said blushing, glancing between the two men. But both men nodded, encouraging me to go on.
"So I'm not sure," I blurted, "and if you're asking me to pick, right here, right now, then no, I couldn't possibly. Because I love you both," I rushed again. "I feel like my world has opened, the world is changing colors before me, I'm seeing colors that I've never seen before, and you guys have done that for me. So no, I couldn't possibly choose, I'm so sorry," I finished softly.
Both men reached forward then, each taking a small hand in one of theirs.
"Katy darlin', you couldn't have said it better," rumbled Brent. "The world changing colors? Heck, the entire universe is changing colors, that's what you do to us."
And Jason agreed.
"We get it, Katy, we get it," he said roughly. "It's just gonna be tough, you know? I mean, the three of us have lived together for the last year, sure," he said, casting a quick look at Brent, "but things are different now. You're a woman and with two men who love you in such close proximity, things are bound to get heated and crazy."
But I interrupted suddenly.
"But heated and crazy in a good way, right?" I said slowly. "I hope there aren't going to be fights, physical or otherwise. I don't think I could live if I saw the two of you going at it, beating the daylights out of one another."
And the alphas shot glances at one another before looking away quickly. Actions speak a thousand words, and that momentary exchange was an entire dialogue. They desperately wanted to beat each other to a pulp, desperately wanted to pound in the skull of the other but were holding back because of me, knowing I'd be devastated. So instead, the men compromised.
"No, we're not going to fight," Brent assured smoothly, squeezing my fingers. "So long as you're with us, we're not gonna fight, we'll find a way to work things out."
"Yeah," drawled Jason. "But trust me, I'm ready if you ever want to go at it," he challenged Brent, the air pulsing with energy, with tension suddenly.
But the older male wasn't perturbed at all.
"Any day, boy-o, any day," Brent said silkily in return, not even looking at Jason.
And I sighed deeply.
"Well that's something," I murmured, suddenly exhausted. Maybe it was the two days of continuous sex, the two days of improbable events, but suddenly I felt limp, really beat. Thankfully, our sandwiches had come and we could focus on food instead of our difficult situation.
"Mmm," I groaned, biting into my grilled cheese, savoring the melty, salty flavor of American and Cheddar mixed together. "Mmm," I moaned again, almost closing my eyes with ecstasy, "I've never tasted anything so good."