“The view here is gorgeous, breathtaking.” Tyler sat facing over the railing.
“Yeah, I hope I never start taking it for granted, even though I’ve lived here all my life.” Michael took a seat across from Tyler.
Good, the men were making chitchat. That was a good sign. Right?
“Will you miss it?” Tyler leaned his elbows on his knees and turned to face Michael.
Or not. Alyssa slouched against the railing between the two men.
“When would I ever miss it? It’s still here every morning when I get up.” Michael chuckled as though Tyler was dimwitted, and then the corners of Michael’s mouth lowered, and he narrowed his gaze at Tyler. “Wait… You think I’d move away from here?”
“Well, I… You plan to stay here forever?”
Alyssa watched the ping-pong game, her head swiveling back and forth between the men, judging when she’d need to interject to keep peace. Wait for it… Give them a chance.
“Of course. Who’d ever leave this land? I just got back. I only went to Spain so Alyssa could grow up. I’ve no intention of ever leaving again.” Michael squared off, his hands planted firmly on his thighs.
Tyler flinched and leaned back. He ran his fingers through his hair as he tipped his head toward the ceiling. Alyssa worried he’d start shouting. His jerky movements reminded her of a ticking time bomb.
“I just had a promising job interview in Denver.” He lowered his gaze and pinned it on Michael. “I’m a finance guy. What the hell would I do out here in the middle of nowhere?”
“Nowhere? You think this is nowhere? Where the hell else can you get wide open space, plenty of room to shift and roam free, as well as unpolluted air to breathe at one with nature?” Michael stood and started pacing. “Denver? What the hell makes you think I’d move to Denver?”
“Frankly, I never considered you even existed when I went there to interview.” Tyler stood to face off with Michael.
“So, you just thought you’d sweep in here, claim Alyssa, and drag her to Denver?”
“Yes. She’s my mate. What else would I have thought?”
“She’s my mate too.” Michael’s voice rose. “And I’m not moving from Oregon until the cows come home.” He leaned forward to punctuate his words.
Alyssa would have laughed at his ridiculous pun if she hadn’t been more worried about the fact that all heck was breaking loose.
“Guys.” Both men turned to her, stern looks on their faces as though they were irritated by the interruption. She glared back pointedly, letting her gaze land on each of them in turn. “Stop it. I feel like a rag doll being yanked back and forth between you two, and frankly, the testosterone posturing is getting on my nerves. Sit.” She pointed at first one vacated chair and then the other before repeating, “Sit.” The command made her shake, surprising even herself with the force behind her tone.
When both men took a seat, she continued. “This is not a contest. I’m so sorry to burst your bubbles, but you aren’t involved in a tug of war in which he who pulls the hardest gets the girl on his side of the line. I’m not choosing between you two. Do you hear me?”
She took a deep breath. “This isn’t some sort of game. As much as this wouldn’t have been my first choice, or even a flicker of a thought, you are both my mates. I don’t know how this is going to work … and I shiver to picture the logistics of letting you claim me, but it is what it is. The quickest way to ensure you don’t get to be a part of my life is to keep acting like you’re both wild animals.”
At that last bit, she grinned. She felt powerful. In an instant she realized she indeed had all the power. These men were secretly both hoping she would choose between them. She stood straighter, her spine stiffening. Even with both men sitting and her standing, she was barely taller than them.
They had no idea how sexy they were, both of them staring up at her as though surprised by her outburst. Her body had not forgotten the orgasm she’d just had at Tyler’s hand, nor the ones from yesterday at Michael’s. There was no choice to be made. It was suddenly clear as day. She craved both these men.
On her next inhale, she breathed in their scent, and her gut clenched wanting them to touch her, both of them.
Alyssa smiled demurely, filled with a self-assurance she’d never known in her twenty years. “This package is all or nothing, boys. Like it or not, we are a threesome. So, I suggest that the two of you sulk off someplace and work this out like men. You can stop trying to one-up each other for my affection. It belongs equally to you both. I will have both of you or neither; you decide.”