Three is a War(34)

“You’re you.” Cole lowers his head, smiling to himself. “Flawless and addictive in every way.”

Trace leans forward and clasps his hands together between his knees. “You are the soul of life.”

My cheeks warm, and my chest rises with a happy sigh. “Are we playing by rules?”

“Loosely.” Trace licks his lips. “Cole and I have guidelines that will bend and evolve as we go. We’ve intentionally kept these from you, because we don’t want to limit you.”

“How do I follow the rules if I don’t know what they are?”

“You don’t,” Cole says. “We know the boundaries and will keep you safely within them.”

I chew the inside of my cheek. “I have concerns.”

“Such as?”

“Sex.”

“One-track mind.” He smirks.

“No.” Maybe. “Sex is the part I screwed up last time.” I peer at Trace. “I don’t feel like I can touch either of you. Or flirt. Or express my feelings in an intimate way.”

“I’ll make this very clear.” His bright blue eyes latch onto mine. “In a polyamorous arrangement, you can cheat on the rules, but not on each other. From your perspective, the only rule is honesty. We want you to act on your feelings.”

“Okay, but we’re not polyamorous.”

“Cole and I aren’t, but you are. You love more than one person, have multiple relationships, and everyone involved is aware and tolerant of what’s going on.”

As I absorb his words, I loathe myself even more. “Then we’ll just avoid sex and skip the whole poly—”

“Poly isn’t defined by sex.” Cole releases a heavy sigh. “As long as you’re romantically committed to both of us and no one else, this is where we’re at.”

“It’s temporary.” I close my eyes, breathe in, and stare at the floor. “Is that why you’re consenting to this? With your time line and rules and hope for a monogamous relationship at the end, you’re crazy enough to believe this is all worth it?”

“Yes.” Trace scowls at me.

“You are worth it,” Cole says firmly and gentles his tone. “Are we good?”

“I think so.”

“Head to the bedroom. I’ll be there in a minute.”

I narrow my eyes. What are they going to discuss without me here?

Suspicious and reluctant, I exit the dance studio and head down the hall toward the bedroom, slapping my bare feet on the tiles with deliberate loudness. Before I reach the doorway, I turn back, tip-toeing as quietly as possible.

When I arrive at the dance room, I press my back against the wall, remaining out of view.

“Because you fucking kissed her,” Cole whispers angrily. “Don’t look at me like that. Your goddamn tongue was down her throat.”

“I’m not the only one who put my mouth on her,” Trace says in a cool tone.

Jesus, I’m gone two seconds and they’re already fighting?

“Yeah, well, I followed the plan,” Cole says, “so get off my back.”

A heavy exhale breathes from the room, followed by a tense silence. I strain my ears, listening for footsteps, whispering, something.

“Danni!” Cole barks, making me jump. “Get your ass to the bedroom.”

“Fuck that.” I storm into the studio and anchor my hands on my hips. “I thought we were done with secrets.”

“I thought we were done sneaking around.” Cole lifts a brow.

“I wasn’t… Okay, maybe I was sneaking.” Something tells me he expected me to do exactly that. “Why are you fighting behind my back?”

“We’re not fighting.” Trace reclines on the couch.

“We’re communicating.” Cole prowls toward me.

I back up, but not fast enough. He grips my thighs, tosses me over his shoulder, and carries me out of room.

Down the hall and into the master bedroom, we go. I try not to feel him up, but he’s shirtless and ripped and… I press my nose to his shoulder blade. Fuck, he smells so damn good. Like home.

He drops me on the bed. “Roll over.”

I close my eyes and relax into the bedding, pretending to ignore him just for the fun of it.

“Danni,” he growls.

“He thinks his bossiness is hot,” I mumble, peeking an eye open. “And maybe it is, but dammit, you can’t let him order you around all the time.”

“Are you talking to yourself?” A grin pulls on the corner of his mouth.

“When I need brilliant advice, I consult an expert.”

A smile cracks his face—all dimples and straight teeth and glittering brown eyes. Then he launches, his bare chest hard against mine, his hands in my hair, and a knee wedged between my legs.