Chapter 12
Parker
“Stop! Stop fucking fighting! Do you two have any idea how hard this is for me?” Mia screams. Leo and I both stop our impending fight and rush back to her side.
“Baby . . .” Leo coos as he tries to reach for her. She bats away his attempt, fire bouncing around behind her pretty irises.
“I want you to share me,” Mia states as if it’s the most natural, simple thing in the world.
My eyebrows shoot upward. I’m honestly surprised it’s taken her this long to ask, but she’s drunk, so I try not to get too excited.
“I can’t choose between you when I want both of you.
There will always be a part of me with the other person.
Always. So, this is what I’ve come up with. ” Well, she sounds sober as hell now.
“And what? We just take turns like a pair of divorced parents? We each get a weekend?” Mia looks sheepishly off to the side, and I immediately want to reach for her, to smooth the creases in her forehead.
This may be completely taboo for him, but it’s not to me.
If it’ll make Mia happy, and it means I get more of her, I’m fucking down to do whatever she needs.
“No . . . I thought . . .” she backpedals, sitting down on the ground. I drop down to my knees in front of her, lowering my voice.
“You thought what, little rebel? Say it plainly for us so we all understand,” I ask gently, encouraging her.
“You could share me, share me.”
“Like together? In bed?” Leo asks, alarmed. As if it would be the worst thing in the fucking world. Screw this guy. Even if he is hot as hell, and has a smooth, rich voice that I can’t get enough of. Screw him.
We’ve met twice over the last two weeks to go over what to expect at the trials, and each time, we’ve only lasted thirty minutes before we get into a pissing match. The whole working together thing seems to be difficult for him, so I can’t imagine him being good at sharing.
What Mia is suggesting, though, has already crossed my mind.
I’m in love with her, and I’m physically attracted to him.
Plus, from what I know about him, he’s a good guy, despite his stupid-ass reaction right now.
I like how riled up I can make him, and it definitely makes me wonder what other reactions I can pull from him.
It wouldn’t be like Mia to shack up with a dirtbag, so he’s got some points in his favor there. I’d love to end this back and forth, to have Mia any way I can get her. Even if it means sharing her with Leo. Especially if it means sharing her with Leo.
“Okay,” I say, breaking the silence stretching between the three of us.
“Okay?” Leo repeats incredulously.
“Yeah, okay. I’m down for that.”
“What do you mean you’re down for that?”
“Did your brain suddenly stop working? I’m down for sharing Mia. I want her however I can get her, that’s how much she’s worth to me. If she needs both of us. Then so be it. I want her to be happy. How much is her happiness worth to you?”
Leo’s mouth falls open slightly, forming a little “O” that’s actually sexy as hell.
“Park, you’re serious?” Fuck, if I wasn’t, I would be now with the way she’s looking up at me like I hung the stars and the moon.
I mean it, I would do anything for this woman.
She’s the type of woman who could make empires collapse, entire kingdoms worship at her feet, and I get her?
Yeah, I’d do fucking anything for that privilege.
“You should know me better than that. If fuckface here can get on board, I’m here for whatever you need.”
“What are you playing at, Parker? Is this some ploy to get her to leave me for good? ’Cause I’m not fucking going anywhere. She’s mine.”
“She’s both of ours, dipshit. She always has been. How many times do I have to say that to you before it sticks? There’s no ulterior motive here, just me wanting Mia any way I can have her. If that means you’re in the picture, looks like we’re gonna become best friends.”
Leo scoffs, but then he looks down at Mia, their eyes having a standoff. I see the moment his resolve crumbles. He drops to his haunches next to me, cupping her face.
“Anything for you, Mia. If this is what you need, then okay.” There we go. Finally.
I slap him on the back, and he shrugs me off. “See? I knew you weren’t so bad, lover boy.”
“Call me that again, Parker, and I’ll cut off your balls. See how useful you are to Mia after that.”
“If you want a reason to touch my sack, man, all you gotta do is ask.”
“For fuck’s sake, is this what I have to look forward to now?” Mia asks, throwing her hands up in the air.
I chuckle. “Have you given this thought? You’re sure?” I ask.
“I’m sure. I can’t live without either of you, and it’s killing me keeping one foot out the door while being present with each of you. I can’t do it anymore. It’s both or nothing at all.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Leo and I both say in sync.
“Nothing at all isn’t an option. We’ll make this work. We need to set some ground rules, talk about how this will work,” Leo adds, and I nod my agreement.
“Yeah, you’re right. Where can we go to talk?”
“Asher is out, we can go back to my place, it’s empty and quiet. You good with that, Leo?”
“Yeah, yeah, let’s go.”
Leo and I help Mia stand, and she immediately lurches forward, emptying the contents of her stomach into the bushes.
I grab her hair, pulling it back to keep it from her face as Leo rubs her back.
I glance at him just as I catch him looking at me and shoot him a little wink that gets me a cute-as-hell eye roll.
After Mia is done purging the venom she willingly swallowed with her friends, the three of us head back to Crimson Keep, our steps falling into a quiet rhythm with each other.
My heart tumbles over in my chest, ready to have this conversation, wondering what this dynamic will look like for all of us.
All I know is that when this conversation is over, I’m sinking inside my woman, whether Leo is there or not.